Damon Sits, and Rest of Yanks Might as Well Have  —  MINNEAPOLIS — The Yankees have been hopeless lately with runners in scoring position.  Yet when Manager Joe Girardi filled out his lineup Monday, he decided to rest the American League's leading hitter, Johnny Damon.

These could be the unkindest cuts of all for Dodgers  —  Brad Penny gets a Mohawk, Manny Ramirez is about to lose his dreadlocks, and the Dodgers can't seem to stay above .500.  Coincidence?  —  T.J. Simers  —  Twenty-two home games remaining, the Phillies are in town, and these are hairy times for the Dodgers.

Garcia to sign with Tigers … Freddy Garcia has agreed to a contract with the Tigers, SI.com has learned.  Garcia had been a free agent, and has not pitched since June of 2007 with the Philadelphia Phillies, when shoulder problems limited him to just 11 starts.

Mets' loss prompts changes in bullpen  —  Kunz to get chance to close; Maine could later fill role  —  NEW YORK — The disabled list and the turn of the pitching rotation stand in the way of what Jerry Manuel now swears he would do if those obstacles didn't exist — use John Maine as the Mets' closer until Billy Wagner returns.

Sox get Byrd  —  Both the Red Sox and Indians have issued press releases announcing the deal ... here's an Associated Press story on the trade ...  BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Red Sox have acquired pitcher Paul Byrd in a trade with Cleveland.  —  The Red Sox will send either a player to be named or cash to the Indians.

3 UP: Melky, Kunz and Dunn  —  1. The Yankees were held scorleess against the Twins to open a three-game series.  It marked the 38th time that the Yanks scored two or fewer runs.  That is the second most in the AL.  This was the team that...  Cabrera began the game with a .221 average against southpaws.

Five Minutes with Ike Davis  —  The 18th- overall pick in this year's draft, Ike Davis is waiting for his power to emerge in Brooklyn.  The left-handed-hitting first sacker has yet to go deep in 151 professional at-bats, but there's little doubt that the son of former Twins and Yankees reliever Ron Davis …

Rays' Kazmir says mechanical tweak should improve performance  —  OAKLAND, Calif. — LHP Scott Kazmir said a small adjustment in his stride should result in a big improvement in his pitching tonight.  —  Kazmir has been a mess lately, struggling to throw strikes due to problems with mechanics.

Mailbag: Should the Nats spend more?  —  Reporter Bill Ladson answers Nationals fans' questions … Will the Nationals spend some money to acquire Major League players this offseason?  I appreciate them building the farm system, but I can't wait forever.  What do you think of trying to sign a big-dollar player?

Carpenter will see doctor  —  MIAMI — Cardinals starter Chris Carpenter will skip his scheduled between-starts throw today and return to St. Louis to meet with a team doctor about the arm pain that forced him from Sunday's game.  —  After reporting minimal soreness in his right arm Monday …

Jays' Stewart disappointed to be cut adrift  —  TORONTO - Shannon Stewart stopped mid-speech, searching for the right word to convey his emotions.  —  “Another way to end my Blue Jay . . . experience,” he said over the phone from Florida.  —  The 34-year-old Stewart was released …

It's a joint decision as rotation turns to Zink  —  CHICAGO - Charlie Zink had long suspected that no team, even the Red Sox, would be able to justify having two knuckleball pitchers in the rotation.  So it would make perfect sense to him that, when Tim Wakefield goes on the disabled list today, it will be Zink who fills the slot.

Dunn too much to afford  —  Defense, demeanor, salary too costly  —  The Reds, who are exciting only when they're not playing, traded Adam Dunn to the Arizona Diamondbacks Monday for a 23-year-old Class-A starting pitcher named Dallas Buck who, in another life, died in old Western movies.