Notes: Alou, Pedro take a step back  —  NEW YORK — The Mets were relatively confident in early June that Moises Alou would be a full-time participant by early July.  That, general manager Omar Minaya said, would afford the ample time to judge his readiness for late stages of the division race …

Maine's first career homer lifts Mets  —  Righty also limits Pirates to two runs over seven innings for win  —  NEW YORK — A home run off the bat of a pitcher prompts smiles like a toddler's malaprops or a kitten with a ball of yarn.  Shea Stadium smiled from foul pole to foul pole on Tuesday night.

Chemist Says Sheffield and Bonds Used Drugs  —  Patrick Arnold, a chemist who worked with the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative, said in an HBO Sports interview that Barry Bonds and Gary Sheffield took performance-enhancing drugs provided to them by the laboratory.

First basemen hot deadline commodities  —  FOXSports.com, Updated 45 minutes ago  —  LIKE THIS STORY?  —  Trade tidbits as the non-waiver deadline draws closer.  — The Mariners, blanketing the majors with scouts in their pursuit of rotation and bullpen help, are drawing mild inquiries on first baseman Richie Sexson.

Slumping Mariners drop nightcap  —  Seattle swept in doubleheader despite Washburn's effort  —  ARLINGTON — The Mariners have experienced enough difficult times so far this season that they say pushing the panic button anytime soon is not an option.  —  But the third losing streak …

Just like his average, Crisp movin' on up  —  CLEVELAND — Back when Coco Crisp was mired in a deep slump, he didn't mind taking breaks from the questions of the media horde.  But, he joked with a reporter, he would be more than happy to talk on the record once he was hitting well enough to be placed in the cleanup spot.

Trade Winds: Teixeira out of Texas?  —  Boston appears to be the front runner to land first baseman  —  With less than a week to go until the trade deadline, it's looking more and more as though Mark Teixeira's days as a Ranger are numbered in single digits.

Colon goes on disabled list  —  Scioscia is concerned about right-hander.  Team is interested in Konerko.  —  The Angels put Bartolo Colon on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday, one day after he left a game after one inning because of irritation in his pitching elbow.

'Salty' focuses on game, not trade block  —  San Francisco — Being both a child of the Internet age and one of baseball's most sought-after prospects, Jarrod Saltalamacchia could drive himself crazy keeping up with all the trade rumors involving him that are flying through cyberspace.

Notes: Braves linked to Teixeira  —  Source confirms deal in works for Rangers slugger  —  SAN FRANCISCO — As the Braves were preparing to play the Giants at AT&T Park on Tuesday night, the buzz at other Major League parks across the country was that they had emerged as the favorites to land Mark Teixeira in a trade with the Rangers.

Dunn, Dye Best of Thin Trade Class  —  What was once a flurry of big name swaps and contract dumps has become a much quieter stretch on the baseball calendar in July.  The blockbuster swaps of seasons past have been replaced with low impact deals to bolster bullpens and benches.

Mariners reinstate RHP Mark Lowe from 60-day disabled list  —  LHP Ryan Feierabend optioned to Triple-A Tacoma.  RHP Sean White transferred from 15- to 60-day DL  —  ARLINGTON, Texas — Seattle Mariners Executive Vice President & General Manager of Baseball Operations Bill Bavasi announced today …

Rockies stand .500 after playing 100  —  One hundred games into the season, the Rockies remain a 50-50 proposition.  —  In Tuesday night's 5-3 loss to the Padres, they got a promising seven-inning performance from 23-year-old starter Ubaldo Jimenez, and they put together a late-game rally, pumping up the volume at Coors Field.

Latest trade talk: Mets interested in Grudzielanek  —  Royals veteran Mark Grudzielanek is believed to be on a short list of second basemen eyed by the New York Mets as a possible replacement for injured Jose Valentin.  —  The Mets showed interest in Grudzielanek as a free agent after the 2005 season before opting to sign Valentin.