Top News:
Jeff Seidel / MLB.com:
Bernadina leads off with right-hander on hill — WASHINGTON — Nationals manager Jim Riggleman made a minor shift to the top of his lineup for Thursday's series finale with the Mariners, putting Roger Bernadina in the leadoff spot and moving Jayson Werth to second.
Discussion:
Yahoo! Sports, MLB Daily Dish, South Side Sox, Federal Baseball and Lone Star Ball
RELATED:
Ben Nicholson-Smith / MLB Rumors:
Jim Riggleman Resigns — In a surprising move, Nationals manager Jim Riggleman has resigned, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson (Twitter link). Riggleman stepped down after his club beat the Mariners this afternoon and improved to 38-37 thanks to an impressive stretch over the course of which they've won 11 of 12 games.
Discussion:
Baseball Nation
Aaron Gleeman / HardballTalk:
Shocker: Unhappy with contract, Jim Riggleman resigns as Nationals manager — Just minutes after the Nationals beat the Mariners with a walk-off sacrifice fly in a 1-0 game to move above .500 manager Jim Riggleman announced his resignation. — According to general manager Mike Rizzo …
Roger Rubin / NY Daily News:
Jose Reyes to New York Yankees ‘not going to happen,’ says Brian Cashman, who supports Derek Jeter — Any conspiracy theorist who has pondered Mets shortstop Jose Reyes being fitted for Yankee pinstripes, either later this season or in the near future, can forget it.
NY Daily News:
Mets' Francisco Rodriguez says he has to ‘get my head out of my butt’ calls recent play ‘pathetic’ — Francisco Rodriguez wasn't about to take solace out of Justin Turner being clipped by a pitch with the bases loaded in the 13th inning for the Mets' first walkoff win of the season Wednesday night against the A's.
Discussion:
HardballTalk
RELATED:
Joe Stiglich / Boston Herald:
Mets end Athletics' six-game winning streak at six
Discussion:
Athletics Nation and Yahoo! Sports
Steve Berthiaume / ESPN:
Rays need to get out of Tampa Bay — The Tampa Bay Rays must be moved. The Rays' barely tenable existence in St. Petersburg, Fla., is getting worse and it's becoming, to borrow a word from star pitcher David Price in describing a critical but sparsely attended game late last season, “embarrassing.”
Discussion:
HardballTalk, DRaysBay, Baseball Nation and Associated Press
RELATED:
Jonathan Mayo / MLB.com:
Trout, Harper headline Futures Game rosters — U.S., World teams set for annual top-prospects game — A year ago at this time, Liam Hendriks was beyond excited. — The Australian right-hander in the Minnesota Twins organization was so overjoyed about being named to the 2010 XM …
Larry Dierker / MLB.com:
Pondering Interleague Play and its effects — The other night, outgoing Astros owner Drayton McLane visited the Astros' radio booth during a game with the Braves. Broadcaster Milo Hamilton asked him if there was anything to the story of the team moving to the American League West to balance …
Discussion:
Bless You Boys
ESPN:
Rangers' Hamilton: Blues cause daytime drama … When it comes to hitting, it's been night and day for Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton this season — and the reigning American League MVP has a theory as to why. — He has blue eyes. — Under the sun, Hamilton's numbers are dim.
Discussion:
Lone Star Ball and NotGraphs Baseball
Associated Press:
Tigers Call Up Inge, Plan to Recall Perry — DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Tigers have welcomed back third baseman Brandon Inge. — Detroit recalled Inge on Thursday from his injury rehabilitation assignment with Triple-A Toledo. Inge was on the disabled list with mononucleosis.
Discussion:
Bless You Boys and Yahoo! Sports
Evan Drellich / MLB.com:
A's place Willingham on DL, recall Carter — Oakland's most productive power hitter, Josh Willingham, went on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left Achilles tendon on Thursday, and Chris Carter was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento. — Willingham has a .231 average in 64 games …
Discussion:
Yahoo! Sports and Athletics Nation
Bruce Levine / ESPN:
Source: Cubs prepare for trade market activity — CHICAGO — The Chicago Cubs will bring in their top scouts on Monday and Tuesday to have meetings about the direction of the team with the trading deadline just five weeks away, according to a baseball source.
Discussion:
MLB Rumors, FanGraphs Baseball and MLB
Fox Sports:
Will another late swoon doom Leyland? — LOS ANGELES — The last time Jim Leyland was in the final year of his contract, the Tigers awarded him an extension at almost precisely this point of the season. — The date was June 19, 2009. Leyland signed a two-year deal to manage through 2011.
Discussion:
MLB Rumors
Associated Press:
Dunn not sure what to do about three-month slump — CHICAGO - The boos aimed at Adam Dunn seem to get louder with each frustrating at-bat, especially ones that end frequently with strikeouts. — Signed by the White Sox in the off-season to a four-year US$56 million, Dunn's first season …
Discussion:
Yahoo! Sports
Urban Gardner / Wall Street Journal:
Yankees Fans Email Their Bronx Cheers — Enough time has passed—approximately three weeks—and the trauma has subsided sufficiently that I can respond to the outrage I engendered among some Yankees fans over the positive column I wrote about the team's radio announcers, John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman.
Michael Vega / Boston Globe:
Sloppy Sox slip and slide — Lackey is pelted by Padres in a rainy finale to series — Yesterday's rain had the Fenway Park grounds crew on the run, as the tarp went on and off the diamond four times. (Yoon S. Byun/Globe Staff) — Not even intermittent rain, which delayed the finale …
Discussion:
The Soxaholix
