Braves sign Julio Franco  —  Hoping that a blast from their past will help fill a glaring need, the Braves signed 48-year-old first baseman Julio Franco for the rest of the season.  —  The oldest player in the majors, who turns 49 on Aug. 23, was dropped by the New York Mets last week …

Red Sox lose, lead in AL East down to 7  —  BOSTON (AP) — The Kansas City Royals left the slumping Red Sox answering questions about the surging Yankees.  —  "Are the Yankees back in it?"  Boston's Coco Crisp said.  "They were never out of it."  —  Riding high with a 12-game lead …

Angels send struggling Santana to minors  —  ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Struggling right-hander Ervin Santana was sent to the minors by the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday, a day after he was shelled by Tampa Bay and lost his fifth consecutive decision.  —  Santana fell to 5-11 with a 6.22 ERA in 19 starts.

Mets recall utilityman Anderson  —  SAN DIEGO (TICKER) — The New York Mets recalled veteran utilityman Marlon Anderson shortly after their series-ending 5-4 loss to the San Diego Padres on Wednesday.  —  Anderson is expected to be with the Mets on Thursday after a weeklong stint with New Orleans - New York's Class AAA affiliate.

Padres shell out bucks for draft picks  —  The Padres have guaranteed a franchise-record $6.9 million to draftees this year and are still negotiating with three players chosen among the top 10 rounds.  —  The total includes $1.4 million paid to 2006 selections Matt Latos and Jeremy McBryde, two pitchers signed in May.

Rolen leaves team to have shoulder examined  —  The Cardinals' tattered lineup took another hit today when third baseman Scott Rolen left the team in Florida and returned to St. Louis to have his left shoulder examined by team physician Dr. George Paletta.  —  Rolen also will receive …

Collaborative effort drops Phillies  —  Veterans, youngsters combine to deliver series victory  —  LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers are trying to have it all ways, infusing youth and clinging to proven product while contending for a title.  It's no easy trick for manager Grady Little …

Bedard scratched with sore neck; Cabrera fills in  —  Left-hander misses side session, will start Friday vs. Oakland  —  SEATTLE - Erik Bedard will have to wait two more days to see whether he can extend his streak of 16 scoreless innings.  The Orioles left-hander was scratched …

Angels drop second straight to Rays  —  Colon strong early, but walks get to right-hander  —  ST. PETERSBURG — There wasn't much to crow about on Wednesday night.  The pitching started strong, but it ended with a whimper.  The offense took charge, and then fell silent.

Dontrelle Willis is a Poor Pitcher  —  The Marlins found themselves on the wrong end of a 6-0 score as Kip Wells pitches eight strong innings, allowing just two hits.  But on the other side, Dontrelle Willis pitches another bad game.  He gives up eleven hits in just three innings.  His ERA is now 5.13.

Mariners Notebook: Ibanez searches for power  —  McLaren hopes rest reinvigorates left fielder  —  Coming off the best year of his career, Raul Ibanez isn't pleased with the way his production is progressing this summer.  But the Mariners left fielder sees good things happening around him and can't wait to join the party himself.

Ordonez leads Tigers past Santana, Twins  —  MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Twins were forced to take another frustrating step back, thanks to Magglio Ordonez's mastery of Johan Santana and the relentless Detroit Tigers.  —  Ordonez homered and drove in all three runs against his fellow Venezuelan …

Aki's Diary: New bundle of joy  —  Iwamura, wife welcome a baby boy during All-Star break … The big day finally came over the All-Star break, when my wife, Misaki, and I had our first child, a baby boy, Taiki.  We are so fortunate to have had a healthy child; he was born on July 10 and weighed in at seven pounds, three ounces.

Bonds sits again, Cubs rip Giants 12-1  —  CHICAGO (AP) — Just when it seemed Matt Cain could do no wrong, the Chicago Cubs came up with the kind of breakout innings that have landed them right back in the NL Central chase.  —  Carlos Zambrano pitched five shutout innings to become …

Franco: Clubhouse influence overrated  —  Sure, Julio Franco had his moments with the Mets.  He even had a few this year.  He just didn't have enough of them to prevent his release.  Franco signed today with the Braves, which wasn't really a surprise.  —  However, what was a surprise …

Notes: Mets not hitting with runners on  —  Middle of the order struggling to deliver key RBIs in the clutch  —  SAN DIEGO — For weeks into the season, the phrase "With a lineup like ours" prefaced so much of what the Mets said.  Their batting order, they said, was their strength …

Salfino and Berg chat Mets baseball  —  SNY.tv baseball writers discuss the oufield, bullpen and trades  —  Ted: Well, I've returned from four weeks in China to find the Mets much in the same place they were when I left: floundering.  A three- or four-game losing streak isn't much different …