Historic slam propels Red Sox past Phillies  —  Nava only second player to hit one on first pitch in Majors  —  BOSTON — It was a Saturday that had the Red Sox scrambling at the beginning.  Daisuke Matsuzaka was scratched during warmups and immediately placed on the disabled list with a right forearm strain.

Jim Joyce top MLB ump, players nix replay in ESPN The Magazine Baseball Confidential poll  —  Jim Joyce, the umpire whose missed call deprived Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga of a perfect game on June 2, is baseball's best umpire nonetheless, according to an exclusive ESPN …

Weavers could be on same mound Sunday  —  LOS ANGELES — Dodgers manager Joe Torre said reliever Jeff Weaver could very well pitch Sunday in a game his brother, Jered, is scheduled to start for the Angels, but he won't make an extra effort to match the two.  —  “I'm not saying he won't be in,” Torre said.

New York Yankees 3B Alex Rodriguez out until at least Tuesday  —  NEW YORK — Alex Rodriguez is not in the New York Yankees' lineup on Sunday for the second consecutive game because of a sore right hip, but the Yankees say he could return against the Philadelphia Phillies following the team's regularly scheduled day off.

Volquez Starts in Hillcats Win  —  Lynchburg, VA - In his first start since undergoing Tommy John surgery Edinson Volquez looked impressive.  The 2008 All Star pitched three innings for the Reds High-A affiliate, the Lynchburg Hillcats Saturday night.  Volquez threw 44 pitches in those three innings …

CABRERA'S HOMER HELPS TIGERS COMPLETE SWEEP OF PIRATES  —  The Sports Network  —  Detroit, MI (Sports Network) - Miguel Cabrera hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning as the Detroit Tigers completed a three-game sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates with a 4-3 win at Comerica Park.

Beltran is working hard to return ‘soon’  —  Mets on Twitter  —  PORT ST. LUCIE — The swing looks like it never took an unwanted vacation: still short, still powerful, still capable of driving a ball back through the box with such force it nearly separates the head of a minor league pitcher named Guillaume Leduc from his shoulders.

Strasburg done in 6th of 2nd start  —  CLEVELAND—Stephen Strasburg had more trouble with the mound than Indians hitters during his second major league start.  —  Twice on Sunday, Washington's rookie phenom asked for mound repairs to be made during the Nationals' game against Cleveland.

Astros reach deal with supplemental pick  —  Minnesota third baseman Kvasnicka selected 33rd  —  NEW YORK — The Astros have reached a contract agreement with supplemental Draft pick Mike Kvasnicka, a source has confirmed to MLB.com.  Kvasnicka, a junior third baseman from the University of Minnesota, was taken with the 33rd pick.

BLUE JAYS LOOK TO AVOID THE SWEEP AGAINST ROCKIES  —  The Sports Network  —  (Sports Network) - The Colorado Rockies try to make it a clean sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays this afternoon as the two clubs clash in the finale of a three-game set at Coors Field in Denver.

Gomes hits two three-run homers in Reds' 11-5 win  —  CINCINNATI—Jonny Gomes hit three-run homers in his first two at-bats for a career-high six RBIs, powering the Cincinnati Reds to an 11-5 win over the Kansas City Royals on Saturday.  —  Brandon Phillips had three hits …

Gibson's catcher McCarver praises Rockies' Jimenez  —  It was a dark and stormy sixth inningstraight out of an Edward Bulwer-Lytton neo-Gothic novel — and the purple pros of Colorado were struggling against rain falling like rivets, the callous cold and the agitating Blue Jays from the North.