Beckett suspended for 6 games by MLB  —  Boston pitcher Josh Beckett has been suspended for six games and fined by Major League Baseball, which determined he intentionally threw a pitch near the head of the Los Angeles Angels' Bobby Abreu last week.  —  Beckett also was cited for …

Black tinkers with pitching rotation  —  NEW YORK - Manager Bud Black, exploiting Tuesday's open date, tweaked the pitching rotation so that No. 5 starter Shawn Hill will get two extra days of rest and Nos. 1 and 2 starters Jake Peavy and Chris Young will stay on normal rest.

It's Time To Get Serious  —  The Phillies, as might be expected of world champions and friends, bid farewell to their beloved broadcast voice of the last 38 years, Harry Kalas, who died yesterday, in the utterly inadequate but nevertheless appropriate way.  They won a ballgame they hardly wanted to play.

Mike Piazza Leaves Quickly, and Quietly, After Citi Field Ceremony  —  Tom Seaver and Mike Piazza entered Citi Field on Monday night the same way they closed Shea Stadium last fall — arms around each other's shoulders, bathed in camera flashes and thunderous applause.

Former Tiger Mark ‘The Bird’ Fidrych dies at 54  —  Mark Fidrych, a Detroit baseball icon who colorfully and forcefully burst upon the baseball scene in 1976, died Monday, according to the Worcester (Mass.) District Attorney's office.  —  Fidrych, 54, was reportedly found dead beneath …

Philly won't be the same without Kalas  —  Hall of Fame voice of the Phillies died Monday at the age of 73 … PHILADELPHIA — He was so much more than the voice of the Phillies.  Harry Kalas was the Phillies.  —  He didn't just describe the games.  His voice took hold of those games and made them his personal amphitheater.

Jon Lester, Red Sox go quietly  —  Fall flat again in loss to A's  —  + Recent Articles + Recent Blog Entries + Email  —  OAKLAND, Calif. - The mystery of the Red Sox [team stats]' 2009 identity theft only deepened last night.  —  Another poor effort from the offense and Jon Lester …

HITTER OF THE NIGHT  —  Miggy went 3-for-4 with two homers and four RBIs to singlehandedly lead Detroit to its first win of the season.  As I wrote in Cabrera's preseason projection, “Let's call last season's move to the AL the reason for Miggy's first-half power slump (only 11 homers) shall we?

Teixeira's left wrist injury not serious  —  MRI reveals just inflammation; should be back Tuesday  —  ST. PETERSBURG — An MRI examination on Mark Teixeira's sore left wrist offered the Yankees slugger peace of mind on Monday, as the results assured him that his injury is nothing more than inflammation.

Pena, Rays rough up Wang as Kazmir stymies Yankees  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — On a night they raised the first championship banners in franchise history, the Tampa Bay Rays also exhibited why they feel capable of getting back to the postseason.  —  Carlos Pena hit a grand slam and drove …

Just leave Joakim Soria alone, and let him become one of the game's great closers instead of, say, Dave Bush  —  Ron Mahay gives up consecutive singles to start the ninth inning, turning what should've been an easy end to a win over a struggling team into real, cover-your-eyes drama.

Tigers-White Sox rained out, rotation shuffled  —  Updated with pitching matchups in bold ...  The first cold, rainy day of the season in the Motor City proved too wet for the Tigers and White Sox.  Tuesday's scheduled afternoon game has been postponed.  —  Rain was intermittent all morning and into the early afternoon.

Free Agent Lineup  —  An attempt at crafting a lineup out of current free agents...  C - Javier Valentin  —  1B - Frank Catalanotto  —  2B - Ray Durham  —  SS - Damion Easley  —  3B - Mike Lamb  —  LF - Wily Mo Pena  —  CF - Jim Edmonds  —  RF - Geoff Jenkins  —  DH - Frank Thomas

Lowrie Heading to D.L. Due to Wrist Injury  —  Jed Lowrie, who has been sent back to Boston in order to undergo tests on his left wrist (the same one that suffered a non-displaced fracture last season), will be placed on the 15-day disabled list.  The shortstop informed team officials …

MADD about Nick Adenhart  —  When I first conceived of writing this True/Slant blog about “the violent intersection between politics and sports,” I was thinking more along the lines of stadium welfare and senile blowhards like Sen. Jim Bunning (R-1964 Phillies) than, well, violent intersections.