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Bryan Hoch / MLB.com:
Rivera takes place in history with No. 500 — Yankees' closer just second player to hit saves milestone — NEW YORK — Another save? You'd have to excuse Mariano Rivera if that particular milestone didn't boost his excitement level — after all, he's been there and done that, now 500 times and still counting.
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Joel Sherman / Hardball:
3 UP: RIVERA, YANKEE ROSTER, A-ROD — Yes, I am on Twitter. — A while back I was playing a game with a few colleagues trying to decide who was the best player we had seen play in our time covering baseball. The list of the usual suspects came up led by Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez.
Wallace Matthews / Newsday:
‘Fans’ split Citi with Mets crashing — If the Mets crash in Flushing and there are no Mets fans around to witness it, did it really happen? — More importantly, does it still count? — Well, it did, and it does, and in a sense you can't really blame the Mets fans for not wanting to see it.
Ken Davidoff / Newsday:
A lesson learned 500 times: Mo refuses to fade away — Only Mariano Rivera, master of downplaying his own contributions, could rank his 500th career save as the second-most-exciting development of the evening. — “It's my first RBI,” he said after his Yankees outlasted the Mets, 4-2, last night at Citi Field.
Peter Abraham / The LoHud Yankees Blog:Game 75: Yankees at Mets (updated with Girardi and Matsui pre-game audio)
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Mets Geek
Bill Ladson / MLB.com:
Nationals activate Olsen for opener — Washington (22-51) at Florida (38-39), 7:10 p.m. ET — BALTIMORE — After Sunday's 5-3 win over the Orioles, the Nationals activated left-hander Scott Olsen from the 15-day disabled list and optioned right-hander Shairon Martis to Triple-A Syracuse.
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Ben Goessling / Washington Times:
Nationals Insider: Determining his value — Lack of production means Kearns is hard to trade — The Washington Nationals have a valid list of reasons why they still value Austin Kearns, and it's a list that's publicly recited almost every time Kearns' worth is questioned.
Dejan Kovacevic / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
Pirates Notebook: Snell fans 17 for Indianapolis — Ian Snell found one good way to escape the “negativity:” Strike 'em all out. — In a superb return to Class AAA Indianapolis yesterday, he fanned 17 batters over seven innings, including his first 13 outs of a 2-1 victory against visiting Toledo.
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John Perrotto / PiratesReport.com:
Morgan-for Milledge? Go for it — PITTSBURGH _ Neal Huntington received an interesting trade proposal in the last few days. — The Washington Nationals offered Lastings Milledge to the Pirates for Nyjer Morgan is a straight-up swap of outfielders. Huntington, the Pirates' general manager …
Phil Rogers / Chicago Tribune:
Perfect time for Cubs to waive bye-bye to Carlos Zambrano — Carlos Zambrano covers his face as he listens to pitching coach Larry Rothschild. (Nam Y Huh, Associated Press / June 28, 2009) — As Lou Piniella was saying on Friday, enough's enough. — Get Carlos Zambrano out of here, even if the Cubs have to give him away.
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Roger Rubin / NY Daily News:
Desperate Mets: Get us some help … Jerry Manuel keeps using terms like “tread water,” “survive” and “hold on.” But even the Mets' manager admits that it soon may be time to make a trade. — “I think if we get below that (.500) mark and we continue to struggle offensively as we are …
Discussion:
24 Hours From Suicide
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Thomas Harding / MLB.com:
Jimenez's improvements key vs. Dodgers — Colorado (40-35) at Los Angeles (48-28), 8:10 p.m. MT — OAKLAND — The Rockies are 1-8 against the Natonal League West-leading Dodgers this year. But according to Rockies right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez, that was then.
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Spencer Fordin / MLB.com:
O's sign top '09 Draft pick Hobgood — Righty inks Minor League deal with $2.42 million bonus — BALTIMORE — Matt Hobgood's professional journey is ready to begin. The Orioles signed Hobgood, their first-round selection in this year's First-Year Player Draft and the Gatorade National Baseball Player …
David Ely / MLB.com:
Quiet night for Manny with Inland Empire — Slugger goes 0-for-2, makes one putout in outfield — SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. — While suspended Dodgers slugger Manny Ramirez provided plenty of fireworks during his first game as an Inland Empire 66er, the sizzle in his bat was absent on Sunday.
Bud Shaw / Plain Dealer:
Indians tradition: Summer garage sale — The Indians are becoming accomplished in maximizing the trade value of their assets during failed seasons. That's the organizational upside and downside all in one unembraceable bottom line. — Better that lack of opportunity leaves Mark Shapiro less gifted in this means of roster building.
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St. Louis Post-Dispatch
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