Yanks back from break with a bang  —  Cano, Rodriguez go deep behind solid Mussina  —  NEW YORK — Mike Mussina's time off brought a down-home dose of fun at a county fair, and he wasn't necessarily counting the minutes to return, yet the Yankees made him feel comfortable back at the office.

Trade talk on Wolf, Maddux cools  —  General manager Towers open to offers for pitchers  —  ST. LOUIS — While trading veteran first baseman Tony Clark back to Arizona proved to be reasonably easy for the Padres, finding a suitor for pitcher Randy Wolf might not be as easy.

Rays Try to Leave Losing Skid in First Half  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Rays convened for the second half of the season Thursday, confident the seven-game losing streak they took into the All-Star break is not a sign they are fading.  —  Manager Joe Maddon reiterated …

Lobel: Manny fined — and wasn't happy about it  —  Editor's note: The Globe's Gordon Edes reported Friday afternoon that, according to industry sources, Ramirez's fine was in the $10,000-$15,000 range, not in the hundreds of thousands.  —  According to former WBZ sports director Bob Lobel …

Reds snap Mets' 10-game winning streak  —  CINCINNATI (AP)—A whole lot of little things ended the New York Mets' winning streak.  —  Bronson Arroyo extended his latest surge by pitching eight innings Friday night, and the Cincinnati Reds used a minimal rally to beat the Mets 5-2, ending their 10-game winning streak.

Brewers probably looking at Street  —  San Francisco - Brewers general manager Doug Melvin told me earlier today that he wouldn't pay $2 million for “a tweak” in his bullpen.  —  What about paying to acquire Oakland closer Huston Street?  I just learned that Melvin's top special assistant …

Injury update: Team doc says surgery for Pagan  —  Team doctor David Altchek has recommended surgery for Angel Pagan to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder.  Pagan will seek a second opinion in Los Angeles from Lewis Yocum.  —  The expectation is that if he undergoes surgery by Sept. 1, he'd be ready for spring training.

Whose idea was “The Mexicutioner?”  —  You've seen Joakim Soria's new nickname, “The Mexicutioner,” in Royals game stories, heard it on radio, and lately it has been spotted on increasingly popular T-shirts.  —  Bob Dutton, Royals beat writer for The Star, says the nickname didn't start with him.

Future Shock  —  Draft Signings Unannounced  —  As we move into the final month of the signing window, once again we have a number of deals that seem to be done, but nevertheless seem to be getting held back by Major League Baseball.  While a number of over-slot bonuses have already …

Bedard out another 2-4 wks. with bad shoulder … SEATTLE (AP) — The Mariners have made talk of Erik Bedard and the trading deadline simple.  —  It's “irrelevant.”  —  Seattle manager Jim Riggleman said Friday the tightness in Bedard's left shoulder did not improve over the All-Star break …

Scott powers O's past Tigers  —  Orioles LF homers twice, drives in three runs  —  Luke Scott homered twice, and the Orioles also got home runs from Melvin Mora and Aubrey Huff in a 7-4 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Friday night.  —  Scott hit a solo shot in the second inning off Armando Galarraga …

McCann's 3-run double helps Braves win  —  ATLANTA (AP)—Brian McCann's three-run double gave Atlanta the lead in the third inning, and the Braves survived the Washington National's ninth-inning rally to win 7-6 on Friday night.  —  The Nationals left the tying run on third base in the ninth.

Liriano's agent wants union investigation of Twins  —  MINNEAPOLIS — The agent for Minnesota pitcher Francisco Liriano is asking the players' union to investigate why the Twins have yet to call him up from Triple-A Rochester.  —  Greg Genske says his client is frustrated because he has pitched …

Marlins left-hander Andrew Miller sidelined by knee tendinitis  —  MIAMI GARDENS — The Marlins overcame injuries to go into the All-Star break just 112 games out of first place in the National League East.  But if they hope to reach the playoffs, they'll have to overcome more injuries.