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Red Sox pitcher’s suspension reduced from 6 to 5 games

Boston Red Sox's Josh Beckett pitches against the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday in Boston.

Boston Red Sox's Josh Beckett pitches against the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday in Boston.

BOSTON – Josh Beckett’s suspension was reduced from six games to five on Sunday, allowing the Boston Red Sox ace to take his next turn in the rotation.

Beckett threw a pitch near the head of the Los Angeles Angels’ Bobby Abreu on April 12, leading to both dugouts and bullpens emptying. The right-hander was suspended on Tuesday and immediately appealed the ruling.

With the Red Sox off Thursday, the new penalty allows Beckett to switch spots with Jon Lester and start Saturday. Lester is now scheduled to start the series opener against the New York Yankees on Friday.

“We didn’t actually have a hearing because everybody has to answer to somebody, and my boss told me that this was the best thing for the ball club,” Beckett said. “If it was up to me, obviously we would have went through with this whole thing because I don’t think I deserve even one game. When your boss tells you that something is best for the whole group then that’s what we do.”

Zimmerman to get deal

WASHINGTON – Third baseman Ryan Zimmerman and the Washington Nationals have agreed to a new contract.

The Nationals are planning a news conference Monday to make a formal announcement.

The deal is reportedly worth $45 million over five years.

Zimmerman was a first-round draft pick out of the University of Virginia in 2005. He made his major league debut that year.

In 2006, he was the runner-up in NL Rookie of the Year voting after batting .287 with 20 homers and 110 RBIs. Injuries limited Zimmerman to 106 games last season, when he hit .283 with 14 homers and 51 RBIs.

Mauer nearing return

MINNEAPOLIS – Joe Mauer could be back with the Minnesota Twins in less than two weeks.

Rehabilitating his balky lower back in Florida, the All-Star catcher will play in a simulated game Monday. He’ll then play a handful of games with Minnesota’s rookie league team, before playing in six more games for the Class A Fort Myers Miracle.

The Twins want Mauer to get about 50 at-bats and 10 games, with at least half of those as the catcher.

Tigers trio progressing

SEATTLE – Detroit manager Jim Leyland is encouraged with the progress of reliever Joel Zumaya and starters Dontrelle Willis and Jeremy Bonderman.

Speaking before Sunday’s series finale in Seattle, Leyland said that initial reports on Zumaya’s relief appearance Saturday night with Triple-A Toledo were good.

Zumaya threw two scoreless innings, allowed just two hits and struck out one in his first outing at Toledo.

Leyland said Zumaya is scheduled to throw again Tuesday and Wednesday.

Willis is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment at Class-A Lakeland on Tuesday as he recovers from an anxiety disorder, and Bonderman has looked strong in bullpen sessions as he battles tightness in his pitching shoulder.

Citizen Online Archive, 2006-2009

This archive contains all the stories that appeared on the Tucson Citizen's website from mid-2006 to June 1, 2009.

In 2010, a power surge fried a server that contained all of videos linked to dozens of stories in this archive. Also, a server that contained all of the databases for dozens of stories was accidentally erased, so all of those links are broken as well. However, all of the text and photos that accompanied some stories have been preserved.

For all of the stories that were archived by the Tucson Citizen newspaper's library in a digital archive between 1993 and 2009, go to Morgue Part 2

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