Nationals pay tribute to American military  —  WASHINGTON — The timing of the Nationals' annual Military Appreciation Night was fortuitous Monday against the Giants, falling one day after American troops killed Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

BoSox deliver Weaver's first loss  —  BOSTON (AP) — Dustin Pedroia just wouldn't give in.  Facing the top pitcher in the AL, he kept fouling off pitch after pitch.  —  In all, Pedroia fouled off nine pitches in a 13-pitch at-bat against previously unbeaten Jered Weaver before lining a go-ahead …

Sky Sox's Stewart earns return to Coors Field  —  3rd baseman regained his swing in Springs  —  The Colorado Rockies third baseman of the future has been stuck in the past.  —  That's about to change.  On Monday night, the Colorado Rockies recalled third baseman Ian Stewart, ending his highly successful return to the Sky Sox.

Raissman: Fans, media on verge of mutiny against the Captain  —  When it comes to media attention there are now officially three baseball entities in New York: the Yankees, Mets, and Derek Jeter.  —  Whispers about the Captain losing his way at the plate have turned into screams.

The Jon Matlack Trade Tree and His Legacy on the 2011 Mets  —  By The Commmon Man  —  This went over very well last week, when The Common Man put up the transactional family trees of Chuck Knoblauch and Glenn Davis, so it's going to become a regular feature here on The Platoon Advantage.

Clutch Performance Does Exist and is Tangible  —  One of the topics of debate on this site is “clutch” performance.  Often, the statistically inclined cite “small sample size” to excuse the poor performance of a player in key spots.  Alex Rodriguez was the center of this debate for many years …

Los Angeles Dodgers' James Loney to be fined $1 for fly balls to left  —  LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman James Loney, who was out of the starting lineup against an opposing left-handed pitcher for the second time in the past four days on Monday night because of his .125 average …

One game in the bigs: 10 short baseball careers  —  1. Moonlight Graham: This was probably the first name I knew on this list, seeing as Graham comes up in Field of Dreams.  The author of the book that inspired the film noticed Graham in The Baseball Encyclopedia and wrote of how he played …

Prospects Will Break Your Heart  —  U Got the Look: Pitchers, Part I  —  If you have ever listened to the BP podcast, you have no doubt heard the always-fedora'd Kevin Goldstein and me identify what we look for in a prospect.  Every player is unique, but there are certain attributes …

Stanton's big night lifts Marlins over Cards 6-5  —  ST. LOUIS—Mike Stanton hit a tying home run in the fifth inning and tripled and scored the go-ahead run in the eighth to lift the Florida Marlins to a 6-5 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday night.

Russell, Cubs lose to Dodgers  —  L.A.'s Ethier extends his hitting streak to 28 games  —  James Russell gave up five runs in 4 2/3 innings against the Dodgers on Monday.  (Stephen Dunn, Getty Images / May 2, 2011)  —  LOS ANGELES — There are a couple ways to look at the Cubs …

Werth deflects talk of his return to Citizens Bank Park  —  WASHINGTON - On a dreary, drizzly Sunday morning, Jayson Werth moved through the pregame rituals in his familiar fist-bumping, hip-talking, wisecracking pose, a well-practiced baseball blend of insouciance and imperturbability.

Orioles pondering a Millwood return  —  CHICAGO — The Orioles are, at least, considering the possibility of bringing back veteran Kevin Millwood, although it remains to be seen if the right-hander — who opted out of his contract with the Yankees on Sunday — would accept a Minor League deal.

The Payoff Pitch  —  Bridesmaids, Revisited  —  Economic cause-and-effect is a funny thing.  Last week, Matt Swartz laid out the reasons why the proposed addition of an extra wild-card team in each league could end up enriching the players at the expense of the owners.