The Boston Red Sox are moving up the starting times of two games against the Baltimore Orioles this week so that Boston fans will not have to choose between watching baseball and the Celtics in the NBA Finals.

The games tonight and Thursday at Fenway Park are scheduled to begin one hour earlier at 6:05 p.m. The Boston Celtics are scheduled to play the Los Angeles Lakers in Games 3 and 4 at Staples Center in Los Angeles those days, starting at 9 p.m.

The game tomorrow between the Red Sox and Orioles remains a 7:05 p.m. start.

Detroit fans faced a similar situation May 24 when the Pistons played the Celtics in the Eastern Conference final and the Red Wings played the Penguins in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final. But there was no adjustments to the starting times to those games.

Mariners

Seattle fired hitting coach Jeff Pentland and replaced him with special assistant Lee Elia. Mariners general manager Bill Bavasi said he hoped a "different voice" would help the team. Elia, 70, was Seattle's batting coach from 1993-97 and is well-known for a tirade he once unleashed as manager of the Chicago Cubs.

Seattle made the move less than a week after team president Chuck Armstrong ripped into the coaching staff. Expected to be contenders in the American League West Division, the Mariners began the day with the worst record in the majors at 22-41.

The Mariners were next-to-last in hitting in the AL at .248. Pentland, 61, was in his third season as Seattle's hitting coach.

Mets

Outfielder Ryan Church will go on the disabled list today, still slowed by the effects of a concussion nearly three weeks ago. Church's most recent examination with a neurologist didn't show dizziness or any major symptoms. But he doesn't feel 100 percent, and the team decided to hold him out longer. The move to the DL would be made retroactive to Friday, a day after Church previously played.

Brewers

Second baseman Rickie Weeks was placed on the 15-day disabled list because of a sprained left knee.

Milwaukee also signed free-agent outfielder Brandon Drespling of Westminster College. He is expected to be assigned to the Brewers' Rookie League affiliate in Helena, Mont. He is the first Westminster player to sign with a major league team since 1972.