Bird feed!  Rallies fall short as Jays pound Pettitte  —  The clutch hits have come with such frequency and the magic moments with such fervor recently that the only question appeared to be which Yankee would be ducking the A.J. Burnett cream pie after yet another late-game comeback.

Aaron Bates gets called up  —  It seems as though Paw Sox first baseman Aaron Bates has finally figured it out.  An all-but-forgotten Sox prospect entering the year, Bates burst out of the games in Portland after a mediocre Double A season last year, got called up to Pawtucket two months …

Umpire told Derek Jeter he didn't need need to be tagged out at third, which prompted Joe Girardi's ejection … NEW YORK — When Derek Jeter was called out attempting to steal third base with no one out, he asked third base umpire Marty Foster for a reason.  —  Jeter thought he was safe.

Padres surprise Hairston in trade to A's  —  San Diego to get three Minor League pitchers in return  —  SAN DIEGO — The team bus that would carry the Padres to the airport Sunday for a short flight to Phoenix was a man short, as outfielder Scott Hairston surprisingly found himself headed elsewhere.

Tribune Co. reaches deal to sell Cubs, Wrigley  —  Tribune Co. intends to sell the Chicago Cubs to the Ricketts family, sources familiar with the matter said Monday, ending the company's flirtation with another buyer after negotiations with the Rickettses had stalled two months ago.

New York Mets' David Wright looks like he needs a staycation … PHILADELPHIA — David Wright comes from the Derek Jeter School of (None of Your) Business, so he wasn't about to tell a bunch of reporters how he'll spend his off day Monday.  But the Mets third baseman did reveal this much: He won't be anywhere near a batting cage.

NL first basemen to take part in Derby  —  Pujols, Howard, Fielder, Gonzalez to participate in event  —  The 2009 State Farm Home Run Derby will feature plenty of power first basemen from the National League, as four sluggers committed on Monday to the event that is scheduled to take place on July 13 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.

New York Yankees pitcher Brett Tomko's next career will play with awesome sports imagery … It was a late afternoon in Miami and the temperature on the field had soared to 105 degrees.  That was nothing compared with the heat that was being felt on the pitcher's mound …

Martin Prado of the Atlanta Braves named the National League Player of the Week presented by Bank of America  —  Atlanta Braves infielder Martin Prado, who led the National League with 15 hits and a 1.000 slugging percentage, has been named National League Player of the Week presented by Bank of America for the period ending July 5th.

Increasing Pace of Injuries Hampers Baseball  —  Nearly a quarter of the Mets' opening-day roster — a collection of players making more than $50 million in salaries this season — is out because of injuries.  In their place, the Mets have resorted to a ragtag group of several minor leaguers.

Brewers, Braves Not Discussing Vazquez  —  4:35pm: Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel spoke with Brewers GM Doug Melvin and heard that the two teams are not discussing a trade for Vazquez.  —  3:40pm: The Brewers heard Ryan Braun's plea for help and they have responded.

Please don't paint stadium seats orange  —  The site is finally being cleared for a new Marlins baseball stadium, now estimated to cost $634 million.  —  During the long and fractious debate over the project, one critical issue was missing from the agenda: What color should the seats be painted?