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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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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Jordan Bastian / MLB.com:Jays lose tight game after altercation
Discussion:
Batter's Box Interactive …
Enrique Rojas / ESPN:
Hall of Fame should embrace Felipe Alou … When speaking of future candidates of Latin descent for the Hall of Fame, the list includes Pedro Martinez, Mariano Rivera and Ivan Rodriguez, as well as Rafael Palmeiro and Sammy Sosa. — But it's possible that none of the above have more genuine credentials …
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
