Police say former Dodger Milton Bradley has been arrested for investigation of felony battery. Police say the outfielder, released by Seattle this year, was arrested Tuesday at a San Fernando Valley home. Police told the Los Angeles Times details of the incident were not available.

The Mariners and Athletics will open next season in Japan with a two-game series at the Tokyo Dome on March 28 and 29. Seattle and Oakland had been scheduled to play there in March 2003, but the series was scrapped because of the threat of war in Iraq.

The Mariners could open the 2012 season with a short series against the Athletics in Japan. Randy Adamack, the Mariners vice president of communications, confirmed Tuesday that the club has been contacted by MLB about the potential of playing in the Tokyo Dome. "We have been approached by MLB about participating in a season-opening trip to Japan in 2012," Adamack said. "We have been advised that if this all comes together, we would play two regular-season games and a couple of exhibition games in Japan. Any other updates and information will come from MLB."

Former major league GM Joe McIlvaine was hired as a special assistant to Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik on Monday. The 64-year-old McIlvaine served as GM of the Padres and Mets during the 1990s. He has been with the Twins since 1998, the last 11 years as a special assistant.

Tom Haudricourt doesn't believe Prince Fielder will re-sign with the Brewers due to his likely prohibitive price tag in free agency. The Marlins, Nationals, Mariners and Rangers are teams he mentions as possibilities. The Giants and Dodgers could be interested, but both appear unlikely to have the payroll available.

With his grandkids crawling all over his bronzed likeness, the Mariners honored late Hall of Fame broadcaster Dave Niehaus on Friday with the first statue in franchise history. The sculpture sits on the right field concourse of Safeco Field and the radio booth where Niehaus called hundreds of games serves as the backdrop.

The National League The Kevin Towers Steve Gilbert of MLB.com: "[Tuesday was] the D-backs' 18th win in their last 21 games and they maintained their 8 1/2-game lead over the Giants in the National League West with 14 left to play while reducing their magic number to six." The Frank Wren Carroll Rogers of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "One day after hitting Brian McCann fifth for the first time all season, manager Fredi Gonzalez dropped him to sixth against Marlins left-hander Brad Hand. McCann hadn't hit sixth in a starting lineup in three years, not since he hit sixth for 24 games in 2008." The Randy Bush Paul Sullivan of The Chicago Tribune: "When the Cubs make the decision on whether to exercise Aramis Ramirez's $16 million option this offseason, one thing they must consider is the possibility of Ramirez coming back to haunt them in their own division." The Walt Jocketty Mark Sheldon of MLB.com: "At an innings limit and facing a shutdown, [Mike] Leake finished his 2011 season with a flourish during a 2-1 Reds victory over the Cubs on Tuesday. Over eight innings, he gave up one run and six hits with two walks and two strikeouts." The Dan O'Dowd The Denver Post: "The more things change for Kevin Millwood, the more they remain the same. All he wanted was a chance to pitch for a major-league club this season. Now, after a solid six-game audition with the Rockies, all he wants is a chance to pitch for a major- league club in 2012." The Michael Hill Juan C. Rodriguez of The South Florida Sun-Sentinel: "Emilio Bonifacio added two more hits, including an RBI single in the fifth. He opened the day leading the National League with 27 hits since Aug. 26." The Ed Wade Ultimate Astros: "Astros rookies Jose Altuve and J.D. Martinez are in the midst of September slumps - a combined 7-for-57 in the first 11 days of the month." The Ned Colletti True Blue L.A.: "The predominantly untested nature of the bullpen didn't sit well with the Dodgers, so they went out and re-signed Vicente Padilla as a reliever, avoided arbitration with Hong Chih Kuo, traded for Blake Hawksworth, gave Mike MacDougal and Lance Cormier minor league contracts, and made a long term commitment to Matt Guerrier." The Doug Melvin Brew Crew Ball: "[Yovani] Gallardo started off with outings of 6 innings, 2 earned runs and followed it with a shutout of the Braves (with only 2 strikeouts). Then things turned ugly: in 5 starts, he threw 26 innings and gave up 26 earned runs. There was widespread panic." The Sandy Alderson Mets Blog: "[Jose Reyes] didn't steal second in the 5th inning (when on first, up a run, with one out and Thole on third), nor did he steal in the 7th inning (when on first, with no outs, no one on and down by a run) 'Earlier in the season (my hamstring) was healthy,' Reyes explained to reporters after the game. 'It's not the same now, because I just come off of the disabled list. I don't want to blow out my leg running like crazy out there. If I feel good, I'll run like crazy. But right now my leg is not where it needs to be.'" The Ruben Amaro Jr. Phillies Nation: "A three-run homerun by Brandon Moss in the opening frame was more than enough offense for the IronPigs pitching staff, as four pitchers combined to hold the Columbus Clippers to 2 runs on 7 hits earning Lehigh Valley a victory in game 1 of the Triple-A International League Championship Series." The Neal Huntington Baseball Nation: "For the second time in the past two years, a GM for a struggling team has received a premature extension. There's additional context, sure, but it's not like the context includes a lot of winning. And while it might not be fair to make an apples-to-apples comparison between [Neal] Huntington and [Dayton] Moore, the overall comparison fits." The John Mozeliak Viva El Birdos: "Ah, this team. This maddening, frustrating, flawed, stupefying team. Somehow, despite their own best efforts, this team is still alive." The Jed Hoyer Gas Lamp Ball: "If I'm a Padres prospect that isn't currently up with the club, I am really enjoying myself. There's a good chance that I'm in the minor league playoffs, actually winning games. The group of guys I'm with looks solid and I could see how, in maybe even by 2013, I could be up with the big club with this same group of guys that's cruising through the farm systems of other clubs. It's an exciting time." The Brian Sabean John Shea of The San Francisco Chronicle: "Andrew Susac isn't exactly the Giants' catcher of the future. Not in an organization featuring Buster Posey. But Susac, who grew up in Sacramento a Giants fan, still is an elite prospect after being chosen in the second round of the June draft, and he'll put his talents on display in the instructional league, which begins this week in Arizona." The Mike Rizzo Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post: "[Ryan Zimmerman] feels more comfortable throwing now than he ever did before. After a shaky start to his mechanical change, Zimmerman has made only two throwing errors since August began, a span of 37 games. The first came Aug. 16 against the Reds, when he charged the ball and made a running throw. The second came Sunday, when Zimmerman backed up to field a high hop and fired the ball across the diamond, off of Chris Marrero's glove." The American League The Andy MacPhail The Baltimore Sun: "With the score tied at 2 and two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning, Orioles catcher Matt Wieters landed an uppercut on the Tampa Bay Rays, who are chasing the Boston Red Sox in the American League wild-card race." The Theo Epstein Alex Speier of WEEI.com: "The moment was spontaneous and remarkable, a reflection of what Tim Wakefield has meant to both a baseball team and a community for the better part of 17 seasons. Few milestones at Fenway Park have been commemorated with the enthusiasm of the knuckleballer's 200th career victory." The Kenny Williams Mark Gonzales of The Chicago Tribune: "Manager Ozzie Guillen plans to watch some bullfights during his trip to Spain shortly after the end of the regular season. But he said he is more than willing to meet with chairman Jerry Reinsdorf before his trip to discuss his status if the Chicago White Sox's chairman wishes to do so." The Chris Antonetti Cleveland Plain Dealer: "Indians manager Manny Acta insists that the goal remains the same for his ballclub." The Dave Dombrowski Paul Casella of MLB.com: "While the World Series is still a long way off in the Tigers' minds, they took another step toward clinching the Central against the White Sox, lowering their magic number to four games. And even more important, perhaps, is that [Justin] Verlander said Tuesday's outing was the best he's felt in about the last month." The Dayton Moore Royals Review: "Royal pitching prospect Danny Duffy is nearing the end of his 2011 Rookie campaign, and I'm wandering if much was really accomplished by it." The Tony Reagins Sam Miller of The Orange County Register: "Robb Quinlan, your 40th-favorite (or so) Angel of all-time, has decided what he wants to do with his life. He's going to be a volunteer coach and hitting instructor at his alma mater, the University of Minnesota." The Bill Smith Joe Christensen of The Star-Tribune: "[Carl] Pavano reached the 200-inning mark for the second straight year and fourth time in his career in tonight's 4-0 loss to the Royals. He's also given up 242 hits, the most for a Twins pitcher since Carlos Silva allowed 246 in 2006. Overall, he is 8-12 with a 4.50 ERA. 'I'm enjoying the fact I'm healthy and able to go out there,' Pavano said. 'But it doesn't take away the fact that, where would I be if I was a little more consistent this year?' he said." The Brian Cashman Erik Boland of Newsday: "Joe Girardi has offered a stock answer when asked about how his playoff rotation might look. 'It's still way too early to talk about postseason, and we're not there,' he said after Monday night's 9-3 victory over the Mariners. But Girardi also acknowledged the obvious: It's only natural for every starter not named CC Sabathia to take the mound thinking about what a good start, or a bad one, does for his postseason prospects." The Billy Beane Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle: "Few people are watching Stephen Strasburg's relatively quick return from Tommy John surgery more closely than Brett Anderson. Anderson, a left-hander, had Tommy John surgery in July." The Jack Zduriencik Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times: "Seattle has struck out 1,155 times this season. The franchise record is 1,184, set just last season." The Andrew Friedman Roger Mooney of The Tampa Tribune: "Johnny Damon's assault on baseball's record books continued Tuesday night at Camden Yards when the Tampa Bay Rays' designated hitter stole second base in the second inning. It was the 400th steal of Damon's career, and it made him only the ninth player in baseball history to steal 400 bases and hit 200 home runs." The Jon Daniels Dallas Morning News: "Adrian Beltre, hitless in his first three at-bats, homered in the seventh inning to extend his hitting streak to 17 games. It matches a career high he established in 2001. He is hitting .382 (18-for-47) with four homers and 14 RBIs in 11 September games." The Alex Anthopoulos Jon Star of MLB.com: "While the Red Sox hope [John] Lackey can figure things out for Wednesday's start, the lineup will have to find a way to best Toronto's Ricky Romero. The left-hander earned his 14th victory of the season Thursday by giving up three earned runs over 6 2/3 innings with seven strikeouts against Boston."

Mariano Rivera earned his 600th save, moving within one of Trevor Hoffman's major league record, by closing out the Yankees' 3-2 win over the Mariners on Tuesday night, according to an ESPN.com report. Rivera entered with a one-run lead in the ninth inning and allowed just a one-out single to Ichiro Suzuki. He was retired when catcher Russell Martin caught Suzuki trying to steal second for the final out.

Yankees closer Mariano Rivera has a chance to join an elite group in Seattle this week. Rivera enters New York's series against the Mariners with 599 career saves. Trevor Hoffman is currently the only member of the 600-save club. Hoffman finished his career with 601 saves, meaning Rivera could potentially tie or even surpass the all-time saves mark in Seattle. Rivera first rose to prominence as a 25-year-old rookie reliever in the 1995 American League Division Series against the Mariners. "The best ever. I keep saying the same thing over and over again, and it sounds repetitious every time I talk about Mo, but it's true," Rivera's longtime teammate, Jorge Posada, said. "There's nobody [who's] ever going to get close to what he's been able to achieve, because there's nobody better. It's just that simple."

Mariners third base prospect Alex Liddi will become the first Italian-born major-leaguer since 1962 when he gets promoted on Tuesday night. Liddi, 23, will also be the first graduate of the MLB European Academy to play in the majors as well as the first Italian born and raised player to do it. With Class AAA Tacoma this season, Liddi hit .259 with 30 home runs, 104 runs batted in and 121 runs scored.