Game 77: Yankees at Pirates  —  YANKEES (41-35)  —  Darrell Rasner (4-4, 3.64) vs. The Pittsburgh hitters.  —  Tom Gorzelanny (5-6, 6.59) vs. the New York hitters.  —  Notes: Justin Christian was called up today and is starting in left.  Johnny Damon (sore foot) and Hideki Matsui (knee) can't play the field, apparently.

Mets' Beltran, manager Manuel ejected against M's  —  NEW YORK — Jerry Manuel was ejected in the fourth inning of his second home game as New York Mets manager, apparently upset with the strike zone of plate umpire Brian Runge.  —  Center fielder Carlos Beltran also was thrown …

Mets sign first round pick Ike Davis … The Mets signed their first pick of the first round, power hitting first baseman Ike Davis of Arizona State.  It is believed Davis, the son of former Yankees reliever Ron Davis, received in the range of $1.5 million.

Nation Watching the Nation  —  It's Jerry Remy Day at Fenway, and MLB Extra Innings will be showing the Red Sox pre-game show at 6 PM EDT so fans of the President of Red Sox Nation across the nation can tune in and see the show.  —  I enjoy Jerry's announcing.  He's local, he's knowledgeable and he's funny.

Marcum gets good news on elbow  —  Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Shaun Marcum received good news about his injured right elbow from arm specialist Dr. James Andrews on Monday.  —  During an examination in Birmingham, Ala., Andrews confirmed Marcum was suffering from strained ligaments around the elbow and forearm.

M's Hernandez in walking boot, eyes quick return  —  NEW YORK — Felix Hernandez hobbled around the Seattle Mariners clubhouse Tuesday with a walking boot protecting his injured left ankle, and manager Jim Riggleman said the ace right-hander still hopes to make his next start.

Sox reverse bad trends  —  'Tek caps rally vs. D'backs  —  + Recent Articles + Recent Blog Entries + Email  —  For a while last night, it looked as if the Red Sox [team stats] had become stuck in a time and space warp, their usual interleague success and home-field advantage sucked …

Joe Morgan Besmirches Ernie Banks, Is Completely Wrong  —  ESPN baseball ‘analyst’ Joe Morgan is notorious for gallimaufries and assorted verbal miscues when talking about players during games.  He'll misquote people, incorrectly recite stats, or worst of all, sully the career of one of baseball's all-time greats:

Sheffield homers in return, Tigers lose  —  DETROIT (AP)—Brian Barton, Skip Schumaker and Brendan Ryan each drove in two runs, leading the St. Louis Cardinals to an 8-4 win over the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday night.  —  Braden Looper (9-5) gave up four runs on three homers in six-plus innings.

Plate ump Brian O'Nora hit in head by broken bat  —  KANSAS CITY, Mo.—Plate umpire Brian O'Nora was hit in the head by a shattered piece of Miguel Olivo's broken bat, forcing him out of Tuesday night's game between the Colorado Rockies and Kansas City Royals.

Sheets To Test Free Agency  —  By Tim Dierkes [June 24 at 10:16pm CST]  —  Brewers ace Ben Sheets is in the midst of a monster contract year, and he's planning on testing the open market after the season.  The Brewers might've had a chance to sign him to an extension, but GM Doug Melvin decided to pass.

Youkilis sent to specialist after getting hit in eye … BOSTON (AP) — Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis has been sent to an eye specialist after getting hit in the face by a one-hop throw in practice, and will sit out Tuesday night's game against Arizona.