Stephen Strasburg ‘probably’ needs Tommy John surgery, will miss 12 to 18 months  —  Rookie phenom Stephen Strasburg will “probably” miss at least one year and perhaps the entire 2011 baseball season after undergoing Tommy John surgery to replace the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, General Manager Mike Rizzo said.

Peralta, Scherzer lead Tigers over Blue Jays  —  TORONTO — Jhonny Peralta hit a three-run homer and Max Scherzer threw eight strong innings as the Detroit Tigers defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 7-1 on Thursday.  —  Gerald Laird also went deep with a two-run shot for the Tigers (64-64) …

Mets' Jose Reyes (oblique) exits game  —  NEW YORK — A strained oblique forced Mets shortstop Jose Reyes to leave Thursday night's game versus the Florida Marlins in the second inning.  The Mets described the injury as “mild,” but said Reyes will not play again until he has no pain in the oblique.

Yankees' New Boss Determined to Carry On  —  Hank Steinbrenner brought to mind the image of the Boss as he barked at his players to get onto the stage for a news conference.  “Let's go!” he said.  —  Steinbrenner was not directing his major leaguers but rather Hank's Yanks, the 18-and-under team he sponsors.

La Russa, Pujols will appear at Washington rally  —  WASHINGTON  • Cardinals first baseman and three-time NL Most Valuable Player Albert Pujols will be among several honorees at a highly publicized and potentially politically charged Saturday morning rally expected to draw more than 20,000 to The Mall.

Leaked Tampa Bay Rays Docs Make Case for Revenue-Sharing, New Ballpark  —  When the leaked MLB financial documents hit the public, and especially so since The AP got a jump the Sunday night before, the focus was acutely focused on the Pirates.  Given 18 losing seasons, and the fact that the club …

Andy Pettitte throwing bullpen session in front of New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi Friday  —  CHICAGO - It wasn't all that long ago that the Yankees' starting rotation was considered the strongest in the American League, boasting three pitchers on the All-Star team last month in Anaheim.

Pujols belts career home run No. 400  —  WASHINGTON — Albert Pujols' 400th Major League home run wasn't just historic, it was emphatic.  Unfortunately, it was also for naught.  —  In the fourth inning of the Cardinals' 11-10, 13-inning loss to the Nationals on Thursday night …

Pedroia surgery is likely  —  Reevaluation due in about seven days  —  There is a strong likelihood that Dustin Pedroia will end up having season-ending surgery in approximately a week.  —  The Red Sox second baseman will wear a boot on his foot for about seven days to stabilize the area …

Pedroia probably done for the year  —  Nothing is official yet, but according to major league source Dustin Pedroia will likely shut it down for the remainder of the season.  Pedroia is expected to spend the next 10 days back in a boot to stabilize the left foot that got sore again after two games.

Pete Rose's advice for Roger Clemens  —  Rose was quixotic, arrogant and desperate in his denials.  Does that sound familiar?  —  Twenty-one years after his adamant denials began, six years after he finally conceded the charade was up, Pete Rose remains baseball's gold standard for obstinacy in the face of incriminating evidence.

Friendly wager leads to ejection for Adrian Beltre  —  Both Adrian Beltre and Terry Francona were ejected just prior to the third inning Wednesday night.  (AP)  —  [Click here to listen to Adrian Beltre explain his side of the story after being ejected by home plate umpire Dan Bellino before the third inning began Wednesday.]