Top News:
Bob Ryan / Boston Globe:
Warning: These truths may hurt — You want the truth? — OK. Let's see if you can handle the truth. — The truth is that at present the Red Sox have two reliable pitchers, Curt Schilling and Jonathan Papelbon. — The truth is that, while you cannot blame everything on not having Jason Varitek …
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Jack Curry / New York Times:
Abreu Has Become a Natural Fit In a Patient and Powerful Lineup — About 10 seconds after hearing that Bobby Abreu had been traded from the Philadelphia Phillies to the Yankees, Curt Schilling, who is as much of a baseball analyst as a pitcher, was concerned.
Discussion:
Swing and a Miss
Tyler Kepner / New York Times:
4 Days Later, Race for First Is a Runaway — The Yankees celebrated after finishing their first five-game sweep of Boston since 1951 and their first at Fenway since 1943. Scoreboard aside, the Red Sox trail by six and a half games. — More than 35,000 sad souls had shuffled out of Fenway Park by 5 p.m. on Monday.
Amalie Benjamin / Boston Globe:Wells hangs tough but Sox can't avert a Yankees sweep
Discussion:
Surviving Grady
Mark Hale / New York Post:
TOM'S TERRIFIC — SOURCE: TEST SAYS GLAV CAN — RETURN IN WEEK — Tom Glavine will be taking the mound again. — A source told The Post last night that the Mets' All-Star left-hander - feared done for the season, maybe even for his career with a possible blood clot in his pitching shoulder …
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ESPN:
Mets' Glavine doesn't need surgery, will return soon — On Sunday it was feared Tom Glavine might miss the rest of the season. Now, the veteran Mets left-hander might be on the mound as soon as next week. — Sources told ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney that an angiogram performed Monday revealed …
Ben Shpigel / New York Times:
Mets' Karma Is Taking a Turn for the Worse — Pedro Martínez blurted out a remark three weeks ago that seemed offhand then, but poignantly prescient now. — Standing in the visitors' clubhouse at Turner Field in Atlanta, Martínez responded to a television commentator's assertion …
ESPN:
Phils' Rowand out 4-6 weeks with broken ankle — As the Phillies make their push for the NL wild card, they will have to do it without starting center fielder Aaron Rowand. — Rowand suffered a fractured left ankle in a scary outfield collision with teammate Chase Utley on Monday night …
Discussion:
Balls, Sticks, & Stuff
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Ryan Crawford / MLB.com:
Phils find .500, but win may be costly — Rowand injured in collision with Utley as Philly fends off Cubs — CHICAGO — The Phillies got back to .500 on Monday for the first time since June 19, but it didn't come easy and it didn't come without a cost. — Arthur Rhodes entered …
Toni Ginnetti / Chicago Sun Times:Marmol on DL; Rusch rushes back to fill void
Discussion:
cubs posts
Barry Svrluga / Washington Post:
Nats' Clutch Hits A Long Way Off — It's as if they're playing basketball, and they go to the free throw line, where they haven't made a shot in a month. Or perhaps they're golfers with the yips, unable to stride confidently to three-foot putts and knock them solidly into the back of the cup.
Discussion:
Washington Times, MLB.com, Capitol Punishment, The Curly W, William F. Yurasko and Ben Maller's Sports …
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Associated Press:
Lilly-Gibbons argument leaves manager bloodied — TORONTO — Blue Jays manager John Gibbons wound up with a bloody nose after tangling with Toronto pitcher Ted Lilly near the dugout during Monday night's game against Oakland. — It was not known whether any punches were thrown.
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Jonathan Abrams / Los Angeles Times:
They Crack Lineups and Language Barrier — Foreign baseball players in the minor leagues are being taught American culture and English. — TEMPE, Ariz. — Summer came packed with baseball tutelage and English lessons for Tempe Angels such as Alexander Torres.
Discussion:
Dodger Thoughts
Paul Sullivan / Chicago Tribune:
O'Malley to lure hometown flock — A caravan of Ryan O'Malley fans will be traveling up Interstate Hwy. 55 from Springfield on Tuesday to watch the Cubs' rookie make his Wrigley Field debut against ex-Cub Jamie Moyer. — O'Malley made a big splash in his major-league debut, throwing eight shutout innings Wednesday against Houston.
Discussion:
Metsblog.com
Juan C. Rodriguez / Sun-Sentinel:
Willingham's hot streak defies explanation — · Josh Willingham hasn't spent much time looking for answers. He has resigned himself to the fact that streaks are part of the game and trying to explain them is counterproductive. — He's hot now and can't pinpoint why.
Discussion:
FishStripes
Bradford Doolittle / Kansas City Star:
Gimmicky wild card bad for baseball — Is this really what they had in mind? — Nine teams in the National League were within 5 1/2 games of the lead in the wild-card race through the weekend. The composite winning percentage of the nine is .487, which translates to a team that finishes 79-83.
Adam Rubin / NY Daily News:
Mets get 'closer' to Green — The Mets are closing in on Diamondbacks outfielder Shawn Green, though sources familiar with the discussions cautioned that no deal is final until the sides agree to exact financial terms. — GM Omar Minaya and Diamondbacks counterpart Josh Byrnes …
Discussion:
Metsblog.com
