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Grimsley home raided

Roger Clemens fires one of his 62 pitches for the Class-A Lexington Legends. (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)
From wire reports
Roger Clemens fires one of his 62 pitches for the Class-A Lexington Legends. (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)

The undetectable drug has been detected.

Federal agents raided the home of Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Jason Grimsley on Tuesday, seeking evidence that could identify him as a distributor of human growth hormone – which is illegal but undetectable in urine tests – and other performance-enhancing drugs.

Baseball officials refused to comment, but the fallout from the raid will probably be felt for months: when Grimsley was first confronted by agents in April, according to documents, he named names.

Grimsley has not been charged, and sources did not say what was taken from his house. But according to a search warrant affidavit obtained by the New York Daily News, IRS agents had already seized human growth hormone from Grimsley in a “low key” search of his home April 19, and he had admitted using HGH, amphetamines and anabolic steroids.

The affidavit said agents were looking for evidence of “Grimsley’s and other Major League players’ illegal receipt of prescription drugs, anabolic steroids, human growth hormone and amphetamines, the illegal distribution of such drugs, and the money laundering of the proceeds of said transactions.”

The April visit and Tuesday’s raid were led by IRS special agent Jeff Novitzky, the same agent who pursued the BALCO case, which led to the prosecution of five men and the embarrassment of more than a dozen MLB, NFL and track and field athletes.

According to the affidavit, Grimsley was first nailed by agents when he received a package containing $3,200 worth of HGH in the mail April 19 at his Scottsdale, Ariz., home. Grimsley agreed to cooperate and showed agents the HGH, and admitted taking the steroids Deca-Durabolin and Clenbuterol, a stimulant and weight-loss drug, in the past, as well as amphetamines. He also named several current and former players as having used performance-enhancing drugs (the names were redacted from the affidavit).

Clemens looks sharp

Roger Clemens showed pinpoint control and a sharp fastball during his tuneup in Lexington, Ky., for the Houston Astros’ Class-A Lexington Legends. Playing alongside his son, Koby, he gave up a long home run but otherwise looked like his old self in three innings of work against the Lake County Captains, a Cleveland Indians affiliate.

Next up is probably a start Sunday at Double-A Corpus Christi, Texas.

Oswalt lands on DL

Houston Astros ace Roy Oswalt was placed on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to May 30.

Oswalt, 5-3 with a 3.11 ERA, has been diagnosed with a mid-back strain on the left side and is scheduled to return on June 14.

Houston brought left-handed pitcher Philip Barzilla up from Triple-A Round Rock.

Clearing the bases

Cardinals outfielder Larry Bigbie was placed on the 15-day DL for the second time this season, this time with a hernia. He’ll likely miss 3 to 4 weeks. … The Devil Rays activated outfielder Rocco Baldelli and second baseman Jorge Cantu from the 15-day disabled list and optioned pitcher Chad Orvella to Triple-A Durham. … The Red Sox recalled right-hander Craig Hansen to shore up their overworked bullpen and optioned reliever Jermaine Van Buren to Triple-A Pawtucket. … The Diamondbacks activated right-hander Russ Ortiz from the DL and put lefty Terry Mulholland on the 15-day DL with an inner ear infection. … The Tigers transferred pitcher Mike Maroth to the 60-day disabled list and purchased outfielder Alexis Gomez‘s contract from Triple-A Toledo.