Top News:
Associated Press:
Pedro Martinez strikes out 11 in Double-A rehab start — READING, Pa. — Pedro Martinez recorded nine of his first 12 outs by strikeout and worked six innings for the Double-A Reading on Wednesday night, in what could have been his final rehab start before joining the Philadelphia Phillies.
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Andy Jasner / MLB.com:
Pedro impressive in latest rehab start — Right-hander strikes out 11 over six innings for Reading — Box > — READING, Pa. — For five innings, Pedro Martinez was razor sharp. — He was hitting the corners with his fastball and his offspeed pitches had the Trenton Thunder hitters reaching.
Todd Zolecki / MLB.com:
Happ dominates Rox in four-hit shutout — Despite gem, rookie may not remain in Phillies rotation — PHILADELPHIA — J.A. Happ has earned his spot in the Phillies' rotation, but sometimes performance is not enough. — Sometimes the numbers don't jive.
Peter Botte / NY Daily News:
Parnell is likely to take Niese's spot in rotation … With Jon Niese out for the year, Jerry Manuel indicated the rookie's spot in the starting rotation could be taken by reliever Bobby Parnell. — Parnell, a starter throughout his minor-league career before making 54 relief appearances …
RELATED:
Anthony Rieber / Newsday:Niese, Sheffield leave game with injuries
Discussion:
Archie Bunker's Army
The Back Page:
Yankees call up Claggett — TORONTO — Right-handed reliever Anthony Claggett has joined the Yankees for their game tonight against the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. — Claggett, 25, was 4-6 with a 3.02 ERA in 32 games (two starts) for Scranton-Wilkes Barre (Triple-A).
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Peter Abraham / The LoHud Yankees Blog:Claggett on the way — Anthony Claggett is headed to Toronto …
Associated Press:
Damon and Swisher Homer for Yankee Win — TORONTO (AP) — Johnny Damon hit a solo home run and had three RBIs, Nick Swisher also connected and the New York Yankees completed a two-game sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays with an 8-4 victory Wednesday night. — Reliever Alfredo Aceves (7-1) …
Discussion:
Yahoo! Sports
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David Ely / MLB.com:
Schmidt chased early in Dodgers' loss — Furcal's leadoff homer provides only offense vs. Brewers — LOS ANGELES — The stage was set for something memorable. — It was the game immediately following Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder's bizarre attempt to storm the Dodgers clubhouse …
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Dan Connolly / Baltimore Sun:
Ray relives breakthrough performance — ‘I was in a zone,’ reliever says of Tuesday's career-long outing; Berken starts Friday — DETROIT — It's basically what Orioles reliever Chris Ray has waited for. — His outing Tuesday night against the Detroit Tigers, in which he pitched …
Jason Rosenberg / It's About The Money:
An open letter to Joba — I'm writing to you as a friend you've never met. I'm writing to you with a small piece of advice, something you can choose to ignore or something you can take to heart. Your choice. But hear me out, and I promise to keep it brief.
Rustin Dodd / MLB.com:
Cat frolicks on field in fifth inning in KC — Groundskeepers give chase as feline delays play early — KANSAS CITY — Say what you want about their win-loss record, but the Royals' 2009 season is definitely running in first place in the bizarre moments category.
Discussion:
Walkoff Walk
John Tomase / Boston Herald:
Red Sox' Trop woes grow as Rays finish sweep — Same sad story — + Recent Articles + Recent Blog Entries + Email + Bio — ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - It hasn't reached the level of the Patriots [team stats]' old Orange Bowl jinx, but the Red Sox [team stats] keep flopping at the Trop.
Maurice Patton / Tennessean.com:
Mike Minor gets big deal from Braves — Former Vanderbilt left-hander Mike Minor and the Atlanta Braves have agreed to a contract that includes the largest bonus awarded to a Braves draftee and the largest bonus ever given to a No. 7 pick, Nashville-based agent Bo McKinnis said Wednesday.
Bobby Abreu / Yahoo! Sports:
Abreu finds a perfect fit with Halos — Buzz up! — stands amid the clamor of a pregame clubhouse one recent afternoon, all of it so familiar to him now. — Torii's laugh and Figgy's buoyancy and the Latin guys along the far wall, their voices carrying, riding Vladdy's old-man gait …
Ian Browne / MLB.com:
Red Sox sign Byrd to Minor League deal — Veteran righty retired following 2008 season with Boston — ST. PETERBURG — Roughly a year ago, the Red Sox were sputtering a little in the rotation and added dependable veteran Paul Byrd in a waiver pickup from the Cleveland Indians.
Discussion:
Red Sox Monster
Richard Sandomir / New York Times:
Topps Gets Exclusive Deal With Baseball, Landing a Blow to Upper Deck — The Topps Company will become the exclusive trading card maker of Major League Baseball next year in a multiyear deal that appears to seriously hurt Upper Deck, its primary competitor in the once-vibrant business.
Yahoo! Sports:
25 things you didn't know about baseball — Buzz up! — I have found baseball nerd heaven, and it is a place called FanGraphs. — Earlier this year, the invaluable repository for statistics unveiled its pitch-type linear weights. Do not be scared by the math jargon.
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Jonah Keri / Sports Illustrated:
Suddenly, that famous Volquez-for-Hamilton deal has lost its luster … The rarest occurrence in baseball isn't a perfect game, a cycle, or even an afternoon without New York sports talk radio ranting that [Joba Chamberlain] Phil Hughes is the most irreplaceable relief pitcher of all time.
