Civil Mariano garners respect like no other  —  Closer has left indelible stamp on game with kindness, class  —  We were on the back fields at the old Yankees facility in Fort Lauderdale watching pitchers' fielding practice.  I commented to Buck Showalter that it seemed strange to me that The Phenom …

PADRES: Trade of Frieri to Angels could affect middle infield  —  Second baseman Orlando Hudson and shortstop Jason Bartlett aren't yet done with the Padres.  —  But the team's trade Thursday —  sending reliever Ernesto Frieri to the Los Angeles Angels for two minor-leaguers, including middle infielder Alexi Amarista —

Carlos Marmol out as Cubs closer; now it's by closer by committee  —  The Cubs will use a “closer by committee” formula to replace struggling closer Carlos Marmol, who was told Friday morning he had lost the role.  —  Lefty James Russell, the only lefthander in manager Dale Sveum's bullpen …

WAR Upgraded on Baseball-Reference.com  —  Baseball-Reference.com WAR Explained - Baseball-Reference.com  —  As many have noticed, we have not been updating the 2012 WAR data in-season.  The reason for this is that we have been working on a major upgrade to our WAR framework.

Moving big-dollar deals  —  If, say, Pujols, Crawford or Werth were on waivers, would there be any takers?  —  Hey there.  Any chance you've got $50 million or so lying around on your kitchen table?  If so, we're guessing that Alfonso Soriano could be all yours if you'd like to pay him.

NY Mets GM Sandy Alderson says team won't rush Matt Harvey into pitching rotation  —  Even with need in rotation, GM Sandy Alderson wants prized prospect to develop more in minors  —  Touted pitching prospect Matt Harvey won't be arriving at Citi Field anytime soon, even with Mets seemingly having need for rotation help.

Game 25: Orioles at Red Sox  —  Here are the lineups:  —  RED SOX (11-13)  —  Aviles SS  —  Middlebrooks 3B  —  Gonzalez 1B  —  Pedroia 2B  —  Ortiz DH  —  Ross RF  —  McDonald LF  —  Byrd CF  —  Shoppach C  —  Pitching: LHP Jon Lester (1-2, 4.65)  —  ORIOLES (16-9)  —  TBA

Tigers activate Young, designate Eldred  —  Delmon Young's suspension from Major League Baseball is officially over.  So is the Tigers' experiment with Triple-A slugging sensation Brad Eldred.  —  As the Tigers say they would, the team activated Young on Friday from MLB's restricted list …

Rios takes issue with Tribe closer Perez  —  CHICAGO — No strong bonds of friendship exist between White Sox right fielder Alex Rios and Cleveland closer Chris Perez.  —  In fact, the two are not even casual acquaintances.  —  And don't look for any pleasantries to be exchanged between …

Adam Yauch 1964-2012  —  I don't care that this isn't about baseball.  If you need it to be, be content with the “And I've got mad hits like I was Rod Carew ” line in “Sure Shot.” … The Beasties made the Hall of Fame based on both peak and longevity.  And now they're done and as a kid whose …

Sources: Dodgers pick up Abreu  —  The Dodgers and outfielder Bobby Abreu have reached agreement on a one-year contract, major-league sources confirmed to FOXSports.com.  —  The Angels released Abreu last week, after he batted .208 with no home runs and five RBIs in eight games.