Top News:
Josh Dubow / Associated Press:
Matsui's slam helps Yankees beat A's 4-1 — OAKLAND, Calif. (AP)—Hideki Matsui had no use for the birthday cake he was given before the game, not wanting to add the extra calories to his waistline. — He found a much better way to celebrate his 34th birthday than eating a piece of cake.
RELATED:
Bryan Hoch / MLB.com:
Matsui feeling grand against A's — Slugger's birthday slam supports Pettitte's gem in Oakland — OAKLAND — Hideki Matsui celebrated his birthday in style, providing a very special gift for the Yankees. — Matsui's sixth-inning grand slam lifted New York to a 4-1 victory on Thursday …
Discussion:
iYankees
Greg / Faith and Fear in Flushing:
Abandoned Playground — Something about the way the sun hits Shea in late afternoon when almost everybody's gone home appeals to me. Probably because it reminds me of the playground at East School. That's where I did most of my balling, if you could call it that, in my youth.
RELATED:
Anthony Castrovince / MLB.com:
Pain finally subdues Martinez — Catcher to have surgery on right elbow, miss six to eight weeks — CLEVELAND — Victor Martinez had played through a left hamstring strain since Opening Day and right elbow inflammation for more than a month. — Finally, the pain got to be too much.
Discussion:
BBTF's Baseball Primer …
RELATED:
Associated Press:
Injury-Depleted Indians Rout Twins — CLEVELAND — Ben Francisco and Jamey Carroll had four hits apiece to lead the injury-depleted Cleveland Indians to a 12-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Thursday night. — Even with five key players from last year's AL Central champion team on the disabled list …
Neil Best / Newsday:
SNY talks fairly, quietly about Mets — Sure, baseball gets mocked here for its glacial pace and out-sized role in Big Town media. — But this week's operatic events in Flushing were a reminder of what the fuss is about — a sport whose melodrama unfolds daily over an insanely long season, starring a familiar cast of characters.
Paul Hagen / Philly.com:
Throwing out some pitchers for Phillies to consider — THE JULY 31 trading deadline may seem to be little more than a chimera glistening on a faraway horizon. In fact, it arrives in fewer than 7 weeks, 48 days that will pass in a blink. — So with Phillies president Dave Montgomery's …
Discussion:
Baseball Musings
Howard Ulman / Associated Press:
Lowell hits slam, Red Sox beat O's 9-2 — BOSTON (AP)—The differences between big David Ortiz and bland J.D. Drew are striking. So are the similarities. — The streaking Drew kept filling the hole left by Boston's injured slugger on Thursday night when he hit a two-run homer and a double …
RELATED:
Anthony McCarron / NY Daily News:
Albaladejo out for rest of year — The Yankees disclosed Thursday that injured reliever Jonathan Albaladejo has a stress fracture in his right elbow. “He won't pitch the rest of the year,” Joe Girardi said. Albaladejo went on the DL May 10 with a sprained right elbow.
Joe Frisaro / MLB.com:
You gotta believe, Regis says — TV personality has been Marlins' biggest fan this season — MIAMI — When others doubted, Regis believed. — Since the start of the 2008 season, TV icon Regis Philbin has stated that the Marlins are a team to watch. — The enthusiastic Philbin …
Tim Reynolds / Associated Press:
Phillies' Moyer goes to 9-0 vs. Marlins — MIAMI (AP)—By now, even Jamie Moyer doesn't understand why he has such mindboggling success against the Florida Marlins. — “Got any answers?” he asked. — The Marlins surely don't, not against the Phillies' veteran lefty.
Peter Botte / NY Daily News:
Moises Alou likely returning to DL — Moises Alou said it all with one word when he acknowledged before Thursday's game that yet another stint on the disabled list could be in his immediate future. — “Again,” he said. — Alou's latest MRI revealed an aggravation of his strained left calf …
Discussion:
New York Post
Bob Nightengale / USA Today:
Rash of injuries to key players torments teams — Atlanta Braves general manager Frank Wren can't help but wince each time his phone rings these days. — “This is unbelievable,” Wren said Thursday from his overactive cellphone. “I've never seen anything like it. It's been one thing after another.
Discussion:
Talking Chop