Top News:
Yahoo! Sports:
Drew, Lester lead Red Sox past Blue Jays — Buzz up! — TORONTO (AP)—With J.D. Drew — rested and refreshed, the Boston Red Sox are on a roll. — Drew homered twice, Jon Lester — pitched eight strong innings and the Red Sox beat the Toronto Blue Jays 8-1 on Thursday night to complete a three-game sweep.
Discussion:
Yahoo! Sports, Boston Globe, The Bottom Line, NESN.com, Surviving Grady, Pinstripe Alley and Associated Press
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John Harper / NY Daily News:
Harper: Yankees can bury Red Sox — BOSTON - We have seen what these Yankees are capable of over the last several weeks, playing the type of baseball that wins titles. Now let's see if they have a killer instinct, an ingredient that will be crucial in any championship recipe.
Yahoo! Sports:
Continuity breeds success for Angels — Buzz up! — The Los Angeles Angels' clubhouse is a domicile for sameness. They've listened to the same music for years. They perform the same handshakes. They follow the same routines. They celebrate wins in the same manner.
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Bill Ladson / MLB.com:
Strasburg meets and greets in DC — No. 1 Draft pick introduced to fans at Nationals Park — WASHINGTON — With fans filling the seats on the third base side of Nationals Park, there was pomp and circumstance on the field on Friday afternoon, when the Nationals introduced Stephen Strasburg at a news conference.
Discussion:
Federal Baseball
Jon Heyman / Sports Illustrated:
Wagner, 38, claimed; Mets now have next move … Mets reliever Billy Wagner has been claimed, SI.com has learned. — It is not known which team claimed the 38-year-old. The Mets now have three days to work out a deal with the claiming team. By making the claim, the claiming team shows …
Discussion:
Seven Train to Shea Mets Blog
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Marty Noble / MLB.com:
Wagner shines in return, but Mets fall — Reliever tosses scoreless frame; Johan shorted support — NEW YORK — So much has changed in Flushing since late November 2005 when the Mets put Billy Wagner in charge of happy endings. That 11th-hour responsibility no longer is his.
Discussion:
MLB Rumors
New York Post:
‘LOADED HANDGUN’ FINALLY GOES OFF — IT is the 2009 Mets. So, of course, the story never gets better. Only more humiliating. Only more dispiriting. Only more bizarre. — SHERMAN ON TWITTER — Gary Sheffield went from on his best behavior to, well, being Gary Sheffield.
Discussion:
Hardball, Newsday, Amazin' Avenue, MetsBlog.com, The LoHud Mets Blog, Mets Merized Online and MLB Rumors
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Dan Barbarisi / Projo Sox Blog:
Chris Duncan, player acquired for Julio Lugo, is released — The man the Red Sox acquired in the Julio Lugo trade, outfielder Chris Duncan, has been released after less than a month with Boston. — Duncan, who is playing with Triple-A Pawtucket, was told of his release after flying out to right field to end tonight's game.
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Yankees Blog:
Marte expected back tonight — BOSTON — Reliever Damaso Marte, out since April with an injured left shoulder, is expected to rejoin the Yankees bullpen tonight for the series opener with the Red Sox. — It's possible the Yankees could go with 13 pitchers and send down a position player …
Chico Harlan / Nationals Journal:
Team President Stan Kasten Explains GM Search — As I told you guys, I thought it was important when we made the change [in March] — even though I had a lot of confidence in Mike, which has been rewarded and justified — I thought it was a good opportunity for the franchise to do a thorough …
Associated Press:
At Little League World Series, Hall of Famer Jim Rice says major league players are not good role models for youngsters — SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — Jim Rice's advice to Little Leaguers: Don't use today's major leaguers as role models. — Speaking to players before the start …
Richard Durrett / Texas Rangers:
Remember Joba rules? Rangers have Neftali rules. — When the New York Yankees brought Joba Chamberlain up in 2007, they had Joba rules. For every inning he pitched, he got a day off. In Chamberlain's case, that applied on the front end too (he could pitch two innings if he had two days off before the outing).
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Padres Fan / Who's your Padre?:
Padres get cash for Gaudin ... SAN DIEGO - General manager Kevin Towers said Wednesday that the Padres will take cash considerations, believed to be $100,000, as compensation for the August 7 deal that sent him to the New York Yankees. — The Padres had the option of cash considerations …
Discussion:
MLB Rumors, Bronx Baseball Daily, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre …, A Die Hard Yankees Fan and Bottom9 Baseball
Jeff Pearlman:
Yankees win! Thhhhheeeee ... Yankees win! — I live in New York, land of baseball. — I love it here in the summer, because the games matter and the fans are intense and all anyone wants to talk about is Yankees! Yankees! Yankees! (and, sometimes, mets, mets, mets).
Vivaelpujols / Beyond the Box Score:
The Angels and Pythag — More photos » by Chris Carlson - AP — The Angels are once again overachieving and are on top the AL West. — Browse more photos » — If you'll head over to Halo's Heaven and search for “Pythag”, you'll be greeted with much disdain for the word.
Associated Press:
Baseball roundup: Dodgers 7, Cubs 2 — NL ROUNDUP — Dodgers 7, Cubs 2 — Russell Martin broke open a 2-2 game with a sixth-inning grand slam to lead host Los Angeles past Chicago. — Phillies 12, Diamondbacks 3 — Jayson Werth hit his fourth homer in three games …
Barry M. Bloom / MLB.com:
Ricketts primed to purchase Cubs — Tribune Co. agrees to approximately $900 million deal — The sale of the Cubs to Tom Ricketts, chief executive of Chicago investment back Incapital LLC, is drawing near, Major League Baseball confirmed on Friday. — “We are pleased at the progress …
