Orioles' Loewen abandons pitching career  —  BALTIMORE (AP)—Orioles left-hander Adam Loewen has abandoned his career as a pitcher because of a stress fracture in his left elbow, the same injury that sidelined him last season and twice put him on the disabled list this year.

I'm hearing Durham's name  —  San Francisco - I'm starting to hear the name of San Francisco veteran second baseman Ray Durham as a player involved in the deal the Brewers are trying to finalize this evening.  —  There's a lot of other names floating around.

Park That Can't Hold Him Wraps Ortiz in a Bearhug  —  PAWTUCKET, R.I. — Just before David Ortiz hit his first home run, those with $4 standing-room-only tickets lined the upper concourse of McCoy Stadium's grandstand, four deep behind the last row of seats.

Bizarre walk-off lifts Yanks over A's  —  Molina hit by pitch with bases full to secure win in 12th inning  —  NEW YORK — Jose Molina was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded by Lenny DiNardo, forcing in the winning run, as the Yankees defeated the A's, 4-3, in 12 innings on Saturday …

Trade for Beltre doesn't look possible  —  Indications are that the Twins will not swing a deal with Seattle for third baseman Adrian Beltre.  —  The Twins recently contacted the Mariners about Beltre's availability, but it looks like the Mariners' price would be too high …

Can Of Corn  —  Chicago vs. Chicago  —  Not long ago, you could find civic ads inside many of Chicago's El trains, humorously touting the charms of the South Side in the form of a mock FAQ.  In one of them, a mythical and provincially snobby North-Sider asked, “Will my cell phone work on the South Side?”

Surging Twins hit 4 homers, rout Rangers  —  MINNEAPOLIS (AP)—With all those hits Livan Hernandez has given up and Francisco Liriano waiting impatiently in the minors, the natural assumption is that the Minnesota Twins might soon make a change in their rotation.  —  The Twins aren't listening to the hubbub.

Oswalt placed on DL … HOUSTON (AP) — Houston Astros ace Roy Oswalt was placed on the 15-day disabled list Saturday with a strained hip and a herniated disk in his back.  —  Oswalt (7-8, 4.56 ERA) underwent an MRI exam on Saturday that confirmed a strained left hip abductor and also revealed the disk problem.

Garcia hoping for late-July return  —  Right-hander sidelined with shoulder issues for lengthy periods  —  CHICAGO — Freddy Garcia has become a recent hot topic of conversation as he continues to work his way back from surgery on his right labrum that cost him most of last season with the Phillies and all of this season, to date.

Marlins ready for national audience  —  Florida (50-46) vs. Philadelphia (53-44), Saturday, 3:55 p.m. ET  —  MIAMI — Nationally televised games don't come the Marlins' way very often, but America will be watching Florida take on Philadelphia on Saturday.  —  Roaming around first place …

Cards RHP Carpenter set for rehab stint  —  ST. LOUIS (AP)—Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter, sidelined since opening day in 2007 because of an elbow injury, will begin a rehab assignment on Sunday with hopes of joining the rotation in August.  —  Carpenter, the 2005 NL Cy Young winner …