Own a piece of Strasburg's debut  —  Various items to be auctioned on MLB.com  —  As Nationals rookie Stephen Strasburg settled in Tuesday night for his much-anticipated Major League Baseball debut, fans already were bidding on items that would be used during his start against the Pirates and then signed afterward.

CAIN PITCHES SHUTOUT AS GIANTS HANDLE REDS  —  The Sports Network  —  Cincinnati, OH (Sports Network) - Matt Cain pitched the fourth shutout of his career as the San Francisco Giants topped the Cincinnati Reds, 3-0, in the second installment of a four-game series.

For Galarraga, First Hit Comes Early This Time  —  CHICAGO — A week after pitching a perfect game in what fate declared an imperfect game, Armando Galarraga was back on the mound for the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday night at U.S. Cellular Field.  But this time it was not an umpire's blown call that cost Galarraga a perfect game.

Taijuan Walker Hopes To Get Started  —  Ask Taijuan Walker to describe himself and he'll tell you that the Mariners selected a “considerate” young man with their supplementary round selection this year.  Ask scouts to describe the 17-year-old they saw throwing mid-90s fastballs and “considerate” …

Harper happy to move to outfield … WASHINGTON (AP) — Bryce Harper is more than fine with the Washington Nationals making him a full-time right fielder.  —  “I'm pretty stoked about that,” Harper said on a conference call Tuesday.  “Whatever the team wants, whatever it needs, it's up to the team.”

Kicking off Day 2, Nats draft big lefty  —  Selection of Solis precedes club's pick of shortstop Hague  —  If the Nationals were looking to add some toughness to their organization, they got it on Tuesday with the selection of University of San Diego left-handed pitcher Sammy Solis.

Discussion: Jeff Suppan  —  Jeff Suppan is a free agent now, after being released by the Brewers with over $10MM remaining on his contract.  Suppan's new team would be on the hook for only the pro-rated league minimum.  The righty is projected by ZiPS to post a 5.40 ERA from here on out.

Heyward surges toward lead in NL outfield  —  Braves rookie leaps to second place, close to Brewers' Braun  —  The hype that surrounded Jason Heyward as he approached his first year in the big leagues was massive, stunning, and at times unfair.  But the Braves' slugging right fielder is having a solid rookie season.

This Is Pete Rose's Corked Bat  —  You're looking at an X-ray of a Mizuno PR4192 bat, commissioned by Pete Rose specifically for his 1985 chase of baseball's all-time hits record.  Inside, clear as day, is a piece of foreign material, about 6 inches long, and the diameter of a nickel.

Top of 9:  —  Pirates ninth.  Kennedy in as first baseman.  Capps pitching.  Walker struck out.  Milledge grounded out, shortstop Desmond to first baseman Kennedy.  G.Jones grounded out, first baseman Kennedy to pitcher Capps.  —  Runs: 0, Hits: 0  —  Bottom of 8:  —  Nationals eighth.

Niemann mows down Jays  —  Toronto's bats fall silent in 9-0 drubbing  —  No need to worry about the bullpen this time around.  —  Tampa Bay Rays starter Jeff Niemann refused to let the contest get that far.  —  The towering 6-foot-9 hurler cut down the vaunted Toronto Blue Jays offence with ease …

LeBron eyes new Cavaliers pact, then ...  Berman on Twitter  —  An appreciably well-wired roundball entrepreneur believes LeBron James will re-up with the Cavaliers for three years, a possibility he almost certainly would not entertain had Mike Brown been retained — something GM Danny Ferry …

Sox recap: Sox 3, Indians 2  —  Tim Wakefield's gem sinks Indians  —  THE BIG PICTURE  —  CLEVELAND - It's a prerequisite for every playoff-bound team: Beat up on the weaklings.  During this seven-game road trip, the Red Sox [team stats] have happily been the bully.

PHILLY OFFENCE COMES ALIVE IN WIN OVER MARLINS  —  The Sports Network  —  Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Ben Francisco's two-run single in the eighth proved to be the game-winner as the Philadelphia bats finally awoke with a 10-8 win over Florida in the first of a three-game set.

MLB Draft Analysis: Red Sox Big Winners  —  The Boston Red Sox do a lot of things well as an organization.  Drafting is one of those things, and they had a stellar day to kick off the 2010 MLB Draft.  As for the rest of the proceedings, it was an unusual day to say the least, with plenty of shockers among the early picks.