Top News:
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 …
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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 …
Barry Svrluga / Washington Post:
Bergmann Returns, But Nats Fall Short — By this point, the Washington Nationals need some sort of spreadsheet to keep track of their players. Perhaps a daily roll call instituted by Manager Manny Acta. "Bergmann!" Acta could yell in the clubhouse. "Here!" the right-hander would reply — for now.
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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.
Charles Odum / Associated Press:Nats SS Guzman to miss rest of season
Discussion:
BBTF's Baseball Primer …
Bob Raissman / NY Daily News:
Mets voices whiff on Paul's tantrum — Paul Lo Duca, the Mets' All-Star poster child, acted like a spoiled one Saturday night in the sixth inning (A's-Mets, Ch. 11), snapping on home plate umpire Marvin Hudson over a called strike. Gary Cohen and Ron Darling quickly took Lo Duca to task.
Discussion:
New York Post
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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 …
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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.
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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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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
Dejan Kovacevic / Associated Press:
Kuwata's sushi-ball has the raw material — Pirates' Japanese legend leans on ultra-slow pitch for early success — Pitcher Masumi Kuwata gets high fives from teammates in the dugout after leaving in the seventh inning against the Angels Sunday in Anaheim, Calif.
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
T.R. Sullivan / MLB.com:
Notes: Eyre to make first big-league start — Right-hander is 2-3 with a 3.00 ERA in 19 relief appearances — DETROIT — The Rangers are planning to bring reliever Willie Eyre out of the bullpen and start him on Tuesday night against the Detroit Tigers. — Eyre is replacing Vicente Padilla …
Discussion:
Baseball Time in Arlington
CBS SportsLine.com:
Chicago vs. Colorado — GameCenter · Full Play-by-Play · Box Score · Recap · Game Chart · Photos · Live Commentary (Glog) — ROCKIES 1ST — Jason Marquis pitching: — Strike looking, Strike looking, Ball, Taveras struck out swinging.
Discussion:
The Cub Reporter
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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