BOX SCORE  —  A second Mets player echoed that line of thinking.  —  “At some point you have to cut bait,” he said.  “You owe him a lot of money, but for what?”  —  Perez, whom the Mets banished to the bullpen two weeks ago, allowed three runs over two innings on Saturday after Fernando Nieve flopped in a spot start.

Bits 'n Pieces  —  Rip Van Bisher has awakened.  Pardon my extended absence, but in the interim, I have been collecting a few gems that interest me, and may trigger yours.  Let me open with a few missiles from the thoroughbred track:  —  ****My friend Peter Blum has a long history of breeding …

Yankees stop Indians with help from Mark Teixeira's late homer  —  NEW YORK (AP) — Mark Teixeira (FSY) hit a three-run homer, Derek Jeter (FSY) sparked a rally with a two-out, two-run double and the New York Yankees beat the Cleveland Indians 7-3 Sunday.  —  Hours after the Indians learned …

Rockies send Dexter Fowler to Colorado Springs  —  His starting job gone and the team needing an additional utilityman, Dexter Fowler was demoted Sunday to Triple-A for more seasoning.  —  Fowler was the club's regular center fielder until three weeks ago when an extended hitting slump cost him a job.

Giving Beckham a break  —  Guillen benches scuffling infielder, feels his pain  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — It has become a South Side trilogy: “The Sitting of Gordon Beckham Part III.”  —  White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen's hope is that the latest benching of the second-year infielder won't unfold into a tragedy.

The many Mets moments on ‘Seinfeld’  —  On the 20th anniversary of the sitcom's debut, we break down the baseball references  —  “Entertainment Weekly” was kind enough this week to remind us that Monday marks the 20th anniversary of the debut of the television sitcom “Seinfeld.”

Laird changes jersey number  —  DETROIT — Gerald Laird has tried just about every adjustment he can imagine to try to spark his hitting.  Adjusting his jersey number can't hurt.  —  The Tigers opened up their homestand Friday night with Laird donning a new number.

Yoshida, the ‘Knuckle Princess,’ Arrives in U.S.  —  CHICO, Calif. — When the former major leaguer Ivan Ochoa laid a well-placed bunt down the third-base line for a single to lead off the game, it drew boos from the home crowd and a loud rejoinder from one fan: “Hit like a man.”

TWINS COMPLETE SWEEP OF SLUMPING RANGERS  —  The Sports Network  —  Minneapolis, MN (Sports Network) - Jason Kubel went 2-for-4 and drove in two runs to lead a balanced scoring attack, as the Minnesota Twins completed a three-game sweep of the Texas Rangers with a 6-3 victory at Target Field.

Recap: Red Sox 8, Royals 1  —  No need to sound Mayday  —  + Recent Articles + Recent Blog Entries + Email + Bio  —  THE BIG PICTURE  —  When May started, the Red Sox [team stats] were reeling.  They were in the midst of getting swept by the lowly Orioles to fall to 11-14 on the season …

JAYS POUND THREE MORE HOMERS, SWEEP ORIOLES WITH WIN  —  TORONTO — Jose Bautista, Lyle Overbay and Alex Gonzalez homered while Ricky Romero pitched his second complete game of the season as the Toronto Blue Jays completed a three-game sweep of the Baltimore Orioles with a 6-1 victory Sunday.

Sanchez, Paulino carry Marlins past Phillies 1-0  —  MIAMI - Not even 24 hours after making the final out of Roy Halladay's perfect game, Ronny Paulino drove in the only run Sunday to lift the Florida Marlins to a 1-0 victory over the struggling Philadelphia Phillies.

Los Angeles Dodgers expect Andre Ethier back Monday  —  DENVER — Los Angeles Dodgers manager Joe Torre reiterated on Sunday morning that he expects right fielder Andre Ethier to be activated from the 15-day disabled list and be in the starting lineup for Monday night's game against Arizona.

Paul Konerko, Lance Berkman top list of Angels options at first base after Kendry Morales injury  —  The Angels should have plenty of outside options to replace injured first baseman Kendry Morales, who suffered a lower left-leg fracture in a freak mishap while celebrating his walk-off grand slam on Saturday …