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 …

Brotherly love: Weavers set to match up  —  Sibling rivalry won't play into pitching story of Halos-Dodgers  —  ANAHEIM — Gail Weaver would like to make one point perfectly clear as her sons prepare to share the pitching mound at Angel Stadium on Saturday evening.  —  This is not Jered Weaver vs. Jeff Weaver.

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.

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” …

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 …

For Sox, could there be a Plan F?  —  This gets a little complicated, but there may be a way for the Red Sox to squeeze six starters into five spots for the balance of this season while benefiting every Boston starter over the long-term.  —  Let's call it Plan F (here are options A through E from an earlier column).

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 …

Phillips, Reds snap losing streak with win over White Sox  —  Brandon Phillips hit a two-run homer and a sacrifice fly on Friday night, and the Cincinnati Reds ended a nine-game losing streak against the Chicago White Sox with a 4-3 victory that opened a spotlight weekend for baseball and civil rights.

Hill pitches, hits Orioles to 7-2 win over Phils  —  PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Rich Hill pitched into the seventh inning and singled in the go-ahead run, leading the Baltimore Orioles to a 7-2 victory over the slumping Philadelphia Phillies on Friday night.  —  FINAL: Orioles 7, Phillies 2

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.

Arizona Diamondbacks to have doctors assess injured starter Brandon Webb next week  —  SEATTLE — Three-time All-Star Brandon Webb remains back home in Phoenix with pain in his pitching shoulder and won't see an Arizona Diamondbacks team doctor until after Father's Day.  —  Webb

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.