Game 36: Yankees vs. Twins  —  YANKEES (23-12)  —  TWINS (22-13)  —  UMPIRES: HP Tim Timmons, 1B Tim Tschida, 2B Bob Davidson, 3B Alfonso Marquez  —  WEATHER: Perfectly beautiful day here in the Bronx.  Great day for a game.  —  Sorry for the lack of pregame notes.

Friedman: Blalock's contract situation not a factor in call-up  —  Rays executive VP Andrew Friedman said the decision to call up Hank Blalock gives them more positional flexibility, and that with Willy Aybar hitting well against lefties, a left-handed bat “fit us better.”

Blue Jays storm back with five homers  —  Overbay, Snider, Wells, Hill, Lind go deep vs. Rangers  —  TORONTO — The struggles of Aaron Hill and Adam Lind have been part of the Toronto Blue Jays' early-season story.  —  So have home runs and comeback wins.

Angels' GM Tony Reagins says roster doesn't need an overhaul  —  The Angels have struggled on offense and defense this season, but Reagins says the team just needs for the players to perform at a higher level.  —  The help wanted sign still hasn't gone up.

Soft landing for Byrnes in Menlo Park  —  Eric Byrnes' game didn't start until 8:50 p.m. on Wednesday, which explains why at 7:20 p.m. he was walking through a Menlo Park eatery with a pitcher of beer in each hand.  —  Such a late start required that The Dutch Goose slow-pitch softball players …

A chance to change, but a familiar ending  —  The Grapes of Wrath or the Wrath of Grapes?  —  Only the Bruins could lose a 3-0 lead twice in the same series.  —  Only the Bruins could lose a Game 7 on a power-play goal after getting called for too many men on the ice.  —  Are you kidding me?

Rehabbing Igarashi could return in a week  —  Mets on Twitter  —  MIAMI — Ryota Igarashi could rejoin the Mets' bullpen by next weekend.  —  The right-hander is slated to begin a minor-league rehab assignment as soon as today for Single-A St. Lucie and move to Triple-A Buffalo later in the week.

GAME 34: Yankees vs. Charlotte Knights  —  feat.  Romulo Sanchez rhp (0-2, 6.48)  —  Charlotte  —  Brent Lillibridge ss  —  Jordan Danks cf  —  Dayan Viciedo 1b  —  Tyler Flowers dh  —  Stefan Gartrell rf  —  Josh Kroeger lf  —  C.J. Retherford 2b  —  Donny Lucy c  —  Javier Colina 3b

Hardy could rejoin Twins in Boston  —  NEW YORK — Shortstop J.J. Hardy is not currently on the Twins' current three-city, seven-game roadtrip as he rehabs from his bruised left wrist back in Minnesota.  —  Hardy is eligible to return from the 15-day disabled list on Thursday …

Decision time for Nats on Morse  —  On Monday, the Nationals will have to make a decision on outfielder/first baseman Mike Morse, who is currently on the 15-day disabled list and is close to finishing up his rehab assignment.  —  The Nationals could bring Morse back on 25-man roster or outright him to Triple-A Syracuse.

David Ortiz heats up  —  Two-homer game lifts average over .200  —  + Recent Articles + Recent Blog Entries + Email  —  DETROIT - David Ortiz [stats]' first home run last night went an unscientific 450 feet in distance, a Ruthian shot.  —  The next one went a more modest, but still impressive, 394 feet.

Mr. Perfect: Braden deals next with Angels  —  A whirlwind week that commenced with the 19th perfect game in Major League history and has included appearances on “The Late Show with David Letterman,” “The Early Show” and a regional cover of Sports Illustrated will come to a close on Friday for Dallas Braden.

Dodgers' Rafael Furcal's return is delayed  —  The shortstop and leadoff hitter still is being bothered by his injured left hamstring, and Manager Joe Torre says it could be a few days before Furcal will be able to play.  —  Dodgers shortstop Rafael Furcal, in an exhibition game against Cleveland …

Vizquel puts away glove against Royals  —  KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Omar Vizquel is known for his slick fielding, winning 11 Gold Glove awards and posting the highest fielding percentage among all shortstops.  —  Now, he can call himself a designated hitter, too.

Ollie appears out of rotation  —  Oliver Perez appears unlikely to make his next scheduled start, Wednesday against the Washington Nationals.  Jerry Manuel would not confirm such a maneuver, saying he first needed to meet with the left-hander Saturday.  But Manuel met with Omar Minaya …