Top News:
Steven Goff / Washington Post:
'Superb' Astacio Stymies Atlanta — Nationals' Starter Hurls Two-Hitter : Nationals 5, Braves 0 — The Washington Nationals, losers of three straight and 7 of 10, glanced at the standings yesterday and saw that the only National League teams enduring poorer seasons, the Chicago Cubs …
RELATED ITEMS:
Bill Ladson / MLB.com:
Astacio pitches gem to blank Braves — Right-hander delivers two-hit shutout, ends Nats' losing skid — WASHINGTON — During his 15 years in the big leagues, Nationals right-hander Pedro Astacio has had major problems against the Braves. He was 4-16 with a 5.22 ERA during his career.
Associated Press:
Costly victory — Polanco separates shoulder as Tigers edge Red Sox — BOSTON (AP) — Placido Polanco's injury forced Ivan Rodriguez to play an unfamiliar position and left the Detroit Tigers wondering how the loss of their steady second baseman will affect their playoff run.
RELATED ITEMS:
Matt Eagan / Hartford Courant:
Patiently Pulling Away — Yankees Lead East By 3 — NEW YORK — From his seat in the first base dugout at Yankee Stadium, Joe Torre has no choice but to stare at the out-of-town scoreboard in left field. — And as Erik Bedard was cutting down the Yankees Tuesday night, Torre could see that the Red Sox were beating the Tigers.
RELATED ITEMS:
Amanda Branam / MLB.com:
Young aims to even series vs. Giants — San Francisco (55-63) at San Diego (60-58) , 7:05 p.m. PT — After two consecutive games in which the Padres bats hummed along, they came to a halt on Monday night. — The Friars were shut out, 1-0, in the series opener with the Giants …
RELATED ITEMS:
Peter Botte / NY Daily News:
Mets take El of a beating — Phillies romp again; Pedro results today — PHILADELPHIA - At least Orlando Hernandez lasted until the second inning before the Phillies got to six runs. — One game after Pedro Martinez was removed with a sore calf after being flogged for a half-dozen in the first inning …
Discussion:
Metsblog.com
RELATED ITEMS:
Mark Gonzales / Chicago Tribune:
White Sox drop the ball — Defensive lapse, baffled bats end Sox's win streak at 5 — The White Sox braced themselves for a sixth-inning drop-off from Javier Vazquez. — But they didn't envision a defensive letdown or a failure to solve Runelvys Hernandez.
Discussion:
Exile in Wrigleyville
RELATED ITEMS:
John Hickey / Seattle Post-Intelligencer:
Mariners Notebook: Lowe's velocity grows — Pitcher's fastball hitting 100 on some radar guns — OAKLAND, Calif. — When rookie right-hander Mark Lowe pitched two innings of shutout relief Monday, two radar guns had him clocked at 100 mph. One clocking registered at 101 mph.
Ken Rosenthal / Fox Sports:
Nationals place Soriano on waivers — The Nationals placed left fielder Alfonso Soriano on waivers Tuesday, a routine step that nonetheless raises the question of whether the team is making one last attempt to trade Soriano before he becomes a free agent, FOXSports.com has learned.
MLB.com:
Nationals agree to terms with fourth-round selection Glenn Gibson from 2006 First-Year Player Draft — Six of first eight selections from 2006 draft have agreed to terms — The Washington Nationals today agreed to terms with fourth-round selection Glenn Gibson, a left-handed pitcher from Center Moriches …
Discussion:
District of Baseball
RELATED ITEMS:
Larry Celona / New York Post:
LO DUCA TRIES SOME PHILLY — CHEESECAKE — ME '2,' SAYS BET-PARLOR TEEN — It looks like a whopping strike two for soon-to-be divorced Met Paul Lo Duca. — Just one week after a 19-year-old Long Island woman told The Post she's been having an affair with the Casanova catcher …
Jim Salisbury / Philadelphia Inquirer:
Boiling Manuel scalds Green — The next time Charlie Manuel gets in the face of a Phillies icon, he might want to tip off the team's marketing department. Think of the tickets that could be sold. The T-shirts! — Big Chuck vs. Big D. — What Manuel lacked in promotional flair …
Jim Bowden / Examiner:
Nats prospecting for gold this offseason — WASHINGTON - As we enter the middle of August, offseason planning is in full swing. Our baseball operations staff has begun to make offseason plans for all major league and minor league players. The offseason is not a time to sit around for five months.
Discussion:
Nationals Farm Authority
Mike Fish / ESPN:
Grimsley, D-Backs agree to donate salary to charity … Former major league pitcher Jason Grimsley, released after admitting to federal agents that he used illegal performance-enhancing drugs, has reached a settlement with the Arizona Diamondbacks that will pay him all of his remaining salary for the season, ESPN.com has learned.
Kevin Baxter / Miami Herald:
Olivo, Amezaga hit stride — When the Marlins signed catcher Miguel Olivo to a free agent contract last December they weren't sure what to expect. — But there is no doubt they weren't expecting what they've gotten. — Although there are six weeks still left in the season …
Sports Illustrated:
180 degrees — We love our instant analysis, don't we? Once a trade goes down, we don't wait five minutes to declare a winner and loser. And there's nothing better than feasting on a GM who has made an obviously lopsided deal. (Just ask Wayne Krivsky about that.) Sometimes, though, we all get it wrong.
Discussion:
Hot Foot
ESPN:
Pirates' Sanchez defying the odds — Pittsburgh closer Mike Gonzalez made his contribution to team camaraderie in May when he bought a Ping-Pong table for the PNC Park home clubhouse. To no one's surprise, the ultra-competitive Freddy Sanchez is now ranked No. 1 ahead of shortstop Jack Wilson …