New York Yankees' A.J. Burnett suspended six games for pitch … Yankees pitcher A.J. Burnett has been suspended six games for throwing a pitch over the head of the Rangers' Nelson Cruz in Tuesday night's game.  Burnett has filed an appeal of the penalty, however, and will be allowed to pitch until the appeals process is complete.

Sox call up Beckham, but why didn't they trade for McLouth?  —  Experience it in IMAX . . .  The coronation of Gordon Beckham begins today.  —  But, er, um, can the kid play center field?  —  I know Beckham is starting at third and batting eighth in his debut today, but really, can the kid play center?

Putz headed to NY for elbow exam (updated)  —  Breaking news: J.J. Putz will be in New York on Friday for an examination on his right elbow.  He may need surgery to remove the bone spur, but will wait for the recommendation for team doctors.  —  Putz had a cortisone shot before joining the team in San Francisco on May 14.

Braves talked to Marlins about Ross  —  Before trading for Nate McLouth, the Braves had serious trade discussions with the Marlins about outfielder Cody Ross.  —  The Marlins had made Ross available, major-league sources said, but later decided against making the trade with Atlanta.

Wang hopes to reward Yankees' faith  —  New York (31-22) vs. Texas (31-21), 1:05 p.m. ET  —  NEW YORK — Thursday's newly anointed Yankees starter, Chien-Ming Wang, will take the mound with a bloated 16.04 ERA and a pitch count that will likely run out before he gets to 80.

The Rumor Mill: June Test Drive  —  According to an industry source, suddenly out of work pitchers Tom Glavine and Vicente Padilla will not be jobless for long.  —  One NL exec told BaseballDigest.com on Wednesday night the Phillies “like both pitchers and will sign one of them before the week is out.”

Signability a factor for Yanks in Draft  —  Offering no compensation, No. 29 overall pick a critical one  —  It may work out for the best that the Yankees came away from last year's Draft without signing their top selection.  Had they been able to, New York would have watched three rounds cycle by without a pick this year.

Dissecting the Disabled List by Team, Position, Year and Injury  —  More photos » by Jim Prisching - AP  —  I have always wondered why there isn't an injury database available for people to use for analysis since injuries play a huge role in determining player performance.

Good deal: Matt Holliday OK if Oakland Athletics trade him away  —  Matt Holliday always seemed destined to be a short-timer in Oakland.  But if the A's don't turn their season around, the outfielder's stay might be even shorter than expected — and he doesn't sound opposed to finishing this season with a contender if it comes to that.

Boston's Beckett holds Detroit hitless into 7th  —  Buzz up!  —  had to warm up in an crooked bullpen before Wednesday's game against the Detroit Tigers.  —  It didn't seem to bother him.  —  Beckett didn't allow a hit until the seventh inning and David Ortiz

Lakers, Dodgers are best friends forever  —  Matt Kemp will make his trot from center field to the Dodger Stadium dugout today and every inning he will have a question for a grounds-crew member.  He doesn't even have to ask.  —  They know what he wants:  —  The Lakers' score.

Brad Penny tops trade talks again  —  DETROIT - According to Brad Penny's baseball calendar, he's due to be traded next month.  He got traded from Arizona to Florida in July of 1999, then five years later he went from the Marlins to the Dodgers at the trading deadline in 2004.

Braves release 305-game winner Tom Glavine  —  Buzz up!  —  ATLANTA (AP)—Tom Glavine  —  wanted to end his career with the Braves.  —  If this is the end, it wasn't on his terms.  —  Atlanta released the winningest active pitcher in the big leagues on Wednesday …

Sorry, but this slot machine is broken  —  Major League Baseball's draft, the worst in pro sports, is in dire need of a makeover  —  Fifty million bucks.  —  Roll that around your tongue.  —  Fifty million bucks.  —  That's not this week's Powerball jackpot.

A-Rod takes brunt of boos in loss  —  Alex Rodriguez has gotten much of the credit for the Yankees' terrific play lately.  But on a night when their lineup was a dud and Andy Pettitte struggled to throw strikes, A-Rod took most of the blame, at least from fans, for the Yankees' 4-2 loss to Texas.