Cowboy up: Millar joins NESN  —  During his three seasons with the Red Sox (2003-05), it became clear that affable Kevin Millar would be a natural in the broadcast media once his playing days were complete.  —  The folks at NESN apparently agreed.  The network announced today …

The case against — and the small one for — Jesus Montero  —  I may have already told everyone this story, and if so, I apologize.  But a few years ago, I saved some money and took one of those online classes on baseball scouting.  Mostly, it was reading a bunch of books …

Griffey's RBI single caps M's walkoff win vs. Jays  —  SEATTLE (AP) — Ken Griffey Jr. awakened the slumping Mariners with a game-winning, pinch-hit single to cap Seattle's three-run rally off AL saves leader Kevin Gregg in the ninth with a 4-3 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday.

Melvin backs Macha  —  Brewers general manager Doug Melvin spoke up Thursday in support of field manager Ken Macha, whose job security has been called into question during a losing streak that reached nine games with Wednesday's loss to the Pirates.  —  “I don't see any reason” …

Mark Lerner's batting practice misadventure  —  Nationals principal owner Mark Lerner received stitches this evening after an unfortunate moment during today's batting practice.  —  Lerner, as he occasionally does, was shagging fly balls in full Nationals uniform alongside his team.

Braves plate 7 in 9th, stun Reds on walk-off slam  —  ATLANTA (AP) — Brooks Conrad slowed up as he rounded first base, unsure if his drive had cleared the left field wall to give the Atlanta Braves an improbable victory.  —  Then he saw Laynce Nix swat at his empty glove in frustration.

Piniella OK with idea of signing Howry  —  PHILADELPHIA- Carlos Marmol credits Kerry Wood and Bob Howry with teaching him how to become a successful late-inning reliever, forgetting about the bad outings and focusing on the good ones. .  —  Now the Cubs are close to signing Howry to fill …

John Maine Removed From Start Due to Poor Mechanics  —  According to the Mets, while Maine was warming up in the bullpen before the start of tonight's game, pitching coach Dan Warthen noticed Maine's velocity was lower than normal and was concerned about his mechanics as he wasn't using his normal delivery …

Strasburg dominant again in latest outing in AAA … ROCHESTER, N.Y. — There really isn't much to add to the Stephen Strasburg hype orchestra.  He's obviously too good to be pitching in Triple A. Working for the Syracuse Chiefs against the Rochester Red Wings on Wednesday night …

Moore outlines plans for KC's future  —  GM has Royals moving forward with robust farm system  —  CLEVELAND — Royals general manager Dayton Moore made a very difficult short-term decision for his team's future when he replaced his good friend, Trey Hillman, as manager with Ned Yost.

Hanley Ramirez: Hall of Famers Andre Dawson, Tony Perez took Florida Marlins shortstop aside for lecture … Hall of Famers Andre Dawson and Tony Perez took Florida Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez aside on Tuesday and let him know he needed to apologize and atone for failing to hustle …

Minor League Transactions  —  Check out the Transactions Glossary for the key to deciphering the various inactive lists presented here.  —  An asterisk (*) denotes an instance of a player agreeing to terms on a minor league contract with an organization with which he already had a major league agreement.

Incident better be Hanley's wake-up call  —  Extremely talented Marlins shortstop needs to grow up and stop being so ‘immature’ … The phone calls have already started rolling in down in South Florida.  They go kind of like this:  —  “If you're thinking about trading your shortstop, we'd be happy to help you out with that.”

Venable flirts with Padres' first cycle  —  Right fielder falls homer shy with 4-for-5 performance  —  LOS ANGELES — The approach, manager Bud Black told the slumping Will Venable, should be the same in the leadoff spot as it is elsewhere.  —  Batting atop the order for the first time this season …