Top News:
Gordon Edes / Boston Globe:
Sox get their fill in opener — Boston blasts off with three homers in Philadelphia — PHILADELPHIA — As David Ortiz tells it, two of the little guys in the Red Sox dugout, Alex Cora and Alex Gonzalez, were pondering the magnitude of Ortiz's home run last night into the second deck of Citizens Bank Park …
Discussion:
Surviving Grady
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Ian Browne / MLB.com:
Ortiz, offense back Clement's effort — Big Papi, Lowell, Varitek go deep in Interleague opener — PHILADELPHIA — You can take the designated hitter away from the Red Sox when they venture into a National League park, but subtracting David Ortiz from the lineup isn't that easy.
Discussion:
The Baseball Desert
Ian Browne / MLB.com:
Change does Lowell good — Patience, realism help third baseman's comeback in Boston — PHILADELPHIA — Everyone had a theory on Mike Lowell, and his sharp decline in 2005. He lost his bat speed. He got old overnight. He was hiding some major injuries.
Discussion:
Boston Red Sox
Peter Abraham / nyjournalnews.com:
Handicapping the next Subway Series Fall Classic — For fun, let say the Yankees and Mets get to the World Series. What would it be like? Peter Abraham gazed into his crystal ball and here is what he came up with — Oct. 21, Game One — We're live at Yankee Stadium.
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Jim Street / MLB.com:
Dodgers post LA-record 25 hits in win — Ethier's five hits lead 16-run offensive attack vs. Angels — LOS ANGELES — They batted seventh and eighth in the Dodgers lineup Friday night, but rookies Andre Ethier and Russell Martin were right in the middle of the team's biggest offensive barrage …
Discussion:
6-4-2
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Mike Scarr / MLB.com:
Forgettable night for Weaver, Angels — Vlad homers, but Dodgers hit pitching staff hard in opener — LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers enjoyed a nine-run sixth inning and rolled to a 16-2 win over the Angels in front of a sellout crowd of 55,655 on Friday night to open the Interleague series.
John Romano / St. Petersburg Times:
Bench time long overdue for Rays' Evers — ST. PETERSBURG - Chances are, you won't even notice. — The game will look the same, the noise will sound familiar. The lineup will be similar and, yes, there is a good chance the Devil Rays will lose. — All will be as it should be, except for one seat in the first-base dugout.
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Janie Mccauley / Associated Press:
A's silence Bonds and Giants — Oakland two-hits S.F.; Street fans slugger for last out — OAKLAND, Calif. - Playing designated hitter made no difference for Barry Bonds. — At least not in his pursuit of Babe Ruth. — Bonds' homerless streak extended to nine games …
Discussion:
Baseball Musings
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Baseball America:
Subpar Class Brings Memories Of 2000 Draft — Matt LaPorta led NCAA Division I in home runs in 2005. This year, the Florida junior strained a muscle in his side sneezing, then aggravated the injury on a swing. He was hitting .247 with 14 homers and only one double.
Discussion:
Beck's Blog
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Mike Kiley / Chicago Sun Times:
Baker doubts Sox see Cubs as comedy — Cubs manager Dusty Baker was asked Thursday about a Sun-Times report last weekend that some White Sox players made fun of the struggling Cubs in the visiting clubhouse in Minneapolis while watching them fumble away another game to the San Diego Padres.
Discussion:
Desipio.com
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Tom Timmermann / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Second-fiddle Spiezio is first-rate — Scott Spiezio had to admit he was a little disappointed to see he was in the lineup Thursday against the New York Mets. It meant Albert Pujols wasn't playing. — "Even if I get to play," Spiezio said, "it's a little bit of a letdown because you want to go out and see him hit a home run.
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Juan C. Rodriguez / Sun-Sentinel:
Hermida needs more at-bats before return — · Jeremy Hermida isn't ready yet. — Recovering from a strained hip flexor, Hermida this week has played in four rehab games between extended spring training and Class A Jupiter. The Marlins opted to give him at least one more Friday.
Discussion:
FishStripes
Bill Ladson / MLB.com:
Notes: Guillen avoids DL time — Right fielder available to pinch-hit while hamstring heals — WASHINGTON — It looks like Nationals right fielder Jose Guillen will not be going on the disabled list after all. Two days after suffering a right hamstring strain against the Cubs …
Lboros / Viva El Birdos:
Game 42 Open Thread: May 19, 2006 — so how does it feel to be a royals fan these days? my compadre Will over at Royals Review summed it up here, after watching his team blow a 3-run lead in the 9th innings to the orioles last weekend: … ouch. this is a franchise, let's not forget …
MLB.com:
Gross comfortable in role, eager to start — Outfielder answers fans' questions during online chat … Gabe Gross: Hello everyone, thanks for joining me today. Let's get started. — Cody_Smith: What are the differences between playing in Milwaukee and playing in Toronto?
Sean McAdam / ESPN:
Winning is the best way to boost revenue — After more than a decade, it seems baseball's booming building period is coming to a close. There are plans — and hopes — for new ballparks in Minneapolis, Washington and New York (two), but once these are finalized and groundbreaking takes place, the construction will slow considerably.
Steve Popper / NorthJersey.com:
Mets notebook — While Jose Lima was getting battered around Busch Stadium, he may have solidified his spot on the roster. That's because at Class AAA Norfolk, Brian Bannister's rehab start was aborted after just five pitches. — Bannister gave up a leadoff single …
