Smoak deal draws reaction

Here's what they are saying about the deal that sent former Stratford High School and South Carolina standout Justin Smoak from the Rangers to the Mariners in a deal for former Cy Young winner Cliff Lee:

--Justin Smoak, to MLB.com: "I was hitting in the cage and third-base coach Dave Anderson came and got me to come into (Rangers manager Ron Washington's) office. I sat down and talked with him and (general manager Jon Daniels) and that's when they told me.

"I knew it was either getting sent down, because I haven't been doing very well. I knew it was either that or I was going somewhere."

On being traded for Lee: "It says a lot. He's a great pitcher and they really wanted to take this team to the next level here. Doing that does it. It's just one of those things that's part of it. The only thing you can do is look forward."

--Rangers GM Jon Daniels: "(Smoak) handled it about as professionally and maturely as he could. He's going across the aisle, so to speak, in the (American League West) division. I expect him to have a good career and we're going to have to find ways to get him out. He kind of caught his breath, contacted his family, and I'd probably expect him to be in their lineup tomorrow."

--Texas Rangers shortstop Michael Young: "We all went to (Smoak), gave him a hug and wished him luck. You never like saying goodbye to teammates. So then I thought, 'What's next?' Well, what's next is Cliff Lee. That is an unbelievable feeling. We had a good team yesterday, but we just got a massive piece of the puzzle. We got the best pitcher on the market."

--Mariners' general manager Jack Zduriencik: "We had had a lot of talks with Texas and (Smoak) is the player that we desired. And they threw different things around and yes, there was a point in time this morning when, through the conversations, I said, 'Look, there are other opportunities. If you want to do this deal, this is the player we want.' And they said yes."

Wieters tweaks hamstring

Baltimore Orioles catcher Matt Wieters pulled himself out of Friday night's game against the Rangers with a right hamstring strain. The Stratford High School product was to be evaluated further on Saturday.

Wieters said he will get treatment for the next couple of days and he will not play again until after the All-Star break.

"It would be best to get these two days off and the four days for the All-Star break," Wieters said. "Hopefully it will feel good that day we come back after the break."

Wieters, who missed Thursday's game because of tightness in his hamstring, stumbled after stepping on second base as he was rounding the bag on Scott Moore's double in the fifth inning. Wieters fell to the ground, got up and limped into third base.

"When it first happened, it's definitely an odd feeling," Wieters said. "I lunged and stepped on second, and I felt it give a little bit. It's definitely not a good feeling to have.''

Around the horn

--Pitcher Asher Wojciechowski (The Citadel) was placed on the 7-day disabled list on July 7 by the Auburn Doubledays in the New York-Penn League. The No. 41 overall pick in the MLB draft by the Blue Jays, Wojo is 0-0 with a 0.75 ERA in 12 innings this season.

--Second baseman Drew Meyer (Bishop England HS/USC) is off to a good start with his new club, Triple-A Salt Lake in the Angels' system. Meyer is hitting .333 with a homer and five RBIs in his first seven games at Salt Lake after being signed by the Angels.

--First baseman Chris McGuiness (James Island HS/The Citadel) has been on fire lately for Class A Greenville. He's hitting .514 with three homers and six RBIs in his last 10 games, and has raised his average to .317 through 62 games.

--Third baseman Jeremie Tice (College of Charleston) has been promoted by the Indians to Class A Advanced Kinston after hitting .282 with nine homers and 51 RBIs in 66 games for Lake County.

--Catcher John Murrian (Stratford HS/Winthrop) is coming on strong after returning from the disabled list. He's batting .405 with two homers and eight RBIs in his last 10 games, including a six-game hitting streak and an 8-for-12 run in the last three games.