Long and short of it: Bard failed  —  Reliever jolted by back-to-back HRs  —  NEW YORK - Daniel Bard made the slow walk from the Yankee Stadium mound to the Red Sox dugout and began to assess what had happened.  “It was kind of a whirlwind,” he said later.

Sources: Several teams interested in aquiring John Smoltz  —  Some National League teams, as well as the Texas Rangers, have interest in acquiring John Smoltz, major league sources say, which is an early indication that he will have another opportunity to pitch this year — if he chooses to take it.

Tampa Bay Rays' B.J. Upton upset after being moved to ninth in lineup  —  SEATTLE — B.J. Upton's frustration with his poor season has been made worse by the sting of being dropped to the No. 9 spot in the Rays lineup.  —  “It's almost like a kick in the face,” Upton said.

On numbers alone, J.P. must go  —  Gord Ash was fired after finishing third four consecutive times with the Blue Jays.  And nobody argued it wasn't the time.  —  J.P. Ricciardi, in his eighth season in Toronto, will finish no better than fourth out of five in the American League East for the second consecutive year.

In response, Ortiz denies using steroids  —  Red Sox icon admits to being ‘careless’ with supplements  —  NEW YORK — Red Sox slugger David Ortiz said on Saturday that he has never used or purchased steroids, but had been “careless” in his taking of nutritional supplements in 2003 …

‘Concerning’ situation for Nats  —  Zimmermann's elbow could be problem that lingers  —  Before going forward, a caveat: It's possible orthopedist James Andrews will take a look at the MRI of Washington Nationals pitcher Jordan Zimmermann's right elbow, the one that acting general manager Mike Rizzo …

Ejectorino: Can't question ump from CF  —  While in field, Victorino tossed by home-plate arbiter  —  PHILADELPHIA — In an odd moment of an odd game Sunday, the Phillies' Shane Victorino was ejected from his center-field position in the top of the seventh inning by home-plate umpire Ed Rapuano.

Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen vows to retaliate for hitters getting plunked  —  After 3 more plunkings, aggravated Guillen lets his position be known  —  White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen is tired of seeing his hitters treated like pincushions and vowed Sunday to retaliate.

Longtime minor leaguer awaits Orioles' call  —  Submariner Andy Mitchell racks up winning seasons in Triple-A  —  Andy Mitchell signed as a walk-on with the Orioles organization in 2001.  He helped Georgia Tech win a conference championship but was undrafted.  (Photo by L. Todd Spencer / The Virginia-Pilot / July 19, 2009)

Jeter Speaking in Present Tense a Year Before Contract Expires  —  As Derek Jeter saw Kevin Youkilis flying toward him with a takeout slide Saturday, he made a clever decision.  Jeter jumped completely over Youkilis's beefy body, landed and then fired to first to complete the double play.

Francoeur trade paying Mets dividends  —  New York (52-59) at Arizona (50-62), 9:40 p.m. ET  —  SAN DIEGO — Most of what little noise the Mets' offense made in four games in San Diego came in the final game Sunday.  They plated three runs in the sixth inning after scoring merely six in the first three games.

False Hustle  —  More photos » by Mary Altaffer - ASSOCIATED PRESS  —  Think tanks, as a concept, seem morally bankrupt.  Entire companies exist just for publishing policy papers from one general viewpoint.  It works, too: there's enough evidence and data generated to defend basically any viewpoint.

COST-FRIENDLY WAYS METS CAN DEEPEN THEIR ROSTER  —  IMAGINE you are made the Mets' general manager.  Yes, obviously, you will give better press conferences than your predecessor.  —  But the key to success is not about conjugating verbs well, it is about assembling a winning team.

Psychology in baseball: Heroes are human  —  Players seek help to cope with issues, maximize performance  —  CINCINNATI — The physical toll from a 162-game Major League schedule is easy to see: A runner hobbles around the basepaths, a batter grimaces after being nailed in the ribs by a 96-mph fastball …

Giles says Beltran should play it safe  —  SAN DIEGO — Brian Giles listened as much as he spoke, recalling his own symptoms and pain as he heard what Mets center fielder Carlos Beltran was going through.  And when the conversation was over, he went his way and the reporters went the other, but Giles stopped to yell out one more thing.