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.

Notes: Tracy voices his concerns  —  Skipper wants to diffuse mentality of losing on club  —  PITTSBURGH — This much is certain 70 games through Jim Tracy's first season as manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates: He's determined to do whatever he possibly can to change an atmosphere of losing …

This one really hurts  —  WASHINGTON — Once Chien-Ming Wang released his 107th pitch yesterday, the Yankees saw trouble coming.  Joe Torre knew right away that it was higher than it should have been, so hittable that catcher Jorge Posada hoped Ryan Zimmerman would not swing.  —  But the Yankees weren't that lucky.

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 …

Left in the dark  —  There is a hilarious commercial playing on the radio these days.  It is for Major League Baseball's online video-streaming service, and the announcer states with all the zeal of a snake-oil salesman: "Sign up for MLB.TV and never miss a game again!"  —  Bill Reed is the punch line.

Huge Incentive To Play Baseball  —  If Jeff Samardzija's career works out the way he and the Cubs hope, he will end up receiving one of the largest signing bonuses ever given to an amateur player.  —  Samardzija, a fifth-round pick out of Notre Dame, agreed in principle with the Cubs …

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.

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.

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 …

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 …

Patterson May Pitch On Friday  —  The wait for John Patterson and the Washington Nationals could finally end Friday, when the right-hander is scheduled to be activated from the disabled list and pitch his first major league game since April 21.  —  Patterson, on the disabled list …