Melvin denies interest in Roberts  —  I just talked to Brewers general manager Doug Melvin and he denied a Fox Sports report today that he is interested in Baltimore second baseman Brian Roberts.  —  Ken Rosenthal, a veteran baseball reporter and reliable source on the sport …

Mariners fire hitting coach Jeff Pentland  —  TORONTO — This could be seen as an effort to upgrade the offense.  Or an effort to sacrifice a lamb.  —  Either way, Mariners hitting instructor Jeff Pentland was fired Monday morning.  —  Pentland became the first member of the Mariners organization …

Guillen HR off Rivera lifts KC by Yanks  —  NEW YORK (AP)—Jose Guillen sauntered over to his locker after his postgame shower Monday and waved a towel up and down in front of him, eagerly soaking in the cool air of the clubhouse.  —  Good luck, Jose.  Tough to cool down after this series.

Manager Mike Scioscia's angle keeps Angels on even keel  —  SEATTLE — Mike Scioscia leans back in his chair in the manager's office on a recent visit to Safeco Field, rubbing his right hand through his dark but graying hair, trying to figure this thing out.

Testimony on Steroids in Baseball Is Questioned  —  When baseball and union officials appeared before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on March 17, 2005, they presented figures that showed that baseball's two-year-old testing program had substantially reduced the number …

How well can we project team defense and other UZR data...  I am going to present each team's total UZR so far in 2008 along with what I would have projected given each player's number of games played:  —  Runs are total runs saved or cost, as of Saturday, June 7.  They are not “per 150 games.”

Manny, JD, Papi, Lester and the NBA Finals.  —  Gabby texting (not a boy btw), Gehrig watching the Celtics dancers and Dad explaining to him, well, dad things....  Manny hit's 500, wow. 500 of anything means you're good.  Be it walks, hits, runs, anything, but 500 home runs …

Rookie pitcher Ryan Tucker excels in debut as Marlins beat Reds 9-2  —  MIAMI GARDENS — When pitcher Ryan Tucker told friends he was getting called up to the major leagues, the congratulations came first.  But the teasing wasn't far behind, especially when they realized the third batter …

Josh Willingham hopes for return in a week; Dan Uggla on record pace  —  MIAMI GARDENS - Left fielder Josh Willingham, out since late April with a strained lower back, was encouraged after taking batting practice on the field before Sunday's game.  —  Willingham said he hoped to begin …

RIVERSHARKS LOSE LAWRENCE TO THE BRAVES  —  The Camden Riversharks announced the sale of Brian Lawrence's contract to the Atlanta Braves on Sunday.  He becomes the third Shark to be picked up by an affiliated club this season.  —  Lawrence, 31, will report to Triple-A this week after going 2-2 …

Percival's return to bring tough choice  —  Closer coming back Friday; Rays must decide who will go  —  ARLINGTON — Troy Percival is due to return from the disabled list on Friday, which sets up Rays management with having to make a tough choice regarding whose place Percival will take on the roster.

Phils following last year's Phila. story with even better sequel … PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia story looks like it's going to be as good as it was a year ago.  Maybe even better.  —  The widely-held perception that the Mets gave away the NL East last September wasn't really fair to the Phillies …

Dodgers send shortstop Hu to Triple-A  —  Acquisition of Berroa bumps rookie; LaRoche a likely callup  —  LOS ANGELES — One day after Angel Berroa debuted at shortstop for the Dodgers, the club optioned rookie shortstop Chin-lung Hu to Triple-A Las Vegas.

Debate Cubs vs. White Sox with Jerry Crasnick  —  Welcome to The Show!  On Monday, ESPN.com senior MLB writer Jerry Crasnick will drop by at 1 p.m. ET for another installment of “That's Debatable,” a weekly feature in which we break down a hot topic you have suggested.