Yankees Reach Deal With Top Pick  —  The Yankees and their first-round pick in this year's draft, the right-hander Andrew Brackman, reached agreement on a contract yesterday, hours before the Yankees would have lost his rights.  —  If Brackman and the Yankees had not worked out a deal by midnight …

McCarthy placed on the DL  —  Stress fracture in right shoulder sidelines hurler  —  ARLINGTON — The Rangers have placed pitcher Brandon McCarthy on the disabled list with a stress fracture in his right shoulder.  —  McCarthy was supposed to pitch Thursday but the Rangers made the announcement on Wednesday afternoon.

Rays Sign No. 1 Overall Pick Price  —  No. 1 overall pick David Price has officially come to terms with the Devil Rays.  Price will receive a $5.6 million bonus as part of a six-year major league contract worth a guaranteed $8.5 million and possibly as much as $11.25 million.

Rockies acquire Ortiz as Cook headed to DL  —  The Rockies have taken a step to patch holes in their rotation by acquiring veteran right-hander Ramon Ortiz from Minnesota for minor-league infield prospect Matt Macri.  —  The rotation took another hit early today when right-hander Aaron Cook …

Pineiro goes 7, lifts Cards past Brewers  —  MILWAUKEE (AP) — The St. Louis Cardinals' deal for Joel Pineiro didn't make much of a ripple at the trade deadline, but it's beginning to look like a key move that could help push the team back into contention in the National League Central.

Offerman charged with assault for bat attack  —  Offerman Arrested After Independent League Brawl  —  BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — Former major league All-Star Jose Offerman was charged with two counts of second-degree assault after hitting the pitcher and catcher with his bat during an independent minor league game.

Mets start and finish strong  —  Five-run innings thwart Pirates  —  PITTSBURGH - John Maine may be hitting a wall as his major-league pitching workload hits uncharted levels.  But a five-run lead before he took the mound Wednesday night helped offset any mid-August malaise.

Notes: Clubhouse tension mounts  —  Dodgers anxious to break out of month-long struggles  —  LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers clubhouse was a noticeably tense place Wednesday.  —  Luis Gonzalez, as cooperative as they come, complained openly about the media's negativity in an apparent attempt …

A Few More Notes  —  A few quick items before I head off for some much-needed sleep . . .  • Another Scott Boras client signed late.  South Carolina righthander Wynn Pelzer (ninth round, Padres) signed for $190,000.  Pelzer fractured his left kneecap when he was struck by a line drive …

Moustakas Signs For $4 Million  —  Joe Posnanski of the Kansas City Star just got word that Mike Moustakas signed with the Royals.  Moustakas will get a $4 million straight bonus.  —  Contributing: John Manuel.

Yankees have no choice except to cry a Rivera  —  Bad as it was for the Yankees during those dark days of April, May and June when they had played themselves into a double-digit deficit, their one consolation was they at least had no reason to think about the dreaded, unspoken question …

Castro avoids DL - for now; Pedro to start again Monday  —  PITTSBURGH - The Mets felt concerned enough about Ramon Castro's lower back that they scratched Sandy Alomar Jr. from a Triple-A matinee yesterday and scheduled a flight for him to Pittsburgh.  But Castro showed the staff enough during …

Marcum wins again as Jays top Angels 2-1  —  TORONTO (AP) — Pitching with a narrow lead is no problem for Shaun Marcum.  —  The Blue Jays' right-hander won his fifth straight start, Alex Rios had three hits and Toronto beat the Los Angeles Angels 2-1 Wednesday night.  —  "I like being in the close games," Marcum said.

Recap: Willie on WFAN  —  While appearing in his weekly radio interview with WFAN, Willie Randolph said he intends to give Lastings Milledge the 'bulk of the playing time' in right-field over Shawn Green, 'who's having a down year.'  —  According to Randolph, he likes Milledge, likes his 'fire …

Wieters Signs For $6 Million  —  All 30 first-rounders are done.  No. 5 overall pick Matt Wieters signed at the last second with the Orioles.  He received a straight $6 million bonus.  —  Wieters' bonus amount is the second-highest in draft history, behind Justin Upton's $6.1 million as the No. 1 overall pick in 2005.