Top News:
Gordon Edes / ESPN:
Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers appear to be losing interest in Boston Red Sox's Mike Lowell. — ANAHEIM — Mike Lowell is doing his part in trying to prove he could be a useful piece to another club, collecting four hits in a game Saturday night and batting .357 (5 for 14) …
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John Ourand / SportsBusiness Journal:
Red Sox lose RSN ratings lead — Local numbers show Cardinals, Twins, Phillies, Reds in front — The Boston Red Sox's six-year reign atop MLB's local television ratings is about to end, as the team's local numbers have plummeted from first to fifth this season.
Gordon Edes / ESPN:
Delcarmen, Ramirez on move? — ANAHEIM, Calif. — While the Red Sox are on the hunt for relievers, one major league source said Monday that the Sox have indicated some willingness to move either Manny Delcarmen or Ramon Ramirez in the right deal. — Delcarmen
Peter Abraham / Boston Globe:
TV and radio ratings fall for Red Sox — Interesting story in the Sports Business Journal today about the decline in local television ratings for the Red Sox. — After six years atop baseball's local TV ratings list, the Sox are fifth this year as ratings have dropped 36 percent.
Rob Bradford / WEEI:
RED SOX HEADING FOR TRADE DEADLINE NIGHTMARE — The Red Sox would seem to be in a bind. — We aren't talking about the fact the Sox find themselves eight games in back of the first-place Yankees, or five behind the Wild Card-leading Rays. No, this is about forming a strategy in this …
Craig Calcaterra / HardballTalk:
Red Sox ratings are way down this year
Discussion:
baseballmusings.com
Jayson Stark / ESPN:
Daily Rumble: Welcome to the Roy Oswalt Show — Cliff Lee is gone. Dan Haren is off the board. So strike up the band, because this is now The Roy Oswalt Show. — There's only one “premium” arm left on the starting-pitching market, and it's attached to the right shoulder of the 32-year-old Astros ace.
Discussion:
MLB Rumors, Bronx Baseball Daily, The Goessling Game, MetsBlog.com, The Nats Blog and Sliding Into Home
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Tim Dierkes / MLB Rumors:
Edwin Jackson-Adam Dunn Three-Team Rumor
Discussion:
MLB Daily Dish, The Nationals Enquirer, Federal Baseball, Beyond the Box Score and DC Pro Sports Report
David Brown / Yahoo! Sports:
Dipoto looks at Saunders W-L record, says Arizona got a ‘winner’ — A starting pitcher's won-loss record isn't what we crack it up to be. — If a pitcher hypothetically goes 16-7, he does so for the same reasons he might go 6-10. — He's at the mercy of how many runs his own team scores.
Discussion:
ESPN
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Sports Illustrated:
Angels' trade coup for Haren leaves D-backs with little assets in return
Discussion:
Yahoo! Sports, Fox Sports, Halos Heaven, FanGraphs Baseball, baseballmusings.com and The Big Lead
Zach Links / MLB Rumors:
Angels Acquire Dan Haren
Discussion:
Arizona Republic, Phillies Nation, Hardball Times, The Crawfish Boxes, A Game Of Inches, FanGraphs Baseball, AZ Snakepit, Halos Heaven, The Unofficial Scorer, Baseball America, Orange County Register, TYU, MLB Daily Dish, Zell's Pinstripe Blog, Lone Star Ball, Yahoo! Sports, River Avenue Blues and NESN.com
Gordon Wittenmyer / Chicago Sun Times:
Haren trade shifts focus to Cubs' Lilly — The market for Cubs left-hander Ted Lilly just got a lot hotter with the trade Sunday of Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Dan Haren to the Los Angeles Angels. — Cubs officials downplayed the idea of any deals being close, but Lilly is scheduled …
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Associated Press:
Lidge escapes again, Phillies hold off Rockies 5-4 — PHILADELPHIA—Brad Lidge escaped another bases-loaded jam in the ninth inning and the Philadelphia Phillies held off the Colorado Rockies 5-4 Monday to complete a four-game sweep. — Backup catcher Brian Schneider's two-run triple sent …
Discussion:
The Good Phight
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NY Daily News:
Joba Chamberlain tests Joe Girardi's patience in tense eighth inning, Phil Hughes' home woes persist — After Joe Girardi said last week that Joba Chamberlain needed to earn the role of eighth-inning man, the reliever tested his manager's patience Sunday. Chamberlain began the inning …
Discussion:
NESN.com
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Associated Press:
Baseball hall of fame changes is voting rules for veterans — COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — The baseball hall of fame has changed the way that managers, umpires, executives and long-retired players will be considered for election. — Candidates will be reviewed in three eras: Pre-Integration …
ESPN:
Carlos Zambrano apologizes for tirade … Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano apologized on Monday for his dugout tirade last month, professed his love for Chicago and thanked the team for helping him receive therapy for anger management issues. — The former Cubs ace has been on the restricted …
Adam McCalvy / MLB.com:
Fielder's future to be decided by Saturday — Brewers have three options regarding slugging first baseman — MILWAUKEE — By the end of the week, the Brewers will have declared themselves on first baseman Prince Fielder, the biggest bat available on this summer's trade market …
Discussion:
Al's Ramblings
Joe Smith / St. Petersburg Times:
Tampa Bay Rays may use top pitching prospect Jeremy Hellickson as a reliever down the stretch — Top prospect Jeremy Hellickson has dominated as a starter at Durham but may help the Rays down the stretch as a reliever. — Times] — CLEVELAND — RHP prospect Jeremy Hellickson's future is as a starter …
Jeremy Greenhouse / Baseball Analysts:
Working Hard or Working Fast? — “The wrong way, but faster.” Max Power — I could point to a dozen articles discussing the varying shapes and sizes of the strike zone, but when my friend Don asked whether umpires really change their zone depending on the score, I drew a blank.
Sam Page / Amazin' Avenue:
The Greatest Trade Rumor In Baseball History — A rundown of the relevant parties: — Oliver Perez, owed $24/2: Arguably the worst pitcher in baseball, Perez has Steve Blass Disease, minus the connotation of once having good control. Perez allows more homeruns and walks at a per-nine-inning pace …
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