Check Reveals Royal Background  —  ATLANTA — Red Sox manager Terry Francona doesn't know much about pitcher Kyle Snyder other than he's tall - 6 feet 8 - right-handed and was released by the worst team in baseball last week.  —  The Red Sox hope the Nationals, whom Snyder faces …

Warning path isn't quite enough  —  Unpadded concrete danger to outfielders  —  ANAHEIM - Why is there exposed concrete at the base of the outfield walls at Angel Stadium, such as where Dave Roberts slammed his right knee yesterday?  —  Angels officials were trying to answer that question …

Barrett's 10-game suspension upheld  —  Cubs catcher begins to serve penalty Monday in Cleveland  —  CHICAGO — Major League Baseball arbitrator John McHale Jr. upheld the 10-game suspension issued for Cubs catcher Michael Barrett, who was to begin serving the penalty Monday night when the team opened a three-game series in Cleveland.

Great eighth (six runs) lifts Sox  —  ATLANTA — With just one Rudy Seanez pitch, delivered at 86 miles per hour with next-to-no movement, except for the arc it traced on its way out of the ballpark, this looked like a 2-4 road swing through Minnesota and Atlanta.

Friendship transcends diamond  —  White Sox owner, former manager remain close friends  —  CHICAGO — Somewhere in Chicago on Monday night, at a restaurant featuring good food and a place for good conversation, Jerry Reinsdorf and Tony La Russa will sit down for dinner.

Effort on Play Questioned  —  The Press-Enterprise  —  OAKLAND - Lost somewhere in the middle of the Dodgers' 17-inning marathon with the A's on Saturday night was a veteran showing up a rookie.  —  In the eighth inning of the game that ended with Jae Seo walking in the winning run …

Aurilia OK; Bailey to start in Class AA  —  CINCINNATI |  In his 10-plus years in the major leagues, Rich Aurilia has dove back into bases many times, although he says, "I don't know why the White Sox tried to pick me off second base.  I ain't going anywhere."

Rotation shift irks R. Lopez … NEW YORK // An agitated Rodrigo Lopez declined to endorse the decision of Orioles manager Sam Perlozzo to push the right-hander's start back from tomorrow to Friday, saying yesterday that he's "not OK with it."  —  Perlozzo emphasized that he wasn't skipping Lopez.

Tools to build a fine future  —  Powerful Place to get to work  —  ATLANTA — No official announcement has been made, but the Red Sox have signed their top draft choice, outfielder Jason Place.  If he isn't already in Fort Myers, Fla., ready to embark on his professional career in rookie ball …

Notes: Jays welcome return of Burnett  —  Pitcher is expected to return for Thursday start  —  MIAMI — A.J. Burnett is coming back to the Blue Jays and not a moment too soon.  —  Burnett, who has been on the 60-day DL since April 21 with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament …

Mailbag: Looking at moving Mench?  —  Beat writer T.R. Sullivan answers fans' questions  —  Are the Rangers thinking about trading Kevin Mench for anyone?  He is my favorite player and I don't want to see him gone.  If you do, who would you get and why?  —  Mench remains an intriguing and enigmatic player.

Mailbag: How to make room for Mitre?  —  Reporter Joe Frisaro answers Marlins fans' questions  —  What are the Marlins going to do when Sergio Mitre comes off the disabled list?  Is he going back in the rotation?  Everybody else is pitching great.  —  Because Mitre is on the 60-day disabled list …

Moments like Zimmerman's create legacies  —  This is the way a legacy is created — big moments over a career that are someday documented in books and, in today's world, on Web sites.  —  Everyone leaves a mark in baseball.  Every player receives an entry in The Baseball Encyclopedia …

Podsednik's defense looks shaky to Ozzie  —  CINCINNATI — There's a good reason why Ozzie Guillen raises an eyebrow when asked why he hasn't given Scott Podsednik a chance to play center field.  —  The way the White Sox manager sees it, Podsednik still has to prove he can play a solid left field.

Going Deep: Kiker's goal a realistic one  —  Rules makes pitcher's likely ETA late 2009  —  When reporters asked Kasey Kiker, at the press conference announcing that the Rangers' first-round pick had agreed to sign a pro contract, how long he thought it would be before he reached the Major Leagues …