Games Started

JERUSALEM -- Israeli tanks shelled targets in the West Bank last night to avenge a suicide bombing hours earlier on the Israeli coast that killed two soldiers and severely wounded a third, according to Israeli security sources and Palestinian witnesses. The bombing in the coastal town of Binyamina was the first fatal suicide attack by a Palestinian inside Israel since 21 young people were killed June 1 outside the Dolphinarium discotheque in Tel Aviv. The disco bombing resulted in a U.S.-brokered cease-fire that is now in tatters.

It's back to square one in this American League Championship Series. Or perhaps that should be Game 1.The two pitchers who got this thing started last Wednesday in the Bronx, Scott Erickson and Andy Pettitte, go at it again today at Camden Yards in the fifth game of the series.The opener forever will be remembered for a 12-year-old scooping the ball into the seats for a home run that contributed to New York's 5-4, 11-inning win.Almost forgotten is that Orioles right-hander Erickson departed after 6 1/3 innings with a 4-2 lead.

NEW YORK -- Last October, it was a viral infection that struck then-Florida Marlins pitcher Kevin Brown during the National League Championship Series. Now the ace of the San Diego Padres' staff, Brown again is fighting a bug at the most inopportune time.Padres manager Bruce Bochy said Brown was running another fever yesterday, just as he did before starting Game 1 of the World Series on Saturday. Bochy wasn't aware of Brown's illness until around the sixth inning, but said, "I knew something was up because just looking at Kevin, he didn't look well."

BOSTON -- For the past two weeks, baseball people have been compiling their annual list of All-Star Game snubs. They've been talking about all the players who enjoyed a great first half of the season but were not voted starters by the fans or not chosen as reserves by the managers.But it's all part of the system. Fans are going to vote for their favorite players, regardless of whether those players' statistics warrant a start in the All-Star Game, and managers filling out their rosters often will lean toward players from their teams.

PHOENIX - St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Andy Benes nearly retired earlier this year, but he came back at midseason and has re-emerged as a very important member of the pitching staff. Now, he's suddenly in a position to play an even more important part in the postseason. Right-hander Woody Williams was supposed to be the No. 3 starter in the Cardinals' playoff rotation, but he had to shut down a workout on Monday with continued soreness in his back. The setback forced the team to remove him from the postseason roster and add Garrett Stephenson as a long reliever.

ATLANTA -- One of the reasons Atlanta manager Bobby Cox decided to start Tom Glavine in Game 1 of the World Series was so his left-hander wouldn't have to work on too many days' rest. Now, rest is exactly what Glavine will get. And Cox can only hope it provides a cure. Glavine was scratched from last night's start because of the flu, which has been sweeping through his family. Greg Maddux took his place, with Kevin Millwood receiving the start tonight in Game 2. Where does this leave Glavine, besides home in bed?

A country so long complacent about young death in the ghetto has finally been jerked awake by the terrible news out of Kentucky, Mississippi, Arkansas and Washington state, where freckle-faced kids too young to drive are old enough to gun down their classmates. Suddenly, the argument about parental responsibility has a dark urgency that slams academic debate to the sidelines.Experts have long maintained that parental actions - or the lack of them - are central to shaping a child. This is an awesome mandate in the best of times, but when dysfunction increasingly means violence, there's a rush to diffuse responsibility.

Ahmad Bradshaw has said that he plans to play Sunday, which should cause some concern for the Ravens. The New York Giants running back leads the team in rushing, piling up 869 yards and five touchdowns on 196 carries. And in his only meeting against the Ravens on Nov. 16, 2008, Bradshaw averaged 10.7 yards on just nine carries, rushing for 96 yards. That might not bode well for a Ravens defense that just surrendered 118 yards and one touchdown to the Denver Broncos' Knowshon Moreno in last Sunday's 34-17 loss.

The Orioles have agreed to contract terms with right-hander Tommy Hunter on a one-year, $1.82 million deal. Hunter, 26, pitched in 33 games (20 starts for the Orioles), going 7-8 with a 5.45 ERA. He was more effective as a reliever, winning all three of his decisions while pitching to a 3.71 ERA. This was the first year of arbitration for Hunter, who made $493,500 in 2012. According to an industry source, the Orioles are also close to a deal with left-hander Brian Matusz, though it is not official.

ANAHEIM, Calif. - Left fielder Nate McLouth is one of the Orioles' hottest hitters at the plate over the past two weeks, but it still hasn't been enough to earn everyday starts against left-handed pitching. Over his past 10 games entering Thursday, the left-handed hitting McLouth had recorded a .432/.523/.676 batting line. He's reached safely in 17 of the 20 games he's started this season. "When you see guys spitting on balls a couple inches off the plate….you can tell he's seeing the ball good and letting it travel," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said.