In lieu of their game tonight, here's a look at items on the Yankees and Red Sox..
- With the Cubs in rebuilding mode, Marlon Byrd expected to be traded but was surprised by the timing, writes Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe.
- Former Red Sox pitching prospect Michael Bowden might be able to find his groove with the Cubs, writes Brian MacPherson of The Providence Journal. Bowden was sent to Chicago as part of the Byrd deal and should finally be given the chance to pitch consistently at the major league level.
- Veteran Bill Hall told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that teams assume that he will not play in Triple A because he elected free agency after failing to make the Yankees’ Opening Day roster. In actuality, the utility man says that he opted out because of Scranton/Wilkes-Barre's strange schedule in 2012. Because of ballpark renovations, they will be playing "home" games in six different cities this season. The 32-year-old says that he's willing to play in the minors and get started right away.
- Buster Olney of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req'd) writes that manager Bobby Valentine is not to blame for the Red Sox's poor start. Olney expects the club to comb the trade market early and wouldn't be surprised to see pitcher Aaron Cook called up to the varsity squad prior to his opt-out date.
- Meanwhile, Valentine is rather critical of his own performance, writes Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe.
- Andy Pettitte's comeback quickly went from an interesting story to a necessity for the Yankees, opines Mike Bauman of MLB.com.
