Commentary: For Griffey, Mariners, end is near  —  If life were as simple as fiction, the book on Ken Griffey Jr. and the Seattle Mariners would have closed late last summer, with him being carried around Safeco Field on the shoulders of his teammates.  Junior wanted one more year, the Mariners thought it might work and gave it to him.

Beckett's next start delayed  —  He has spasms in his back after BP  —  Manager Terry Francona announced Josh Beckett would be pushed back from tomorrow's scheduled start to Friday to give him a chance to throw a second side session, and to give Tim Wakefield a start.

Elbow stiffness keeps Lidge out of ninth  —  Phils go with Contreras in final frame of Monday's victory  —  DENVER — Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said before Monday night's 9-5 victory over the Rockies that he was ready to turn Brad Lidge loose.  —  He then said after the game he wanted to stay away from him.

Modern pitchers taken to task by legend Jenkins  —  MERRILLVILLE — During his keynote speech at Monday's Meet the RailCats luncheon at the Radisson Hotel, Hall of Famer Fergie Jenkins lamented the lack of assertiveness on the part of modern pitchers.  —  “In my era, we knocked people on their butt …

Angels regroup to top Rays in 11th  —  Rivera's walk-off sac fly overshadows Fuentes' hiccup  —  ANAHEIM — Angels manager Mike Scioscia knows there's no such thing as an easy win.  —  It certainly wasn't the case on Monday at Angel Stadium, when the Angels blew a four-run lead for the second …

Nova called up from Scranton/WB  —  Ivan Nova has been called up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to give the Yankees a long reliever for at least one night.  The Yankees need a long man because Sergio Mitre will be limited to 65-75 pitches when he makes a spot start tonight.

Moore believes Royals will step it up  —  GM doesn't have any moves on tap for slumping squad  —  KANSAS CITY — What's next for the slumping, shell-shocked Royals?  Apparently no personnel changes before they open a home series against the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday night.

Prospectus Q and A: Denard Span by David Laurila  —  Denard Span … David Laurila: Who are you out on the field?  —  Denard Span: Who am I on the field?  I'm definitely a confident ballplayer, a hard-working ballplayer.  It took a lot of hard work for me to get here …

Jurrjens aggravates left hamstring  —  Braves righty likely won't be activated from DL on Saturday  —  MILWAUKEE — Right-hander Jair Jurrjens suffered a setback on Monday that will likely keep him out beyond Saturday, when he becomes eligible to be activated from the disabled list.

MLB teams take scouting to new level, track umps  —  Ron Washington flips the pages of his three-ring notebook, filled with inside info on the other team's pitchers and hitters.  —  The Texas manager gets to the back of the black binder, reaches into the pocket and pulls out another scouting report—on that night's home plate umpire.

Vazquez Shopped, Millwood and Mets, Johnson's Durability  —  On Monday afternoon I spoke with my main Yankees source down in Tampa, who informed me that the team has already received inquiries from several NL teams in regards to the availability of Javy Vazquez.

Ross swipes home, momentum from Cubs  —  Double steal in seventh inning provides insurance run  —  CHICAGO — One way to grab some attention is to swipe home.  —  Cody Ross did just that.  He saw the opening, and delivered a momentum-changing play that underlined the Marlins' 4-2 comeback victory …