Top News:
Bill Chastain / MLB.com:
First place remains in Rays' hands — Late come-from-behind victory helps chase Fenway demons — BOSTON — Finally, a win at Fenway Park. And they don't get much more exciting than the 5-4 Rays victory over the Red Sox on Tuesday night in front of a sellout crowd of 37,573.
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David Pinto / Baseball Musings:
The Wheels Come Off — Scott Kazmir and Grant Balfour pitched seven strong innings, holding the Red Sox to two runs as Tampa Bay took a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the eighth. With two out, however, Dan Wheeler walks Youkilis and Jason Bay blasts a ball over the wall to put Boston up 4-3 and bring on Papelbon for the ninth.
Marc Topkin / The Heater:
C Hernandez, INF/OF Johnson called up — UPDATE, 3:15: The Rays have called up Johnson and Hernandez, and to make room on the 40-man roster designated for assignment Joel Guzman. Johnson may start in leftfield tonight. — Johnson spent most of the 2005-07 seasons with the A's, and hit a career high 18 homers last year.
Discussion:
MLB Rumors
Mark Lelinwalla / NY Daily News:
Schilling rips Big Apple fans, says Yankees ‘suck’ — Talk about adding insult to injury. — With the Yankees on the verge of missing their first postseason in 13 years, Curt Schilling is making sure he sticks it to the Big Apple to the very end. — “The Yankees suck this year and …
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Justin Terranova / New York Post:
SCHILLING RIPS NEW YORK FANS — AGAIN — FACT ‘YANKEES S**K’ MAKES US ‘BITTER AND MAD’ — Before today's interview with WEEI radio in Boston, Curt Schilling walked the streets of New York polling fans to gage their feelings on Tom Brady's season-ending injury. — Well, probably not.
Scott Merkin / MLB.com:
Tough day trims White Sox lead — Chicago drops both games of doubleheader to Toronto — CHICAGO — It didn't take much prodding to produce a consensus opinion among the White Sox concerning Tuesday's doubleheader home sweep administered by the red-hot Blue Jays.
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Andrew Seligman / Associated Press:Blue Jays Sweep White Sox Doubleheader
Discussion:
Bluebird Banter
Marty Noble / MLB.com:
Unstoppable Delgado carries Mets — Veteran's two homers, Beltran's go-ahead shot lift Mets — NEW YORK — It is one thing to hit 'em far, quite another to hit 'em often, and an altogether different animal to hit 'em in important instances in important games in the gun lap of the season.
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Associated Press:
Yankees' bats, Aceves' gem stop Angels from clinching piece of West — ANAHEIM, Calif. — Johnny Damon, Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter were big at the plate, yet the Yankee power hitters were awed by their teammate on the mound who was unruffled in his first major league start.
Discussion:
Depressed Fan
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Nicole Bode / NY Daily News:
Mets relief pitcher Ambiorix Burgos arrested for beating up girlfriend — Mets minor league reliever Ambiorix Burgos has been charged with pummeling his girlfriend at a hotel near Shea Stadium, authorities said. — The 6'3", 244-pound pitcher was arrested around 11 p.m. Monday …
Carrie Muskat / MLB.com:
Cubs let go of early lead in loss to Cards — Piniella shows dissatisfaction after eighth loss in nine games — ST. LOUIS — Lou Piniella has had enough. — “We're playing like we're waiting to get beat,” the Cubs manager said after Tuesday's 4-3 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.
Adam McCalvy / MLB.com:
Brewers fall to Reds in 11 innings — Durham's homer knots game in seventh; McClung takes loss — MILWAUKEE — All of the pitching changes, pinch-hitters and pinch-runners made it feel like a Spring Training game, but it had all the import of October. — And the Brewers, once again, let it slip away.
Jay Busbee / Atlanta Magazine:
Smoltz airs the possibility he'll play elsewhere in 2009 — In interviews, it's always the question you toss off that gets you the most interesting responses. Over the weekend, I was wrapping up an interview with John Smoltz for the upcoming Braves book (The Quiet Dynasty, on sale spring 2009.
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David O'Brien / Atlanta Journal-Constitution:Of Smoltz and other offseason matters....
Discussion:
MLB Rumors
Ken Gurnick / MLB.com:
Ethier, Manny spark Dodgers rally — Ramirez drives in go-ahead run with sac fly in eighth inning — SAN DIEGO - Andre Ethier drove in the tying run, scored the go-ahead run on Manny Ramirez's sac fly and drove in four runs as the Dodgers rallied to beat the Padres Tuesday night, 6-2.
David Ginsburg / Associated Press:
O's bats quieted in loss to Indians — Orioles manage six hits against Cleveland; Liz allows eight hits and four runs in 4 2/3 innings — Jeremy Sowers pitched eight innings of four-hit ball, Travis Hafner had two singles in his long-awaited return from the disabled list and the Cleveland Indians beat …
Josh Kalk / Hardball Times:
Is CC Sabathia's arm falling off? — CC Sabathia has been on a tear since joining the Brewers just before the All-Star break. Okay, you knew that already. Brewers manager Ned Yost has worked Sabathia hard with a 130-pitch game, two other games over 120 pitches and all but two games over 100 pitches in a Brewers uniform.
Ian Browne / MLB.com:
Papelbon takes center stage in spoof — Closer's past dancing moves unveiled via high school video — BOSTON — When a team has been playing as well as the Red Sox have been of late, there tends to be some time for levity. — Enter David Ortiz, who announced to a clubhouse full of players …
Discussion:
Red Sox Monster
Derrick Goold / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Pujols considering elbow surgery — Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols, riding what he calls his best wave of offense in a couple of years, raised the specter of his elbow injury Monday, saying in a televised interview that he's considering offseason surgery.
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