Top News:
Derrick Goold / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Ailing Birds are on the mend — NEW YORK — A parade of regulars returning from the disabled list on this trip is expected to culminate with the Cardinals sending ace Chris Carpenter on a rehab assignment as early as this weekend. — Carpenter, recovering from elbow surgery …
RELATED:
Ben Walker / Associated Press:
Green's HR in 11th lifts Mets by Cards — NEW YORK (AP) — Shawn Green and the New York Mets were more than glad to see the end of Mike Maroth. — Bamboozled by Maroth's slow stuff, Green hit a leadoff home run in the 11th inning against Russ Springer to beat St. Louis 2-1 Monday night …
Ben Shpigel / New York Times:
One Swing Is Difference vs. Cardinals Again — The teams were the same. So was the site. The Mets' pitcher of record was the same, and the game was again decided by a home run. — Only this time, it was the Mets who were whooping it up at home plate while the St. Louis Cardinals retreated …
Associated Press:
Mariners tee off on Red Sox pitching, sail to easy win — CBS SportsLine.com wire reports — SEATTLE — Finally, Jeff Weaver has something to shout about. — Seattle's early season flop continued his flip back toward respectability by holding the potent Boston Red Sox to one earned run …
Discussion:
Surviving Grady
RELATED:
David Andriesen / Seattle Post-Intelligencer:
Mariners game at a glance — THE SCENE: It was 65 degrees for first pitch but didn't feel like it as a breeze kept things chilly at Safeco Field, with a crowd of 33,830 on hand. — STAR OF THE GAME: Seattle 3B Adrian Beltre went 2-for-3 with a homer, a double, a walk and two runs scored.
Ben Bolch / Los Angeles Times:
Penny plays the ace card — He is the first 10-game winner in the National League as Dodgers rout the Diamondbacks, 8-1. Garciaparra to move from first to third. — PHOENIX — This was like driving the station wagon to work so that the sports car would stay spotless for the big date.
RELATED:
Associated Press:
On the move: Dodgers to put Nomar at third — PHOENIX (AP) — Nomar Garciaparra is moving across the diamond. — After spending the past season and a half as the Los Angeles Dodgers' first baseman, Garciaparra will move to third base, perhaps as early as Friday.
Discussion:
Thunder Matt's Saloon
Paul Sullivan / Chicago Tribune:
Cubs win in wild ninth — Alfonso Soriano earned a $136 million contract last winter because of his ability to hit a baseball. — Wrigley Field security guard Anton Migursky earns considerably less than that for ensuring a safe atmosphere at the Friendly Confines.
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MLB.com:
Lo Duca suspended — Catcher Paul Lo Duca of the New York Mets has been suspended for two games and fined an undisclosed amount for his inappropriate actions during the bottom of the sixth inning of his Club's game against the Oakland Athletics on Saturday, June 23rd at Shea Stadium.
Discussion:
Lone Star Mets
RELATED:
ESPN:
Lo Duca suspended after tossing equipment — NEW YORK — Mets catcher Paul Lo Duca was suspended two games and fined after he tossed every piece of equipment he could find onto the field after being ejected Saturday night. — Lo Duca appealed the penalty and cannot be disciplined until after a hearing is held.
Barry Svrluga / Washington Post:
Guzman's Injury Likely Ends Season — When Washington Nationals shortstop Cristian Guzman smacked a tag on the helmet of Cleveland's Josh Barfield in the fifth inning of a game Sunday, none of the 26,413 at RFK Stadium could have known that it was among the last plays Guzman would make this season.
RELATED:
Charles Odum / Associated Press:Nats SS Guzman to miss rest of season
Discussion:
BBTF's Baseball Primer …
Maury Brown / The Biz of Baseball:
Gyro to the Beat: Matsuzaka to Release Music CD — Gyroating into a record store near you, Japanese pitching sensation Daisuke Matsuzaka.EMI Music Marketing announced today the upcoming album Music From The Mound from Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka. EMI will distribute the album …
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Steve Silva / Boston Globe:Music from the Mound — More on Dice-K's CD courtesy of the Red Sox media department:
Discussion:
SOX & Dawgs
Sports Illustrated:
Jon Heyman: White Sox fire sale imminent — Also in this column: — The White Sox are heading south, and we don't mean just 35th Street and the Dan Ryan Expressway, on the South Side of Chicago. But much farther south, so far down in the standings that the team-wide selloff appears at hand.
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Adam McCalvy / MLB.com:
Notes: Gallardo may head to 'pen — Rookie may be odd man out when Capuano returns — MILWAUKEE — With left-hander Chris Capuano about a week away from returning from a stint on the disabled list, it appears the Brewers are leaning toward shifting 21-year-old Yovani Gallardo to the bullpen after his next start.
Richard Sandomir / New York Times:
Companies Not Chasing Bonds's Home Run Chase — You might have noticed that corporate America has taken a pass on Barry Bonds, that major companies have exhibited little interest in linking their brands to the near-certainty of Bonds hitting his 756th home run this year.
Adam McCalvy / MLB.com:
Fielder holds All-Star vote lead — Slugger could be club's first All-Star starter since 1999 — MILWAUKEE — With some help from his friends, it was another very good week at the All-Star polls for Brewers star Prince Fielder. — For the second straight week, Fielder was at the top …
Discussion:
Brewers Bar
Matt Smith / MLB.com:
Guillen named AL Player of the Week — Tigers shortstop bats .476 over week ending June 24 — After going 10-for-21, good for a .476 batting average over the last week, Detroit Tigers shortstop Carlos Guillen was named the Bank of America Presents American League Player of the Week.
