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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

Son, in-law of Rockies Torrealba safe after kidnap  —  Buzz up!  —  11-year-old son and brother-in-law were released by kidnappers a day after being abducted.  —  The two were abducted while driving to the boy's school along with a relative of the boy's mother, Venezuelan authorities said in a statement on Thursday.

You Could Look It Up  —  The No-Decision Kings  —  If they keep it up, the Marlins bullpen could cost Josh Johnson millions.  Johnson is presently 4-1 with a 2.66 ERA, but he should have more wins than the four he has to his credit.  That's because Johnson has made quality starts in nine of 11 outings.

Cardinals Designate Boyer; Pineiro Throws  —  The Cardinals have designated reliever Blaine Boyer for assignment in order to make roster room for just-promoted reliever Jess Todd.  The move falls the day after Boyer worked three innings in Wednesday's 9-3 loss to the Cincinnati Reds.

The Rumor Mill: June Test Drive … Former Atlanta Braves pitcher Tom Glavine and Texas Rangers pitcher Vicente Padilla may soon have a new address, sources say.  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.”

Bay, Wakefield lead Red Sox to sweep of Tigers  —  DETROIT — Jason Bay's bases-loaded double keyed a six-run third inning and the Boston Red Sox [team stats] completed a three-game sweep of the Detroit Tigers with a 6-3 victory today.  —  Tim Wakefield [stats] (7-3) got the win, giving up three runs and five hits in 6 2-3 innings.

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.

Beltran rips slumping Mets  —  PITTSBURGH — A visibly angry Carlos Beltran let loose on the Mets today after an 11-6 loss to the lowly Pirates here completed a three-game Pittsburgh sweep.  —  Beltran, who was 2-for-4 with a homer today in his return after missing 3 1/2 games due to a stomach ailment …

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.

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.

Lefty  —  Underrated is a Zen place to be.  What I mean by that is you can only be underrated for as long as people do not notice that you are underrated.  Once someone starts calling you underrated, you begin to lose your footing.  When enough people start calling you underrated, you stop being underrated.