After eighth blunders, Putz dropped to 7th  —  PITTSBURGH - Jerry Manuel met with J.J. Putz Wednesday and informed the ex-Mariners closer that he was being moved from an eighth-inning to seventh-inning role until he can rediscover his form.  —  Putz was the primary culprit …

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.

Wang to start Thursday for Yankees  —  Hughes headed to bullpen; Sabathia pushed back a day  —  NEW YORK — No matter how well Phil Hughes was pitching in their rotation, the Yankees knew they could not keep one of the winningest starters in the American League shackled in their bullpen for long.

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?

Rain wins, Big Unit forced to wait  —  Johnson's attempt at career win No. 300 pushed to Thursday  —  WASHINGTON — Their day began at the White House, where the San Francisco Giants met the first family.  It ended at Nationals Park, where the first left-hander — or at least the tallest left-hander …

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.

Beckett takes no-hitter into seventh as Red Sox tame Tigers  —  DETROIT — Boston Red Sox starter Josh Beckett, who grew up idolizing Nolan Ryan, nearly joined him in the record books Wednesday.  —  Beckett flirted with a no-hitter for 6 2/3 innings vs. the Detroit Tigers in Boston's 10-5 rout at Comerica Park.

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.

Have a look at Hawpe and Helton  —  Colorado (20-32) at Houston (23-28), 6:05 p.m. MT  —  HOUSTON — Rockies first baseman Todd Helton and right fielder Brad Hawpe have been almost immune from the team's offensive difficulties.  —  Manager Jim Tracy wonders why other Rockies hitters aren't copying those two.

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.

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.

Outcry over Stadium home runs is way off base  —  There has been so much talk and so much hand-wringing from fans over the number of home runs hit at the new Yankee Stadium that it sometimes feels like one more broken-bat homer might spark a particularly passionate group to stage a full-blown intervention in Lonn Trost's office.

Lineups and more . . .  Good morning from sunny, downtown Detroit.  —  Today's lineups:  —  Red Sox  —  1. Dustin Pedroia, 2B  —  2. J. D. Drew, DH  —  3. Kevin Youkilis, 1B  —  4. Jason Bay, LF  —  5. Mike Lowell, 3B  —  6. Rocco Baldelli, RF  —  7. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF

Sammy Sosa planning to announce formal retirement  —  SANTO DOMINGO — Former Chicago Cubs outfielder Sammy Sosa said Wednesday that he will soon announce his formal retirement from baseball and that he will not allow his legacy to be stained by steroid-use accusations.