Series washes away as Yankees fall  —  Early lead dissolves after Tigers' bats hit Kennedy, Albaladejo  —  NEW YORK — The Yankees have tried to remain patient with Ian Kennedy, and while there have been stages of progress, there is also recognition that the early returns have been negligible to this point.

Mets' Wright needs to step right up, knock club  —  It was encouraging to hear Billy Wagner call out Oliver Perez and the rest of his Mets teammates after Wednesday's 13-1 embarrassment against the Pittsburgh Pirates, baseball's perennial doormat.  At least someone was disgusted.

After a pause, Ryan pulls out a complete stop  —  At the moment Toronto's 3-0 victory had seemingly ended last night, A.J. Burnett was standing in the clubhouse, waiting to congratulate his teammates on a much-needed win.  —  The only man he saw, however, was manager John Gibbons.

Longtime baseball executive Buzzie Bavasi passes away at age 93  —  Two-time Executive of the Year won four World Titles with Dodgers  —  SEATTLE — Emil Joseph “Buzzie” Bavasi has passed away at the age of 93 years old in San Diego, CA, of natural causes after a short illness.

Cust keys A's 15-8 rout of Angels  —  ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP)—Jack Cust committed a brutal error during the second inning, leading to five unearned runs after his team had just taken a four-run lead in the top half.  He spent the rest of the game trying to undo that gaffe.

Bob Costas: “Buzz realizes that he did a disservice to his own points”  —  Now that the video of Buzz Bissinger has knocked around cyberspace for 48 hours or so, what did it all mean?  Richard Sandomir of the New York Times had the chance to answer that question when he interviewed Bob Costas …

Cubs blow it in 9th against Milwaukee  —  For the first time since April 19, the Cubs will play a game as the National League Central's second-place team on Friday.  —  And it's not just any game they're playing, but one that starts a three-game series against the upstart Cardinals in St. Louis.

Dillon expected to join team on Friday  —  General manager Melvin would not speculate on roster move  —  Infielder Joe Dillon is expected to join the Brewers on Friday in Houston, further calling into question the immediate future of reliever Derrick Turnbow.

Lessons From Big Leagues Guide a Bassmaster Rookie  —  APPLING, Ga. — Bass were busting up the water 60 yards away, feeding on bait fish.  A fisherman trolled toward the melee to throw his bait and see if they were tournament-ready bass.  After he flipped his bait, there was no movement, and no bass.

Exactly what are effective throwing mechanics?  —  This is the third in the series of articles in an attempt to explain why/how Barry Zito lost his fastball.  Check out parts one and two.  —  My previous article (In the Beginning God Created Heaven and Earth... And the Ability of Man to Throw Left-Handed) …