Top News:
Fox Sports:
Market for Lee is wide open this time — 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 Cliff Lee sweepstakes are somewhat democratic, as these things go.
Discussion:
River Avenue Blues
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Geoff Baker / The Seattle Times:
Pressure mounts for Mets to acquire Cliff Lee from Mariners sooner rather than later — Last week, I wrote about two players the Mariners could be looking at from the New York Mets in a Cliff Lee trade — pitcher Jenrry Mejia and outfielder Angel Pagan. And today, as Lee gets set to face …
Howard Megdal / SNY.tv:
Injuries saving the Mets — Young players, journeymen stepping up to answer call — Post on facebook Fan Comments print email — It can be argued that injuries have played just as much of a role in the success of the 2010 Mets as they did in the failure of the 2009 Mets.
Todd Zolecki / MLB.com:
Ironman Utley leaves early as Phils fall — Infielder to have MRI; Kendrick stumbles after shining — CINCINNATI — Phillies second baseman Chase Utley once said an injury is an injury only if it keeps him off the field. — Utley could not take the field in the ninth inning Monday night …
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Jerry Crasnick / MLB:
Philadelphia Phillies place Chase Utley, Placido Polanco on DL — The Philadelphia Phillies placed second baseman Chase Utley and third baseman Placido Polanco on the disabled list Tuesday. — Utley has a sprained thumb and Polanco has been bothered by an elbow injury. — Polanco — Utley
Discussion:
ESPN
Alden Gonzalez / MLB.com:
Wright gains; most NL positions up for grabs — Much still to be decided in final days of All-Star balloting — Can veteran Placido Polanco hang on to start in the All-Star Game at third base, or will a late push drive David Wright into his fifth consecutive Midsummer Classic appearance?
Joe Kay / Associated Press:
Rolen's 300th HR leads Reds over Phillies 7-3
Discussion:
Phillies Nation, Red Reporter, Blogging Baseball, Balls, Sticks, & Stuff and Redleg Nation
Craig Calcaterra / HardballTalk:
Who was the dude in the white shirt at the Braves-Nats game? — The most remarkable thing about he Braves-Nats game last night was not that Atlanta got to Stephen Strasburg a bit. It was not that the Nats' defense melted down. It was not even that Tim Hudson quietly shut down Washington.
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Dan Steinberg / D.C. Sports Bog:
The Braves fan in the white polo shirt — Meet White Polo Shirt Man. He's the worst baseball fan in America. — Somewhere around the middle innings on Monday night, he decided he should take advantage of his front-row seats for the Fifth Day of Strasmas to make a spectacle of himself on national television.
Discussion:
The Nationals Enquirer
Adam Rubin / ESPN:
Mets sign Barrett to minor-league deal — SAN JUAN, P.R. — The New York Mets have signed former major league catcher Michael Barrett to a minor league contract, a club official confirmed on Tuesday. — Barrett, 33, has not played since 2009, when he went into the season as Rod Barajas' backup …
Joe Cowley / Chicago Sun Times:
Dunn deal has appeal — GM Williams said to be ‘itchy’ for more ‘O’ from left side — KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Throughout the SoxFest convention last winter, White Sox general manager Ken Williams proudly walked from ballroom to ballroom and back to his suite with a list of left-handed power hitters tucked in his pocket.
Discussion:
MLB Daily Dish, Fanhouse MLB Blog, MLB Rumors, Can't Stop The Bleeding and The Nationals Enquirer
Gordon Edes / ESPN:
Lackey a pinch hitter? — Red Sox pitchers show off their free-swinging sides — BOSTON — The Red Sox will be missing an unexpectedly productive component of their offense when they meet the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday night in the first game of a quick two-game set in Fenway Park.
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Paul Sullivan / Chicago Tribune:
Turnaround? Hardly. Cubs can't beat woeful Pirates — Pittsburgh ends 17-game road losing streak, improves to 8-2 this season against Piniella's crew — Alfonso Soriano can't catch ball hit by Pirates pitcher Paul Maholm in the fifth inning. (Scott Strazzante, Chicago Tribune / June 28, 2010)
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Tim Dierkes / MLB Rumors:
Super Two Cutoff Less Than Expected — The next Super Two cutoff will require fewer days of service time than usual, MLBTR has learned. Last year's Super Two cutoff was at two years and 139 days of service time. In previous years, the cutoff was never less than two years and 130 days.
Jason Beck / MLB.com:
Zumaya injured in eighth vs. Twins — Collapses to ground after pitch, leaves field holding right arm — MINNEAPOLIS — Joel Zumaya has already had to battle through more arm injuries than a 25-year-old probably deserves. But for everything he endured, he never looked in as much pain …
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Mark Feinsand / NY Daily News:
Pursuit of Barry Bonds, all-time home run record, by Alex Rodriguez lacks buzz after PED admission — Alex Rodriguez is six homers away from hitting 600 in his career. As he chases No. 763, he can earn an extra $30M, an incentive in his contract suggested by billionaire friend Warren Buffet (b.).
Matt Eddy / Baseball America:
Best & Worst Minor League Teams, Power Index — Seven Up, Seven Down: The Best And Worst Minor League Teams — Lake Elsinore leads the California League in run prevention and ranks second to High Desert in run scoring, so it's little wonder that they have rolled to that circuit's best record.
