Top News:
Howard Kussoy / MLB.com:
Beckett, Tavarez start in doubleheader — Boston (78-68) at New York (89-56), 1:20 p.m. and 8:05 p.m. ET — The five-game sweep the Red Sox suffered at the hands of their biggest rivals in their own ballpark last month will likely be the defining moment of their season.
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Gordon Edes / Boston Globe:
Starting could relieve Papelbon — NEW YORK — With just more than two weeks left in the regular season, the Red Sox have essentially made their first big decision of the offseason. — Jonathan Papelbon, whose dominance as a closer this season evoked memories of Dick Radatz …
Jeff Horrigan / Boston Herald:
Papelbon gets new start: Shuts down, eyes a spot in rotation — NEW YORK - Jonathan Papelbon said his days as the Red Sox' closer most likely are over, and that he anticipates returning next season as a member of the rotation. — The rookie, who suffered a subluxation - or slippage within the joint …
David Heuschkel / Hartford Courant:
Spoken Like A True Starter — Papelbon Says Plan Is To Join '07 Rotation — NEW YORK — Sometime between now and Opening Day, the Red Sox will get around to announcing what Jonathan Papelbon's role will be next season. — But there's no need to wonder whether he will be counted on to get 21 outs or three.
Dave van Dyck / Chicago Tribune:
Cubs blanked, Zambrano to return — Back pain benches rookie Mateo after 3rd; vet Zambrano returning to rotation — One Cubs pitcher had to back out of a no-hitter Friday and another one most likely will be back Sunday. — As if you couldn't guess, the key word here is "back," …
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Dave van Dyck / Chicago Tribune:
Baker not saying if Howry has replaced Dempster — Because of the Cubs' lopsided loss to the Reds, manager Dusty Baker was spared Friday of making a decision on a closer and insisted again it was a "non-story," even though the day before he used Bob Howry to close out the Dodgers in the ninth instead of Ryan Dempster.
Discussion:
GROTA
Lindsey Frazier / MLB.com:
Webb dominant in win over Rockies — Fans pay tribute to Gonzalez with standing ovations — PHOENIX — Brandon Webb was all smiles on Friday night. — And why shouldn't he be? — The Arizona ace was masterful once again as he turned in his second straight complete game …
Discussion:
AZ Snakepit
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Bob McManaman / Arizona Republic:A young D-Backs infield similar to Dodgers past
Discussion:
MLB.com
Joe Cowley / Chicago Sun Times:
Ozzie likes Mackowiak in center — OAKLAND, Calif. —Rob Mackowiak started in center field for the third time in the last four games on Friday night, as Guillen obviously has shown which player he is most confident with in crunch time. And it isn't Brian Anderson.
Discussion:
The Bard's Room
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Tony Kuttner / MLB.com:
Notes: Low profile could hurt Dye — White Sox say underrated outfielder should be AL MVP — OAKLAND — Jermaine Dye already has a World Series MVP Award and now has regular-season MVP numbers. But that doesn't necessarily mean he'll be adding another piece of hardware to his collection.
John Eisenberg / Baltimore Sun:
Gastall's secret, fatal flight … His last words came over the control tower radio at Dundalk's Harbor Field on Sept. 20, 1956: "75-Hotel. I'm going into the water." — The voice belonged to Tom Gastall, a 24-year-old reserve catcher for the Orioles. Married with a young son …
Amanda Branam / MLB.com:
Notes: Short memory a must for LA — Dodgers undaunted by 3-11 season mark against Padres — LOS ANGELES — Baseball is a game in which you have to have many things, one of the most important of those being a short memory. — Coming into a four-game set with the Padres, the Dodgers will need to put that short memory to good use.
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Shaun Assael / ESPN:
Conte indicates that Bonds knew about steroids … BALCO founder Victor Conte allegedly bragged to an associate that Barry Bonds had intimate knowledge of the designer steroids he received from the Bay Area company, and that the Giants slugger took an active interest in what those substances contained …
Lisa Olson / Charlotte Observer:
As Mets' champagne chills, it's only matter of time for the big clinch — PITTSBURGH - A few of the players brought goggles to the park, to protect their eyes from sprays of champagne. Plastic was nearby, to save their clothing from stains. Pedro Martinez had his towel, the handiest of all props …
Discussion:
Hot Foot
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
Pirates Notebook: Perez rediscovers his heat — By Dejan Kovacevic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette — To glance at Oliver Perez's statistics before and after the Pirates traded him to New York, there is not much separation. He was 2-10 with a 6.63 ERA beforehand and is 1-1 with a 6.55 ERA in four starts with the Mets.
Discussion:
Bucs Dugout
Joe Strauss / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Izzy case isn't closed — A degenerative hip condition afflicting Cardinals closer Jason Isringhausen is not believed to be career-ending but will require surgery in upcoming weeks, several people familiar with the case confirmed Thursday. — "It's a fact that what he has can't be addressed without …
