Yanks bench slumping A-Rod for two days  —  MIAMI - The Yankees had trouble beating the Nationals with Alex Rodriguez in the lineup.  How will they fare against the Marlins without A-Rod's bat?  —  Rodriguez was yanked from the lineup this afternoon as Joe Girardi and Brian Cashman decided …

Yankees are in area, so they'll watch Pedro  —  The Yankees will watch Pedro Martinez throw a bullpen session Friday in the Dominican Republic, a person familiar with the situation confirmed.  But the club would be interested in signing the three-time Cy Young Award winner only to a minor-league contract …

Let the Pedro bidding begin; is change coming to Washington?  —  No Nationals disgrace ... not this week, anyway  —  Just when folks were starting to draw comparisons between the 1962 Mets and the current Washington Nationals, the Nationals jumped up and put on an excellent three-day display in the Bronx …

Sources: Evans promoted to the Mets  —  Sources tell the Daily News that Nick Evans will be promoted to the Mets.  It wasn't immediately clear whose place Evans would take, but perhaps the Mets have decided to demote Fernando Martinez with Gary Sheffield returning to the outfield.

Bugging Harold Reynolds  —  I like Harold Reynolds.  I mean, I don't really know the guy, but he seems to be a likable guy on television.  And friends who do know him tell me he's a very likable guy.  And one of my favorite baseball images is that of Harold Reynolds in the moments …

Agent rips Tigers for benching Magglio Ordonez  —  ‘I do my homework,’ says Scott Boras, who believes his client has stats to justify starting spot  —  Detroit — Scott Boras, the agent for benched outfielder Magglio Ordonez, unloaded on the Tigers Friday, accusing them of a “myopic” …

Shawn Estes retires  —  Shawn Estes, a former 19-game winner with the Giants, has apparently retired after 13 major league seasons.  Estes, 36, went 3-4 with a 3.07 ERA pitching for Triple-A Albuquerque in his attempt to continue his career with the Dodgers.

Dodgers recall righty McDonald  —  Club sends reliever Schlichting to Triple-A Albuquerque  —  ANAHEIM — With long reliever Jeff Weaver starting Saturday night, the Dodgers recalled James McDonald from Triple-A Albuquerque to be a long reliever and sent right-handed reliever Travis Schlichting to Albuquerque.

Quote of the Day: 'I suck.  For real.  I'm getting old.'  —  sports, athletics, quote-of-the-day, orlando-cabrera  —  Orlando Cabrera, after making two defensive mistakes yesterday: … Normally I'd say that Cabrera is being overly hard on himself, but that's a tough argument …

Dusty Ryan Called Up  —  Sources close to Dusty Ryan are reporting that The Tigers have called up the young backstop from Toledo to presumably replace Dane Sardinha as the backup catcher.  This is a welcome move as the Tigers have been starting Gerald Laird too much and I believe it has been affecting his offense.

Roster moves: Marires claim Josh Wilson off waivers, activate Johnson  —  * Catcher Rob Johnson reinstated from the bereavement list.  —  * Catcher Guillermo Quiroz designated for assignment.  —  * Infielder Josh Wilson claimed off waiver from San Diego.

Mariners expect Bedard back within two weeks  —  SEATTLE (AP) — Erik Bedard has checked out fine in an MRI exam on his pitching shoulder and the Seattle Mariners expect him back to their rotation in about two weeks.  —  Manager Don Wakamatsu said Friday the left-hander will resume throwing next week …

NL West underrated  —  Hello, local and national media.  The National League West is not the worst division in baseball.  —  The American League East reigns supreme, but the NL West has the second-best record outside the division.  This is not only due to the strength of the Dodgers …