Top News:
Evan Grant / Dallas Morning News:
Rangers' Matthews has golden dreams — BALTIMORE - Outfielder Gary Matthews acknowledged Friday that he has given thought to winning the Gold Glove. — "Only since I was about 5 years old," Matthews said. "I walked into Bobby Bonds' house and saw his trophy case full of them.
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Kat O'Brien / Dallas Star-Telegram:
NOTES — Ballpark wind study results due — BALTIMORE - The Rangers on Tuesday expect to see the initial results of an evaluation of how and if the construction of the Gold Club affected wind patterns at Ameriquest Field in Arlington and the number of home runs hit there.
Discussion:
Lone Star Ball
T.R. Sullivan / MLB.com:
Notes: Club to discuss ballpark studies — Goal is to see what kind of impact Gold Club construction has — BALTIMORE — A team of top Rangers officials will meet with a Toronto-based company Tuesday to discuss the results of wind studies done earlier this season on Ameriquest Field in Arlington, Texas.
Mark Feinsand / MLB.com:
Notes: Cabrera may be on way out — Whispered trade with Pittsburgh includes Burnitz, Craig Wilson — NEW YORK — General manager Brian Cashman has made it clear that pitching prospect Philip Hughes is as close to untouchable as any player in the Yankees' farm system. — Melky Cabrera on the other hand, may not be.
Discussion:
WasWatching.com
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Julian Garcia / NY Daily News:
Chisox can't bail out Jose — As he batted with two outs in the ninth inning last night, pinch-hitter A.J. Pierzynski was thinking about more pressing matters than White Sox teammate Jose Contreras' streak of 17 straight decisions without a loss. — Pierzynski was trying to find …
Discussion:
Bronx Banter
Mark Gonzales / Chicago Tribune:
Coming full circle — 1st victim puts end to Contreras' streak — NEW YORK — Jose Contreras has been very appreciative of the numerous times the White Sox kept his franchise-record streak alive, but not even a dramatic ninth-inning rally Friday night could prevent his first loss in his last 18 decisions.
Discussion:
NY Daily News
Lindsey Frazier / MLB.com:
D-Backs call up Drew — Shortstop set to make debut in place of injured Counsell — PHOENIX — The future is now for at least one Diamondbacks prospect. — After veteran shortstop Craig Counsell broke a rib in the seventh inning of Friday night's win over the Brewers …
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Adam Kilgore / Washington Post:
Second Half Begins With Quiet Debuts — PITTSBURGH, July 14 — The acquisition of Austin Kearns and Felipe Lopez was touted, by all parties involved, as a move for the long-term success of the Washington Nationals, certainly not a quick solution for this season's woes.
Discussion:
Washington Times, District of Baseball, William F. Yurasko's … and The Nationals Enquirer
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Mike Kiley / Chicago Sun Times:
Prior could return on Thursday — Cubs pitcher Mark Prior is sick and tired of being a bench-warmer with the summer heating up and the situation at Wrigley Field sticky as ever. So the competitor in him argued against going on the 15-day disabled list Friday, believing he could come …
Discussion:
Goat Riders of the Apocalypse
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Associated Press:
Braves, Padres combine for 36 hits, 27 runs — SAN DIEGO (AP) - Adam LaRoche homered twice and drove in five runs, including two on an 11th-inning double, to help the Atlanta Braves to a wild 15-12 win over the San Diego Padres on Friday night in the highest-scoring game in Petco Park's three-year history.
Discussion:
Baseball Musings
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Mark Bowman / MLB.com:
Notes: Thomson suffers setback — Righty headed for DL again, this time with sore shoulder — SAN DIEGO — Just two months ago, there was reason to believe John Thomson was heading for a big payday. Now there's reason to wonder if he'll even receive much attention this offseason on the free-agent market.
Bill Shaikin / Los Angeles Times:
Traders Take Aim at Top Pitchers — As the Angels pursue a slugger in trade talks, they have discovered that their highly touted prospects are not necessarily the players most coveted by opposing teams. With young, affordable pitching at a premium, potential trade partners tend …
Discussion:
Fox Sports
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Sean McClelland / Dayton Daily News:
Trade was risky, but at least Reds are going for it — Lefty reliever Bill Bray boarded the plane wearing a suit, and Majewski and 36-year-old shortstop Royce Clayton couldn't help but razz him about it. — "You could tell he was a rookie who had never been traded before," Clayton said.
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Mychael Urban / MLB.com:
Notes: DL a possibility for Chavez — Swisher sees more time at first; Bradley back in action — BOSTON — The A's have been saying for some time that they'd very much like to avoid placing third baseman Eric Chavez on the disabled list, but manager Ken Macha's answer …
Discussion:
Athletics Nation
Troy E. Renck / Denver Post:
Midseason flip is more of a big flop … Cincinnati - It's beginning to look as if mediocrity was disguised as prosperity. — The Rockies opened the second half as a contender. The standings said as much. But the way they have played for the past week screams something else, something troubling.
Discussion:
Romo Phone Home
Dan Shaughnessy / Boston Globe:
Over and way out for Beckett — He is the Bridgemaster, the Bombino, the man most likely to send you home with a souvenir if you are sitting in the Monster Seats. Big league hitters, most of them American Leaguers, are takin' it to the streets at a record pace against Red Sox righty Josh Beckett in 2006.
Discussion:
Dan Shaughnessy Watch
Gary Washburn / Seattle Post-Intelligencer:
Jones' debut for M's a trial by fire — Prospect starts in CF day after being promoted — TORONTO — The number on the placard above Adam Jones' locker read No. 83, which wasn't accurate. That was the jersey number Jones wore five months ago as a Mariners spring training invitee.
