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.

Sox hoping Lowell responds well to shot  —  Infielder could require DL stint if right hip doesn't improve  —  ATLANTA — The earliest that Red Sox third baseman Mike Lowell will be back in the starting lineup would probably be Wednesday afternoon at Camden Yards against the Orioles.

Inbox: Should Hughes stay in the 'pen?  —  Beat reporter Bryan Hoch answers fans' questions  —  Phil Hughes has been dominant in relief and seems to have found “something” that wasn't there as a starter.  Maybe this is what he is and they found it by accident.  What do you think?

Yankees and Mets fans are unimaginative  —  sports, yankees, mets  —  Freakonomics — the book, the blog, the phenomenon — is basically about applying economic theory to non-traditional things.  Things like parenting and sumo and the Ku Klux Klan and what have you.

BREAKING: Surgery for Beltran?  —  (UPDATED) MILWAUKEE — In a ominous-sounding move, Mets center fielder Carlos Beltran flew to Vail, Colo., today for a second opinion on his ailing right knee from the inventor of microfracture surgery.  —  The Mets confirmed that Beltran was in Colorado …

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.

Gameday Live 75: Mets at Brewers  —  Welcome Met fans!  I'm David Cassilo, and I will be taking you through tonight's Mets-Brewers game.  This will be the first of a three game series between the two teams at Miller Park.  —  These two teams met earlier in the season from April 17-19, and the Mets won two of those three contests.

Phillies looking for arms in tight market  —  GM soliciting trades, but pitchers are hard to come by  —  PHILADELPHIA — General manager Ruben Amaro Jr. has been on his Blackberry incessantly in recent weeks.  —  He is looking for pitching help, and he is finding this year is much like previous years.

Jays may finally act on slumping stars  —  Ricciardi's all but at the bag of balls stage with Wells and Rios  — Special Report: Salt - Weather - Globe editorials - Blogs - RSS Feeds - Globe Books - TV listings - Globe on Twitter - Globe Campus  —  Hey Alex Rios and Vernon Wells …

Ken Rosenthal Joins MLB Network, Will Keep FOX Sports Duties  —  MLB Network today announced that Ken Rosenthal has joined its roster of on-air talent.  Rosenthal will join the cast of MLB Tonight beginning Tuesday, June 30 at 6:00 p.m. ET.  Rosenthal, who will continue his reporting …

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.

Ex-Brewers top pick gets 100-game suspension … NEW YORK (AP) — Milwaukee Brewers prospect Jeremy Jeffress was suspended for 100 games Monday after his third violation of baseball's minor league program for a drug of abuse.  —  A 21-year-old right-hander, Jeffress also was suspended for 50 games on Aug. 30, 2007.

Guest MMQB (cont.)  —  10 Things I Think I Think  —  1) I think with teams going pass happy, there will be at least 10 quarterbacks to throw for over 4,000 yards this season.  Seem like a lot?  I see six locks and seven more with potential.  Let's break it down: