Top News:
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 …
Discussion:
MLB Trade Rumors
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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.
Associated Press:
Padres-Dodgers Preview — One night after the Los Angeles Dodgers used a four-time Cy Young Award winner to stay atop the NL West, they will turn to a rookie to try and increase that lead. — The Dodgers will send Chad Billingsley to the mound when they continue a four-game series against San Diego Padres on Saturday.
Discussion:
Ducksnorts
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Lyle Spencer / MLB.com:
Williams hopes to help Padres rebound — San Diego (76-70) at Los Angeles (78-69), 7:10 p.m. PT — There's something about pitching against the Dodgers that has brought out the best in Woody Williams. The Padres are hoping that trend continues when the veteran right-hander faces young Chad Billingsley …
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.
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
Associated Press:
Gonzo set to move on, would like to 'haunt' D-Backs — PHOENIX — Undisputedly the most popular player in the nine-year history of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Luis Gonzalez is saying goodbye. — One day after being told by the team's front office that he would not be back next season …
Discussion:
Orange and Black Baseball
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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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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 …
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 …
Discussion:
Baseball Musings
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
