Joba's first start to come Tuesday  —  MINNEAPOLIS — Joba Chamberlain is set to join the Yankees' rotation on Tuesday, starting against the Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium and completing his transition from the club's bullpen.  —  Yankees manager Joe Girardi officially announced the move …

‘Aware’ Pedro rejoins Mets, slated to start Tuesday  —  NEW YORK — Pedro Martinez figures the New York Mets would be in much better shape if he had been around more often this season.  —  The three-time Cy Young Award winner rejoined the Mets on Friday and is scheduled to return …

Royals claim catcher Pena off waivers  —  Former Brave expected to join club before Friday's game  —  KANSAS CITY — Catcher Brayan Pena was claimed off outright waivers from the Atlanta Braves on Friday by the Royals.  —  Pena was to join the Royals before Friday night's game against the Cleveland Indians.

Posey projected to go No. 1 to Rays … Making a first-round projection is like slamming your head into an omelette — there's no way to do it without ending up with egg on your face.  So, with a towel handy, here's my stab at the first 30 picks of next week's Rule 4 draft, accompanied by notes on other directions each team might take:

Mariners Notebook: Leyland sends out warning to Tigers  —  Manager fed up with star-studded squad's struggles  —  The manager says he's seen enough of this disappointing season.  High expectations and lousy results are not a good mix, so two months into the season he's ready to make major changes.

Mild rotator cuff strain sends Matsuzaka to DL … BALTIMORE (AP) — Daisuke Matsuzaka was placed on the 15-day disabled list Friday by the Boston Red Sox, who opted to take a cautious approach after an MRI exam revealed a mild strain of his right rotator cuff.  —  Matsuzaka was examined in Boston by Dr. Thomas Gill.

Giants turn triple play  —  SAN FRANCISCO (AP)—The San Francisco Giants turned a triple play in the eighth inning of their game against the San Diego Padres on Friday night, the second in the majors this year.  —  Pitcher Keiichi Yabu had just entered with runners on first and second …

Braves place outfielder Kotsay on DL  —  Club recalls Anderson frm Triple-A Richmond  —  CINCINNATI — Even though he felt like he was realizing some improvement, Mark Kotsay was never able to convince himself or the Braves that his back wasn't going to continue giving him problems for at least another week.

Braun playing through inner-ear infection  —  Outfielder not hindered by dizziness and other symptoms  —  MILWAUKEE — Ryan Braun hasn't been 100 percent healthy for the last two weeks, but he hasn't let his ills sideline him.  —  The Brewers outfielder has been suffering from an inner-ear infection …

The Diplomat Who Touches All the Bases  —  Officially, for the last 6 1/2 years, Ryozo Kato's title in Washington has been ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of Japan to the United States of America.  —  Unofficially, he's just “a baseball nut.”  —  This week, upon leaving …

Giants honor SS Vizquel for record  —  SAN FRANCISCO (AP)—Omar Vizquel prides himself most in making the routine play, more so than pulling off the spectacular leaping catch of a sharp line drive or a difficult diving stop.  —  He long strived to play defense like Luis Aparicio, his Venezuelan countryman and fellow shortstop.

Guillen plans to take Uribe's temp  —  He'll play when hot; Guillen has options  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Juan Uribe will be activated for Saturday night's game against Tampa Bay and could remain the White Sox's second baseman—as long as he hits.  —  Manager Ozzie Guillen has other options …

Rangers 3B Blalock to miss another month  —  ARLINGTON, Texas (AP)—Former All-Star third baseman Hank Blalock had surgery Friday on his right wrist and will be sidelined for at least another month.  —  Blalock has been on the 15-day disabled list since April 29 due to a torn hamstring.

Drop-off in home runs not as deep as it may seem  —  Barry Bonds is home in Beverly Hills, Calif. Mike Piazza is retired.  And Sammy Sosa is waiting for a job.  —  While the names have changed, the number of home runs being hit is virtually the same as a year ago, varying little from Mark McGwire's record-setting season in 1998.