Top News:
Adam Rubin / ESPN:
Source: Mejia to start again in minors — The Mets should have a new starting pitching option within a month. — Top prospect Jenrry Mejia, whose dazzling Grapefruit League performance prompted the Mets to place him on the Opening Day roster as a reliever, is expected to head to the minors to resume being used as a starting pitcher.
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Bob Klapisch / NorthJersey.com:
It was time for Jeff Wilpon to act, not talk — Mets' fans who were hoping for a front-office response after the black-hole weekend in Florida must've thought their prayers finally were answered Monday. The corporate cavalry, Jeff Wilpon and Omar Minaya, met the team in Atlanta, a sure sign that enough was enough.
Adam Rubin / ESPN:
External / Associated Press:
Mets nip Braves to end 5-game skid … ATLANTA — Mike Pelfrey gave the Mets a lift with 7 2/3 strong innings and New York beat the Atlanta Braves 3-2 on Monday night to end a five-game losing streak. — Pelfrey (5-1) became the first Mets starting pitcher to win a game this month.
Discussion:
ESPN
Joe Frisaro / MLB.com:
Hanley benched for lack of hustle — All-Star shortstop jogs after booted ball — MIAMI — Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez pulled All-Star shortstop Hanley Ramirez after the second inning on Monday night for showing a lack of effort. — The disciplinary action came shortly after Ramirez fouled …
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Joe Capozzi / Florida Marlins news, analysis …:
Hanley Ramirez won't apologize to Florida Marlins teammates, lost “little bit” of respect for manager — Here's the latest on the Hanley saga... Wes Helms, Florida's veteran clubhouse leader, says Hanley Ramirez needs to apologize to his teammates for dogging it on a play last night.
Discussion:
HardballTalk
MLB.com:
Uggla has success vs. D-backs — MIAMI — Of all the teams not in the National League East, Dan Uggla has had his most home run success against the organization that drafted him. — An 11th-round pick by the D-backs in 2001, Uggla has moved into third place on the Marlins' all-time home run list with 130.
Adam Kilgore / Washington Post:
Storen makes debut in Nationals' loss to Cardinals — ST. LOUIS — The Busch Stadium bullpen gates swung open Monday at 10:24 p.m. EST, and into the major leagues jogged Drew Storen. The Washington Nationals trailed by two, a runner on first base in the seventh inning.
Discussion:
NATS INSIDER, Nationals Journal, William World News, Federal Baseball and The Nationals Enquirer
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Derrick Goold / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Cards win with new look — Kyle Lohse reunited with his truant fastball Monday and pitched closer to what the Cardinals need him to be. But it took a rescue from the bullpen to get him his first win, a win the Cardinals wanted him to have. — Trever Miller and Jason Motte clipped Lohse's loose ends …
Dan Shaughnessy / Boston Globe:
Another round of torture — NEW YORK — Friday night the Bruins were like the old Red Sox. — And now the Red Sox are the Bruins. — Underachieving. The opposite of clutch. Hard to watch. Not worthy of the love of the legions back home. — The 2010 Red Sox sank to a new low …
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Dan Steinberg / D.C. Sports Bog:
D.C.'s second-most popular athlete? — Chatting at 11:30. Submit questions here. — I've occasionally done this thing where I attempt to rank D.C.'s top six athletes in local popularity. Yes, people can define the word “popular” in slightly different ways, but we all basically know what it means.
TSN.ca:
HOWARD, KENDRICK HELP PHILLIES CRUSH PIRATES — The Sports Network — Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Ryan Howard went 3-for-5 with a grand slam and drove in six runs as Philadelphia downed Pittsburgh, 12-2, in the opener of a two-game series from Citizens Bank Park.
Steve Phillips / Fanhouse MLB Blog:
Think You Can Be GM? You Have No Idea — As a former general manager, I often get approached by fans who vent about their teams and general managers. They don't like the players the GM acquired or they are frustrated by the inactivity of the man in charge.
Discussion:
TedQuarters.net
Chris Cox / MLB.com:
Vlad vows to take same approach vs. old team — First game against Halos won't change Rangers slugger — ARLINGTON — Vladimir Guerrero isn't going to change anything he's been doing when he faces his former team for the first time with the Rangers. What he's doing now is working just fine …
TSN.ca:
RAMIREZ'S HOMER IN 11TH LIFTS CUBS OVER ROCKIES — The Sports Network — Chicago, IL (Sports Network) - Aramis Ramirez nailed a game-winning two-run homer in the bottom of the 11th to lead the Cubs to a 4-2 win over the Colorado Rockies in the first of a two-game set at Wrigley Field.
Discussion:
Yahoo! Sports
Chad Jennings / The LoHud Yankees Blog:
Johnson confirms surgery — Nick Johnson has confirmed that he will have wrist surgery, most likely tomorrow. He's expected to miss four to six weeks. — “This is not a quick fix,” Joe Girardi said. “This is going to be a while.” — Jorge Posada is also banged up.
Discussion:
Bronx Baseball Daily, River Avenue Blues, Pinstripe Alley, Yahoo! Sports and It's About The Money
Frankie Piliere / Fanhouse MLB Blog:
Two Dozen International Free Agents Worth Knowing — Much of baseball's top talent comes from Latin America, but much of the public attention is focused on the MLB Draft each year, and not so much on the international free-agent signing period, which kicks off July 2.
J-Doug / Rational Pastime:
The Silliness of Pitching Wins (and Losses) — In the wake of recent developments that reveal the irrationality of awarding Wins and Losses to pitchers, I felt it would be an interesting exercise to visualize the extent of the silliness. I attempt to express how W-L record fails …
Discussion:
THE BOOK
Peter Abraham / Boston Globe:
Pre-game updates from the Bronx — The surprise of the day is that Victor Martinez (2 for his last 28) dropped out of the No. 3 spot in the lineup but only to No. 5. Terry Francona's reasoning was that the Red Sox need more “balance” and he wants to keep J.D. Drew and David Ortiz separated.
Discussion:
Yahoo! Sports