Cleveland Indians acquire OF Kenny Lofton from Texas Rangers  —  Outfielder Kenny Lofton is back where he always felt he belonged.  —  The Indians acquired Lofton from the Texas Rangers today for minor league catcher Max Ramirez.  To make room for Lofton on the 25-man roster …

Braves make tempting offer to Rangers  —  LIKE THIS STORY?  —  The game is now, "Can you top this?"  —  The Braves, major-league sources say, have made the Rangers a whopper of an offer for first baseman Mark Teixeira.  —  The Rangers evidently would receive three highly regarded young players …

Rodriguez Home Runs: Count Them Backward  —  Alex Rodriguez could become the first major league player ever to hit his 500th home run twice.  —  In a scene more M. C. Escher than Norman Rockwell, Rodriguez, who has 499 career home runs, could become tangled in an esoteric baseball scoring rule applied …

Utley breaks right hand  —  Chase Utley sounded like a confident man this afternoon at Citizens Bank Park, but his optimism could not ease the troubled look on Charlie Manuel's face or the evident feeling in Philadelphia that this injury could cost the Phillies another shot at the postseason.

Smith's Pitches Are Up, So the Mets Send Him Down  —  Joe Smith's career has followed the opposite trajectory of his best pitch, the sinker.  A blindingly quick ascent from a college closer to a minor league stopper to a spring training phenom earned him a job in the Mets' bullpen without facing the downs to balance the ups.

Schill on track for Aug. 5 return  —  CLEVELAND - Pencil in Aug. 5 as the tentative return date for Curt Schilling [stats] to the Red Sox [team stats]' starting rotation.  —  Manager Terry Francona said prior to last night's game at Jacobs Field that Schilling, who made his second rehab appearance …

Mets voices off base & on babble  —  For a variety of reasons, baseball continues to become harder to watch on television.  This is no revelation.  The mission of those shaping the coverage is more about distracting than informing.  —  The decision makers believe the audience is tuning in for something other than the game.

Notes: Mariners take whack at streak  —  With five straight losses, some decide to get hair shorn  —  ARLINGTON — Trying times can lead to extreme measures.  —  That's one possible explanation for what happened inside the visiting clubhouse at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington on Wednesday afternoon.

IT'S TY FOR TRADE  —  KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Yankees fans may be tired of watching Scott Proctor and Kyle Farnsworth pitch ineffectively for their team, but that hasn't stopped other major league clubs from being interested in the erratic right-handers.  —  According to talent evaluators from AL …

Loretta trade rumors swirling  —  HOUSTON - The Padres were without a second baseman last winter when Mark Loretta made a personal pitch for himself.  —  The two-time Padres Most Valuable Player offered his services for less than $2 million plus incentives.

Piniella: Team likely to stand pat  —  ST. LOUIS — Forget the overblown rumors of the Cubs going after Tampa Bay's Ty Wigginton before Tuesday's trade deadline — or maybe even anybody, for that matter.  —  General manager Jim Hendry scoffed specifically at the idea that the Cubs were sending …

Murton, Cherry coming up  —  The Cubs are turning to Iowa for reinforcements again and plan to call up right-fielder Matt Murton and right-hander Rocky Cherry Friday.  —  Murton is hitting .331 at Triple-A Iowa with six home runs and 27 RBIs in 39 games; he has a .407 on-base percentage.

Dotel wants to negotiate contract extension to remain with Royals  —  One of the hottest commodities on baseball's trade market would just as soon stay where he is — with the Royals.  —  Veteran closer Octavio Dotel understands the business reality that links him in trade rumors …

Red Sox on verge of Mickelson-like collapse?  —  NL East leaders hitting summer swoon as rival Yankees lurk  —  The Boston Red Sox have been doing business a lot longer than Phil Mickelson has been alive.  —  Yet I can't help but think of the Red Sox as the Phil Mickelson of baseball.