Top News:
Joe Strauss / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Mulder may pitch soon — Mulder may pitch soon — Barring complications from a side session set for today, lefthander Mark Mulder will begin a rehab assignment Sunday in Davenport, Iowa, for Class A Quad Cities. — Mulder reported no problems Wednesday after working a three-inning simulation Tuesday against several teammates.
Discussion:
Ben Maller's Sports …
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Matthew Leach / MLB.com:
Notes: Cards like Sosa's versatility — Newcomer in bullpen now, but has ability to start — ST. LOUIS — New acquisition Jorge Sosa intrigues the Cardinals for a variety of reasons, most notably his 94-mph fastball and sometimes-dazzling slider. But there's another element to Sosa that holds appeal: his versatility.
Discussion:
Viva El Birdos
Adam Rubin / NY Daily News:
Pelfrey looks for minor adjustment — MIAMI - Mike Pelfrey knew he was ticketed for the minors early in the day at the team hotel when he got wind of Royce Ring being summoned to the Mets. Pelfrey got the news he was headed to Triple-A Norfolk from Willie Randolph when he arrived at Dolphin Stadium.
Discussion:
Metsblog.com
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Bob Herzog / Newsday:
Heat exhaustion — Trachsel gets win, but bullpen lets it get too close for comfort — MIAMI - Winning pitcher Steve Trachsel was waiting to open the door to the clubhouse for Billy Wagner last night, an appropriately symbolic gesture after Wagner had just slammed the door on the Marlins in dramatic …
Barry Svrluga / Washington Post:
Armas Falters, Stanton Rises — Nats' Rally Can't Trump Poor Start: Giants 8, Nationals 6 — A week ago, Mike Stanton wore a cap with a script "W" above the brim and tutored the young men in the Washington Nationals' bullpen, some of them more than 15 years his junior.
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Associated Press:
Wang wallops Jays with eight shutout innings, earns fifth win in row — CBS SportsLine.com wire reports — NEW YORK — Whether it's Toronto's big bats or punchless Tampa Bay, Chien-Ming Wang is overpowering everybody lately. — That's a momentous development for the surging New York Yankees …
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Paul Sullivan / Chicago Tribune:
Wood opts for rehab, not knife — Cubs rained out; Doubleheader Thursday — Kerry Wood felt all along he would decline the option of surgery on his torn rotator cuff, opting instead to rehab it and hopefully be ready for spring training. — After consulting with several pitchers …
Discussion:
Ben Maller's Sports …
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Amalie Benjamin / Boston Globe:
Mark of a winner — Loretta double ends it for Sox in wild ninth — Wily Mo Peña, fresh off his near-maiming of a man in the front row of the Monster seats, sat in the Red Sox dugout, looking at the few fans leaving the park with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning.
Discussion:
Surviving Grady
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William S. Hupp / MLB.com:
Dunn nominated for Hank Aaron Award — Left fielder has been the Reds' most productive hitter — CINCINNATI — It hasn't mattered where Adam Dunn has hit in the batting order this season. — The Reds left fielder has batted second, fourth, fifth and sixth in the lineup …
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Associated Press:
Kim shuts down Brewers as Rockies roll — Box score — Byung-Hyun Kim allowed one run in eight innings and Todd Helton homered and drove in three runs to lead the Colorado Rockies over the Milwaukee Brewers 8-2 Wednesday night. — Kim (7-6) yielded seven hits, struck out five and didn't walk …
Discussion:
Purple Row
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Ken Gurnick / MLB.com:
Notes: Sele no longer a starter — Righty to pitch in relief with Maddux joining Dodgers' rotation — CINCINNATI — The acquisition of 40-year-old Greg Maddux, who makes his Dodgers debut Thursday night, has meant the demotion to the bullpen of 36-year-old Aaron Sele.
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Anthony Castrovince / MLB.com:
Sowers hungry for another gem vs. Sox — Cleveland (46-59) at Boston (63-42), 7:05 p.m. ET — Jeremy Sowers already showed what he can do for an encore. So how about the encore of the encore? — Six days after tossing a complete-game shutout at home against the Twins …
Discussion:
The Joy of Sox
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Enrique Rojas / ESPN:
Cuban star Gourriel has no interest in deserting … At 22 and already with an impressive résumé in local and international events. Cuban infielder Yulieski Gourriel is considered one of the world's best baseball players. — And as with other Cuban greats since Fidel Castro …
Discussion:
Nationals Farm Authority
Bill Simmons / ESPN:
Larry Legend vs. Big Papi — Four years ago, back when David Ortiz was just The Fat Guy on the Twins, I tackled "Pacino or DeNiro?" and called it the most important mailbag question in Sports Guy history. Now I'm wondering if that question has been surpassed by "Big Papi or Larry Legend? …
T.R. Sullivan / MLB.com:
Notes: Catching duties shift — Blalock plays at DH in finale; Loe set for rehab start — MINNEAPOLIS — Rangers catcher Rod Barajas was able to joke about throwing out two basestealers in one inning on Tuesday. — "When you have three days off, your arm feels fresh," Barajas said.
NY Daily News:
Sanchez's best save — Met reliever feared for career after crash — By CHRISTIAN RED in Miami and MICHAEL O'KEEFFE in New York — Duaner Sanchez was chatting with his cousin and a friend in the back of a cab early Monday when another car suddenly slammed into the side of the taxi on a Miami highway.
Jeff Passan / Yahoo! Sports:
Diamonds in the rough — COMPTON, Calif. - Cy Wiggs does not realize he is caught in the middle of a fight, and because he is 12 years old, he does not worry about that kinda stuff, either. Right now, the only thing on his mind is pizza. — It's what's for lunch today at the Urban Youth Academy …
Discussion:
The Griddle
Thomas Heath / Washington Post:
MASN Takes On Comcast With New 24-Hour Programming — The Mid-Atlantic Sports Network, a joint venture between the Baltimore Orioles and the Washington Nationals, began 24-hour sports programming on Monday morning, creating a new round-the-clock rival to Comcast SportsNet.
BBC:
Maddux heads west to Dodgers — The LA Dodgers acquired future Hall of Fame pitcher Greg Maddux from the Chicago Cubs as baseball's trade deadline ended in a flurry of activity. — The Dodgers,were just one of several teams to make late deals in a bid to bolster their squads for the play-offs.
Marc Topkin / St. Petersburg Times:
With Harper hurt, converted McClung returns — ST. PETERSBURG - Reliever Travis Harper is headed to the disabled list with an impingement in his right shoulder, and Seth McClung has been recalled from Triple-A Durham. — McClung was sent to the minors to make the shift from starter …


