Facing Yanks, Hellickson doesn't blink  —  Rays prospect escapes jam with strikeouts of Jeter, Teixeira  —  TAMPA, Fla. — Jeremy Hellickson got his feet wet on Friday, and while doing so, he managed to confirm in four outs why he is one of the top pitching prospects in baseball.

Reyes to be tested for thyroid imbalance  —  Mets shortstop will be sidelined until results are known  —  PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — The spring debut of Jose Reyes has been postponed again, pushed back until at least Tuesday.  And the reason given this time is specific and sounds a tad ominous.

APNewsBreak: Deal reached for Yankee Stadium fight  —  NEW YORK — Boxing is making its long-awaited return to Yankee Stadium, where icons like Muhammad Ali and Joe Louis once plied their trade.  —  WBA junior middleweight champion Yuri Foreman will defend his title against former welterweight …

Marcum starting for first time since '08  —  Healthy after elbow surgery, hurler faces Yanks on MLB.TV  —  DUNEDIN, Fla. — One of the ways Roy Halladay earned the reputation of being one of baseball's true aces is by dismantling the powerful lineups in the American League East.

Traffic forces Jimenez to miss start  —  Rockies starter delayed by major accident in Phoenix  —  SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Rockies pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez was caught in a large traffic jam, the result of a major accident, and did not make his scheduled start against the Angels at Tempe Diablo Stadium on Friday afternoon.

Lincoln's first outing diverts from his plan  —  Fifth-starter candidate gives up seven hits over 1 1/3 frames  —  GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Six up, six down.  At least that's how Reds fifth starter contender Mike Lincoln had planned out his exhibition game debut.  —  “I had the whole outing in my head last night,” Lincoln said.

Edmonds begins comeback bid  —  Former All-Star says he feels healthy for first time in a while  —  PHOENIX — Ben Sheets wasn't the only former All-Star who returned Friday after a year off.  —  Jim Edmonds manned right field for the Brewers in his first big league game since the 2008 playoffs …

Sources: Peppers, Taylor signings imminent  —  The Bears signing of free-agent defensive end Julius Peppers is imminent, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.  —  A separate source has told Sean Jensen of the Sun-Times that former Vikings running back Chester Taylor will also sign with the Bears today.

Morneau pushes Twins past BoSox  —  Canadian slugger makes debut, hammers two-run double in Minnesota 5-3 win over Boston  —  Justin Morneau and Tim Wakefield each made encouraging returns to the field after a long offseason dealing with back injuries.  —  Morneau marked his return …

Nick Markakis' 2009 Drop In Walks (Part Five)  —  In part one of these posts, I took a look at what effects walk rate.  Part two was Nick's general swing rates and splits.  Part three was some more detail of swing rates on the fastball in particular.  In part four, we looked at how things went in three-ball counts.

Note: Jenrry Mejia is Impressive  —  Jenrry Mejia just finished throwing two perfect innings.  —  He tossed 19 pitches, 17 for strikes.  —  What's more, hitters were swinging a foot or so above his fastball, which he repeatedly put on the edges of the strikezone.

Jimenez stuck in traffic, may not pitch; Giants rock Francis  —  SCOTTSDALE — The fatality on Interstate 10 snarled traffic, and left Ubaldo Jimenez unable to make his scheduled start today in Tempe against the Angels.  Driving his own vehicle, the right-hander got stuck in the jam that extended for nearly 10 miles.