Mets laid lo in twin bill split  —  Paul hurt in nightcap after Gotay delivers opener  —  Who needs Houston's Mark Loretta, Minnesota's Luis Castillo or K.C.'s Mark Grudzielanek?  Prayers for Paul Lo Duca's right hamstring are more warranted as Tuesday's 4 p.m. non-waiver trade deadline looms.

D-backs looking to upgrade offense  —  FOXSports.com, Updated 48 minutes ago  —  LIKE THIS STORY?  —  *The Diamondbacks have shown "some" interest in Rangers first baseman Mark Teixeira, according to one industry source, but their offer is not as strong as those of the Braves and Angels, according to another.

Royals notes: Dotel main focus of trade talk  —  Scouts continue to flood into Kauffman Stadium as Tuesday's non-waiver trading deadline draws closer.  —  Most of the interest remains centered on veteran closer Octavio Dotel, with Seattle believed to be making a renewed push.

Gwynn, Ripken enter Hall of Fame  —  LIKE THIS STORY?  —  Cal Ripken Junior and Tony Gwynn are the newest additions to the baseball Hall of Fame.  —  During today's induction speeches, both players mentioned the importance of being good role models and how proud they were to play their entire careers with one team.

Ensberg designated for assignment  —  Astros GM hoping to trade veteran third baseman  —  HOUSTON — The Houston Astros designated Morgan Ensberg for assignment on Sunday morning, meaning the team has 10 days to trade, release or send the third baseman to the Minor Leagues.

July 29 — REYES OF HOPE?  —  Heard an interesting rumor last night after our final deadline for the 50-cent edition.  The Phillies dispatched major-league scouting director Gordon Lakey to St. Louis to watch Anthony Reyes, the Cardinals' down-on-his-luck right-hander who was making …

Young Signs A Two-Year Extension  —  The Washington Nationals announced the signing of first baseman Dmitri Young, the team's lone all-star, to a $10-million, two-year contract extension on Saturday.  The move reinforces Young's remarkable turnaround, removes a possible trade chip …

Stats: Trade Arroyo, keep Dunn  —  So, you think straightening out the Reds is a daunting task?  Let's try the same method as the extreme makeovers you see on TV - by using the opinions of our three stat gurus to sort players into lists of whom to keep, whom to jettison and whom to target:

Teixeira's new Brave world?  —  Atlanta seems the front-runner to acquire Rangers' slugger, which would shore up its weakest position and mean another run at the playoffs.  —  On July 18, 1993, Atlanta General Manager John Schuerholz acquired San Diego's Fred McGriff, a power-hitting …

Chamberlain moved to AAA bullpen  —  The Yankees today took a significant step toward making Joba Chamberlain a part of their bullpen down the stretch when they took him out of the rotation at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.  —  Chamberlain, who struck out 10 over five innings Wednesday …

Hall's Vet Committee votes for changes  —  COOPERSTOWN - In response to the five shutouts thrown by the Veterans Committee since its revision in 2001 - three on the former players ballot and two on the managers/executives/umpires ballot - the Hall of Fame Board of Directors has recognized …

Brett Butler recovering from mild stroke  —  MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — Former major leaguer Brett Butler was recovering from a mild stroke Sunday, two days after he became ill.  —  Butler, who is managing the Mobile BayBears — the Double-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks …

Whirlwind days ahead  —  FOLD 'EM?  Trade of Iguchi signals start of busy period; expect Dye to go, Jose to stay  —  It seems almost everyone is tired of talking about it at this point.  —  General manager Ken Williams, outfielder Jermaine Dye, first baseman Paul Konerko, everyone.

The Vision Thing  —  The Washington Nationals, last in the National League East, in dire need of an influx of younger talent at every level of the organization, have taken one of their top trade chips—a player having a fluke season at age 33—off of the market.

Canseco says he has 'stuff' on A-Rod in new book  —  When Jose Canseco wrote "Juiced" in 2005, he brought the issue of steroids in Major League Baseball to the forefront.  Now, Canseco has another book due this fall and he promises some juicy info on Alex Rodriguez.