Prospectus Q and A: Davey Lopes by David Laurila  —  Davey Lopes … David Laurila: You've received a lot of credit for the team's improved baserunning in recent years.  What have you done in that regard?  —  Davey Lopes: Actually, just getting them to pursue going first to third …

How to Call What You Can't See  —  Strasburg's Otherworldly Pitches Fool Batters—and Umpires; ‘Did the Ball Really Do That?’  —  Since his debut with the Washington Nationals, Stephen Strasburg has displayed the kind of pitching repertoire that makes baseball historians scramble for their notebooks.

KAZMIR, ANGELS HOLD OFF CUBS IN CHICAGO  —  Sports Network  —  Chicago, IL (Sports Network) - Scott Kazmir picked up his fourth straight win, backed by home runs from Howie Kendrick and Torii Hunter, as the Angels took the opener of a three-game interleague set from the Cubs, 7-6.

Prospect Hot Sheet: June 18  —  Team: high Class A Myrtle Beach (Carolina)  —  Age: 19.  —  Why He's Here: 1-0, 0.00, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 12 Ks  —  The Skinny: The only question seemingly surrounding Teheran is how high will he go this season.  —  The Braves promoted the Colombia native …

Question for Girardi: Why no Mo?  —  Yankees manager should've opted for Rivera with game still in reach … NEW YORK — In the space of one half-inning Thursday night, the Yankees took a winnable game and turned it into an unwinnable game.  They took a close game and turned it into a blowout.

Keeping Score: Luck Is Likely to Catch Up to Jimenez  —  When Ubaldo Jimenez allowed three earned runs in a rain-shortened, six-inning victory against the Blue Jays last Friday, it was by far his worst outing of the season.  Once upon a time, a pitcher would have considered himself fortunate …

K-Rod has goal: Be mightier than Mo  —  Just 28 years old, Mets closer says ‘I think 700 saves is possible’ if he stays healthy  —  They say baseball is a game of numbers, the one sport above all that defines greatness with stats.  Those numbers and stats suggest the man …

Yankees announcer Michael Kay happily dating News 12 Long Island anchor Jodi Applegate  — Listeners of Michael Kay's ESPN afternoon-drive radio show may not know it, but the beautiful girlfriend he sometimes talks about is News 12 Long Island anchor Jodi Applegate.

Strasburg rivaling excitement of ‘Dr. K’  —  Rookie conjures memories of Gooden's dominant early years  —  This is not a test.  It is an actual alert — a warning — though not of anything ominous, but of something that already seems to be terrifically enjoyable, riveting, habit-forming, yet, at the same time, quite legal.

Recap: Red Sox 8, Diamondbacks 5  —  Red Sox sweep serpents  —  THE BIG PICTURE  —  This time, the Red Sox [team stats] finished the job.  Unlike their previous four series, when they won the first two games but were unable to complete the sweep, they never relented against the lowly Diamondbacks last night.

Umpires reverse call in Kansas City  —  KANSAS CITY — In what might have been a historic moment, umpires in the Royals-Astros game on Thursday night reversed a decision and ruled an out on a play that never really occurred.  —  Certainly few witnesses could remember a similar ruling that unfolded quite this way.