Padres Press Clips Wednesday, June 5, 2013

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Puig’s two homers beat Padres U-T San Diego Center 2

Maybin’s homer wins it for Tucson U-T San Diego Maffei 4

On Deck: Padres face Kershaw in L.A. U-T San Diego Center 6

Who would replace Cabrera, Grandal? U-T San Diego Center 7

Losing Cabrera, Grandal would devestate U-T San Diego Lin 9

ESPN: MLB going after Grandal, Cabrera U-T San Diego Jenkins 11

Bad for Cabrera, worse for Grandal, worst for baseball U-T San Diego Calkins 12

Padres hit three homers, but rookie Puig hits back MLB.com Brock 14

MLB eyes penalties for players linked to clinic MLB.com Hagen 16

Marquis draws Kershaw – and Puig, too MLB.com Cassavell 19

Padres, Stauffer enjoying ’s versatility MLB.com Brock 21

Yonder out of starting lineup fourth straight game MLB.com Brock 22

Padres players named in MLB investigation report NBC San Diego Cubbison 23

MLB seeks to suspend A-Rod, Braun ESPN Quinn & Gomez 24

Latest twist in Biogenesis case is bad news for A-Rod, Braun, others Sports Illustrated Verducci 27

MLB’s reported deal with Biogenesis director raises many questions Sports Illustrated McCann 28

Will Bosch’s word be enough? Fox Sports Rosenthal 31

MLB players could soon see flip side to Biogenesis scandal Yahoo! Brown 33

As MLB reportedly seeks Biogenesis suspensions, Yahoo! Passan 35 scandal looms larger than BALCO

1 Puig’s two homers beat Padres

By Bill Center, U-T San Diego

LOS ANGELES — Dodgers rookie sensation Yasiel Puig beat the Padres with his arm Monday night.

Tuesday night he did it with his bat.

In his second major league game, the 22-year-old, “five-tool” Cuban refugee rocketed two home runs to defeat the Padres at the end of a very eventful day.

Just before the game, Padres and were reported as targets of a probe into performance-enhancing drugs that could result in suspensions for approximately 20 players, including the two Padres plus superstars and .

And Carlos Quentin made his first appearance against the Dodgers since the April 11 incident with pitcher Zack Greinke at Petco Park that resulted in the Dodgers ace suffering a broken collarbone and Quentin getting an eight-game suspension.

Quentin was loudly booed throughout the game by the 37,544 at Dodger Stadium, although there was no retaliation. Quentin homered in the seventh.

That was not enough, however, to prevent the Dodgers from defeating the Padres 9-7 behind a trio of homers – bringing the total allowed by Padres this season top 73. Seven of the Dodgers runs scored on homers.

The win enabled the Dodgers to pull to within a half-game of the fourth-place Padres in the West entering Wednesday night’s finale of the three-game series.

Puig tied the game at 5-5 with a 439-foot, three-run shot off struggling Padres starter Clayton Richard in the fifth. An inning later, he drove a line drive the opposite way into the right field stands – the blast giving the Dodgers their final two runs.

The Padres built an early 3-0 lead on home runs by Chris Denorfia and Kyle Blanks.

Denorfia opened the game by drilling Ted Lilly’s second pitch into the left field stands for the sixth game- opening homer of his career and the Padres first since Denorfia connected at Dodger Stadium last Sept. 4. 2 Denorfia is hitting .319 (22-for-69) against left-handed pitchers this season.

Kyle Blanks made it 3-0 with a two-run homer in the second. It was his second homer in 16 at-bats at Dodger Stadium this season.

After Tim Federowicz pulled the Dodgers to within a run with a two-run homer off Richard in the bottom of the second, the Padres extended the lead to 5-2 in the fourth on a throwing error by Puig and a run-scoring single by Richard.

But the rookie sensation made up for the error in the bottom of the fifth with his monster drive to left-center. Richard departed after walking the next hitter, who scored on an Adrian Gonzalez’s double to make it 6-5 Dodgers.

The outing was disappointing for Richard, who got a respite from his season-long troubles last Friday night when he pitched two scoreless innings to pick up his only win in the 17-inning game against Toronto.

The Dodgers had only seven baserunners against Richard. Six scored, including five on the two home runs.

“Tonight he was missing his spots,” Padres manager Bud Black said of Richard. “His velocity was up, that’s fine. His location was not good with his fastball. We need to get him working with more off-speed pitches.”

“I was disappointed that I was falling behind hitters,” said Richard.

Richard has worked 38 2/3 innings this season and allowed 12 homers. Twenty of the 39 runs allowed by Richard have come on homers. Both hitters he walked Tuesday also scored.

Richard’s earned run average climbed to 8.38 with Tuesday’s outing and is 8.02 over 12 1/3 innings in three outings since he returned from the disabled list.

Richard escaped being the pitcher of record when the Padres tied the game in the sixth on a single by Denorfia. But they wasted a great opportunity to take the lead. They had the bases loaded with one out only to have the slumping Chase Headley ground into an inning-ending double play.

Black was ejected for the first time this season for arguing a call at first at the end of the seventh.

3 Maybin’s homer wins it for Tucson

By John Maffei, U-T San Diego

CF Cameron Maybin isn't far away from returning to the big leagues.

Tuesday, in his ninth rehab game with Tucson, Maybin had three hits, including a 10th-inning home run to lead his team to a 5-4 win over Reno.

It was Maybin's third homer in nine games. He's hitting .323 (8-for-31).

SS Logan Forsythe, who is also on a rehab assignment with Tucson, was hitless in the game, but walked three times.

In four games, he's hitting .500 (7-for 14).

Around the farm:

Triple-A Tucson (33-26): T-PADRES 5, Reno 4 (10 innings) - RHP Miles Mikolas (4.00 ERA) pitched a scoreless 10th inning to pick up his 10th save of the season. RHP Brandon Kloess (3.03 ERA) started for the T-Padres and pitched three scoreless innings. He has allowed just one run on eight hits with 16 strikeouts in his last three starts, covering 13 2/3 innings. RHPs Daniel Stange (4.36 ERA), Nick Vincent (3.80 ERA), who struckout the side in his only inning, and Jorge Reyes (4.30 ERA) combined to throw 2 2/3 scoreless innings before Mikolas entered the game. 1B Brandon Allen (.255) led a 16-hit attack, going 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles. 2B Dean Anna (.343), RF Daniel Robertson (.323) and 3B Gregorio Petit (.197) all had two hits.

Double-A San Antonio (31-25): MISSIONS 2, Frisco 1 - RHP Matt Wisler (4.33 ERA) rebounded from a rough start, allowing one run on three hits over six innings. He didn't walk a batter and fanned four. Former major leaguer RHP Josh Geer (2-2, 3.45 ERA) earned the win with a shutout inning. RHP Kevin Quackenbush (0.34 ERA) picked up his 11th save with a scoreless ninth. It took him 26 pitches to get three outs. In 24 appearances this season Quackenbush has allowed just one earned run over 26 2/3 innings with 11 hits, nine walks and 36 strikeouts. CF Rico Noel (.263) had two hits and an RBI. C Rocky Gale (.245) knocked in the other run.

High-A Lake Elsinore (21-37): STORM 7, Visalia 5 - The Storm had struggled all season, but have now won six in a row. CF Travis Jankowsi (.270) had a pair of hits, including a triple. Yeison Asencio (.292) had two

4 hits, including a double, and drove in two. 1B Robert Kral (.291) and DH B.J. Guinn (.181) both had two hits. C Austin Hedges (.253), who missed a month with an injury, had a double and is 4-for-9 in three games since returning to the lineup. LHP Frank Garces (5-4, 4.38 ERA) started the game, allowing two runs over 5 2/3 innings while recording 10 strikeouts. RHP Johnny Barbato (4.25 ERA) pitched a scoreless ninth to earn his eighth save.

Low-A Fort Wayne (33-23): Off Day.

5 On Deck: Padres face Kershaw in L.A.

By Bill Center, U-T San Diego

LOS ANGELES — PADRES at DODGERS

Time: 7:10 p.m. Game 3of 3

TV: Fox Sports San Diego

Radio: 1090-AM, 860-AM (Spanish)

Padres RHP Jason Marquis (6-2, 3.82 ERA)

Marquis, 34, has allowed seven runs on 14 hits and eight walks in 8 2/3 innings since his five-start winning streak ended. He started last Friday night’s, 17-inning, 4-3 win over Toronto, allowing three runs on seven hits and four walks in 5 1/3 innings. He has a career record of 7-4 with a 2.53 ERA in 17 games (16 starts) against the Dodgers. Marquis is 5-3 with a 2.43 ERA at in 10 starts at Dodger Stadium. He is 1-0 against the Dodgers this season with a 2.13 ERA in two starts.

Dodgers LHP Clayton Kershaw (5-3, 1.85 ERA)

Kershaw is 8-4 lifetime against the Padres with a 2.41 ERA in 18 starts. He is 5-3 against the Padres at Dodger Stadium with a 2.63 ERA. He lost his only start this season against the Padres on April 17 at Dodger Stadium. He allowed five runs (three earned) on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings. Three of the hits were homers by Everth Cabrera, Chris Denorfia and Kyle Blanks. Kershaw ranks third in the major leagues in ERA and opponents batting average (.185)

Looking Ahead

Thursday: Padres RHP Andrew Cashner (4-3, 3.65 ERA) at Rockies to-be-determined, 5:40 p.m.

Friday: Padres RHP Edinson Volquez (4-5, 5.35 ERA) at Rockies to-be-determined, 5:40 p.m.

Saturday: Padres LHP Eric Stults (4-5, 3.74 ERA) at Rockies to-be-determined, 4:15 p.m.

Sunday: Padres LHP Clayton Richard at Rockies to-be-determined, 1:10 p.m.

6 Who would replace Cabrera, Grandal?

By Bill Center, U-T San Diego

LOS ANGELES — What would the Padres do were they to lose shortstop Everth Cabrera and catcher Yasmani Grandal to suspensions emanating from Major League Baseball’s investigation into the Biogenesis Clinic in Miami?

Cabrera has started every game at short this season. And Grandal has taken over as the No. 1 catcher.

Infielder Logan Forsythe has made two of his first four rehab starts with Triple-A Tucson at shortstop.

Forsythe, 26, who hit .273 with six homers and 26 RBIs in 91 games for the Padres last season, was ticketed to see action at shortstop this spring until he was sidelined by plantar fasciitis in his right foot early in .

Alexi Amarista can also play short, although the position is one of the weakest in the Padres farm system. Before Forsythe arrived, the Triple-A shortstop job was being split between Gregorio Petit (who is hitting .293) and Dean Anna (.342).

When Grandal completed his 50-game suspension May 28, the Padres optioned John Baker to Triple-A Tucson with Nick Hundley sliding into the reserve slot.

But the starting catcher with the T-Padres is veteran Rene Rivera, who ranks third in the Pacific Coast League with a .352 average with three homers and 25 RBIs in 49 games. Rivera has the option of declaring free agency on June 15 if he’s not with the Padres.

Cabrera, 26, is the only Padre who has started all 58 games. He leads the major leagues with 23 stolen bases and last season led the National League with 44 steals. The switch-hitter has shared the lead-off position with Chris Denorfia and is hitting .276 with four homers and 22 RBIs. He joined the Padres in 2009 as a pick from the organization.

Grandal, 24, was one of four players acquired from Cincinnati -- along with first baseman Yonder Alonso, starting pitcher Edinson Volquez and relief pitcher Brad Boxberger – on Dec. 17, 2011, in the four-for-one trade that sent starting pitcher Mat Latos to the Reds.

7 Promoted to the Padres midway through last season, Grandal hit .297 with eight homers and 36 RBIs in 192 at-bats with the Padres. He is 2-for-21 in five starts since returning from his 50-game suspension on May 28. He tested positive in a random check last September and was officially suspended for the first 50 games of the 2013 season last Nov. 8.

Headley slumping

Chase Headley can’t remember a worse slump than the one he is experiencing right now.

Even though he drove in the Padres only run Monday night with a single, Headley is 9-for-68 (.132) since May 18 with one double, one home run and five RBIs. Monday night’s hit snapped a streak of 18 straight hitless at- bats.

Going back farther, Headley is 14-for-93 (.158) since his 13-game hitting streak ended on May 8.

That slump has dropped his average from .320 to .229.

“It’s been a tough stretch for sure,” said Headley. “It feels like it’s never going to end. I’ve just got to take the mental side out of it and stop worrying about results. It weighs on you. But the best move is to not panic.

“I’ve studied a lot of video. My swings look good. I feel like there’s been a few times where it’s looked like I was pressing. But I can’t say my swing is going badly.”

Notable

--Although he missed a fourth straight start with a right wrist contusion, Yonder Alonso says he is within a day or two of returning to the starting lineup.

8 Losing Cabrera, Grandal would devestate

By Dennis Lin, U-T San Diego

According to an ESPN.com report, Major League Baseball is seeking to suspend about 20 players connected to the now-defunct Biogenesis of America clinic, possibly within the next few weeks.

Per the report, Tony Bosch, founder of the Miami-area clinic that is the focus of an ongoing PED scandal, has agreed to cooperate with MLB's investigation, two sources told ESPN's "Outside the Lines."

That would presumably give the league the needed ammo to suspend Alex Rodriguez and Ryan Braun, among others.

Others, as in a group that includes Everth Cabrera and Yasmani Grandal.

In February Cabrera, along with then-Padres reliever , was linked to Biogenesis. In documents obtained by "Outside the Lines," Cabrera and De Los Santos were detailed as having received performance-enhancing drugs, although the documents alone aren't proof the players received or used PEDs.

One month earlier Grandal, who'd already been suspended 50 games for testing positive was testosterone, was linked to the clinic. So far, Grandal has declined to answer any questions about a potential connection to Biogenesis.

And yet until now, no one expected suspensions anytime soon for any of the Biogenesis-connected players, not without Bosch's cooperation.

Now that that hurdle has been removed, the ramifications for the Padres could be devastating.

Cabrera has arguably been the team's MVP. Entering Wednesday's game against the Dodgers, he was hitting .276 with four home runs, 22 RBIs and an MLB-leading 23 stolen bases. His defense at short has been Gold Glove-worthy.

Grandal, meantime, was expected to give the Padres' catching position a boost since returning from his suspension. He's hitting just .095 (2-for-21), but the Padres have won four of the five games he has started.

According to the ESPN report, a source familiar with the case said the commissioner's office might seek 100- game suspensions for the players named in the Biogenesis documents, the penalty for a second doping 9 offense -- the thinking being that the players' connection to Bosch constitutes one offense, and previous denials of any such connection or the use of PEDs constitute another.

If he is suspended, it is not yet clear whether Grandal, who has already served a 50-game suspension, would face further penalty.

10 ESPN: MLB going after Grandal, Cabrera

By Chris Jenkins, U-T San Diego

Padres shortstop Everth Cabrera and catcher Yasmani Grandal are among 20 players being targeted for possible suspensions by Major League Baseball, according to ESPN. The network is reporting a breakthrough in MLB's investigation into a Miami anti-aging clinic that has allegedly provided performance enhancing drugs to players.

Foremost on the list of 20 players reported to be facing possible suspension are two former Most Valuable Players, Alex Rodriguez of the and Ryan Braun of the .

Their names alone suggest an investigation revealing perhaps the biggest drug scandal in baseball history. This in a professional sport where former superstars who obliterated most of the significant power-hitting records were alleged to have been using performance-enhancing substances in the late 1990's and early 2000's.

That was prior to the institution of MLB-wide testing for steroids and other PED's in major league baseball.

If he is indeed among the players subject to punishment, Grandal could be hit with a 100-game suspension because he recently came off a 50-game suspension for his failed testosterone test late last year. MLB might consider this a second offense.

Cabrera's name was also reportedly linked to paperwork found at Biogenesis of America, the South Florida clinic whose owner reportedly is going to cooperate with an investigation into the involvement by major league players. He would likely receive a 50-game suspension as a first-time offender.

"I haven't heard anything," said Cabrera before Tuesday night's game against the in L.A.. "I haven't seen any report. I don't know anything about this."

11 Bad for Cabrera, worse for Grandal, worst for baseball

By Matt Calkins, U-T San Diego

LOS ANGELES — Gotta be careful here because nothing’s official yet, but come on – did you really ever believe Everth Cabrera?

When the Padres shortstop said that he was “a little surprised” his name popped up in the Biogenesis report last February, did you not say to yourself “yeah, but only because he never thought he’d get caught”?

ESPN reported Tuesday that Major League baseball will seek suspensions for about 20 players connected to the Miami-based clinic at the center of the most recent performing-enhancing-drug scandal, including Cabrera and previously-punished Padre Yasmani Grandal.

Hey, we all love the way Everth steals, but him being a crook would be a lot less charming.

Perhaps Cabrera is innocent and this is all a big misunderstanding, but history rarely favors the accused in these situations. The more likely scenario is that the 26-year-old will be the latest Padre to let down his team and its increasingly anemic fan base.

If you’re part of the Friar faithful, this smarts worse than a brawl-induced broken collarbone. Cabrera’s play has been incredible, Grandal’s power could be invaluable, and now it looks as though each may spend 100 games inactive.

But it hurts even worse for baseball fans in general – because it turns out the earthquake that was the steroid era may have been nothing more than a foreshock.

Get this: If the 20 some-odd suspensions go down, it will mark the largest performance-enhancing drug scandal in American sports history. Years after BALCO stained baseball, and months after Lance Armstrong’s image crumbled, it appears that nearly two dozen athletes chose to cheat when PEDs were as stigmatized as street drugs.

It’s the equivalent of a teen shoplifting on his way home from a Scared Straight lecture, and the not-so-cynical conclusion is this: Baseball never got cleaner, it simply learned how to photo-shop out the dirt.

12 This behavior may be infuriating, but it shouldn’t be shocking. Rules in this game have gotten stiffer, sure, but salaries haven’t gotten smaller.

Befuddled by the choices of the accused – which includes former MVPs Alex Rodriguez and Ryan Braun, both of whom have been linked to PEDs in the past – a member of press row asked why anyone would take that kind of risk in this day and age. But the answer to that question comes with another question – are they really risking as much as you think?

Rodriguez’s reputation may be covered in graffiti, but his bank account is bulging, with the Yankee raking in more than $350 million thus far in his career. Former Giant ’s positive cost him 50 games and a chance to play in the , but it didn’t cost him a lucrative contract with the Blue Jays, who signed him to a two-year, $16 million deal months after the suspension.

Clemens, Bonds, Sosa, McGwire – all corrupt, but all rich. Word is, they’re amending the saying to “cheating and prosperity may not always coincide.”

For the morally sound, a sense of right-and-wrong should be enough to deter one from deceit. But for those willing to do anything for a competitive edge, the risk of suspensions in their current form will not. If baseball ever again wants to emit an image of cleanliness, it will have to figure out a way to attack offenders where it hurts – their wallets.

Maybe it involves clauses where violators will have to give back an exorbitant amount of their salary, even it was earned before they were busted. Or maybe it involves two-year suspensions upon the first offense.

A little harsh? Maybe. But folks said the same about 50 games, and that penalty has been ignored worse than a yield sign.

It’s refreshing to see Major League Baseball take some initiative here. The league is clearly steamed about the PED endemic and cannot be accused of ignoring the problem.

Nevertheless, we’re still a long way from home plate. A dark cloud may hang over the Padres, but it’s raining buckets on the game.

13 Padres hit three homers, but rookie Puig hits back

By Corey Brock, MLB.com

LOS ANGELES -- The angst directed toward Padres outfielder Carlos Quentin was palpable on Tuesday, a chorus of boos cascading down from the rafters of venerable Dodger Stadium.

But, to be clear, the loudest and most thunderous response was reserved for someone else entirely, a rookie who has staged an epic unveiling in his first two Major League games.

Right fielder Yasiel Puig, the 22-year-old phenom, had two home runs and drove in five runs to lead the Dodgers to a 9-7 victory over the Padres before a crowd of 37,544 who howled with approval each time he swung the bat.

"The kid has some raw power and there's some strength to his swing," said Padres manager Bud Black.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Puig is the first Dodger to knock in five or more runs within the first two games of his career since Spider Jorgenson knocked in six in his second game for Brooklyn on April 17, 1947.

Puig, who just last week was terrorizing pitching in the Double-A Southern League, hit a three-run home run to left field in the fifth inning and then added a two-run home run one inning later, this time a blast to right field as the Dodgers (25-32) roared back from two early deficits.

"Were they mistake pitches? Yes," said Padres pitching coach Darren Balsley. "But good hitters hit mistakes. He's a strong kid. He did what he was supposed to do with those pitches."

Lost in the euphoria surrounding Puig was Quentin's first game against the Dodgers since April 11, when he was plunked by a pitch by Los Angeles pitcher Zack Greinke, setting off a benches-clearing incident that resulted in a broken collarbone for Greinke and an eight-game suspension for Quentin.

Many expected some retaliation against Quentin, but there was nary a brush back in any of his five plate appearances in the game.

"This situation will pass," said Black, who was ejected in the eighth inning by umpire Tim Timmons after arguing a close call at first base.

Quentin had three hits, including a solo home run in the seventh inning. But his effort, his performance was mostly forgotten as the Dodgers overcame early deficits of 3-0 and 5-2, victimizing pitcher Clayton Richard at nearly every turn.

Despite the early lead, Richard struggled, allowing six earned runs on five hits in 4 1/3 innings. Richard struggled again to the keep the ball down, as he allowed a two-run home run to Tim Federowicz and the first of two home runs to Puig.

"Not bad, huh? He's pretty good," said Dodgers manager Don Mattingly. "Those were two impressive home runs there. We see a little bit of just everything this guy can do. Power both ways. He's fun to watch.

14 "When you do the things he's doing, you create excitement."

Leading 5-2, Richard opened the fifth inning by allowing a one-out single to Federowicz and a walk to pinch- hitter Luis Cruz. That set the stage for the first of Puig's home runs.

"I was more disappointed in falling behind in the fifth inning with a couple of walks," Richard said. "In the fifth, it kind of got away from us."

Richard (1-6) has allowed 12 home runs in 38 2/3 innings this season. His ERA currently stands at 8.38.

"Tonight it was about missing spots," Black said of Richard. "I think the velocity is fine but the location is not good with the fastball. I think we need to mix in some [more] off-speed pitches."

For as poorly as Richard pitched, the Padres (26-32) had more than just a fair shot of coming out on top against Dodgers pitcher Ted Lilly, who allowed a home run to the first batter he faced -- Chris Denorfia.

Lilly allowed four earned runs on six hits in four-plus innings before he was chased. Before he left, Lilly allowed a two-run home run to Kyle Blanks in the second inning. He even allowed a run-scoring single to Richard in the fourth inning.

Los Angeles reliever J.P. Howell (2-0) got the victory and Brandon League earned his 13th save of the season. Tyson Ross, who relieved Richard, took the loss for the Padres. He's now 0-2.

The Padres had 13 hits in the game and threatened nearly every inning. They had the bases loaded in the sixth inning with one run in but Chase Headley -- who was 0-for-5, dropping his average to .229 -- grounded into a double play to end the inning.

"It's a combination of things," Headley said. "But first and foremost, I've got to swing at better pitches."

15 MLB eyes penalties for players linked to clinic

By Paul Hagen, MLB.com

Major League Baseball could be close to a far-reaching conclusion about Biogenesis that would be both historic in scope and a clear demonstration of its commitment to ridding the game of illegal steroids and human .

ESPN's "Outside the Lines" reports that Anthony Bosch, founder of the Miami-area Biogenesis anti-aging clinic accused of supplying performance-enhancing substances to a number of highly recognizable players, including Ryan Braun, Melky Cabrera, and Alex Rodriguez, has agreed to cooperate in baseball's investigation.

Braun, who won an appeal after testing positive for elevated levels of testosterone two years ago, addressed the media after Milwaukee's walk-off win against Oakland on Tuesday night.

"I've already addressed everything related to the Miami situation," Braun said. "I addressed it in Spring Training. I will not make any further statements about it. The truth has not changed. I don't know the specifics of the story that came out today, but I've already addressed it, I've already commented on it and I'll say nothing further about it."

Major League Baseball declined to comment Tuesday night.

"You don't want to see nobody getting suspended," Red Sox slugger David Ortiz said. "But we got the rules and we got to follow."

The Major League Baseball Players Association almost certainly will file grievances on behalf of any big leaguers who face suspensions.

The MLBPA issued a statement from executive director Michael Weiner on Wednesday that read: "The Players Association has been in regular contact with the Commissioner's Office regarding the Biogenesis investigation. They are in the process of interviewing players and every player has been or will be represented by an attorney from the Players Association. The Commissioner's Office has assured us that no decisions regarding discipline have been made or will be made until those interviews are completed. It would be unfortunate if anyone prejudged those investigations.

"The Players Association has every interest in both protecting the rights of players and in defending the integrity of our joint program. We trust that the Commissioner's Office shares these interests."

MLB has been pursuing a vigorous, independent investigation since first hearing rumors about Biogenesis and Bosch and upped the ante by filing a lawsuit against Bosch and other parties allegedly involved.

At the time, there was mixed opinion about the approach. But, according to ESPN's sources, that's what led to this breakthrough. Even though Bosch has publicly denied any knowledge or involvement, it's now being reported that he lacked the financial resources to mount a defense which led him to decide to cooperate. After

16 a protracted negotiation, MLB agreed to "drop the lawsuit it filed against Bosch in March; indemnify him for any liability arising from his cooperation; provide personal security for him; and even put in a good word with any law enforcement agency that may bring charges against him."

Getting Bosch to testify is a major breakthrough. The Miami New Times first reported in January that there were documents appearing to link players to Biogenesis and other media outlets subsequently uncovered more of the paper trail. But before being able to move forward, MLB had to be able to substantiate the evidence.

Bosch can tie it all together by confirming that the records are accurate and reflect transactions for illegal substances. Bosch reportedly has pledged to turn over any materials in his possession that will help MLB build its case.

Over the past several months, some 20 players have been publicly connected to Biogenesis. ESPN's list includes Braun, Everth Cabrera, Melky Cabrera, , Bartolo Colon, Cruz, Fautino De Los Santos, Yasmani Grandal, Fernando Martinez, Jesus Montero, Jordan Norberto, , Cesar Puello, Rodriguez and a number of players who are either identified by code names or whose names appear in other documents not obtained by "Outside the Lines."

There is no confirmation that MLB will try to suspend all those players, however. Nor is there confirmation that 100-game suspensions would be sought against A-Rod and Braun; neither previously has been suspended for a positive test.

"I can't say anything," Cruz said after the Rangers' 17-5 loss to the Red Sox on Tuesday. "I guess it's part of the process. They're doing their job. I don't have any comment about it."

Yankees outfielder Vernon Wells, a former player rep for the Blue Jays, also spoke out.

"Everything right now is speculation until MLB does something," Wells said. "We'll see what happens, what comes out and what MLB does. We can all sit here and wonder, guess who's going to be on there and what the ramifications are going to be, but until something happens, there's really nothing we can say.

"I don't know what's out there, what the truths are, so until that happens, I don't think anybody can truly make a comment on what's going to happen. ... We've done so much as a group to try to rid ourselves of conversations like this, stepping outside of our agreement and making changes in the middle of it. That's been unprecedented in the past. We'll continue to make strides to clean the game up and until that day when we don't have to talk about this anymore, we'll continue doing that."

Tigers shortstop Peralta declined to comment.

"I play baseball right now. I'm focused to play here right now," Peralta said.

"If they suspend me again, I think that would be a harsh punishment because I already served my sentence. But it's up to them," Melky Cabrera, suspended for 50 games last year after testing positive for elevated testosterone, said to a New York Daily News reporter in Spanish. "I believe I've already served my sentence, especially missing the playoffs. That's what hurt me the most."

17 Grandal declined to comment after the Padres' 9-7 loss to the Dodgers on Tuesday and Everth Cabrera was unavailable.

"I haven't read anything about it, I haven't spoken to anyone about it," San Diego manager Bud Black said. "Our focus was on tonight's game."

Grandal was suspended for the first 50 games of the season after testing positive in November for elevated levels of testosterone. Cabrera explained himself to Black and general manager Josh Byrnes in Spring Training when the first Biogenesis report broke.

"We were satisfied by the Cabbie situation then," Black said.

It remains unclear whether Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano has any connection to Bosch. Sonia Cruz, the spokeswoman for his foundation, was listed in Biogenesis documents, and MLB officials have investigated whether she might have been a conduit for Cano.

There are strong indications that Nationals left-hander Gio Gonzalez, whose name was also found on documents tied to Biogenesis, will not be further pursued, based on evidence that any substances he received were legal.

18 Marquis draws Kershaw – and Puig, too

By A.J. Cassavell, MLB.com

What can Dodgers phenom Yasiel Puig possibly do for another encore? There isn't much in the 22-year-old rookie's arsenal that he hasn't already showcased after just two games at the big league level.

Puig stole the show Monday night with his arm and Tuesday night with his power, and he has notched five hits in his first eight big league at-bats, leading many to wonder just which tool -- he's got five of them -- he'll flaunt next.

He'll get that chance Wednesday, as the suddenly rejuvenated Dodgers go for a sweep that would lift them out of last place in the NL West and put the Padres -- losers of three straight -- in the cellar for the first time in exactly one month.

Perennial Cy Young Award candidate Clayton Kershaw takes his 1.85 ERA into Wednesday's matchup with the Padres, against whom he is 8-4 with a 2.41 mark in 18 career starts. Worse yet for the Padres is that they'll face Kershaw at Dodger Stadium, where he has posted an absurd 1.80 ERA during the past three seasons.

Opposite Kershaw will be Padres right-hander Jason Marquis (6-2, 3.82 ERA), who hasn't lost since April 22 against Milwaukee. He's already faced the Dodgers twice this season, allowing just three earned runs in 12 2/3 innings.

A crafty veteran, Marquis has mastered the art of working down in the zone this season, but he has struggled a bit in that department during his past two starts -- both no-decisions. In those two outings, Marquis surrendered as many homers (three) as he did during his five-game winning streak that preceded them.

Meanwhile, Kershaw gets to face Carlos Quentin for the first time since the Padres left fielder charged the mound after being plunked by a Zack Greinke fastball on April 11. The ensuing collision fractured Greinke's collarbone, and in mid-April, while Quentin pondered whether to appeal his suspension and play in an upcoming series in Los Angeles, Kershaw voiced his displeasure at Quentin's actions.

"If he's smart, he'll take the suspension," Kershaw said at the time. "Eight games is not nearly enough. For what he did, he should be OK with that."

Cooler heads prevailed on Tuesday, Quentin's first game against the Dodgers since the incident. He launched a solo homer and recorded three hits, but Los Angeles had the last laugh in a 9-7 victory.

Padres: Alonso could return • First baseman Yonder Alonso is regaining strength in his right hand and could be back in the Padres lineup for Wednesday night's series finale.

Alonso, who has a right-hand contusion, hasn't played since Friday against Toronto, when he was hit by a pitch.

"It's getting better, much better," Alonso said. "It's healing a lot faster than I thought it would. I think I'll be in there soon."

19 Dodgers: Hanley's back • Having recovered from a left hamstring strain, shortstop Hanley Ramirez returned to the starting lineup Tuesday night, going 0-for-3 with a sacrifice fly. Ramirez has played in just five games this season, as he missed the first 24 contests following right-thumb surgery.

"I talked to him about not trying to go wild," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. "We have to try to make sure he plays under control. It's hard."

Los Angeles placed pitcher Chris Capuano on the DL with a strained lat muscle to clear room for Ramirez.

Worth noting • In 41 career plate appearances against Kershaw, Padres third baseman Chase Headley has struggled mightily, notching just seven hits (only two for extra bases) and a walk.

• Padres catcher Nick Hundley is 10-for-21 against the Dodgers this season, and he has posted a .348 mark in 23 lifetime at-bats against Kershaw. Hundley started the series opener, and Yasmani Grandal got the nod behind the plate on Tuesday.

• Dodgers utility man Skip Schumaker is batting .417 during his current 11-game hitting streak.

20 Padres, Stauffer enjoying pitcher’s versatility

By Corey Brock, MLB.com

LOS ANGELES -- Since being added to the roster from Triple-A Tucson on May 17, pitcher Tim Stauffer has given the Padres a little of everything -- which is just the way he and the team like it.

Stauffer entered Tuesday's game with a 3.95 ERA over his first 13 2/3 innings in seven games since his promotion back to the big leagues.

He pitched 5 2/3 innings of relief against the Cardinals on May 22, allowing one run. He's pitched two innings twice and has been used in short stints, as well.

The versatility and his length have given manager Bud Black an arm to lean and depend on, and it has been a lot like his role with the 90-win 2010 Padres when he posted a 2.97 ERA in 82 2/3 innings as a reliever and a starter.

"I'm kind of enjoying being in the bullpen a little more," he said. "I like knowing there's a chance I will be in the game each day. I've felt pretty good. The biggest thing is the recovery."

Stauffer was pitching every five days in the Tucson starting rotation, so the Padres weren't able to initially use him, for example, on consecutive days. But Stauffer said he's always had a resilient arm and that he has been better about bouncing back quicker since he joined the team.

"I like the resiliency. We've tried to keep an eye on it. He was starting in Tucson, throwing every fifth day," Black said.

21 Yonder out of starting lineup fourth straight game

By Corey Brock, MLB.com

LOS ANGELES -- First baseman Yonder Alonso didn't start Tuesday against the Dodgers, the fourth start in as many days that he has missed because of a right hand contusion.

Chances are there won't be a fifth.

Alonso hit in the cage and on the field before Tuesday's game at Dodger Stadium and said the strength in his right hand is better than it's been since he was hit by a pitch on Friday.

"It's getting better, much better," Alonso said before the game. "It's healing a lot faster than I thought it would. I think I'll be in there soon."

Alonso could be back in the lineup for the series finale Wednesday against the Dodgers. Jesus Guzman got the start at first base on Tuesday night.

"We're headed in that direction," said Padres manager Bud Black.

Alonso was hit on the hand by a pitch in the Padres' 17-inning victory over the Jays on Friday and has not had an at-bat since. Black did say Alonso was available to pinch-hit Tuesday.

The biggest issue that Alonso has faced since he was hit is having strength in the right hand to swing a bat. He tried unsuccessfully to do so Monday, but his hand felt strong enough to swing the bat prior to Tuesday's game.

Alonso liked how he felt and liked the results.

"It was the same old swing," he said. "I feel like I'm close to coming back."

Alonso is second on the team with a .284 average and is second in hits (54) and leads the Padres with 29 RBI's.

22 Padres players named in MLB investigation report

By Gene Cubbison and R. Stickney, NBC San Diego

Major League Baseball may suspend as many as 20 professional baseball players for drug use and two members of the are reportedly among them

ESPN and the U.S. Attorney's office in New York and MLB are investigating a Miami anti-aging clinic called Bio-genesis of America.

Among the 20-some names on the list of players involved in the investigation according to ESPN are Padres catcher Yasmani Grandal and shortstop Everth Cabrera.

Grandal just returned from a 50-game suspension imposed for having tested positive for excessive levels of testosterone.

ESPN has linked him and two other suspended players, Melky Cabrera and Bartolo Colon, to Biogenesis and its owner, Tony Bosch.

Bosch is reported to be under pressure from prosecutors to provide information about his clients and it appears his attorneys are hoping that his cooperation with the feds and MLB will lessen his consequences in the criminal justice system.

MLB imposes 100-game suspensions for players after a second positive test for performance-enhancing drugs.

On his return to the Padres, reporters tried to get Grandal to address the issues surrounding his suspension. He did, in a roundabout way.

“You wanna stay healthy throughout the whole year. Injuries,” he said. “I don't want to say injuries have been a part of my career. Just so happens last two years I've got injuries a lot. So yeah, stay healthy."

Padres fans reserved judgment Wednesday but expressed frustration about an MLB drug culture won't seem to disappear.

NBC 7 San Diego has left messages with the Padres' media representatives. So far, no respone.

According to ESPN, other big names in the investigation that have come out include Ryan Braun and Alex Rodriguez.

23 MLB seeks to suspend A-Rod, Braun

By T.J. Quinn and Pedro Gomez, ESPN.com

Major League Baseball will seek to suspend about 20 players connected to the Miami-area clinic at the heart of an ongoing performance-enhancing drug scandal, including Alex Rodriguez and Ryan Braun, possibly within the next few weeks, "Outside the Lines" has learned. If the suspensions are upheld, the performance- enhancing drug scandal would be the largest in American sports history.

Tony Bosch, founder of the now-shuttered Biogenesis of America, reached an agreement this week to cooperate with MLB's investigation, two sources told "Outside the Lines," giving MLB the ammunition officials believe they need to suspend the players. One source familiar with the case said the commissioner's office might seek 100-game suspensions for Rodriguez, Braun and other players, the penalty for a second doping offense. The argument, the source said, is the players' connection to Bosch constitutes one offense, and previous statements to MLB officials denying any such connection or the use of PEDs constitute another. Bosch and his attorneys did not return several calls. MLB officials refused to comment when reached Tuesday. On Wednesday, union executive director Michael Weiner released a statement saying, "The Players Association has every interest in both defending the rights of players and in defending the integrity of our joint program. We trust that the Commissioner's Office shares these interests." Sources said Bosch will meet with MLB officials in New York on Friday to begin sharing information and materials. He is expected to meet with lawyers and investigators for several days. The announcement of suspensions could follow within two weeks. Sources said discussions between Bosch and MLB were delayed while Bosch's lawyers spoke to the U.S. Attorney's office to get a sense of what sort of legal jeopardy Bosch might face. Before he would agree to a deal, sources said, he wanted an assurance that MLB could help mitigate any criminal exposure. MLB officials promised to do what they could, but do not have the power to stop a federal criminal investigation. Investigators have had records naming about 20 players for more than a month. But without a sworn statement from Bosch that the records are accurate and reflect illicit interactions between the players and the self-described biochemist, the documents are little more than a road map. Sources did not say what other materials, such as receipts and phone records, Bosch might provide, but said he has pledged to provide anything in his possession that could help MLB build cases against the players. Sources said MLB officials were not sure how many players might end up being pulled into the scandal; the 20 or so they know of have been identified through paperwork, but Bosch is expected to provide more. (Because some players are listed by their names and some by code names, officials are not yet certain whether some are redundant.) The development is a major break for MLB, which has pursued the case vigorously since Bosch's name was brought to MLB's attention last summer. In exchange for Bosch's full cooperation, sources said, Major League Baseball will drop the lawsuit it filed against Bosch in March, indemnify him for any liability arising from his cooperation, provide personal security for him and even put in a good word with any law enforcement agency that might bring charges against him. Sources said negotiations over the agreement, which lasted several weeks, stalled over the last point, as Bosch wanted the strongest assurances he could get that MLB would help mitigate any prosecution. At the same time, MLB is trying to secure the cooperation of at least two other former Bosch associates who have spoken to MLB investigators, as well as Juan Carlos Nunez, a registered agent who worked for longtime agents Seth and Sam Levinson and who is believed to have been a conduit between Bosch and numerous players.

24 MLB already has established precedent to suspend a player for two offenses in one shot: Minor league player was hit with a 100-game suspension in March when he was confronted with Biogenesis documents containing his name and then denied having any connection to Bosch or the clinic. However, because Carrillo was on a minor league contract and thus not a member of the MLB Players Association, he was not entitled to an appeal through arbitration. Major league players accused by MLB are expected to fight any suspension, and efforts to charge the players with multiple offenses would take that fight to another level. In the appeals process, players are allowed to confront witnesses and evidence in a courtroom-like procedure before an arbitration panel. Corroborating evidence against some players could prove difficult to come by. Several sources told ESPN that Bosch dealt only in cash and usually used friends as couriers, sometimes never seeing some of the athletes he served. In a recent interview with ESPN, his only one since the scandal broke, Bosch said he knew nothing about performance-enhancing drugs and that media accounts of his alleged PED distribution amounted to "character assassination." "I have been accused, tried and convicted in the media. And so I think [I] have been falsely accused throughout the media," he told ESPN's Pedro Gomez. "I've done nothing wrong." But sources said Bosch has been feeling pressure from both the MLB lawsuit, which claims tortious interference, and a potential criminal investigation, and that he sees full cooperation with MLB as one of his only refuges. Several attorneys have said they don't think the lawsuit could survive a legal challenge, but Bosch likely would have to put up a costly fight in order to have the case dismissed. Several sources have told ESPN that Bosch is nearly broke, living alternately with family members and friends, and has tried unsuccessfully so far to revive his "wellness" business. The Florida Department of Health recently said it had sent Bosch a cease-and-desist letter and referred the case to law enforcement. MLB has tried to enlist the Drug Enforcement Agency, but no sources close to the clinic said they have been interviewed by any law enforcement agents and said they don't know of anyone who has been. MLB officials, though, traveled to Miami last month to take the deposition of anti-aging specialist Dr. Daniel Carpman, a former acquaintance of Bosch. Biogenesis documents from 2011 included prescription forms purportedly signed by Carpman, who previously told "Outside the Lines'' that he didn't sign the forms. Bosch first came to MLB's attention in 2009 after Manny Ramirez, then with the Los Angeles Dodgers, tested positive for excessive levels of testosterone. While Ramirez appealed that finding, MLB officials discovered a prescription in Ramirez's medical file for human chorionic gonadotropin, another banned substance. The HCG prescription, sufficient evidence to suspend Ramirez, was written by Dr. Pedro Bosch, Tony's father, but sources said at the time that Tony Bosch actually had been facilitating Ramirez's drug use. MLB tried to get the DEA involved, but the agency took a pass. Ramirez was suspended for 50 games and was suspended a second time for 100 games in 2011 after he failed another test. Tony Bosch resurfaced last summer after several players, all with connections to the Miami area, tested positive for excessive levels of testosterone. Melky Cabrera, Bartolo Colon andYasmani Grandal all received 50-game suspensions. When an ESPN reporter asked MLB officials about information that all three might have been connected to Bosch, MLB launched an investigation, sending several members of its Department of Investigations to South Florida, where they have repeatedly visited former Biogenesis employees and Bosch associates, even paying at least one $5,000 for information. Braun's name appears on at least two documents, one that lists him as owing $20,000 to $30,000 and another that says he owed $1,500 for what sources said were PEDs. Braun issued a statement saying the larger figure was to pay Bosch for consulting on his successful appeal of a 50-game suspension after he tested positive for elevated testosterone in October 2011, and Braun denied ever receiving or using PEDs. During his interview with ESPN, Bosch said he only consulted with Braun, but sources said he is expected to tell MLB he did provide the Milwaukee star with drugs.

25 In the Brewers' locker room after Tuesday night's game, when informed about the ESPN report, Braun put aside questions on any link to Biogenesis. "I've already addressed everything related to the Miami situation," Braun was quoted as saying by USA Today. "I addressed it in spring training. I will not make any further statements about it. The truth has not changed. I don't know the specifics of the story that came out today, but I've already addressed it, I've already commented on it, and I'll say nothing further about it." Yankees manager was asked about Rodriguez Wednesday and said that while he texts or calls him regularly to check on his rehab, he does not discuss PEDs. "That's something that the union I think discusses clearly with the players, and they understand that, so that's handled through the union, I'm sure. But personally, I don't," Girardi said. "Players are well-informed, that's the bottom line. You'd have to have your head buried in the sand to know that there are repercussions if you don't do things properly." MLBPA officials have negotiated with their MLB counterparts to offer limited cooperation from the players but have been concerned the players could expose themselves to further liability. Bosch's claims in his ESPN interview that he never distributed PEDs are sharply at odds with accounts from numerous sources who say he helped provide banned substances to possibly dozens of athletes. They also contradict paperwork that several sources said was handwritten by Bosch. Shown a list of athletes who allegedly received PEDs through Biogenesis, Bosch told ESPN's Pedro Gomez, "No comment. I have never seen that in my life." The list was one of dozens of documents obtained by "Outside the Lines" and is similar to the documents in MLB's possession. Some paperwork, taken from company computers rather than Bosch's handwritten notes, lists players by code names. Most, such as Rodriguez, Colon, Cabrera and others, have been identified in media reports, but MLB will want Bosch to say who the code names represented. Also sure to be on MLB's list of questions is whether the Yankees' Robinson Cano, who could sign a lucrative free-agent contract after this season, had any connection to Bosch or the clinic. The spokeswoman for Cano's foundation, Sonia Cruz, was listed in Biogenesis documents, as ESPN reported, and MLB officials have investigated whether she might have been a conduit for Cano. A senior Yankee official told ESPN New York's Andrew Marchand that the team has been told Cano is not in trouble. "Cano is not a part of this," the official said. The players who might ultimately face discipline from MLB include: Rodriguez, Braun, Cabrera, Colon, Grandal, Nelson Cruz, Francisco Cervelli, Jesus Montero, Jhonny Peralta, Cesar Puello, Fernando Martinez, Everth Cabrera, Fautino de los Santos, Jordan Norbertoand a number of other players who either are identified by code names or whose names appear in other documents not obtained by "Outside the Lines." Cruz told ESPNDallas.com's Todd Wills, "I cannot say anything about it. I guess it's part of the process. They are doing their jobs." One player who will be scrutinized but possibly exonerated is the Nationals' Gio Gonzalez, who was listed among Biogenesis clients, but two sources told ESPN the only substances he received from the clinic were legal.

26 Latest twist in Biogenesis case is bad news for A-Rod, Braun, others

By Tom Verducci, Sports Illustrated

For the 20 or so players named in the logs of Biogenesis director Tony Bosch, their standing in major league baseball took a swift and dark turn: Bosch is cooperating with Major League Baseball officials.

Bosch's cooperation, first reported by ESPN, is a major breakthrough for MLB. Without it, baseball had only unverified photocopied documents to connect the players to performance-enhancing drugs. But Bosch's cooperation allows baseball to argue confirmation of the documents and begin the endgame of bringing discipline against Alex Rodriguez, Ryan Braun, Nelson Cruz and others named in those logs as receiving or paying for PEDs. The scandal first broke in January when the Miami New Times reported that it received "a batch of records" from Biogenesis from "an employee who worked at Biogenesis before it closed" last December.

No discipline is imminent. Baseball officials continue to try to gather and confirm evidence as well as construct a timeline of events, which in the cases of Rodriguez and Braun, could determine whether they face the possibility of a 50-game suspension or a 100-game suspension. Baseball will interview players about the latest allegations before deciding any discipline. None of the named players have been interviewed yet as part of any disciplinary consideration.

A 100-game suspension is reserved for a second PED offense of the Joint Drug Agreement. It would be in play only if MLB officials determine that the players lied about their involvement in previous interviews and/or the officials confirm other so-called "non-analytical" offenses. The JDA does allow baseball to discipline players without a failed drug test when sufficient evidence exists to prove purchase, receipt or use of banned drugs.

MLB officials this year did suspend a minor league pitcher, Cesar Carrillo, for 100 games under those circumstances, without a prior offense. They determined that Carrillo had been untruthful in his interviews in addition to his connection to Bosch. Carrillo, though, was not on a 40-man roster and thus did not have the power of an appeals process afforded members of the MLB Players Association.

Bosch's father, Dr. Pedro Bosch, was a key player in confirming the most infamous non-analytical offense in baseball's testing era. In 2009, Manny Ramirez was suspended for 50 games after investigators learned of a prescription from the elder Bosch for the banned substance human chorionic gonadotropin, a fertility drug for women that men can use to boost testosterone levels after steroid cycles. Ramirez's offense was recorded as a non-analytical positive, not a failed test.

Tony Bosch, who is not a physician but directed the Biogenesis "wellness" clinic in Miami, suddenly moved from key player to key witness in a drug scandal that could rattle second-half pennant races and shake the legacies of players such as Rodriguez and Braun. The cooperation of Bosch appears to validate a key strategic turn by MLB investigators in March when they took the unprecedented step of suing Bosch for "intentional and unjustified tortious interference" -- essentially accusing him of sullying MLB and its contracts with players by providing them PEDs. While some observers questioned the likely success of such a lawsuit, it may have succeeded in applying financial pressure on Bosch. Moreover, the Florida Department of Health has been investigating Bosch and referring its findings to law enforcement officials.

27 MLB’s reported deal with Biogenesis director raises many questions

By Michael McCann, Sports Illustrated

News that Biogenesis director Tony Bosch has reached an agreement with Major League Baseball to implicate about 20 big league players -- including Alex Rodriguez and Ryan Braun -- raises important legal questions about the limits of baseball to suspend players without a positive drug test and other important issues.

In late March, baseball sued Biogenesis, Bosch and six other company officials for intentionally interfering with players' contracts. The legal theory was novel: the clinic and its employees induced players into buying prohibited PEDs, thereby breaching their employment contracts. In exchange for agreeing to cooperate with baseball, MLB will reportedly drop Bosch from its lawsuit, indemnify him for any costs associated with his cooperation and defend his character should he face criminal charges.

As SI's Tom Verducci explains, no suspensions are imminent and baseball will continue its investigation into whether players used PEDs and then lied about that and their relationship with Bosch. If baseball suspends these players based mainly on Bosch's assertions, expect a swift legal challenge by the players' association. The challenge would be raised before an arbitration panel, where rules of evidence and procedure are not as stringent as those at trial.

Here are a few key areas where the players' association is likely to challenge major league baseball:

MLB's Reliance on Bosch

A key legal tactic for the players' association would be to frame the implicating evidence as uncorroborated and unreliable. Baseball would be basing a lot on statements from Bosch, who a few months ago the league portrayed as a drug dealer and who has self-servingly offered to "name names" in order to insulate himself from liability. Bosch is not the ideal witness, and it is reasonable to question whether tens of millions of dollars in players' salaries should be forfeited based on his claims. If Bosch lacks financial records and other corroborating documentation, his claims would be even less believable.

Then again, baseball has a track record for relying on testimony from cooperating and ethically-challenged witnesses. Most famously, in 1989, it built a case against Pete Rose on the testimony of convicted felon and gambling bookie Ron Peters. In exchange for Peters providing MLB with damning information about Rose, commissioner Bart Giamatti penned a flattering letter about Peters to the judge set to sentence Peters to prison. More recently, baseball relied on controversial statements and purported evidence from Roger Clemens' former trainer, Brian McNamee. In exchange for providing information to federal investigators and in turn baseball officials about Clemens and other players' alleged PED use, McNamee received immunity from prosecution. The players' association can argue that relying on those who have questionable backgrounds and incentives to lie should not constitute grounds for suspensions.

MLB's Legal Right to Suspend

In addition to attacking the quality of Bosch's testimony, the players' association can challenge the legal right of baseball to sanction players implicated by Bosch. To date, baseball has only suspended major league players for PEDs when they test positive. Under the Joint Drug Agreement, however, baseball can also suspend a player for participating in the sale or distribution of a prohibited substance. The players' association would likely insist Bosch's statements are dubious and not yet sufficiently-substantiated to warrant punishment.

MLB's Legal Right to Suspend Players for 100 Games

28 The players' association would also surely challenge suspensions of 100 games instead of 50 games. Assuming, for the sake of argument, baseball can prove the players lied and engaged in improper activities with Bosch, the players' association would insist these are first-time offenses and thus can only carry a 50- game penalty per the Joint Treatment Program. The players' association would highlight how the Joint Treatment Program does not expressly authorize jumping to 100 games based on the evidence presented.

MLB Teams Voiding Player Contracts

With four years and more than $100 million remaining on 37-year-old Rodriguez's contract, it is sensible for the Yankees to explore ways to void the remainder of the deal. If the Yankees attempt to void Rodriguez's contract based on his alleged involvement with Biogenesis, or if other teams try to do the same with their players implicated by the scandal, the Uniform Player Contract would become a key source of authority. Namely, Paragraph 7(b)(1) authorizes a team to terminate a contract if a player "fails, refuses or neglects to conform his personal conduct to the standards of good citizenship and good sportsmanship or to keep himself in first-class physical condition or to obey the club's training rules." Paragraph 7(b)(3), alternatively, subjects a player's contract to forfeiture if he "fails, refuses or neglect to render his services hereunder or in any manner materially breach this contract."

While this language seems sweeping, teams have seldom tried to void deals. When they have attempted to do so, they have usually failed or reached settlements that favor players (for example, the Rockies paid Danny Neagle $16 million on the remainder of his $19.5 million contract after he was charged with soliciting a prostitute). The players' association aggressively fights any risk of setting a dangerous precedent. Any attempt by the Yankees to void Rodriguez's contract would be met with a grievance and potentially even a lawsuit. It may not be worth the headache.

Defamation and Breach of Contract Lawsuits

In addition to arguments heard before three arbitrators, players could file civil lawsuits against Bosch, Biogenesis and -- if disciplined by baseball -- Selig. One plausible claim is defamation. In such a lawsuit, players would assert that they have been falsely portrayed as engaging in wrongful behavior and that this portrayal harmed their reputation. Players know that if they use the defamation strategy employed by Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma against Roger Goodell, they would complicate baseball's ability to hold them accountable.

Breach of confidentiality agreements is another plausible legal claim players may have against Bosch and Biogenesis. These contractual agreements likely assured players that their patient care with Biogenesis would be kept confidential -- even upon threat of civil lawsuit. Bosch, however, is now apparently naming names and providing other evidence. Failure to uphold confidentiality agreements could lead to substantial damages, especially since player suspensions would mean tens of millions of dollars in lost salary.

For the time being, baseball's novel lawsuit against Biogenesis appears astute. By suing, baseball forced a key defendant to divulge information the league probably would not have obtained otherwise. Baseball's ability to force others to share information is quite limited. As a private entity, it has no subpoena power. The league also operates through a collective bargaining agreement, meaning its investigatory powers are mostly limited to rules agreed to by players. One exception is the "Best Interests of the Game" clause. This power is contained in baseball's constitution, a league document not collectively-bargained with players, and it furnishes the commissioner with broad authority to regulate any aspect of the game. Bosch's cooperation, however, avoids these kinds of dicey issues. Expect other leagues' commissioners -- including Goodell, David Stern and Gary Bettman -- to take notice of Selig's innovative legal strategy.

Baseball should not celebrate yet. Reaching a settlement with Bosch does not, by itself, end the litigation. Baseball has not indicated if it will also drop the lawsuit against the six other Biogenesis officials. If the litigation continues and if any of the other defendants succeed in getting the case dismissed it will hurt Bosch's credibility. Does Baseball want to risk pretrial discovery or a trial, where unflattering information about teams, managers, coaches and trainers connected to implicated players might be revealed? On the other

29 hand, if baseball now drops the case and none of the other Biogenesis defendants cooperate, can the league feel good about relying only on Bosch's word?

One thing is for sure: the Biogenesis scandal is far from over and some important legal questions still need to be answered.

30 Will Bosch’s word be enough?

By Ken Rosenthal, Fox Sports

I can hear it now, the predictable refrain from the agents and the union officials, the spin doctors and the handlers.

“Tony Bosch is not credible,” they will say. “If baseball suspends players based on his sworn statement, we will vigorously appeal.”

These things never are as simple as they sound, never get resolved as quickly as one might expect.

Indeed, the battle between baseball and the players who allegedly received performance-enhancing drugs from Biogenesis is far from over.

Baseball achieved a significant breakthrough by reaching agreement with Biogenesis founder Tony Bosch to cooperate with its investigation into his now-defunct Miami-area clinic.

The development, reported Tuesday night by ESPN, could help the sport secure corroborating evidence for records obtained by its investigators, records that name about 20 players, including baseball’s most wanted, Alex Rodriguez and Ryan Braun.

But suspensions?

Braun tested positive, looked guilty as all heck — and mounted a strong enough legal challenge to get a 50- game suspension overturned in arbitration.

The US government fared no better in legal cases against Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens. So, forgive me for holding off trying to figure out whether A-Rod will get a 50- or 100-game suspension, how it would affect his future with theYankees, etc.

Baseball has been “seeking” suspensions of Rodriguez, Braun and others for months. Bosch certainly is a critical piece to the sport’s puzzle. But he is not a licensed physican, his anti-aging clinic is out of business and he previously told ESPN, “I don’t know anything about performance-enhancing drugs.”

His credibility is about on par with that of Roger Clemens’ former trainer, Brian McNamee, who became the government’s chief witness against the pitcher.

Which is to say, his credibility is in doubt.

The alleged users, of course, are not necessarily beacons of integrity themselves — many, in fact, may be liars of the highest order. But the question is whether baseball can prove that A-Rod, Braun, et al, indeed purchased PEDs from Biogenesis.

Slips of paper listing their names, a sworn affidavit from Bosch admitting that they were customers — heck, I’m not a lawyer, but I’d take my chances tearing baseball’s case apart.

And that assumes baseball’s “deal” with Bosch is legally proper, a point that already is being questioned.

ESPN, citing sources, reported: “In exchange for Bosch's full cooperation . . . Major League Baseball will drop the lawsuit it filed against Bosch in March, indemnify him for any liability arising from his cooperation, provide

31 personal security for him and even put in a good word with any law enforcement agency that might bring charges against him.”

Said one player agent, “The amount of money paid to Bosch will become a critical issue. Federal courts have held that whether or not the testimony is truthful, the amount of money paid is a factor that must be considered in determining the credibility of the witness. Did the total amount paid to the witness have any influence on the testimony?”

Oh, I can hear others on the players’ side now:

“Bosch agreed to cooperate with baseball only to save his own rear. He’s broke. He’s talking in order to get baseball to drop its lawsuit against him. He needs the various forms of protection that baseball offered him, according to ESPN.

“What does baseball have? Nothing.”

Baseball needs proof. And while the sport is fighting the good fight, pursuing this matter to the fullest, I seriously doubt that Tony Bosch’s word will be good enough.

32 Melky Cabrera, other MLB players could soon see flip side to Biogenesis scandal

By Tim Brown, Yahoo.com

SAN FRANCISCO – Anthony Bosch, proprietor of a Miami-area wellness boutique that served the kind of high-end clientele that might pop up on your All-Star ballot, has turned.

Once he sold the fountain of youth. Now he's a fountain of information.

Reported by ESPN and confirmed by Yahoo! Sports, Bosch – founder of the Biogenesis clinic and alleged supplier of performance-enhancing drugs to Major League Baseball players – is cooperating with MLB's investigation into the likes of Alex Rodriguez, Ryan Braun, Melky Cabrera and at least a dozen others.

)MLB's job just became easier. The kingpin – the man MLB believes served those clients, prescribed their drugs, in some cases administered their drugs and kept records – has traded his silence for a somewhat softer punitive landing.

Presumably, Bosch's former clients are not surprised. Hire a pseudo-doctor in a strip mall so as to obtain illicit drugs, and now your reputation, your career, even your life is in the hands of a pseudo-doctor from a strip mall who sells illicit drugs.

Those guys flip, because the first rule of self-preservation isn't more synthetic testosterone, despite what the company brochure might have read. The first rule is bury the other guy. Save yourself. When the heat comes, it's every artificially enhanced man for himself.

On the bright side for the players ensnared in the scandal, MLB investigators' best witness against those players just might be the sleaziest part of this whole deal. As an attorney in this case, you could do worse than to oppose Tony Bosch.

According to ESPN's report, MLB will target at least 20 players and will seek 100-game suspensions for some. It may eventually be so, but the players' union might resist, leading some to believe the threat of 100 games would more likely result in 50. Either way, MLB is too early into its conversations with Bosch to know exactly where this will lead.

What MLB does know is it is better off with Bosch in one of its conference rooms than Bosch standing behind one of his lawyers. And that tremor you felt was a number of ballplayers shuddering at the same time. Maybe it's just a few. Maybe it's dozens. Maybe the names you know or not. But what we do know is that this isn't a witch hunt, because, for one, there are no such things as witches, and there are such things as sporting cheats.

The boos emanating from McCovey Cove on Tuesday night were for Melky Cabrera, whose career as a San Francisco Giant lasted 113 games. They loved him here. They chanted his name. They dressed up as milkmen. Melky was their guy.

33 Then he was caught with synthetic testosterone in his bloodstream last summer, suspended for 50 games, and cast off. The Giants won the World Series anyway, in spite of losing a middle-of-the-order hitter, an All- Star who might have won the batting title.

There is the incongruity of lauding Barry Bonds while vilifying Melky, perhaps because one was not only better at being a ballplayer, but also at covering his tracks. At least Bonds' website was real. So, Cabrera, allegedly linked by documents to Bosch and Biogenesis, and guilty of bailing out on the Giants mid-summer, heard about it each time he came to the plate.

We continue to sort the cheaters from the falsely accused. It's a big job that won't ever be finished. The rewards of cheating are too great. Cabrera, whose offensive statistics spiked around the time his name reportedly started showing up in Biogenesis notebooks, might have lost his big payday, but he's still working on a two-year, $16-million contract with the .

He got his World Series ring. In every sense, it is hollow. Before Tuesday night's game, he sat in the visitor's dugout and insisted he'd not relive the past. He'd done what he'd done. He'd apologized. He'd served his time.

"They are good teammates, good people here," Cabrera said. "It was real hard what happened last year. I regret what happened last year."

His lips tightened and his eyes darkened.

"It was tough telling my family what happened," he said. "Especially my family."

On the streets outside the team hotel here, Cabrera had walked the streets. He said people recognized him, welcomed him back. They were the ones who made eye contact. At the ballpark, they booed.

"I'm telling the fans," he said, "I'm sorry for the situation."

They live with who they are. The decisions they've made. The outcomes in them. What that says about them.

They live with the company they keep and what that says about them. Worse, at the moment, what that company might say about them to MLB investigators. And if they happened to walk into a pseudo-doctor's office in a strip mall, where they sought the fountain of youth, then they couldn't have expected this to turn out any different.

34 As MLB reportedly seeks Biogenesis suspensions, scandal looms larger than BALCO

By Jeff Passan, Yahoo.com

This is worse than BALCO. That is not easy to do, seeing as the single-season and all-time home run records fell on account of Victor Conte's doping program that fed performance-enhancing drugs to baseball players of all manner and variety. But it is. It is much worse.

The Biogenesis scandal that has ensnared baseball is more painful and embarrassing and harmful because it happened in the supposed post-Steroid Era, when Major League Baseball's drug policy was supposed to eradicate PEDs from the game. That was a fanciful notion to begin with, of course, but now that ESPN is reporting Biogenesis mastermind Tony Bosch is ready to flip and tell the league about Ryan Braun and Alex Rodriguez and upward of 20 others to whom he supplied his wares, it is the greatest evidence yet that this policy has failed – and, moreover, that any policy is bound to fail.

Back when Barry Bonds was to the gills, when steroids and amphetamines were every bit as prevalent as aspirin and coffee, there was at least a defense: It was, by baseball's definitions, legal. The ethics certainly were debatable, as were the moral implications, but don't let revisionist history fool you: Baseball not only didn't care about its players juicing, its post-strike ascent was built on their acne-covered backs. Think about the players involved with Biogenesis. There is Braun, who has been tested every year he has been in the major leagues. There is A-Rod, who was caught testing positive in 2003 and still had the hubris to seek out more. There is Jesus Montero, who was 16 when MLB instituted its PED policy. On and on you can go, deeper and deeper into the list, asking each time: Is the money really that good or is MLB's message really not good enough?

The answer: Yes.

When hundreds of millions of dollars are there for the taking, of course somebody is going to fall prey to those extra zeroes and do whatever necessary to get those checks, especially when the disincentives are so poor. A 50-game suspension? Or 100, which the league may seek for Braun and A-Rod? Come on.

If more than 20 guys are willing to do it – almost an entire major league roster's worth of players – that says everything.

Still, baseball's attempted prosecution – and persecution – of those connected to PEDs is an unabashed failure, the league's version of the War on Drugs. The pursuit has been noble, certainly, a reaction to the public anger that stemmed from BALCO as well as the knowledge that nearly two decades of baseball were suffused with drugs. At the same time, the single-mindedness of it has so demonized PEDs that a scandal such as this, where it's obvious that they're still as prevalent as they are, blows up that much larger. This is baseball's Pyrrhic victory. For every step forward it takes – catching players who used via testing and ferreting out Melky Cabrera's fake website and being the first professional sports league in America to institute random HGH testing – MLB is simply walking toward a river of its own making. Sports, by their nature, encourage doing anything necessary to win. That is why this fight never will be won. 35 It can be mitigated and controlled. The target of 100 games for Braun and A-Rod – 50 for using, 50 for lying – is a lofty one, and it's certain to incur the wrath of the MLB Players Association. Think about the union's perspective: For all this time, MLB has painted Tony Bosch as a low-life, a pissant faux doctor who was nothing more than a sleazeball. And now it wants to trust him, of all people, and mete out perhaps 1,000 games of punishment?

By camping out investigators in Miami and pursuing Bosch so fervently, MLB has shown a willingness to wage all-out war against the union. For nearly 20 years now, the sport has seen labor peace. Finding a middle ground here on an issue so black and white to the league may cause the sort of fissure that doesn't portend well for the sport writ large going forward.

Yes, this is worse than BALCO because MLB wanted everyone to believe we wouldn't be having these types of conversations anymore, that huge pockets of players wouldn't be so stupid as to still do this when the stench and stigma of PEDs linger. The league underestimated those who play its games.

Unlike those, when it comes to baseball and drugs, there are only losers.

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