O's trade Freel to Cubs for Gathright  —  Outfielder, who hit .254 with 21 steals for KC in '08, assigned to Norfolk  —  Orioles disgruntled utility man Ryan Freel got his wish Friday as he was traded to the Chicago Cubs for outfielder Joey Gathright, who cleared waivers and was assigned to Triple-A Norfolk.

Tigers' Verlander strikes out 11, shuts out Indians in duel with Lee  —  CLEVELAND (AP) — Justin Verlander struck out 11 and outpitched reigning Cy Young Award winner Cliff Lee for the second time in a week, and the Detroit Tigers beat the Cleveland Indians 1-0 Friday night.

Five-Run Inning Gives Mets Room for Errors  —  The last time Jon Niese was thrown into the pitching mix for the Mets, there was no room for error.  It was September and the team was battling the Philadelphia Phillies, the weight of its collapse the previous season and a gaping hole in the rotation.

Family: DiMaggio was watching his beloved Sox when he died  —  Though ill with pneumonia, Dom DiMaggio was doing something he loved — watching the Red Sox play, and play well — when he died this morning in his Marion home.  —  Son by his side, the former Red Sox center fielder was watching …

A's Acquire Adam Kennedy  —  The A's, whose infield has been ravaged by injuries, have acquired former ALCS MVP Adam Kennedy from the Rays for a player to be named.  Kennedy, 33, was assigned to Triple-A Sacramento as a paper move because he wasn't expected to arrive in time for Friday's game.

Jason Bay finds spotlight again  —  Big HR keys Red Sox comeback  —  + Recent Articles + Recent Blog Entries + Email + Bio  —  Jason Bay's 2-year-old daughter Addison recently added a new phrase to her vocabulary, and it couldn't have come at a better time: “Home run, da da.”

Game 29: Yankees at Orioles (updated with A-Rod pre-game audio)  —  YANKEES (13-15)  —  Pitching: LHP CC Sabathia (1-3, 4.85).  —  Sabathia vs. the Baltimore hitters.  —  ORIOLES (12-17)  —  Roberts 2B  —  Jones CF  —  Markakis RF  —  Mora 3B  —  Huff 1B  —  Wigginton DH  —  Montanez LF

Zito gets first win as Giants edge Manny-less Dodgers  —  LOS ANGELES (AP) — Barry Zito outpitched Chad Billingsley to record his first win of the season on his sixth attempt, and the San Francisco Giants beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-1 on Friday night.  —  The Dodgers have lost …

The Tim Salmon Interview  —  For a longer background, refer to this post.  Long story short, Tim Salmon is helping to promote a test drive event for the Can-Am Spyder Roadster, which will take place tomorrow, Saturday, May 9th at Angel Stadium.  You can test drive the vehicle, and Tim will be present for pictures and autographs.

Smoltz gets peace of mind with visit to doctor  —  BOSTON — The setback John Smoltz experienced recently in his rehab from shoulder surgery raised enough concern in the veteran pitcher that he made a trip to Birmingham, Ala., for a check-up with Dr. James Andrews, who performed the surgery last June.

Does L.A. now have cash for Peavy?  —  From a competitive standpoint, Manny Ramirez's suspension matters to the Padres in much the same way a hamburger does to a devout Hindu.  —  It is a curiosity, but not really much of a concern.  That the Dodgers'outfielder would find use for a drug designed …

Bondy: Mo's woes add to Yankees' deep trouble  —  Even on a night like this, with an ill wind blowing everything but the Legends seats out of the Stadium, you don't expect Mariano Rivera to throw fat boomerangs toward the plate.  —  But Rivera didn't just lose this game to Tampa, 8-6.  He lost it scary.