Top News:
Associated Press:
Giants send struggling pitcher Barry Zito to bullpen — SAN FRANCISCO (AP)—Barry Zito was demoted to the bullpen Monday by the San Francisco Giants, who hope the former ace can correct his problems by working in relief. — Zito, who only 16 months ago signed a $126 million …
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ESPN.com:
After 0-6 start, Giants move $126M ace Zito to bullpen — SAN FRANCISCO — Barry Zito was demoted to the bullpen Monday by the San Francisco Giants, who hope the former ace can correct his problems by working in relief. — The move was first reported by ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney.
Jim Carlton / Wall Street Journal:Life After Barry Is a Strikeout At the Ballpark
Discussion:
McCovey Chronicles
Associated Press:
Mussina earns career win No. 253 as Yanks beat Tribe with five-hit effort — CLEVELAND (AP) — Their record is barely above average, one of their superstars is still limping around and their everyday catcher is on the disabled list. — The New York Yankees aren't themselves.
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Peter Abraham / The LoHud Yankees Blog:
Game 27: Yankees at Indians — YANKEES — Notes: Cleveland will start LHP Aaron Laffey, who has never faced any of the Yankees. ... The Yankees are ending a stretch of 18 road games in 21 days. ... Jorge Posada is officially on the DL as of yesterday and Chris Stewart is here and wearing No. 38. ...
Tyler Kepner / New York Times:
Posada's Trip to the Disabled List Leaves Doubt About His Return — CLEVELAND — Jorge Posada left the Yankees on Monday to visit Dr. James Andrews, the orthopedic surgeon in Birmingham, Ala., and it could be a long time before he rejoins the active roster.
Tyler Kepner / Bats:The Toughness of Jorge Posada
Discussion:
Sliding Into Home, MLB.com, Bronx Banter, River Ave. Blues, Bugs & Cranks, iYankees and Bombers Beat
Associated Press:
Sox-Orioles game suspended after 11 innings — The White Sox and Baltimore Orioles were tied at 3 when play was suspended after 11 innings Monday because of rain. — The game will resume later this season, but no date was immediately announced. All the statistics from Monday count.
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David Pinto / Baseball Musings:
Which Hernandez? — It's not a good year to be a Hernandez on Baltimore. Luis, the shortstop came into the game hitting .233, although with some walks his OBA was a simply poor .314. Ramon Hernandez didn't start today, nursing a .181 batting average, but with a few extra base hits to make his slugging percentage .347.
Discussion:
Associated Press
Peter Botte / NY Daily News:
Curtain call Q&A with Carlos Delgado — So here are THE NUTS and BOLTS questions and answers from Carlos Delgado's entertaining 20 minutes of give and take with reporters a little while ago about the most talked-about “curtain” since Jamie-Leigh Curtis' mom had hers shredded in the original …
Discussion:
Surfing the Mets
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Joe Sheehan / Baseball Prospectus:
Prospectus Today — Reality Check — Four weeks into the season, we have to start making calls. It's still a little early in most cases, but we have enough information to reach tentative conclusions about some players, teams, and issues. For the next three days, that's what we'll do …
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Philly.com:
Lieberthal to retire as a Phillie — Mike Lieberthal, who spent 13 of his 14 major league seasons as a catcher with the Phillies, will retire as a member of the organization on June 1, the Phillies announced today. — The last player to retire as a Phillie in this manner was outfielder Doug Glanville in 2005.
Kevin Goldstein / Baseball Prospectus:
Monday Ten Pack — Bastardo can be seen as one of those “is what he is” kind of players: a short lefty with average velocity. However, beyond his left-handedness, he's also got fantastic command and a killer changeup. That's enough to make him some kind of prospect …
Discussion:
DRaysBay
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Peter Abraham / The LoHud Yankees Blog:
A-Rod aggravates quad injury — Alex Rodriguez left the game tonight after aggravating the quadriceps strain in his right leg. He said there was “no way” that he would play tomorrow night against the Tigers. — “If I had to guess, I would probably guess more than one day,” he said.
Discussion:
Scott Proctor's Arm
Baseball Crank:
Up There Hacking — One of the interesting revelations about watching Johan Santana this season has been watching him hit. Pitchers, even ones who can swing the bat, usually have swings that are not that pretty to watch - they try to meet the ball, or take a butcher-boy approach to whacking …
Stephen J. Dubner / Freakonomics:
Ideas for Making Baseball More Interesting — When I was a kid, I loved baseball more than anything, and I'm afraid I mean that literally — more than my family, my friends, even more than my dog. If given the opportunity, I would have played baseball 24 hours a day. And when I couldn't play it, I would watch it on T.V.
Evan Grant / Dallas Morning News:
Texas Rangers going back to basics — egrant@dallasnews.com — ARLINGTON - With his team leading the majors in errors, Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington is considering a remedial course for his fielders. — Washington said Sunday the Rangers may start taking organized infield practice …
Discussion:
Foul Balls
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