Carl Crawford (elbow) shut down  —  GLENDALE, Ariz. — Los Angeles Dodgers left fielder Carl Crawford is experiencing nerve irritation in the area of his surgically repaired left elbow and has been shut down from throwing or hitting for at least a week, jeopardizing his chances of being ready by Opening Day.

Reliever Cassevah elects free agency  —  TEMPE, Ariz. — Reliever Bobby Cassevah elected free agency on Friday.  —  Cassevah, who was out of options, cleared waivers on Thursday and had 72 hours to decide whether to accept an assignment to the Minor Leagues.

Napoli Has RBI Single in Red Sox Debut vs Pirates  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Mike Napoli was tested immediately at first base in his spring training debut with the Red Sox.  —  Darren Ford bunted the first pitch of the game, but Napoli fielded the ball and won a race to the bag …

Root Sports announces 2013 Rockies telecast schedule  —  Network to televise 150 games; debut new show “Rockies: Real Time”  —  ROOT SPORTS™ announced today its 2013 Colorado Rockies telecast schedule.  The network will air 150 Rockies regular season games, in addition to six spring training games.

Mark Prior in camp with the Reds  —  GOODYEAR, Ariz. — The minor leaguers reported to camp today.  Among them was Mark Prior.  —  Yes, that Mark Prior.  —  Prior, a 32-year-old right-hander, has not pitched in the majors since 2006 because of shoulder problems.  He's made several comeback attempts since.

Halladay showing promising signs of return to form  —  Ace stays focused during Phillies' big innings, getting feel for sinkers, cutters  —  TAMPA, Fla. — It might not yet be the time to proclaim that Roy Halladay is back to normal — to say that he's a completely different pitcher …

Tigers starting to see risks of Bruce Rondon as closer  —  Lakeland, Fla. — Yes, it was daring of the normally buttoned-down Dave Dombrowski to be so bold.  He expected a 22-year-old kid minus a lick of big-league experience to dash from the Tigers bullpen and become his team's closer in 2013.

David Wright continues to be seen as NY Mets clubhouse leader as he prepares to join Team USA for World Baseball Classic  —  After three at-bats against the Detroit Tigers on Friday, the third baseman changed out of his Mets uniform.  The next time he steps on a field, he will be in Arizona, wearing a Team USA jersey.

Consider the facts  —  Let's make a trade, me and you.  —  I'm gonna trade you “Player 1.”  Player 1 is an on-base machine, top 10 in baseball in walk percentage and the leader at his position in pitches per plate appearance.  He improved his home run and runs totals, as well as his slugging percentage …

Here's why you should care about WBC  —  Here is a message for all those players, managers and GMs who view the World Baseball Classic as a nuisance:  —  Get over yourselves, and think about your sport.  —  Yes, the WBC is an inconvenience, a disruption to spring training …