Diamondbacks, Cardinals lead pursuit of Pittsburgh's Bay … The Diamondbacks and Cardinals are among the most ardent pursuers of Pirates star outfielder Jason Bay, SI.com has learned.  —  The Mets and Rays, who also seek an outfielder, are among other teams thought to have checked in with the Pirates.

Sexson's attitude was tipping point, manager says  —  OAKLAND, Calif. — What finally pushed Richie Sexson out of a Mariners uniform wasn't just his failures on the field.  —  To hear his former team tell it, a roller-coaster 3 ½-year relationship between Sexson and his “hometown” …

DL additions change trade market  —  Wells, McGowan, Bedard and Mulder head to disabled list  —  No major trades went down Thursday, but the landscape of the midsummer trade market shifted slightly.  —  The 15-day disabled list claimed four players — Dustin McGowan and Vernon Wells of the Blue Jays …

Younger Steinbrenner a chip off the old Boss since taking reins  —  TAMPA — Hank Steinbrenner parks his black Cadillac near the front door of the New York Yankees training complex, takes an elevator up four floors and unlocks his office door — and is hit with a potent smell of coconut, the product of a too-strong air freshener.

Girardi catches heat from Posada  —  PITTSBURGH - Criticizing his manager isn't Jorge Posada's way, even as he spent yet another game away from his familiar spot behind the plate.  —  Privately, however, Posada has expressed his dissatisfaction with Joe Girardi's decision to start Jose Molina …

Can Mets manager Manuel earn himself extension?  —  Jerry Manuel was the Mets' interim manager for exactly three days when he joked with reporters about getting a three-year extension.  Almost a month later, that's not such a ridiculous idea.  Based on his immediate success in reviving …

The Decline of the National League  —  They play the same game.  They pick from the same pool of players.  For some reason, though, they don't get the same results.  —  By just about every measure, the 16 teams in Major League Baseball's National League are inferior to the 14 in the American League.

The best baseball movie never made  —  The snow is piling up on my Maine lawn on a March afternoon.  The phone rings.  —  “How'd you like to hear a baseball story that could be bigger than ‘Field of Dreams’?” the voice on the other end asks.  “This isn't just one movie, it's two, or maybe three.”

He's back via special delivery  —  Buchholz brings a new motion to Fenway  —  The last time Clay Buchholz was sighted in the major leagues, he was standing between the posts of a locker in the visitors' clubhouse at the Metrodome, a lost and lonely place.  —  He had a torn fingernail …

Cashman: Trades not easy to make  —  PITTSBURGH - General manager Brian Cashman isn't making assumptions that two major trades - the Brewers' trade for CC Sabathia and the Cubs' deal for Rich Harden - in early July will mean the trade deadline (July 31) will be more active than in other years.

Breaking down the draft: Scouting Gerrit Cole  —  I decided to do a separate article on Gerrit Cole, the 28th pick in the Major League Draft by the New York Yankees, for a few reasons:  —  1. The quality of his overall stuff  —  2. The many questions about his mechanics

Tucker seeks niche in move to bullpen  —  LOS ANGELES - Ryan Tucker doesn't consider the fact he's in the bullpen rather than the rotation a failure.  —  He just might prove to the Marlins that's where he belongs.  —  A week ago, Tucker would have bet he was headed back to the Double …

For Carrasco, progress is slow but steady  —  READING - Carlos Carrasco climbed the empty stands behind the home dugout at First Energy Stadium a little more than two hours before the first pitch last week.  A camera crew from the Reading Phillies Web site waited for him at the top.

Big deal unlikely for Tigers before deadline  —  Ten days from now, in the opener of a series in Kansas City, the Tigers will need their No. 5 starter again.  —  It's uncertain who it will be, but he's probably someone in the organization rather than a potential acquisition.

Blew birds again; O's drop fifth straight  —  O's allow Jays to rally from 3 down, are swept; Sherrill blows sixth save  —  TORONTO - Orioles ace Jeremy Guthrie's final outing of the first half mirrored much of his season.  —  He pitched well, barely yielded any runs and still came up empty …

Nationals Withhold Rent on Ballpark  —  Hundreds of Items Are Incomplete, Team Owners Say  —  More than midway through the baseball season, the Washington Nationals' owners have failed to pay $3.5 million in rent for the District's new ballpark, contending that the state-of-the-art stadium is still incomplete.