Top News:
Carroll Rogers / Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Braves shuffle lineup, rock Rockies — Apparently, all the Braves needed was a good shuffling. — Manager Bobby Cox shook up the Braves lineup Tuesday, looking to drum up some offense after the Braves scored one run total in back-to-back losses. They responded with 13 hits in an 8-1 win over the Rockies.
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Hardball Times
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Thomas Harding / MLB.com:
Rox throw clubhouse party for Helton — Veteran slugger gets champagne, hunting rifle for 2,000th hit — ATLANTA — Todd Helton took the advice of his 6-year-old daughter and let loose some smiles after Tuesday night's game. — It was impossible not to express some joy.
Thomas Harding / MLB.com:
Helton records 2,000th hit with Rockies — Colorado slugger singles in third inning against Braves — ATLANTA — Rockies first baseman Todd Helton left no doubt about his official 2,000th hit Tuesday night. — In the third inning of the Rockies' 8-1 loss to the Braves at Turner Field …
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BBTF's Baseball Primer …
Associated Press:
Finally, Helton raps 2,000th hit in Rockies' defeat … ATLANTA (AP) — Todd Helton's 2,000th hit was indisputable. — Helton lined a clean single to left-center field for the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday, reaching the milestone one night after being denied on a contested ruling by the official scorer.
Adam Kilgore / Boston Globe:
Wakefield, Sox draw first blood — Division leaders are held in check — The Red Sox have searched for solutions to each primary problem that surfaced during the early portion of their season: the rise of the Blue Jays; an abundance of errors from their shortstops; and, most pressing, the decline of David Ortiz.
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Associated Press:
Papi returns to lineup … BOSTON (AP) — David Ortiz is back in the Red Sox lineup. — The Red Sox slugger was the designated hitter, batting third for Tuesday night's game against the Toronto Blue Jays after taking the weekend off to clear his head and try to snap out of his slump.
Jason Beck / MLB.com:
D-Train won't be denied in second start — Lefty allows just one hit, retires 17 in a row at one point — DETROIT — Flash back to the sight of Dontrelle Willis at his Spring Training locker in March, trying to answer questions regarding an anxiety disorder that he knew little about …
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Stan Grossfeld / Boston Globe:
Save opportunity — Foulke looks to revive his big league career — Former Red Sox closer Keith Foulke is toiling for the Newark Bears, and as you may imagine, some things about playing in the Atlantic League don't sit well with him. (Stan Grossfeld/Globe Staff Photos)
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MLB Rumors
Yankees Blog:
Wang feels good after 50 pitches — Chien-Ming Wang threw 50 pitches in a bullpen session at the Stadium before the Yankees faced the Orioles and said he received a thumbs up from pitching coach Dave Eiland for the manner in which his sinker was biting. — “I feel good — everything is down,” Wang said.
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Sliding Into Home
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Joe Christensen / Minneapolis Star Tribune:
Another early-inning debacle allows White Sox to stop Twins — Scott Baker's 44-pitch second inning sent the team to a fifth loss in a row. — CHICAGO - Pitching coach Rick Anderson looked like he was speaking for Twins fans everywhere Tuesday night, when the camera showed him berating Scott Baker …
Associated Press:
Hamels stays unbeaten vs. Reds as Phillies win fifth in a row — CINCINNATI (AP) — Philadelphia's Ryan Howard hit a solo homer, and left-hander Cole Hamels stayed unbeaten against the Cincinnati Reds with a 4-3 victory Tuesday night, the Phillies' fifth in a row.
Discussion:
The Good Phight
Rustin Dodd / MLB.com:
Sizemore makes rare start in two-hole — Wedge trying to alleviate pressure on Indians star — KANSAS CITY — Grady Sizemore is slumping, and Indians manager Eric Wedge has noticed that Sizemore's struggles are taking a toll on his franchise cornerstone center fielder.
Mike DiGiovanna / Angels Unplugged:
Dustin Moseley shut down because of arm/neck problems — SEATTLE — Pitcher Dustin Moseley, on the disabled list since April 18 because of tightness in his right forearm, has returned to Southern California to undergo medical tests on his arm and neck. — The right-hander …
Thunderbaseball / Mike Ashmore's Thunder Thoughts:
Game 35: Pre-Game Notes (Garcia Starting Tomorrow, Hovis To Tampa) — RYAN POPE: “I don't know, I just do what they tell me. I wish I could tell you, but I have no idea what the heck is going on. The arm's fine, I'm healthy as can be.” — “Nothing changes during the week, you still prepare like you're going to pitch.
Associated Press:
Phils move struggling Park to 'pen; Happ to start … CINCINNATI (AP) — The Philadelphia Phillies are moving Chan Ho Park to their bullpen in an attempt to shake up their struggling rotation. — Park is 1-1 with a 7.08 ERA in seven starts and one relief appearance this season.
Discussion:
Fox Sports
Jerry Crasnick / ESPN.com:
Noah Lowry's agent: San Francisco Giants misdiagnosed arm injury — As San Francisco Giants pitcher Noah Lowry prepared to undergo surgery for a circulatory problem Tuesday, his agent charged the team's medical staff with misdiagnosing a forearm injury 14 months ago, subjecting Lowry …
Randy Cohen / The Moral of the Story:
Is Manny Ramirez Really All That Bad? — For baseball fans dismayed by players who use steroids, human growth hormone and other banned substances, Manny Ramirez is this season's designated pariah, while Roger Clemens has locked up that spot for the old-timers game by being linked …
New York Post:
A-ROD BATTERS UP WITH KATE HUDSON — YANKEES slugger Alex Rodriguez seems to have traded in a vintage Madonna for a late-model Kate Hudson. — The blond, Los Angeles-born actress — who met A-Rod at the reopening of the Fontainebleau hotel in Miami Beach last November …
MLB:
Eric Chavez of Oakland Athletics has herniated disk; next back injury could end career — Eric Chavez has a herniated disk in his back and the next time the Oakland Athletics third baseman throws it out, his career is likely over, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
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Yahoo! Sports
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