Boston Red Sox defeat Oakland Athletics, 12-2

For the 43d time this season -- every game he's played in -- Mark Bellhorn has either walked or struck out.

Last night, in his final at-bat in the eighth, the Red Sox second baseman whiffed, giving him an AL-leading 52 strikeouts. He is also second in the league with 39 walks, one behind Chicago's Frank Thomas.

"I didn't really know they had a statistic like that," said Bellhorn, after an outstanding game against the team that originally signed him out of Auburn in 1...

Free agency is baseball's version of musical chairs.

For instance, when Keith Foulke signed with the Red Sox last Dec. 13, it had a ripple effect.

Five days after Foulke agreed to that multiyear contract, Oakland general manager Billy Beane brought in someone to replace him as the A's closer.

He signed Arthur Rhodes to a three-year, $9.2 million contract. The price seemed high, considering Rhodes was coming off a so-so season. In 67 games with the Mariners in 2003...