Rookie pitcher has lymphoma  —  BOSTON (AP) — Boston Red Sox rookie left-hander Jon Lester has a form of lymphoma and will start treatment in the coming week, the team announced Friday.  —  Enlarged lymph nodes were identified when Lester, 22, was tested to determine the cause of back pain …

Dodgers acquire Anderson from Nats  —  Loney, Kemp to be recalled when rosters expand Friday  —  LOS ANGELES — After announcing the promotions of infielder James Loney, outfielder Matt Kemp and catcher Einar Diaz, the Dodgers on Thursday attempted to further bolster their roster for September …

Under The Knife  —  The Long Tail  —  Powered by The Long Tail, on to the injuries:  — Mariano Rivera had an MRI.  Yankees fans, exhale.  Rivera has a small strain in a muscle near his elbow and will need some rest.  The Yankees can handle this and it's certainly nothing to be overly concerned about.

Lookout for Lefties  —  DOWNTOWN - Apparently giving himself brief immunity to his hard-line stance that he'll only talk about the current series, the here, the now, Cardinals manager Tony La Russa peeked ahead at the probable pitchers for a few of the upcoming series.

With Respect, Leyland Argues His Point  —  Nothing, it would seem, could stop an ornery baseball manager from arguing with an umpire.  Nothing, that is, except the voice of Kate Smith.  —  Detroit Tigers Manager Jim Leyland was ejected from yesterday's game after the second to last pitch of the top of the seventh inning.

The best young tandem in baseball?  Tough call  —  A scout last week asked me this question:  —  "Who would you take, the Mets' Jose Reyes and David Wright or the Phillies' Ryan Howard and Chase Utley?"  —  Without giving the topic much thought, I responded, "Howard and Utley."

Under The Knife  —  Thank You  —  It's not a normal day in these parts.  I'll admit to being both tired and excited, nervous and even a bit scared, but mostly just grateful.  I'll be making my TV debut tonight at 5:30 p.m. Eastern as part of ESPN2's "The Fantasy Show" and I hope you'll watch, since you're a big reason I'm there.

The Nevin Trade  —  One of the Twins' biggest weaknesses this season has been the complete lack of production they've received from designated hitters.  That spot in the lineup has batted a combined .264/.311/.371, which is good for a .682 OPS that ranks dead last among AL teams.

Tonight's Nationals-Diamondbacks game at RFK Stadium postponed due to rain  —  Tonight's Nationals-Diamondbacks game scheduled to begin at 7:05 p.m. at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C., has been postponed due to rain.  The game will be made up at 1:05 p.m. on Saturday, September 2 …

Pads get Wells for stretch, playoffs  —  'Boomer' due to start Sunday against Reds  —  General Manager Kevin Towers says yesterday's trade for pitcher David Wells will help push the Padres over the top in the National League West and enhance the team's chances of postseason success.

Phillies acquire former sausage-beater from Rangers  —  PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Phillies acquired first baseman Randall Simon from the Texas Rangers for cash on Friday.  —  Simon, suspended for three games in 2003 after hitting one of the Milwaukee Brewers' sausage mascots with his bat …

Etkin: Garner has overcome injuries to show potential  —  All statistics through Wednesday, Aug. 30  —  Jim Johnson gave this compliment to low Single-A Asheville left fielder Cole Garner: "He's got as much power as anybody in the system."  —  That's not just an offhand remark …

Cabrera protecting elbow  —  ST. LOUIS — All-Star third baseman Miguel Cabrera said he expects to return to the lineup today after sitting out Thursday with a bruised left elbow.  —  Manager Joe Girardi left Cabrera's return open until his left elbow is healed.

Rangers chat wrap: Time to see the youngsters  —  Evan Grant: Here's our new promotion: We'll answer questions for the same amount of time that Robinson Tejeda spends on the mound in the first inning of his previous start.  So, today, we'll be here for a very long time.  Be gentle with me.

Eaton's summer just heating up  —  ARLINGTON - From now until season's end, Adam Eaton is auditioning for a spot in a starting rotation, whether it be in Texas or elsewhere for the soon-to-be free agent.  —  But with that said, it's really the beginning of Eaton's season.