Beckett hit hard in loss to Yankees  —  Right-hander has short night as Red Sox drop series opener  —  NEW YORK — The Red Sox found themselves on the wrong end of a Bronx bashing Monday night at Yankee Stadium, suffering such an early knockout punch in a 13-5 loss that Jason Varitek …

MILL LOW AFTER FANS' HIGH-FIVES  —  June 5, 2006 — Willie Randolph reprimanded Lastings Milledge for celebrating his first major-league homer - a dramatic game-tying solo shot in yesterday's 10th inning - by taking a detour to high-five fans on his way out to right field to start the next inning.

Notes: Baker feels Pujols' pain  —  Cubs manager has seen his share of injured starters this season  —  ST. LOUIS — The Chicago Cubs know how tough it is to be without an MVP caliber first baseman.  Now, the St. Louis Cardinals have to deal with the loss of Albert Pujols.

Padres-Brewers Preview  —  The Milwaukee Brewers have picked the worst time to meet one the hottest pitching staffs in the major leagues.  —  The Brewers will try to halt an eight-game losing streak when they take on the San Diego Padres in the start of a four-game series at Miller Park on Monday.

Going Deep: Late picks can pay off  —  Rangers make the most of some draft-and-follow choices  —  Third baseman Steve Marquardt played baseball at a junior college.  He was drafted by Texas in the 2005 First-Year Player Draft, but not until the 23rd round.

MLB Mock Draft  —  Royals will avoid p.r. nightmare, take UNC's Miller  —  Tuesday's Major League Draft may have a shortage of hitters, but what it lacks in talent it makes up for in intrigue as uncertainty has lingered at the top for months.  When the selections are announced, here are the 30 names you should expect to hear first.

Morneau told to practice as catcher  —  OAKLAND, Calif. — Even though he didn't get the extra catcher he wanted from the minors this past week, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said he still plans to use both of his catchers in the same lineup as often as he thinks he can risk it.

A-Rod earns Player of the Month honors  —  Yankees third baseman wins award for seventh time of career  —  Alex Rodriguez has already missed two games in June with a stomach flu.  His torrid month of May must have taken a lot out of him.  —  The Yankees' third baseman was named …

Nationals hold off Braves  —  Hernandez hurls six innings for first win at Turner Field  —  ATLANTA — Livan Hernandez's luck at Turner Field was bound to change.  —  Coming into Monday's game at Turner Field, Hernandez had never won in the Atlanta stadium in 10 starts.

Notes: Players remain calm  —  McCann set for short rehab stint, could be ready this week  —  ATLANTA — Braves manager Bobby Cox addressed his team before they took batting practice on Monday afternoon at Turner Field.  But holding true to form this wasn't one of those closed-door intense meetings …

Sizing up a showdown  —  It's only June and 106 games remain, but there's plenty at stake in Sox's 3-game series vs. Tigers  —  This is what is know as a "statement series," this Detroit Tigers-White Sox three-game showdown starting Tuesday night at U.S. Cellular Field.

Yankees look within to solve injury woes  —  As the Yankees are linked to every high-salaried player on the planet, it's worth remembering that right-hander Shawn Chacon and left-hander Al Leiter were the team's biggest trade acquisitions before the July 31 non-waiver deadline last season.

Mailbag: Deals or no deals?  —  Beat reporter T.R. Sullivan answers fans questions  —  Before we get started, a shameless plug.  —  If you get a chance, check out Postcards from Elysian Fields, my MLBlog.  The address is http://trsullivan.mlblogs.com.  The blog is modeled after …