Lackey put on disabled list  —  Red Sox manager Terry Francona spoke at length about John Lackey during his media briefing at 4 p.m. yesterday, discussing the changes to his mechanics made with pitching coach Curt Young and the productive bullpen session the righthander had in New York on Sunday.

Twins legend, Hall of Famer Killebrew dies  —  A man who wielded significant power in Washington, D.C., in the 1950s and is generally recognized as the first player to admire the parabolic trajectories of self-launched baseballs has died.  Harmon Killebrew, slugger supreme …

Purchase Of Astros By Crane Will Rely Heavily On Debt  —  I have learned that the reported $680 million an investment group led by Jim Crane has offered to pay for the Houston Astros, lease to Minute Maid Park and a roughly one-third interest in a new regional sports network that will start next year …

Yankees' skid reaches 6 in loss to Tampa Bay  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The New York Yankees ‘ slide continues thanks to a Rays’ comeback.  —  Sam Fuld and B.J. Upton both hit two-run homers to help Tampa Bay rally and hand the Yankees' their sixth consecutive loss with a 6-5 victory Monday night.

Pujols shows no rust playing third base  —  ST. LOUIS — Albert Pujols moved back to his old home across the diamond for a day, and he looked as though he'd never left.  —  About two hours prior to the Cardinals' game against the Phillies on Monday night, the Redbirds announced that Pujols …

Drabek, Blue Jays end Tigers' win streak at 7  —  DETROIT (AP) — Kyle Drabek (FSY) pitched seven strong innings as the Toronto Blue Jays snapped Detroit's seven-game winning streak with a 4-2 victory Monday night.  —  Drabek (2-3) allowed only one run despite walking six, and gave up three hits and struck out two.

The Worst Pitching Performance Ever  —  The worst pitching performance in the history of baseball began innocently.  Vin Mazzaro entered the Kansas City-Cleveland game on Monday night in the top of the third inning, with his Royals losing 3-0.  He had to come into the game early …

Cubs demote Tyler Colvin  —  Chicago Cubs outfielder Tyler Colvin, who has struggled all season, was sent to Triple-A Iowa on Monday.  —  After a strong rookie season in 2010 in which he led all rookies with 20 home runs while playing all three outfield spots, Colvin is hitting just .113 with two home runs this season in 62 at-bats.

A's lefty Braden done for season after surgery on shoulder  —  OAKLAND, Calif. — Dallas Braden is done for the season.  —  The Oakland Athletics announced that Braden is expected to miss the rest of the year.  The diagnosis came after Braden had surgery Tuesday to repair a torn capsule in his left throwing shoulder.

Lewis' First Shutout Leads Rangers Past White Sox  —  CHICAGO (AP) — Colby Lewis pitched a five-hitter for his first career shutout and the Texas Rangers beat the Chicago White Sox 4-0 on Monday night.  —  Endy Chavez added three hits and scored twice for the Rangers, who have won four of their last five games.

Rafael Soriano can't rule out DL after Joe Girardi cuts bullpen session short due to elbow stiffness  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Rafael Soriano was optimistic about his sore right elbow Monday afternoon, saying he felt good after playing catch before Sunday night's game.  Then he threw in the bullpen.

Prospects Will Break Your Heart  —  U Got the Look: Hitters, Part II  —  Because of my ego and this convenient link drop, I'm going to assume you read my previous article, which, at least on an academic level, attempted to set the table for what I look for when scouting a hitter.

Royals to call up Duffy for Wednesday start  —  KANSAS CITY — Left-hander Danny Duffy will be promoted to the Royals' roster on Wednesday and will start against the Texas Rangers that night.  —  The Royals made the announcement on Tuesday morning, continuing a pitching shakeup …

Melvin returns to D-backs in advisory role  —  PHOENIX — Bob Melvin is once again an Arizona Diamondback.  —  Melvin has agreed to return to the organization he once managed, this time as a special baseball advisor reporting to team president and CEO Derrick Hall.

Coffey plays catch day after getting hit  —  WASHINGTON — A day after being hit on the right elbow by a line drive off the bat of Marlins infielder Emilio Bonifacio, Nationals reliever Todd Coffey played catch and hopes to pitch in a game by Tuesday.  It's a matter of getting all of the swelling down in the elbow.