Ozzie vs. Joe West  —  CLEVELAND - Here is Ozzie's side:  —  “Because he's a f—ing a—hole, that's what he is.  I just went out to ask him ... I wasn't asking about the balk because you're not allowed, anytime you go out there to ask about balk or whatever.

Source: Yankees bring back Gaudin … redfish  —  Oh joy!  0-2 with an 8.83 ERA in 12 appearances in the powerhouse AL West before being released.  Can he play the outfield?  So we lose a very good pitcher and replace him with a very bad pitcher.  Brian logic.

Yanks-Twins game to resume Wednesday  —  Contest tied in sixth inning when rain forces suspension  —  MINNEAPOLIS — The Yankees couldn't have guessed that their first trip to the Twins' beautiful new ballpark, Target Field, would not only prove historic, but also end a little quicker than expected.

Tampa Bay Rays not sure David Ortiz's slow home run trot was necessary  —  ST. PETERSBURG — It took Boston's David Ortiz a long time to get around the bases after his Monday night home run.  And it might be a while for the Rays to get over it.  —  Ortiz's trot — if you can call it that …

Tampa Bay Rays' Sean Rodriguez okay after encounter with stingray  —  ST. PETERSBURG — Infielder Sean Rodriguez earned a painful distinction this week he could do without: the first Ray to be stung by a stingray.  —  Rodriguez was on the beach Monday morning behind his Redington Beach rental condo …

Luke Hochevar goes 8 innings as Royals top Rangers 5-2  —  KANSAS CITY, Mo.— Billy Butler homered and Luke Hochevar pitched eight strong innings to lead the Kansas City Royals to a 5-2 win over the Texas Rangers on Wednesday.  —  Butler went 2 for 3 to raise his average to .348, second in the American League.

Dodgers can't back Kershaw's quality start  —  Furcal has rough game with two errors, 0-for-4 performance  —  CHICAGO — There was plenty of blame to go around Tuesday night, but Rafael Furcal wasn't sharing it.  —  “It was not a pretty day for me,” said the Dodgers' shortstop.

Melvin not hunting for catcher  —  By Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel  —  I just talked to general manager Doug Melvin after hearing that No. 1 catcher Gregg Zaun might be out for the rest of the year and Melvin said he won't necessarily seek a veteran catcher.

Mets on Twitter  —  Phillies reliever Nelson Figueroa said in his two years with the Mets, he gave the team “blood, sweat, tears, my heart and my soul.”  —  Now he wouldn't give them the time of day.  —  After being shocked by his release from the Mets in early April and landing …

Strasburg's debut could come against Bucs  —  June 8-10 series tentatively planned for phenom's first start  —  SAN FRANCISCO — The Nationals are tentatively planning to have right-hander Stephen Strasburg make his Major League debut against the Pirates at Nationals Park in June, according to a team source.

“10 Most Wanted Missing National Baseball Treasures” List Released by Hauls of Shame; Multi-Million Dollar Thefts From Institutions Under Scrutiny By FBI  —  A lengthy investigation into the alleged thefts of baseball artifacts from the New York Public Library, Boston Public Library …

SANTANA GOES THE DISTANCE AS ANGELS DOWN BLUE JAYS  —  ANAHEIM, Calif. — Ervin Santana pitched a four-hitter for his second complete game against Toronto this season and Mike Napoli homered to lead the Los Angeles Angels to an 8-3 victory over the Blue Jays on Tuesday night.

MLB Mock Draft 2.0: The Full First Round  —  With less than two weeks until the draft, it's time for Mock Draft 2.0.  Things are a bit more clear than they were last week, but beyond the first few picks there remains a great deal of uncertainty.  However, as we move into this weekend …

Carl Crawford or Jayson Werth?  —  Two players who will be significant free agents next season — Carl Crawford and Jayson Werth of the Phillies — have faced the Red Sox on this road trip.  Given the choice, which would you sign?  —  Crawford is 28 and Werth is 31.