Red Sox bats take offense  —  Maligned lineup comes through when pitching, defense doesn't  —  NEW YORK - Until further notice, all permits and licenses for the Red Sox [team stats]' run prevention program have been pulled.  —  Taking over like Al Haig, the team's run production unit …

Dodgers look for more solid pitching to make up for loss of Andre Ethier  —  Joe Torre says team will need pitchers to continue doing well while the outfielder is on the disabled list.  —  Dodgers right fielder Andre Ethier signs autographs prior to the Dodgers' game against the Houston Astros on Tuesday.

Hoffman must take Macha off hook  —  By Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel  —  Cincinnati - It's up to Trevor Hoffman now.  —  Hoffman has to go into manager Ken Macha's office Wednesay and tell him to remove the 42-year-old right-hander from his role as the Milwaukee Brewers' closer.

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.

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.

Break Up the Brewers  —  Before the season began, some people (such as myself) expected the Milwaukee Brewers to at least give the St. Louis Cardinals a fight for the National League Central title.  It wasn't hard to look at an offense that featured Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder …

Mets toss away sweep bid vs. Braves … ATLANTA — The Braves struggled with the fundamentals in the ninth inning.  —  No worries.  David Wright made the biggest blunder of all.  —  After failing twice to get down sacrifice bunts, Atlanta still beat the New York Mets 3-2 …

Rays' David Price beats Indians for 6th win  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Evan Longoria drove in three runs and David Price pitched six strong innings to become the AL's first six-game winner as the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Cleveland Indians 6-2 on Tuesday.  —  The AL East leaders improved …

Updating the Top 25 MLB prospects  —  With Jason Heyward and others no longer mere prospects, the rankings change  —  We're about a fourth of the way through the minor league season, and a number of players from my ranking of the Top 100 prospects for 2010 have already made an impact …

Juan Pierre helps White Sox beat Tigers 6-2  —  DETROIT — For a change, Freddy Garcia is healthy and the Chicago White Sox are happy.  —  Juan Pierre's two-run double and run-saving catch in the fourth inning and Garcia solid start helped the White Sox beat the Detroit Tigers 6-2 Tuesday.

O'S RALLY PAST ROYALS IN 10 INNINGS  —  The Sports Network  —  Baltimore, MD (Sports Network) - Nick Markakis hit an RBI single with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 10th inning, as the Baltimore Orioles rallied past the Kansas City Royals, 4-3, to split a brief two-game set from Camden Yards.

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.