Sources: Beckett, Bailey to see specialist  —  The Boston Red Sox continue to say that right-hander Josh Beckett will be fine.  But the pitcher on Tuesday will join teammate Andrew Bailey in Cleveland to see Dr. Robert Graham, a hand specialist at the Cleveland Clinic, according to major-league sources.

Reds Claim Alfredo Simon  —  The Reds have claimed Alfredo Simon off of waivers from the Orioles, Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun tweets.  The Orioles had placed the 30-year-old right-hander on waivers over the weekend.  —  Simon posted a 4.90 ERA with 6.5 K/9, 3.1 BB/9 and a 43% ground ball rate …

Jays Demote Cecil; Call Up Carreno To Start  —  The National Post's John Lott tweeted moments ago that the Toronto Blue Jays have demoted Brett Cecil all the way down to Double A, and have called up Joel Carreno.  Lott believes that Carreno will start the third game of the season in Cleveland …

When are game seven wins inevitable?  —  Someone interrupted my presentation at the SABR Analytic Conference to tell me that he literally “knew” that the Cardinals were going to win the seventh game of the World Series last year after they broke Texas' heart in Game Six.

Rockies' Jason Giambi finds tranquil path on baseball's rocky road  —  SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Serenity is not a word one usually associates with Jason Giambi.  —  Back in the day, Giambi trained hard, played hard and partied hard.  He was a self-described “adrenaline junkie” …

Marquis rejoins Twins after daughter's accident  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. — Right-hander Jason Marquis has returned to the Minnesota Twins after a two-week leave to tend to his seriously injured young daughter.  —  Marquis threw a simulated game for the Twins on Tuesday, still wearing a hospital wristband.

Another woe: Farnsworth has elbow soreness  —  UPDATE, 3:36: Though nothing official from the Rays, players in the clubhouse said they have heard Farnsworth will be on the DL to open the season.  Both Fernando Rodney and Joel Peralta said they are ready and willing if asked to take over closing duties.

Tigers place Inge on 15-day DL with groin strain  —  LAKELAND, Fla. — After all the speculation this spring about Brandon Inge's future with the Tigers, the longest-tenured Tiger will open the season on the disabled list.  The Tigers placed Inge on the 15-day disabled list with a left groin strain on Tuesday.

Maddon not afraid to use slugger in No. 2 spot  —  Either Scott or Pena likely to hit second in Rays' batting order  —  PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — Joe Maddon has never been one to adhere to conventional wisdom for the sake of adhering to conventional wisdom, which leads to the topic of the Rays' No. 2 spot in the batting order.

MRI on Frank Francisco's knee is negative  —  The MRI performed on Frank Francisco's knee did not show any damage, SNY's Ron Darling said during today's broadcast.  —  11:35 am: Frank Francisco threw a bullpen session this morning, according to SNY's Matt Dunn.  —  Francisco received a cortisone shot in his knee two days ago.

Joey Votto's Massive Extension Changes the Game  —  Well, I think we've just seen the first piece of fallout from the stunning $2.15 billion purchase of the Dodgers on Wednesday.  With money flowing into MLB at a breakneck pace, the Cincinnati Reds decided to make star first baseman Joey Votto an offer he couldn't refuse.

Miss America to throw out ceremonial first pitch  —  GLENDALE, Ariz. — The reigning Miss America will throw a ceremonial first pitch before the Brewers' Opening Day game, part of festivities announced by the club on Monday.  —  Milwaukee's season opener is Friday against the Cardinals at Miller Park.