Johan scratched, to see doctor Tuesday  —  Ace has elbow pain; Francoeur tears thumb ligament  —  NEW YORK — Mets players said Monday they expect Johan Santana will require surgery on his left elbow to repair whatever malady has prompted the club to scratch the pitcher from his scheduled start against the Marlins in Miami on Tuesday.

Dream World Series matchups, latest on Billy Wagner and notes … It's time now to start dreaming about the best possible World Series matchups.  Here are my favorites for this year.  —  The best matchups:  —  1. Yankees vs. Dodgers: Joe Torre vs. his old team.

Lee's arm, Howard's power gives Phils win over Mets  —  NEW YORK (AP) — Ryan Howard (FSY) homered twice and drove in five runs, Cliff Lee (FSY) won his eighth straight start and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the New York Mets 6-2 on Monday.  —  Lee (5-0) did not allow an earned run in seven innings …

Matsuzaka pitches for Red Sox GCL team  —  FORT MYERS - Daisuke Matsuzaka faced live batters today for the first time in over two months, starting for the Red Sox rookie team in a Gulf Coast League game.  Matsuzaka and the GCL Sox played the GCL Rays in sweltering heat at the Red Sox Player Development Complex in Fort Myers.

Rich Harden's contract an off-season challenge for Chicago Cubs  —  Starter in line for long-term deal approaching $60 million  —  Rich Harden throws to the Marlins in the second inning.  (J Pat Carter, Associated Press / July 31, 2009)  —  While Carlos Zambrano takes the spotlight Tuesday night …

Billy Wagner to Boston Red Sox: Nix option to seal deal … NEW YORK — Billy Wagner wants to be a closer next season, regardless of the team.  —  That's why the New York Mets reliever says Boston must guarantee it will decline his contract option for 2010 before he would approve a potential trade …

Krieger: At last, Rox can play an ace  —  For 17 years, the Rockies have been searching for the rarest, most valuable commodity in baseball.  They once spent $121 million trying to buy one on the open market, a disaster that set them back years.  —  Call off the search party.

New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi squashes notion of A.J. Burnett-Jorge Posada issue  —  Yankees manager Joe Girardi sees no reason to split up batterymates A.J. Burnett and Jorge Posada despite some obvious miscommunication between the duo during a 14-1 loss to the Red Sox on Saturday.  —  Posada

Jake Peavy could pitch Saturday for Chicago White Sox  —  He gives up no runs in five innings in 3rd rehab start  —  BOSTON — Jake Peavy received plenty of work Monday night that should help achieve his goal of joining the White Sox — perhaps as soon as Saturday at New York against Yankees ace CC Sabathia.

Colorado Rockies sign former A's, Yankees 1B Jason Giambi to minor league contract  —  DENVER — The Colorado Rockies have signed former AL MVP Jason Giambi to a minor league contract.  —  The 38-year-old Giambi will report to Triple-A Colorado Springs, hoping for a September call-up to help the Rockies with their pennant push.

Bruntlett sending jersey to Hall of Fame  —  Phils infielder turned 15th unassisted triple play Sunday  —  NEW YORK — The incredible rarity of what happened to Eric Bruntlett on Sunday still hasn't completely sunk in.  —  He turned an unassisted triple play in a 9-7 victory over the Mets at Citi Field.

Cards think Smoltz was tipping pitches  —  Coaching staff says hitters knew what was coming in Boston  —  SAN DIEGO — The competition level was different.  A mechanical tweak didn't hurt.  But maybe one other thing went into John Smoltz's eye-catching game against the Padres on Sunday.

Haeger Fails To Knuckle Under  —  For whatever reason, statistical analysts have a strange fascination with guys who throw the knuckleball.  Whenever anybody shows a remote amount of success throwing it, he immediately generates articles from around the world.