Top News:
Baltimore Sun:
Start of fall — Summer's end has been a cruel time for the Orioles, who have suffered dismal finishes the past nine years — The humidity thickens, the Ravens' preseason begins, kids prepare for a new school year and the Orioles downshift from mediocre to below bad.
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Mike Fitzpatrick / Associated Press:
Pettitte stays hot as Yankees beat BoSox — NEW YORK (AP) — Andy Pettitte proved reliable again for the New York Yankees, right after they lost faith in Mike Mussina. — Pettitte halted another Yankees slide by winning his sixth straight start, and Johnny Damon hit a tiebreaking homer …
Discussion:
Bronx Banter
Tyler Kepner / New York Times:
Ugly Outing by Mussina Casts Cloud on Future — In a different time, when the Yankees were touched by magic, even their horror stories had happy endings. David Cone went from pillar to punching bag in 2000, but his season ended with a clutch relief appearance that helped win the World Series.
Bryan Hoch / MLB.com:
Mussina shows no progress in rout — Scuffling righty out after three innings as Yankees fall to Tigers — DETROIT — Mike Mussina's rhetorical question, in discussing previous struggles and a seemingly tenuous rotation spot, was to ask, "Who are they going to replace me with?"
John Shea / San Francisco Chronicle:
A's Loaiza auditions well in loss — Esteban Loaiza made his final start of August, and we'll know soon if it was his final start with the A's. — Contenders have until Friday, the final day of August, to add players to their rosters and make them eligible for the postseason.
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Chris Duncan / Associated Press:
Cooper takes over as Astros manager — HOUSTON (AP) — Cecil Cooper has never had a problem communicating with players individually. It's the group settings Cooper is going to have to get used to as the new manager of the Houston Astros. — Cooper took over as manager after Phil Garner was fired Monday …
Discussion:
The Crawfish Boxes
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Jayson Stark / ESPN:
Owner needs to let new hires do their jobs … It was only a matter of time before somebody got tossed overboard by the sinking ship the 2007 Houston Astros have become. — And that was so clear to one and all, you can bet your commemorative Jeff Bagwell T-shirt that Tim Purpura …
David Andriesen / Seattle Post-Intelligencer:
Big lead, bigger loss for Mariners — Seattle scores five early; Weaver gives them all back — Ervin Santana did his best imitation of early-season Jeff Weaver on Tuesday night at Safeco Field. — Unfortunately, the real thing showed up later. — The Mariners jumped on Santana …
Discussion:
Associated Press
Bernie Wilson / Associated Press:
Padres score 6 off Webb, now only 1 back — SAN DIEGO (AP) — No team in the NL West has beaten Brandon Webb more than San Diego, and the Padres came up with a big one on Tuesday night. — Mike Cameron homered to start a four-run rally off the reigning NL Cy Young winner in the sixth inning …
T.R. Sullivan / MLB.com:
Notes: Botts wants to get bat going — Designated hitter expects to contribute more at the plate — ARLINGTON — The temperature was 97 degrees at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington about four hours before game time on Tuesday, but Jason Botts was still among those out on the field for early batting practice.
Discussion:
Baseball Time in Arlington
Bill Ladson / MLB.com:
Nats' power surge for naught — Young, Pena, Zimmerman go deep in loss to Dodgers — LOS ANGELES — For the third game in a row, the Nationals had problems getting quality innings out of their starting pitcher and it ended up hurting them as they lost to the Dodgers, 5-4, at Dodger Stadium on Monday night.
Alan Robinson / Associated Press:
Sanchez's slam helps Bucs cool off Reds — PITTSBURGH (AP) — Freddy Sanchez kept his hot August going with a grand slam and five RBIs, and the Pittsburgh Pirates ended the Cincinnati Reds' six-game winning streak with a 6-4 victory Tuesday in a doubleheader opener.
Dan Gelston / Associated Press:
Howard's HR in 10th lifts Phils by Mets — PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Aaron Rowand's swinging bunt took three small hops until it trickled to a dead stop maybe 45 feet down the third-base line, the baseball's stitches kissing the chalk. — Ryan Howard's hefty cut went about 400 feet and sent the Phillies faithful into a frenzy.
Discussion:
Blogging Baseball
Paul Sullivan / Chicago Tribune:
Howry: Cubs fans better than Boston rooters — USA Today recently proclaimed the Boston Red Sox America's team in a front-page article about their rabid fan base and national following. — Whether Red Sox Nation is bigger or more fervent than Cubs Nation is a debate that could draw some heated arguments.
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Jay Jaffe / Baseball Prospectus:
Prospectus Hit and Run — Stars, Scrubs, and the Scooter — Last week, we looked at Replacement Level Killers as they pertained to contending teams. We can also demonstrate just how replacement-level production can grind an entire offense to a halt. — We'll start with a look …
Discussion:
Baseball Time in Arlington
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Will Carroll / Baseball Prospectus:
Under The Knife — Bad Weekend — In pennant races, little things get amplified.
Under The Knife — Bad Weekend — In pennant races, little things get amplified.
Discussion:
Bless You Boys
Charlie Nobles / New York Times:
Martínez Is Pleased With Test — Pedro Martínez's normally pinpoint control was not present Monday night. He threw far more balls against the Class A Palm Beach Cardinals than he had in any of his other rehabilitation efforts. Yet Martínez said that was a good thing.
Discussion:
Baseball America …
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Tom D'Angelo / Palm Beach Post:
Hermida's offense heating up — MIAMI GARDENS — After battling injuries his rookie season and starting slowly at the plate this year, the Marlins must have wondered if they would ever see the player who was the can't-miss prospect for three seasons. — But Jeremy Hermida finally has shown …
Discussion:
FishStripes
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