Riggleman, Eckstein give hitters pep talk  —  PHILADELPHIA — Even if Roy Halladay loomed Thursday night to turn the afternoon meeting manager Jim Riggleman and hitting coach Rick Eckstein called with the Nationals' struggling hitters a waste of words, Riggleman clearly felt time was one thing that couldn't be wasted.

JENKS, WHEELER TO DL; HILL, ATCHISON UP  —  The Red Sox will place relievers Dan Wheeler and Bobby Jenks on the disabled list prior to Thursday's game against the Angels in order to clear roster spots for right-hander Scott Atchison (recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket) and left-hander Rich Hill (selected from Pawtucket).

Baffling White Sox fall into deep hole  —  FILE - In this May 1, 2011, file photo, Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen reacts to a solo homer by the Baltimore Orioles in a baseball game they lost 6-4 in Chicago.  It's perplexing, frustrating and confusing for the ChicagoWhite Sox …

Ailing Jeter sits; Yanks lose to Tigers  —  DETROIT (AP) — Brennan Boesch homered and drove in three runs, and the Detroit Tigers took advantage of some sloppy fielding to beat the New York Yankees for the third straight time, 6-3 on Thursday.  —  Derek Jeter didn't play for the Yankees …

Maddon in favor of expanded replay review  —  Below:  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon thinks Major League Baseball should examine controversial calls this season to see whether expanded instant replay would have an impact on those situations.

Royals call up first-base prospect Hosmer  —  Slugger will be in the lineup on Friday against the A's  —  KANSAS CITY — The Royals couldn't wait any longer — first baseman Eric Hosmer will be in their lineup on Friday night.  —  Hosmer, who might be the hottest hitting prospect …

Angels Split Series With 11-0 Win Over Red Sox  —  BOSTON (AP) — Rookie Mark Trumbo hit his sixth homer of the season and the Los Angeles Angels salvaged a series split at Boston, racking up 18 hits in an 11-0 win over the Red Sox on Thursday afternoon.  —  Bobby Abreu drove in three runs …

Russ Adams Retires  —  Infielder Russ Adams has decided to retire, reports Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com.  Adams has played the last two seasons for the Mets' Triple-A affiliate in Buffalo, beginning this season hitting just .180/.296/.246 in 72 plate appearances.

Chavez leaves game with small fracture in left foot  —  Update (3:28pm): Chavez has a small fracture in the fifth metatarsal in his left foot, which is the bone adjacent to his little toe.  No idea how long he'll be out, but it's obviously a disabled list thing.

A Statistician Rereads Bill James  —  Believe it or not, most of our writers didn't enter the world sporting an @baseballprospectus.com address; with a few exceptions, they started out somewhere else.  In an effort to up your reading pleasure while tipping our caps to some of the most illuminating work …

Tim Lincecum and Giants beat Mets 2-0  —  NEW YORK - Tim Lincecum struck out 12 to surpass Christy Mathewson for most double-digit strikeout games in Giants history and Pat Burrell hit a tiebreaking single against his favorite opponent, lifting San Francisco over the New York Mets 2-0 on Wednesday night.