In Arizona:

• Daniel Murphy went 3-for-6 with a double, an RBI and three runs scored.

In Mexico:

• Matias Carrillo pitched a perfect two-thirds of an inning.
• Tim Lavigne picked up a win in relief, allowing a hit and a walk in a scoreless ninth.

Rob Neyer examines Scott Boras's claim that Oliver Perez is one of the top five lefties in baseball. Since 2006, he is, but only if we rank them in ascending order of ERA+ (subscription required).

At RotoGraphs, a fantasy spinoff of FanGraphs, Brian Joura looks at Mike Pelfrey's corner-turn and suggests that he might be a top-25 starting pitcher in upcoming fantasy drafts.

At The Hardball Times, Craig Brown looks at some of last offseason's awful signings, including, ahem, Luis Castillo.

The Yankees declined their $6 million option on reliever Damaso Marte. This move is a little suspicious, though I suspect they plan on offering him arbitration, which will allow them to bring him back for similar money or, if he signs elsewhere, net two draft picks as a result of Marte's Type A status.

Per GM Kevin Towers, Jake Peavy will almost certainly be traded this offseason, with the Cubs and Braves as his most likely suitors. The Cubs are considering tossing in Jeff Samardzija.

Do fielders with better range commit more errors? MGL says "No".

This is pretty awesome (via Baseball Musings). Basically, hold tryouts in a highly-populated country and offer a cash prize to the person who most resembles a pitcher. That's how two 19-year-old pitchers from India were discovered, in a contest determined to find the "pitcher" who could throw the most balls in the strike zone at 85 MPH or faster.

In off-topic hockey news, the Rangers are seeking draft pick compensation following the tragic death of first round pick Alexei Cherepanov in Russia last month. That's all well and good, but the explanation by assistant GM Cam Hope was a little unsettling:

"We understand that this is a sensitive issue, but with all due respect to Alexei's family and his memory, he is technically eligible to be drafted again next year.

"We are not attempting to capitalize on a tragedy, but there would be no question regarding the Rangers' right to a compensatory pick if Cherepanov had been revived and survived the incident and were on life support."

Ack!

I mentioned it yesterday, but Brandon Knight is making his first big league start tonight against the Cardinals in place of Pedro Martinez, who is on the bereavement list after the death of his father. Knight was out of baseball last season before his wife convinced him to take a spot pitching in the Independent League. The Mets signed him to a minor league deal in May and he has been dominant in five starts (eleven appearances overall), striking out 49 and walking just ten in 39.1 innings, notching a 1.60 ERA. Now, Triple-A isn't quite Quadruple-A (read: Tampa Bay pre-2008), which isn't quite the major leagues, but it's a good story and we all love good stories, right?

Ryan Church has begun light conditioning, but could still be a week or two away from returning. Jerry Manuel says Church will need upwards of seven rehab starts once he's ready to go, though Church is taking "the under" on that one. With the trade market thin and pricey, a Church return would be a huge addition to the Mets' offense. Names like Raul Ibanez and Casey Blake are out there and they'd definitely be upgrades over Chavez and Tatis, but would like cost at least a B-level prospect and the Mets don't have too many of those lying around. Larry Brooks at The Post has more on this.

Mark Hale on Mike Pelfrey's awesomeness.

Newsday's Jim Baumbach caught up with Dwight Gooden after an autograph show yesterday and god an update on where Doc is at right now. Something you may not have known: Gooden has six kids between the ages of 3 and 21.

Steve Popper at The Record takes a look at the Mets' Double-A team in Binghamton, where the Mets have started to stockpile a decent set of players. An interesting tidbit in the middle of the article: "GM Omar Minaya said Cleveland GM Mark Shapiro told him that he had the pieces to get C.C. Sabathia."

In case you missed it last night, the Yankees acquired Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte from the Pirates for four "prospects": Jose Tabata, George Kontos, Russ Ross Ohlendorf and Phil Coke. More coverage at Bucs Dugout and Pinstripe Alley.

As with any link dump, I encourage you to add your own links in the comments.