Zimmermann Will Miss 18 Months  —  The Nationals' most promising rookie pitcher, Jordan Zimmermann, will have ligament-replacement surgery on his right elbow and will be lost for approximately 18 months.  —  “It's not good news,” interim general manager Mike Rizzo said.

Mets have a plan post-Minaya  —  PHOENIX - High-ranking personnel within the Mets organization believe John Ricco ultimately will emerge as Omar Minaya's successor as GM, the Daily News has learned.  —  Ricco, 41, joined the organization as assistant GM in April 2004 after spending 12 years working …

GIRARDI SET TO REST TIRED YANKEES  —  Now that the Red Sox have left town, Joe Girardi is looking to rest some of his players.  That started last night, when Johnny Damon didn't start and was replaced with Jerry Hairston, Jr. in left field — with Nick Swisher in the No. 2 spot.

Manuel rips ‘unacceptable’ Met effort  —  PHOENIX - Mike Pelfrey left newborn son Chase Michael back in New York and reported for work at Chase Field.  His euphoric week didn't continue.  —  Four days after the birth of his first child, Pelfrey was roughed up by the Diamondbacks.

White Sox acquire Alex Rios on waiver claim  —  SEATTLE - In a shocking transaction Monday, the White Sox acquired Toronto outfielder Alex Rios on waivers.  —  Rios, 28, is guaranteed $59.7 million from 2010 through 2014.  His acquisition has serious financial ramifications for the Sox …

Rockies roll again behind Tulo's cycle  —  Team takes three of four as De La Rosa shuts down Cubs  —  DENVER — It's OK for the Rockies to dream big as long as Troy Tulowitzki and the offense produce big.  —  Tulowitzki achieved the fifth cycle in Rockies history and set career highs …

Kemp's big hit helps Kuroda beat Giants  —  Dodgers outfielder smacks three-run double in opener  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Fights in the stands, cops on the field, hecklers hollering at Manny Ramirez and the Dodgers couldn't have been more comfortable.  —  Even though they played at AT&T Park …

Selig's saving grace: Return records to Maris, Aaron  —  will be remembered as a joke and the commissioner himself as a failure, the man who presided over an era in which baseball's only real currency, its hallowed history and its sacred numbers, became as worthless as Confederate money.

Merlyn Mantle dies at age 77  —  Merlyn Mantle, the widow of Mickey Mantle who was by turns the adoring, troubled and stoic partner in a 43-year marriage to the Yankee icon, died Monday in a hospice in Plano, Tex. She was 77.  —  The cause of death was the effects of Alzheimer's disease, the Yankees said in a statement.

Dravecky honored on 20th anniversary of comeback  —  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Twenty years after his comeback from cancer, Dave Dravecky once again got a standing ovation as he walked onto the field in a San Francisco Giants jersey and threw a pitch.  —  Only this time, the pitch was ceremonial …

For Tigers, Tazawa is one that got away  —  Detroit (59-52) at Boston (63-48), 7:10 p.m. ET  —  BOSTON — This wasn't exactly the way the Tigers would have liked to see Junichi Tazawa's first Major League start.  —  Detroit was one of the handful of teams interested in the Japanese youngster …

TABLE SETTING  —  The Marlins defeat the Astros 8-6 Monday night, moving to 3 1/2 games behind the Phillies.  Chris Coghlan and Nick Johnson batting 1-2 reached base a combined five times and scored three runs.  The Marlins finally have two good table setters in front of Hanley Ramirez, who picked up two hits and an RBI.

How Best to Measure a Team's True Talent  —  One of the first sabermetric principles that many people learn about is how a team's winning percentage can be predicted by the number of runs scored and allowed.  This Pythagorean winning percentage takes the following form: WPCT= RS^1.81/(RS^1.81 + RA^1.81).