Another third baseman joins Dodgers  —  LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Dodgers added another third baseman Tuesday, purchasing the contract of switch-hitting Tony Abreu from Triple-A Las Vegas of the Pacific Coast League.  —  The 22-year-old Abreu arrived at Dodger Stadium some three hours …

Mets Notebook: Delgado Doesn't Know How to Fix His Problem  —  Carlos Delgado's name was in the starting lineup Tuesday night for the 41st time this season.  Not once in the previous 40, Delgado said, had he felt comfortable at the plate.  —  "It's been 45 days in a row," Delgado said.

Reds put Josh Hamilton on disabled list  —  CINCINNATI (AP) — The Cincinnati Reds recalled third baseman Edwin Encarnacion from Triple-A Louisville on Tuesday and put ailing outfielder Josh Hamilton on the 15-day disabled list.  —  The 24-year-old Encarnacion took over third base last season …

Pirates ready to spend more prospecting for Dominican talent  —  PANTOJA, Dominican Republic — The Pittsburgh Pirates are considering building a new training academy in the Dominican Republic in an effort to attract more of the country's top prospects.  —  The team's owners …

Red Sox pound Mussina, Yankees 7-3  —  NEW YORK (AP) — With one early swing, Manny Ramirez stopped the New York Yankees from gaining any momentum Tuesday night.  —  Ramirez hit a three-run homer in the first inning and the Boston Red Sox jumped on Mike Mussina right away, knocking back the Yankees again with a 7-3 victory.

Defiant Perlozzo defends his performance  —  BALTIMORE — Orioles manager Sam Perlozzo says he doesn't read the newspaper anymore, has stopped watching sports on TV and doesn't bother listening to the radio.  —  Yet he's heard enough to know that his performance has come under scrutiny following …

Baseball, Partying, and Alcohol Abuse  —  I'm not sure how prevalent booze is in Major League clubhouses today, but in my "pre-Gatorade" day, it was everywhere.  Our '68 team had a number of heavy drinkers and several who were serious problem drinkers.  In fact, Norm Cash, my roommate Ray Oyler …

Wallace Matthews  —  Rap on knuckler feels good  —  If the commissioner of baseball truly wants to get to the bottom of one of the great mysteries of his game, he can shelve the steroid investigation and start looking into how Tim Wakefield has managed to get away with his act for the past 15 years.

More to Mets' Good Pitching Fortune Than Luck  —  One of the great mysteries of Omar Minaya's tenure as general manager of the Mets has been the ease with which he's found gold amid garbage.  John Maine and Oliver Perez, who were acquired in exchange for essentially nothing and look capable …

Braves cut struggling LHP Redman  —  ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Braves gave struggling pitcher Mark Redman his unconditional release on Tuesday and resumed the search for a fifth starter.  —  Former No. 1 pick Joey Devine was called up from Double-A Mississippi.

Cubs promote LHP Marshall from Triple-A  —  SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Chicago Cubs shook up their lineup and rotation Tuesday, putting Alfonso Soriano back in the leadoff spot and calling up Sean Marshall from Triple-A Iowa to replace Angel Guzman in the rotation.

Not every team deserves Oden or Durant  —  On Monday morning, I flew cross-country to watch the NBA draft lottery back home in Boston.  Why?  Because I still blame myself for screwing up the Duncan lottery.  Instead of watching such a pivotal, franchise-defining moment with my father …

Prospect Q&A: Preston Mattingly  —  Preston Mattingly has good bloodlines and enough raw talent for the Dodgers to have taken him 31st overall in last year's draft.  He also has a lot of work to do to live up to his potential.  The son of former American League MVP and current Yankees hitting …

Nats' Six-Run Lead All Goes to Waste  —  Valentin's HR in 8th Caps Reds' Comeback : Reds 8, Nationals 7  —  If someone had walked into Manny Acta's office Monday afternoon and said his Washington Nationals would score four runs in the first inning, build a six-run lead against the Cincinnati Reds …

Champagne, Big Macs and caviar dreams!  —  Rookie pitcher celebrates 1st win with burgers  —  He was the toast of the town Sunday night - well, at least on the side of the town that roots for the Yankees.  —  But if you want to know how overnight Yankee pitching sensation Tyler Clippard celebrated his win over the Mets, think Big.