Josh Hamilton shed no tears, used no prepared statement as he apologized and shared few details about his relapse with alcohol. Still, it was clear he was upset by what he had done. The Texas Rangers slugger and recovering drug addict said he had "three or four" drinks during dinner at a Dallas restaurant and bar Monday and continued drinking later that night.

The Tampa Bay Rays defeated pitcher Jeff Niemann in salary arbitration Friday, improving clubs to 2-0 in decisions this year. Niemann will earn $2.75 million instead of his request for $3.2 million, arbitrators James Oldham, Howard Edelman and Mark Irvings decided after hearing arguments a day earlier.

New York Yankees reliever Joba Chamberlain has started throwing off a half-mound as part of a rehabilitation program after elbow ligament replacement surgery. Chamberlain threw at the Yankees' minor league complex in Florida on Friday. The right-hander said the session on the 5-inch mound, which New York pitching coach Larry Rothschild and team vice president Billy Connors watched, went well.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have agreed to terms with right-handed reliever Todd Coffey on a $1.3 million, one-year contract with a club option for 2013. The deal, announced Friday, will pay Coffey $1 million this season. The Dodgers hold a $2.5 million option for next season with a $300,000 buyout. Coffey was 5-1 with a 3.62 ERA in 69 games with Washington last season.

Right-hander Matt Garza has agreed to a $9.5 million, one-year contract with the Chicago Cubs, just before the scheduled start of a salary arbitration hearing in St. Petersburg, Fla. Friday's agreement was $725,000 below the midpoint between the $12.5 million the pitcher had asked for in arbitration last month and $7.95 million the Cubs had offered.

Pitcher Shaun Marcum and the Milwaukee Brewers have agreed to a one-year contract worth $7,725,000, just ahead of the scheduled start of their salary arbitration hearing. Friday's deal was at the midpoint between the $8.7 million and $6.75 million figures filed by the sides when they exchanged proposed arbitration salaries last month.