Riggleman will stick with struggling Slaten  —  WASHINGTON — Entering Monday's action against the Phillies, Nationals reliever Doug Slaten has a 2.25 ERA, but that stat is misleading.  Slaten has inherited 24 runners, and 12 of them have scored.  —  Asked if he'll stop using Slaten with runners on base …

Bautista, Danks exchange verbal barbs in Jays' blowout  —  TORONTO — John Danks was taking a beating.  Jose Bautista missed a pitch he thought he should have clobbered.  And then, for a moment, sparks flew between the two.  —  The Toronto Blue Jays were leading Danks and his Chicago White Sox 9-2 …

Ortiz has pinch-hit homer in ninth for Red Sox  —  DETROIT (AP) — David Ortiz doesn't do a lot of pinch-hitting, so it's rare for him to hit a home run in that role.  —  So rare, in fact, that the last time was his first home run with the Red Sox.  —  Eight years later, Ortiz did it again …

Ranking Baseball's Best Ballparks  —  I'm working on an article about the New York Mets — but that subject is perhaps too depressing for a beautiful Memorial Day weekend.  —  The article, in any event, will focus on the Mets' attendance and whether there are any signals that the club's off …

There was another fire at Dodger Stadium this morning  —  On Saturday night there was a small fire in a storage room at Dodger Stadium that caused smoke to be visible from the stands and required that a bunch of fans be moved from the upper decks along the first base line to other seats.

Guillen: Fans have short memories  —  Sox manager says they're ungrateful for 2005 championship  —  John Danks reacts after he gave up a grand slam to Toronto's Aaron Hill in the first inning.  (FRED THORNHILL, REUTERS / May 29, 2011)  —  TORONTO — Ozzie Guillen began Sunday by firing …

Prado's HR backs Jurrjens' strong start as Braves edge Reds  —  ATLANTA — Jair Jurrjens outpitched Johnny Cueto, Martin Prado hit a two-run homer and the Atlanta Braves beat Cincinnati 2-1 on Sunday night, putting an end to the Reds' damaging road trip.  —  Prado also helped on defence …

Bullpen help a hot commodity  —  Relief pitchers are viewed by many as the most volatile assets in baseball.  —  That remains the case now, maybe more than ever before.  And that is why relievers will again be among the most desired - and fickle - commodities at the trade deadline.

It's time to apologize for doubting Orioles' Wieters  —  Here's today's question: When do we all start apologizing to Matt Wieters?  —  When do all the critics who called the Orioles' young catcher a bust admit: “OK, we were wrong?”  —  When do all the fans who blasted him on talk radio …

Rays apologize to fans for Avril Lavigne's obscene concert  —  Chill out, what ya yelling for?  —  That's the question that the embarrassed Tampa Bay Rays should have thrown back at Avril Lavigne after the punk rawker let loose some profanities during the team's summer concert series at Tropicana Field on Saturday night.

Aramis Ramirez sends Cubs past Pirates, 3-2  —  CHICAGO — Aramis Ramirez ended a long home run drought, Ryan Dempster threw six solid innings and the Chicago Cubs beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-2 in a rain-delayed game Sunday.  —  Ramirez's line drive solo shot in the second broke a streak …

Hairston holding down hot corner  —  WASHINGTON — On his 35th birthday and with his seventh Major League club, Jerry Hairston Jr. found himself penciled into the Nationals' lineup in the No. 7 hole on Sunday against the Padres.  Hairston has been one of the club's best hitters of late.