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Amalie Benjamin / Boston Globe:
Lester swept up in fun — Lefthander whiffs 10 to finish off Nationals — It was with a small, understated fist pump, and a wipe of the face with the top of his jersey that Jon Lester found a way to celebrate the 92-mile-per-hour fastball that exploded past Matthew LeCroy …
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Boston Sports Media Watch
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Ian Browne / MLB.com:
Lester, Ortiz lead Sox to sixth straight — Rookie fans 10, Papi hits slam as Red Sox sweep Nationals — BOSTON — Dazzling Red Sox prospect Jon Lester has a long way to go before he reaches David Ortiz's cult status in and around Fenway Park. However, it's not a stretch to say that the young gun …
Discussion:
The Baseball Desert
Bill Ladson / MLB.com:
Hill struggles as Nationals get swept — Righty yields eight runs in 5 1/3 innings against Boston — BOSTON — Going into the three-game series against the Red Sox, the Nationals were on a high after taking two out of three games against Yankees and winning the finale on a dramatic …
Discussion:
Federal Baseball
Amalie Benjamin / Boston Globe:
Arms buildup continues with deal for Johnson — Though surprising and gratifying, Kyle Snyder's win Monday wasn't enough to keep him in the starting rotation. Or even with the major league club. — Instead, the Red Sox yesterday opted for a castoff from a slightly more successful team …
Discussion:
Surviving Grady
Barry Svrluga / Washington Post:
Red Sox Pound Nats Again — Third Straight Loss Leaves Team Searching for Answers: Red Sox 9, Nationals 3 — BOSTON, June 21 — They came here on such a high that their manager said they might not need a plane to fly north from the District. But on Wednesday night …
Mark Kreidler / ESPN:
No raves for Ozzie's rants … Can we all agree that certain words are so potentially hurtful they should be used either rarely or never? — Good. Then let's not call it a suspension. Let's call it an intervention. — C'mon, White Sox, rescue your guy before he goes Archie Bunker on the rest of the world.
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Teddy Greenstein / Chicago Tribune:
Mariotti takes Sox, Sun-Times to task — Columnist also says Guillen should be suspended for slur — A day after Ozzie Guillen slammed him in an obscenity-laced tirade, Sun-Times sports columnist Jay Mariotti fired back at the White Sox. — That response was expected.
Kristen Zimmerman / minorleaguebaseball.com:
Youth is served in Futures Game rosters — Maybin, Liz and Hughes to take field on All-Star Sunday — They come from all over the world and are at different stages of their professional careers but have one thing in common — Major League potential. — The 50 Minor Leaguers that adorn …
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Bob Dutton / Kansas City Star:
Sweeney expects to return before All-Star break — Mike Sweeney continued his rehab process Wednesday by working through a second day of early batting practice that was better at the end of 50 swings than at the beginning. — "It's not how you start," he declared. "It's how you finish.
Mike Kiley / Chicago Sun Times:
Wood realizes he might be done for year — CLEVELAND — Kerry Wood has no concrete answers about what the rest of the season holds for him. Asked if he has doubts about whether he'll pitch again this season, Wood acknowledged that uncertainty is clouding his mind as he continues to work …
Bill Shaikin / Los Angeles Times:
Little Asks Izturis to Switch to Third Base — The Dodgers, unsure whether Bill Mueller will play again this season and unconvinced that Willy Aybar can play third base every day, told Cesar Izturis on Tuesday that he is their new third baseman. — "That's the only spot we've got," Izturis said.
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Paxton Crawford / ESPN:
'It's like playing with fire' … Paxton Crawford was a top pitching prospect who went 5-1 in 15 games for the Red Sox in 2000 and 2001. Then back problems — which he blames on steroid use — derailed the right-hander's career, which ended in the minors in 2005.
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Mike Scarr / MLB.com:
Angels salvage series finale — Izturis' bases-clearing double in the eighth propels club — SAN FRANCISCO — It was Jeff Weaver's turn on Wednesday to provide some quality innings, yet be denied a victory. — But in a positive twist to the story, the offense responded with a late-inning rally …
Discussion:
6-4-2
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Bob Herzog / Newsday:
Milledge: To stay, I'd sit — Rookie outfielder Lastings Milledge isn't buying into the Mets' company line that he'd be better off playing every day for Triple-A Norfolk when Cliff Floyd returns rather than sitting on the bench with the big club. — "I think I'll get better as a player …
Damian Cristodero / St. Petersburg Times:
Jackson may join expanding closers corps — ST. PETERSBURG - If the Devil Rays' plans work out, the team, at some point, could be swimming in closers. — One day after announcing Seth McClung was sent to Triple-A Durham to learn the position, manager Joe Maddon said hard-throwing Edwin Jackson could be groomed for it as well.
