Around The Majors- Friday

Barry Bonds talk with ESPN Page 2's Jonah Keri, news, and rumors for yet another baseball day on SOS.

-So Bonds will probably never play Major League Baseball again. Is this where I sob or climb up high to my soap box? I actually feel pretty indifferent on the subject and am pleased to see Barry go away from the baseball scene for a while, or maybe not. I follow the independent Long Island Ducks, and they had John Rocker on their roster a few years ago, and Jose Canseco and Rickey Henderson played for the Newark Bears of the Atlantic League. So why not Barroids?

"I like the way you think." Keri said. Gotta love flattery, right?
"It's funny, when the Bonds news came down the pike, here were my two immediate reactions, in order:
1) Really? The government has nothing better to do but to charge a baseball player with perjury? Iraq's a disaster, Pakistan is on the verge of becoming a disaster, health care's got problems, the education system is a joke in many states, we're on the verge of a theocracy in this country, and Barry Bonds is their #1 priority?!
2) Too bad, Bonds would've been the best free agent bargain of the winter, by a mile. A's could've parlayed him into a run at the AL West title."
The government always loves high profile cases that they can get their noses into. When Congress hosted all those players for the steroids season, they were giddier than John Madden at a Brett Favre convention. Bonds and Billy Beane would have been perfect fits together, because love it or hate it Bonds is an optimal Moneyball player. Gets on base more than anyone in a while, hits jacks, and rarely ever strikes out. But that's all for naught now.
-Derek Jeter may owe millions in income taxes, so he's not perfect. Wait, so he's not God?
-Mariano Rivera still wants that 4th year, but this may end up like the A-Rod thing. Nobody may offer him a 4th year, and he'll come to the team that has the overwhelmingly best offer. That is once again New York.
-I don't agree with the Yankees offering Mike Lowell 4 years and 50-55 million to play first base. He's in his 30's and they would put him out of position, which would be insane considering Lowell is a superb defender at the hot corner. Once again, Boston seems sensible as they're offering 3 years and 35-45 million. My hope is that the Phillies get him, but they're likely to go after pitching.
-The Braves are closing in on making a contract offer to Tom Glavine. Glavine has said that he'd take less money than he got last year from the Mets to pitch in Atlanta. He'd join Smoltz, Hudson, James, and Jurrjens to make a nice rotation.
-The Red Sox are adding 900 seats to Fenway Park for next season, and $25 standing room tickets. Now not being able to stand baseball will only cost 25 bucks. A bargain.
-Aaron Rowand could go to the Dodgers, according to the Riverside Press Enterprise.
-Jake Peavy may take a hometown discount on a contract extension, says the San Diego Union-Tribune.
-Lowell could decide as soon as this weekend, according to the Boston Herald.
-The Tigers are interested in Livan Hernandez, according to the Detroit Free Press.
-The White Sox want to deal Joe Crede, says tha Daily Herald.
-The New York Post reports that Paul Lo Duca could go to Florida or Colorado.
- Arizona is interested in Bartolo Colon and Matt Clement, according to the Arizona Republic. The team will not deal Conor Jackson.
-The Marlins, Padres, and Rockies have interest in Michael Barrett. (Palm Beach Post)
-Milwaukee may sign Jason Kendall to be their Catcher. (Brewers.com)
-Kenny Rogers wants to stay with the Tigers. (Detroittigers.com)
-The New York Daily News reports that the Yankees and Jose Molina have agreed on a 2 year extension worth 4 million.
-The Mets have interest in Octavio Dotel. (New York Times)

M.L.B. Live!

By now, unless you were stuck in a Utah mine you know that Barry Bonds broke the home run record. Now that the homer chase is finally over, all you fantasy junkies who own Barry wanna know if he'll actually care now that he's broken Aaron's record. ESPN Fantasy Expert Eric Karabell told SprungOnSports that Bonds still has plenty of motivation to succeed:
"I don't see a reason why Bonds will play more or less, then he has the last few months. He wants to keep playing, he want s 3,000 hits. I think his body will hold him back from homering three times a week. I'd expect the same production, the same day off, nothing to change."

Nothing to change, except nobody giving two pieces of vermin infested Angels ballpark food about the Giants and Nationals. They're playing a game, and Bonds has hit another home run, number 757. If the person who caught the ball is getting carried away by "security", call for help. You're getting kidnapped, the ball is not worth that much.

Whatever the Rockies took before today's game against Milwaukee, give me a year's supply. Colorado erupted for 19 runs off of the Brewers and wonderkid Yovani Gallardo and mauled Milwaukee 19-4. Garrett Atkins went 4-4 with a career high 6 RBI's for the Rox, who got 5 solid innings from Jeff Francis for the win.

The Phillies are turning it up a notch as they've won 3 straight with a 6-4 win over Florida. New acquisition Kyle Lohse won it, and returning closer Brett Myers saved it for Philadelphia, and was set up by Tom Gordon. That trio of additions on the mound could guide the Phils back to prominence in the senior circuit.

The Mets got a gigantic win tonight over the Braves 4-3 on a solo job by Moises Alou off of Rafael Soriano in the 8th. John Smoltz and Orlando Hernandez gave their teams' good start, but the Mets regained their 4.5 game division lead by winning the bullpen battle. Luis Castillo drove in 2 and Billy Wagner closed the door for his 26th save.

What do the Dodgers and a fat stripper have in common? They both haven't scored in the last 3 nights. Aaron Harang threw 8 shutout frames, Ken Griffey drove in the game's only run in the 3rd, and David Weathers shut the door on Cincy's 1-0 win over fast fading Los Angeles.

One Wells (David) may be on the outs, but Kip was outstanding as St Louis edged San Diego 2-1. Wells threw 7 shutout innings and outdueled Greg Maddux for the win.

Jose Vidro wanted to make sure that Seattle would get into a tie for the wild card lead. He homered and drove in 4, as the Mariners beat Baltimore 8-4. Jose Guillen also drove in 2 for Seattle.

The struggles of the Cubs continue. Carlos Zambrano got roasted for 7 runs in 5 and two thirds as Houston shredded Chicago 8-2. Roy Oswalt threw 6 shutout frames for the win, and Luke Scott drove in 3 for the Astros.

Detroit was silenced by James Shields over 7 innings as Tampa Bay defeated Detroit 7-1. Carlos Pena, Delmon Young, and Dioner Navarro each drove in a pair for the Rays, who pounded out 16 hits for the win.

Toronto put up 5 spots in the 3rd and 6th innings to steamroll the Yankees 15-4. Chien Ming Wang was beat up for 8 runs in 2 and two thirds as Roy Halladay and the Jays cruised to victory. Vernon Wells drove in 4, Frank Thomas drove in 3, and Hill and Zaun drove in a pair each for John Gibbons. Robbie Cano had 2 homers in the loss.

M.L.B. Live!

I'll go through some news and preview tonight's games, with some analysis from Joe Morgan in between.

Arizona made an excellent move, resigning Eric Byrnes to a 3 year, 30 million dollar extension. Not only is he batting over .300 with 17 homers, he's an excellent fielder and a fan favorite. Good move all around.

With the milestones that occurred over the weekend with Bonds and A-Rod, I asked Joe Morgan where they would rank among the greatest sluggers of all time:
"Well, they're definitely up in the top." He said. "You've got Babe, Aaron, Willie Mays, Frank Robinson. It's difficult to group them, because the game is different now. The parks are smaller, the balls are livelier, the pitching's not as good. These two guys definitely rank in the top 10." Who's your greatest slugger of all time??

Did you ever eat at Angel Stadium? The food vendors have violated vermin citations over 100 times over the last 2 years. The cleaning crews will now work after the game ends, rather then the morning after. 9 were found at Dodger Stadium and Petco Park- combined over the same time span.

Boston signed Bobby Kielty today, likely marking the end of the road for Wily Mo Pena. The Padres and Pirates are interested according to the Providence Journal.

The Seattle Mariners mascot Mariner Moose will not be in trouble after accidentally hitting Coco Crisp with a vehicle on Sunday, but not injuring him. GM Bill Bavasi apologized to the Red Sox almost immediately afterwards.

Former Major League manager Wally Backman resigned today from the independent Georgia Peanuts after numerous run-ins with umpires, feuds with a radio announcer, and a forfeit after not wanting to come back on the field after a brawl.

On tap for today, Seattle opens up a big series in Baltimore with Jeff Weaver on the mound for the Mariners. Nate Robertson pitches for Detroit against Tampa Bay's Jason Hammel. The Yankees and Blue Jays continue their series up north with Roger Clemens facing Josh Towers. Minnesota looks to climb back into the AL Central race as they send Boof Bonser to the hill in KC against Brian Bannister. Jake Westbrook and John Danks are on the mound as the Indians look to keep their division lead against the White Sox. Gaudin and Gabbard go in Oakland, and Tim Wakefield faces Joe Saunders in a big series in LA.
In the NL, the Phillies look to keep alive in the NL East as Jaime Moyer faces the Marlins and Rick VandenHurk. The Dodgers need to stop their slide in the NL West, they send Mark Hendrickson to the mound against Bronson Arroyo. The Braves have won 6 of 9 against the Mets this season, the 3 New York won were all by Oliver Perez, he faces Buddy Carlyle at Shea. Sean Marshall looks to get the Cubs back on track against Woody Williams and Houston. The Padres wamt to avenge their loss in St Louis, they send ace Jake Peavy against Anthony Reyes. ESPN's Joe Morgan spoke to SprungOnSports about the Cards' chances this season:
"I don't really think they have that good of a chance this season." Morgan said. "But the game's not over until it's over. Their starting pitching is not too good. But that's why they play the games. The games still have to be played."
The Brewers and Rockies are both well in the race, Chris Capuano goes against Jason Hirsh. Micah Owings and Arizona looks to keep their NL West lead, they face Tom Gorzelanny and the Pirates. Barry Bonds looks for home run 756 at home tonight as Barry Zito faces Mike Bacsik. (10pm ESPN2)

That's your M.L.B. Live

M.L.B. Live!

Live!
The Yankees edged out Toronto 5-4 this afternoon to pull into a tie for the Wild Card lead in the AL. Mariano Rivera struck out the side for the save. The call up of Joba Chamberlain is expected soon as Mike Myers was designated for assignment, and replaced with Jim Brower who recorded an out this afternoon.

In a sport where the refs have so much power on the impact of a game, the M.L.B. umps rejected having background checks calling the request a "knee jerk witch hunt" in response to the NBA referee scandal. I think that it'd be a good PR move for the umps to allow it, but it would obviously be an invasion of their privacy. The NFL already does it, and it appears that they'll be the only ones.

Alfonso Soriano got injured last night during Live, and will miss 2-4 weeks with a strained quad. Kerry Wood returned and pitched a scoreless inning for the Cubs, but the Cubbies lost 8-3.

Tom Glavine got his 300th win in that game, and is only the 5th lefty all time to achieve that feat.

Barry Bonds will try to break the record against Washignton against rookie John Lannan tonight (10pm ESPN2).

Buster Olney gave a report of the White Sox claiming Miguel Tejada off of waivers, but was pulled back as they were unable to work out a trade. Mike Piazza was placed on waivers and cleared through, so he can be dealt. The St Louis Post Dispatch reports that Jim Edmonds would be open to a trade if it helps the Cards out. Bobby Kielty is weighing his options, but he's likely to sign with Boston. He's gotten offers from the Red Sox, Yankees, D-Backs, and Astros are all interested according to the Boston Herald. A fairly large roster shuffle could happen to the Reds by tomorrow, says the Cincinnati Inquirer.

After giving up 755, Clay Hensley was optioned to AAA by the Padres. The Cubs brought up prospect Eric Patterson to replace Soriano, and Wade Miller was released. Melvin Mora was activated from the shelf, and he may be dealt according to scouts.

On tap for tonight, Justin Verlander tries to get Detroit back on track against the Rays, and Cleveland finishes a big series in Minnesota. Curt Schilling makes his return in Anaheim against Jered Weaver. David Wells and the Padres are in St Louis (7pm ESPN), and Rich Hill and the Cubs start a series in Houston. Milwaukee starts a series against the Rockies, followed by Bonds against the Nats.

Today in the minor leagues, AJ Burnett struck out 7 in 5 innings as AAA Syracuse edged Ottawa 5-4 in 13 innings.

Around The Majors- Friday

Today, Ill recap last night's games, take a look at the standings, go through the news and notes, and preview the weekend in baseball.

Thursday Recap
Jake Westbrook got his first win since April as the Indians shut out Texas 5-0. Eric Gagne debuted as Boston beat Baltimore 7-4. Both the Yankees and White Sox scored 8 runs in the 2nd inning, but Chicago prevailed over New York 13-9. KC and the Twins were postponed because of the Minneapolis bridge collapse. Vlad Guerrero homered twice as the Angels downed the A's 6-4.
Jose Castillo hit a 2 out single in the 11th to lead the Pirates past the Cardinals 5-4. Corey Hart hit 2 home runs, but the Mets dominated Milwaukee 12-4 in a game where manager Ned Yost got into a fight with Catcher Johnny Estrada. The Phillies clubbed the Cubs 10-6, and the Padres got 10 k's from Jake Peavy and 2 jacks from Morgan Ensberg to destroy the D-Backs 11-0. Washington beat Cincy 7-3, Colorado edged Florida 4-3, and Houston outlasted Atlanta 12-11 in 14.

Standings
Boston has won 7 of 10 and leads the Yankees by 8 games in the AL East. Baltimore has won 7 of 10 and Tampa has lost 7 of 10. Detroit has lost 8 of 10 and Cleveland has lost 7 of 10. The Tigers lead the Indians by half a game in the AL Central. The Twins are 6 back. The Angels lead the Mariners by 3.5 games in the AL West. Philadelphia has won 7 of 10 and are 4 games behind the Mets in the NL East. The Braves are 4.5 back and Florida has lost 8 of 10. Milwaukee has lost 7 of 10 and are now percentage points behind the Cubs in the NL Central. St Louis is 6 back, Pittsburgh has lost 7 of 10, and the Reds have dropped 5 straight. Arizona has won 8 of 10 and are one game clear of the Dodgers and 1.5 ahead of San Diego in the NL West. LA has lost 7 of 10. Cleveland leads Seattle by a game for the AL Wild Card, the Yankees by 3, and Minnesota by 5.5. The Dodgers lead the Cubs, Brewers, and Padres by a half game for the NL Wild Card. Philadelphia is a game back, Atlanta 1.5, and the Rockies are 2.5 games back.

News and Notes
- Phil Hughes will come back and start for the Yankees against Kansas City tomorrow, and Pedro Martinez allowed 2 runs in 5+ innings for Port St Lucie yesterday. I asked ESPN Fantasy expert Eric Karabell whether Hughes was worth the fantasy start, and when Pedro will actually come back to return for the Mets:
What's the ETA for Pedro, and is Phil Hughes worth the start on Saturday?
ERIC KARABELL- In some of my leagues I would start Hughes, yes. He's still a rookie, though, so be cautious. I can't stress enough how many rookies have failed to help fantasy owners this season. As for Pedro, I am pessimistic, I have to admit. I expect him to be on strict pitch counts for weeks, and when a guy goes five innings, all it takes is one mistake and it's a bad start. Pedro could start next week.
- According to a report by Fortune Magazine, the YES Network is up for sale, but the Yankees denied that and were only looking to see how much they could get. More on this topic as time goes by.
- Marlins young starter Josh Johnson will have Tommy John Surgery and will likely miss the entire 2008 season.
- Baseball's top prospect, Arizona OF Justin Upton was called up from AA yesterday when they placed Carlos Quentin on the DL, and was a defensive replacement yesterday. Upton will start in right field tonight.
- The Phillies placed Rod Barajas on the DL and brought up Clay Condrey. Atlanta optioned prospect P Jo-Jo Reyes, the White Sox activated Mike MacDougal, Elizardo Ramirez was optioned, Rodrigo Lopez was shelved, and Matt Kata was designated.

Weekend Preview
Friday
El Duque and Carlos Zambrano duel at 220 in Wrigley in a possible playoff preview. Buehrle-Miller face off in Detroit, Wang faces the Royals, Halladay against Texas, and Sabathia-Santana in Minnesota. Jon Lester will battle King Felix in Seattle. Snell pitches against Cincy, Oswalt-Willis in Miami, Francis-Smoltz in Atlanta, and Kendrick-Gallardo in Milwaukee. Barry Bonds will try to tie the reccord in San Diego against Greg Maddux (10pm ESPN2). Billingsley battles the first place Snakes.
Saturday
Phil Hughes comes back against the KC debut of Kyle Davies. Maine-Lilly, prospect Aaron Laffey debuts against Matt Garza and the Twins, and Escobar-Blanton are all of FOX (4pm). Jimenez and Hudson battle at 7 on FOX. Vazquez-Bonderman, Kazmir against the O's, and Dice-K-Washburn finishes the AL. Hamels-Suppan, Pineiro debuting for the Cards, Harang goes against Matt Morris' debut, and Jennings-Mitre in Miami. Bonds goes against Clay Hensley, and Lowe faces Arizona.
Sunday
Meche-Mussina, Bedard in Tampa, and Carmona in Minnesota. Lackey faces Haren in Oakland, and Beckett-Batista in Seattle. Cook-James in Atlanta, Gorzelanny in Cincy, and Lowry-Germano in today's Bonds watch. Webb battles Penny in LA, and Tom Glavine goes for career win 300 at Wrigley against Jason Marquis and the Cubs. (8pm ESPN)

Around The Majors- Wednesday

Rumors will come at 3:30pm eastern on the blogspot site, but a Tuesday recap, a look at the standings, news and notes, and this week's fantasy studs & duds will all be now on ATM.

Tuesday Recap
The White Sox swept a doubleheader from Detroit 5-3 and 8-7, beating Jeremy Bonderman in the first affair. Texas swept a big twinbill from the Mariners, 2-1 behind John Rheinecker and 4-3. Daniel Cabrera and Baltimore beat Tampa Bay 3-0, Dice-K outdueled Sabathia as Boston bested Cleveland 1-0, and McGowan and Toronto shut out the Twins 7-0. The Yankees roasted the Royals 9-4, and Oakland beat the Angels 4-3.
Philly edged Washington 4-3, Yovani Gallardo lifted the Brewers over the Reds 5-3, and John Maine homered and won as the Mets beat Pittsburgh 8-4 despite 2 homers by Jason Bay. Craig Biggio hit a grand slam to cap a 6 run 6th as the Astros downed the Dodgers 7-4. Zambrano and the Cubs edged the Cards 4-3, the Padres defeated the Rockies 5-3, and Livan and the D-Backs mauled the Marlins 9-3 despite 2 homers by Dan Uggla. The Giants scored 4 runs in the 9th to tie it, but a double by Edgar Renteria sparked a 3 run 13th as Atlanta bested the Giants 7-5.

Standings
Both the Yankees and Red Sox have won 5 straight games, and Boston remains 7.5 games ahead in the AL East. New York has won 8 of 10, Toronto has won 4 in a row to reach .500, Baltimore has won 7 of 10, and Tampa Bay has lost 4 in a row and 7 of 10. Detroit leads Cleveland by 1.5 in the AL Central, Minnesota is 8.5 back. The Angels have lost 7 of 10, but are still 2.5 games clear of Seattle, who has lost 5 straight and 7 of 10. The Mets have won 7 of 10 and leads Atlanta by 3 games in the NL East. Philadelphia has won 4 in a row and are now 5 games back. The Cubs have won 7 of 10 and are now only 3 games back of first place Milwaukee in the NL Central. Pittsburgh has lost 9 of 10. The Dodgers lead the Padres by a game in the NL West, and the streaking Snakes have won 4 straight to get to 2.5 back. Colorado is 5.5 behind. Cleveland leads the AL Wild Card by 3 games over Seattle, 4.5 over the Yankees, 7 over Minnesota, and 8 over Toronto. San Diego leads the NL Wild Card by a game over Atlanta, 1.5 over Arizona and the Cubs, 3 clear of Philadelphia, 4.5 over Colorado, 7 over Florida, and 7.5 ahead of the Cardinals.

News and Notes
- Bud Selig was there in 'Frisco for Bonds last night, and will "do his best" to be there when he breaks the record.
- Craig Biggio announced that he was going to retire at the end of the season. This is Biggio's 21st season with the Astros, and with 3,000 hits will be the first ever Houston player in the HOF.
- Patrick Arnold, the doctor who invented the Clear, believes that both Barry Bonds and Gary Sheffield both took performance enhancing drugs, though neither will admit that they knowingly took steroids.
- In a touching gesture, Colorado 1B coach Glenallen Hill wore a helmet while at work in last night's game and will continue to don the protection after Rockies AA 1B coach Mike Coolbaugh was killed on Sunday in the coaching box from a line drive to the head. "It just makes sense," Hill said. "I heard about Mike and it brought a lot of emotions, for his family, his children, safety, how many close calls I've had. It just makes sense." In a sports world where everything seems to be going wrong, something done right is something seen more and more rarely.
- Arizona legend Randy Johnson is trying to return for his team from a back injury, and pitched to hitters for the first time yesterday in his rehab. The Unit admitted that he doesn't know if he'll come back this season, or even the rest of his career. For one of the great hurlers of our generation, it seems like an unjust and unfit ending. His career is one that needs proper closure, whether you adored or despised the tall lefty. Let's all hope that Johnson comes back OK in time for the stretch run.
- Miguel Tejada has been cleared to play again after a fractured wrist. He could return as early as Friday night against the Yankees. Whether this opens up the slugging SS to further trade talks is yet to be seen. Find out if his name is among the rumors on blogspot at 3:30 eastern.
- The Cubs will get a little boost to their infield as Ronny Cedeno has been recalled from AAA. The White Sox have activated both Gavin Floyd and Scott Podsednik from the DL, Luis Terrero has landed on the shelf, and Dewon Day was demoted to AAA Charlotte. Scott Elarton was activated from the 15 day DL, as Ryan Braun was sent down. Elarton can now also be mentioned in trade talks. The Angels suffered a blow as they placed starter Bartolo Colon on the DL with irritation in his right elbow. Greg Jones was recalled as Kendry Morales was sent down to AAA Salt Lake. Dameon Easley has returned for the Mets from the bereavement list as Chip Ambres was sent down to AAA. Seattle activated reliever Mark Lowe from the DL as Ryan Feierabend was sent down.
- On tap for today, 3 day games as Toronto faces Minnesota at 1230, Germano goes for the Padres in Colorado at 330, and a Blanton-Lackey matchup goes down in LA at 330. Cole Hamels faces Washington, Bedard faces Tampa, Beckett-Carmona in Cleveland, and Glavine-Gorzelanny in New York. Meche faces the Yankees, Lowe pitches against Houston, and Rogers battles Contreras in Chicago. Ted Lilly goes for the hot Cubs in St Louis against Wainwright and the Cards (8pm ESPN).

Fantasy Studs & Duds
Hitting Studs
1) Dan Uggla, 2B, FLA
2) Alex Rodriguez, 3B, NYY
3) Ryan Howard, 1B, PHI
4) Hideki Matsui, OF, NYY
5) Robinson Cano, 2B, NYY
Hitting Duds (minimum 17 ab's)
1) Yadier Molina, C, STL
2) Jerry Hairston, 2B, TEX
3) Johhny Estrada, C, ARZ
4) Kenji Jojhima, C, SEA
5) Emil Brown, OF, KC
Pitching Studs
1) Lenny DiNardo, SP, OAK
2) Dustin McGowan, SP, TOR
3) Aaron Harang, SP, CIN
4) John Smoltz, SP, ATL
5) Yovani Gallardo, SP, MIL
Pitching Duds
1) James Shields, SP, TB
2) Mike Maroth, SP, STL
3) Scott Linebrink, RP, SDG
4) David Wells, SP, SDG
5) Armando Benitez, RP, FLA

Around The Majors- Monday

Baseball's at the break, but that doesn't mean that there's rest for the tri-weekly ATM posts! Today, a look at yesterday's games, a check of the standings, news and notes, a look at yesterday's All Star Futures Game, a preview of the home run derby and the ASG itself, and the latest rumors.

Sunday Recap
Detroit roughed up Dice-K and swept the Red Sox 6-5. A-Rod hit his 30th homer of the year as the Yankees blasted the Angels 12-0. Alex Rios drove in the game's only run in the 9th off of Paul Byrd as Toronto bested Cleveland 1-0. Javier Vazquez threw a complete game as the White Sox tamed the Twins 6-3. The Royals roasted the Rays 12-4, Texas edged the O's 2-1, and Seattle beat Oakland 7-3 in a game that had a benches clearing brawl.
The Reds edged Arizona 4-3 in 11, Washington scored 6 in the 6th to beat the Brewers 7-2, and the Pirates beat the Cubs 6-2. Houston defeated the Mets 8-3, the Cards shut out Zito and the Giants 7-0, and the Phils doubled up Colorado 8-4. The Dodgers snapped a 4 game skid with a 9-3 win over Florida. Brian McCann homered and drove in 4 as Atlanta edged the Padres 5-4.

Standings Check
Boston is 10 games clear of the Yankees and Jays, and Tampa has lost 9 of 10 to fall 19 games out. Detroit has won 5 straight to take a 1 game lead over Cleveland in the NL Central. The Twins are 8 games out. Seattle has won 3 straight and 7 of 10 to pull within 2.5 games of AL West leader Los Angeles. Oakland is 9 games out. The Mets are 2 games clear of Atlanta in the NL East, and the Phillies have lost 7 of 10 to fall 4.5 games back. Milwaukee has lost 7 of 10 and the Cubs are now only 4.5 back in the NL Central. Pittsburgh has won 7 of 10 and are only 9 games back. The Padres have a one game lead over the Dodgers in the NL West, while Arizona has dropped 5 in a row and 8 of 10 to fall 3.5 back. Colorado is 5.5 behind.

News and Notes
- The White Sox have signed highly rumored starter Mark Buehrle to a 4 year, 56 million dollar contract extension. Buehrle will likely not be dealt anymore, but has a salary kicker if he does get traded. There is a partial no trade clause, and Buehrle seems pleased, hugging manager Ozzie Guillen after the announcement was made in the ballpark yesterday.
- Kip Wells will move back into the Cardinals rotation after the break.
- The Phillies proved that good guys do finish first sometimes. With the Colorado grounds crew having trouble putting out the turf with heavy winds pounding downtown Denver, Shane Victorino and the entire Phils team went to help the crew keep things under control. Victorino later hit a 2 run bomb to help Philadelphia to victory.
- The Reds optioned Homer Bailey to AAA, and the Twins did the same with Carmen Cali. The Mets designated Rickey Ledee for assignment, and Oakland designated Dee Brown while activating Bobby Kielty from the DL.

All Star Game Festivities
- The World defeated the US 7-2 at the Futures Game yesterday at AT&T Park. World SS and Dodgers prospect Chin-Lung Hu had 2 RBI's and a steal in the win. Reds 'spect Joey Votto and Astro James Van Ostrand went deep in the World win. Snakes prospect Justin Upton and Ranger prospect John Whittleman each hit homers to account for the US runs.
- Justin Morneau, Vlad Guerrero, Magglio Ordonez, Alex Rios, Albert Pujols, Ryan Howard, and Prince Fielder will compete in the HR derby tonight. I happen to like one of the trio of Guerrero, Howard, and Fielder, but I see Howard successfully defending his crown tonight.
- I like the AL in the ASG, see the Braves of the previous 15 years, pick till they lose.

Rumors
- It appears that the White Sox will not have a fire sale with the recent resigning of Buehrle. It's more likely that they'll deal Jermaine Dye and Juan Uribe to San Diego for Khalil Greene and Scott Linebrink, or trade Jose Contreras to the Dodgers for a package including Matt Kemp or to the Phillies for a package including OF Michael Bourn. It looks like Carlos Zambrano could end up being the top free agent. (Daily Herald)
- Williams might even go into buy mode before the deadline, but don't be surprised if there's the start of a whole lot of John Garland rumors. (Chicago Tribune)
- Torii Hunter said that he'd consider the White Sox after this season. (Daily Southtown)
- Maybe the Twins should trade Hunter, but they should definitely acquire Ty Wigginton. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
- According to Andruw Jones, the Braves need another starting pitcher. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
- A potent lineup and the imminenet return of Juan Rivera has the Angels thinking that they may not need an impact hitter. (Riverside Press Enterprise)
- Cleveland is looking for some bullpen help. (Akron Beacon Journal)
- The Yankees may sign current Mexican League 1B Erubiel Durazo to help out at 1B for the Yanks. (Journal News)
- Tony LaRussa may not have a desire to return for the Cardinals next season. (St Louis Post-Dispatch)