Top News:
Jon Naito / Seattle Post-Intelligencer:
Felix injured early — Hernandez struggles, leaves in first with tightness in elbow — He is the boy who would be king. Felix Hernandez has been anointed and nothing in his early season oeuvre would seem to dispute that. — A little over a week after he turned 21 …
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Associated Press:
Hernandez to miss at least 2 starts — SEATTLE (AP) - Seattle Mariners ace Felix Hernandez will likely miss two to three starts with a muscle strain inside his right elbow and forearm. — Mariners medical director Dr. Ed Khalfayan said Thursday that the 21-year-old right-hander will not throw for five days, then will play catch.
Associated Press:
NY Mets 11, Florida 3 — MIAMI (AP) — Even the backup catcher is swinging a big bat this week for the New York Mets. — Ramon Castro homered and drove in three runs Thursday to help fuel the Mets' latest offensive outburst, and they drubbed the Florida Marlins for the second night in a row, 11-3.
David O'Brien / Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Agent: Aybar dealing with 'drinking and drugs' — Suspended Braves infielder Willy Aybar is in Boston, struggling with substance abuse and trying to get his life and baseball career back in order, his agent told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. — The agent, Luis Valdez …
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Mark Bowman / MLB.com:
Notes: Aybar suspended indefinitely — Third baseman a no-show for Wednesday's game vs. Chicago — ATLANTA — Willy Aybar's suspension was originally supposed to last just three days. But his continued absence has forced the Braves to make this an indefinite suspension.
Maury Brown / The Biz of Baseball:
Forbes Releases '07 MLB Franchise Valuations — Forbes Magazine has just released its annual valuation rankings for all 30 of the MLB clubs (http://www.forbes.com/lists/2007/33/ 07mlb_The-Business-Of-Baseball_ Rank.html) today, with the Yankees chiming in at a cool $1.2 billion.
Craig Barnes / Sun-Sentinel:
Owens set to close as bullpen reshuffles — · Struggling reliever Jorge Julio was placed on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday, and right-hander Henry Owens, the Barry graduate, will get a chance at the closer's role. — Julio strained his right calf against Houston on Tuesday.
Discussion:
The Mets Are Better Than Sex
Tom Haudricourt / JSOnline:
Capellan takes unauthorized leave — Reliever missed two Sounds games — Reliever Jose Capellan took his unhappiness with the Milwaukee Brewers to a level deemed unacceptable by going AWOL at Class AAA Nashville for two games. — General manager Doug Melvin announced Wednesday that Capellan …
David S. Glasier / zwire.com:
Hernandez still loves New York City — NEW YORK — Indians relief pitcher Roberto Hernandez always feels tugs at the heartstrings when his baseball travels bring him to New York City. — Although he was born in Puerto Rico, the 42-year-old Hernandez grew up in Manhattan.
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Peter Abraham / The LoHud Yankees Blog:
Tommy John surgery for Sanchez — Word out of Tampa is that Humberto Sanchez had Tommy John surgery on Wednesday. That's a 12-16 month recovery period. Given his history with injuries, it's hard to see him ever amounting to a successful big leaguer. — The Yankees, presumably, had his records checked before the trade.
Dave Studeman / Hardball Times:
Ten Things I Didn't Know Last Week — Every act of terror and murder, such as this week's tragedy at Virginia Tech, is always a kick in the gut. No matter how many desperate and depraved acts we have seen on TV or the Internet, each one feels like something terribly new …
Jeff Goldberg / Hartford Courant:
Quick Work Left In Wake — Finally, Some Runs For Knuckleballer — TORONTO — If baseball truly wants to shorten the length of games, it should just arrange for Tim Wakefield to pitch all of them. — Wakefield has long been the master of the sub-three hour game.
Discussion:
projo.com Rhode Island news, The Joy of Sox, A Red Sox Fan … and Peter's Red Sox Forever
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Dan Fox / Baseball Prospectus:
Caught Stealing to Lose the Game — "It was a good time to run and it happened to be a good pitch for the catcher to throw on...It's just part of the game. You want to get a guy in scoring position. Sometimes you're aggressive and it comes out against you.
John Delcos / The Journal News:
Mets will play it safe with Heilman — MIAMI - The Mets say they will walk a fine line of being cautious with Aaron Heilman's surgically repaired right elbow, but not overly protective. — Heilman underwent surgery last winter and was shut down a week in spring training with a mild case of tendinitis.
Discussion:
MetsBlog.com
Associated Press:
Reigning NL MVP sits out with leg injury — WASHINGTON (AP) - First baseman Ryan Howard was out of the starting lineup Thursday for the Philadelphia Phillies' game against the Washington Nationals because of a left leg injury. — The reigning NL MVP hurt himself running out a fielder's choice grounder …
Marty Noble / MLB.com:
Mets eye All-Star encore in 2007 — Fans can cast their ballots for their favorite stars right now — NEW YORK — The Mets dominated the National League in the regular season last year, and an element of that dominance was reflected in the All-Star Game balloting when David Wright …
Discussion:
MetsBlog.com
Jeff Euston / The Biz of Baseball:
Who's Picking Up the Tab When it Comes to Player Salary? — With baseball awash in cash, the stakes have never been higher for general managers. The game is "enjoying a golden age of fan support and excitement," as Commissioner Bud Selig is fond of saying.
