Sources: MLB eyeing end to annual rival series  —  HOUSTON — Major League Baseball is working on a scheduling reconfiguration for the 2013 season and beyond that likely will eliminate the Mets and Yankees as well as other “natural rivals” playing home-and-home, six-game series annually, baseball sources told ESPNNewYork.com.

Rays Sign Hideki Matsui  —  The Rays announced that they signed Hideki Matsui to a minor league contract.  Matsui, who turns 38 in June, will report to extended Spring Training on Wednesday.  —  “Over the past two decades, Hideki has been one of the most consistently productive hitters in the world …

Kuroda and the Yankees Block Off the Orioles  —  NEW YORK (AP) — Hiroki Kuroda pitched seven neat innings and teamed with catcher Russell Martin to nab Nick Markakis at the plate in the key play of the game, lifting the New York Yankees over the Baltimore Orioles 2-1 Monday night.

MLB to suspend Tigers' Young for anti-Semitic incident  —  Delmon Young during a court appearance on Friday night.  —  Yer out!  —  Major League Baseball has decided to suspend Detroit Tigers slugger Delmon Young because of his drunken anti-Semitic rant and arrest, two sources have told The Post.

APPRECIATING THE UNIQUENESS OF DAVID ORTIZ  —  CHICAGO — It was going to be fascinating.  The Red Sox decision-makers admitted it.  The agents for David Ortiz did the same.  —  The arbitration hearing for the Red Sox' designated hitter, scheduled to take place in February on the bottom floor …

Billy Hamilton is Very Fast  —  Since I watched Peter Bourjos hit a triple about a year ago, watching extremely fast baseball players run extremely fast has been my favorite part of baseball.  Then this morning I read Kevin Goldstein's Ten Pack, which included this about Billy Hamilton:

Marlins grounds crew tries to revive fading turf in new ballpark … MIAMI (AP) — The Miami Marlins hit the road for the next nine games, which will give their grounds crew some time to revive the fading turf at the team's new ballpark.  —  The grass has been turning brown because the retractable roof …

Manager On Matt Barnes: “He'll Be At Fenway In A Year Or Two”  —  UConn Product Impresses At Class A Greenville  — Kyrell Hudson swung wildly and missed a shoulder-high fastball, and as he walked back to the dugout he kept staring back at Matt Barnes.  —  Not much to say.  There was no trickery involved.

How to Give the Game Back to Its Fans  —  In 1957, Cleveland Press sportswriter Franklin Lewis was disillusioned with how the game of baseball was changing.  It was getting too modern, too far from its roots, too corporate.  Major League Baseball was losing its fans.  Night games?  Television?

OK for O's fans to think postseason?  —  My phone blew up seconds after Wilson Betemit hit his three-run walk-off homer Sunday, lifting the Orioles to a 5-2 victory over the Athletics.  —  It was my brother-in-law, Brian, doing what he does every season when the Orioles get off to their usual hot start.

Corbin debuts vs. veteran Buehrle in Miami finale  —  For Patrick Corbin, Monday's finale of the D-backs' four-game series with the Marlins is one of the biggest events in his 22-year-old life — his debut as a Major League player.  —  For Mark Buehrle, a 33-year-old veteran who has pretty …

Mets 6, Rockies 5 (11 Innings): Mets Overcome Rockies in 11 Innings  —  DENVER — The Mets were forced to wait Sunday — for Jamie Moyer's fastball to reach home plate, for their batters to drive in some runs, for their bullpen preserve a lead.  After 11 innings of baseball, their forbearance was finally rewarded.

Bumgarner, Sandoval Lead Giants Past Padres 4-1  —  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Pablo Sandoval homered to back Madison Bumgarner's fourth straight victory, and the San Francisco Giants beat the Padres 4-1 on Sunday to deny San Diego its first series win of the season.