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Joe Kay / Associated Press:
Arroyo homers, leads Reds over Dodgers 7-1 — CINCINNATI—Hitting. Pitching. Defense. Bronson Arroyo did it all. — The lanky right-hander hit the first of Cincinnati's three homers off rookie John Ely, pitched seven innings and completed three double plays while covering first base Thursday …
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Yahoo! Sports
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Tony Jackson / ESPN:
Los Angeles Dodgers' Rafael Furcal put on bereavement leave list — CINCINNATI — The Los Angeles Dodgers placed shortstop Rafael Furcal on the bereavement/family emergency list before Thursday's series finale with the Cincinnati Reds. — Furcal returned to his home in the Dominican Republic to be with an ailing family member.
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Yahoo! Sports
Fox Sports:
Pirates need to make decision on Russell — Ken Rosenthal has been the senior baseball writer for FOXSports.com since Aug. 2005. He appears weekly on MLB on FOX. Follow him on Twitter. — The Pirates, like many perennial also-rans, seem to exist in their own universe …
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MLB Rumors
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Joseph Smith / St. Petersburg Times:
Maddon: OF Matt Joyce “pounding on the door pretty loudly” — It is certainly not lost on the Rays how well OF Matt Joyce has been doing in Triple-A Durham. — Joyce, recovering from an elbow strain that has sidelined him in spring training, is hitting .343 with the Bulls, having reached base in his last 10 at bats.
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Rays Index
Jerry Brewer / Seattle Times:
Cupid strikes: Mariners bullpen catcher marrying woman he spotted in stands — Jason Phillips grabbed a baseball, scribbled his phone number on it, got the woman's attention and tossed it to her. And for the rest of the game, he was left to wonder how she'd respond. — The courtship started in a bullpen, of all places.
Bill Shaikin / Los Angeles Times:
Angels may have to go looking for shortstop because of injuries — With Maicer Izturis is on the disabled list and Erick Aybar possibly joining him, General Manager Tony Reagins keeps open option of trade or free-agent signing. — With Maicer Izturis on the disabled list and Erick Aybar possibly …
Jim Armstrong / Denver Post:
Ubaldo wins 13th, Rockies snap skid with win over Twins — MINNEAPOLIS — Having caught the night before, Joe Mauer wasn't in the starting lineup Thursday. — Lucky him. — Ubaldo Jimenez was on the mound for the Rockies and, well, you know the rest of the story.
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Twinkie Town
Mike Sielski / Wall Street Journal:
Is He Baseball's Best Biologist? — A Science Whiz at Stanford, Chris Carter Has Aced His Tests With the Mets — Whether with the Mets or at Stanford, Chris Carter, nicknamed ‘The Animal’ by Mets manager Jerry Manuel, always gives his best. — CLEVELAND—Chris Carter looked at it this way …
Maury Brown / The Biz of Baseball:
Rare Documents: MLB Constitution and By-Laws Now Available Online — THE BIZ OF BASEBALL HAS BEEN UPDATED WITH HARD TO FIND DOCS — Two of Major League Baseball's rarest documents have now been published within The Biz of Baseball's document archive. — A searchable version of the last update …
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HardballTalk
Christian Red / NY Daily News:
Roger Clemens scheduled to appear, pitch to minor leaguers at Texas League All-Star Game — Roger Clemens spent most of the last two years launching verbal heat at former trainer Brian McNamee, but on June 30 he is scheduled to throw his customary chin music atop a baseball mound.
Alex Speier / Full Count:
Pedroia on HR: 'I'm strong - I drink milk' — Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia hit his first homer since May 14 on Wednesday. (AP) — Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia does not consider himself a power hitter. The eight homers that he had by mid-May, he shrugs, bordered on an aberration.
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Fenway West
Dick Kaegel / MLB.com:
Royals tabbed to host 2012 All-Star Game — Kansas City awarded Midsummer Classic for first time since '73 — KANSAS CITY — After years of waiting, a Major League All-Star Game is again a reality for Kansas City and the Royals. — Commissioner Bud Selig announced on Wednesday that the 2012 …
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