Baseball 1 stop

The Rangers placed veteran right-hander Derek Lowe on unconditional release waivers and signed infielder Mark Teahen to a Minor League contract Thursday.

This isn't the old Perez, the southpaw who caved to the pressure of pitching in New York on a $36 million contract. This is the older Perez, a father, a reinvented reliever and a man so relaxed that he can enjoy life's small treasures,

Manager Ron Roenicke knows his starting pitchers, to a man, are struggling. With more than a quarter of the season in the books, Brewers starters are 11-19 with a 5.28 ERA in 45 games, worst in the NL and one of only four clubs in the Majors with a starters' ERA above 5.00.

Jerry Reinsdorf has said one of the biggest highlights of his 33-year career as owner of the White Sox came when Paul Konerko handed him the baseball from the final out of the 2005 World Series-clinching Game 4.

The Mariners will option starting catcher Jesus Montero to Triple-A Tacoma on Thursday and promote fellow catcher Jesus Sucre from Tacoma, according to a report.

Rangers outfielder Leonys Martin has played baseball almost all his life, but he's dealing with the higher expectations after making a big league Opening Day roster for the first time.

"Million Dollar Arm" is the next big baseball movie, it and began shooting this month in Mumbai, India. Slated to be released next spring, the Disney film is the story of how an entrepreneurial American sports-marketing agent created a reality show five years ago in India that produced the first two Indian pitchers.

The need for a third catcher rarely arises, and most guys put little to no thought into it.

Any team with a pitcher like David Price is going to feel the loss. But unlike most clubs, the Rays are able to withstand the loss based on the long line of arms that runs through the organization like one continuous thread.

As Interleague Play weaves its way through MLB's everyday existence for the first time, another twist is in the offing for what already has been a unique scheduling experience. Come Monday, teams designated as prime Interleague rivals will square off for a home-and-home week, consisting of consecutive two-game series.