Padres' Giles vetoes waiver deal with Red Sox … San Diego Padres right fielder Brian Giles officially exercised his veto power and blocked a waiver deal Friday that would have sent him to the Boston Red Sox.  —  Giles, 37, was claimed on waivers by the Red Sox, and Boston and San Diego had 48 hours to make a deal.

Manny Mania takes over LA  —  LOS ANGELES - Manny Mania is all the rage in Southern California.  —  Manny Ramírez is crushing the ball.  He says he wants to finish his career in California.  The Dodgers are getting ready to market Manny caps complete with dreadlocks.  The local media love Manny.

Marlins bringing back catcher Lo Duca  —  Club inks veteran backstop to Minor League contract  —  NEW YORK — The Marlins signed veteran catcher Paul Lo Duca to a Minor League contract on Friday.  —  Lo Duca will report to Triple-A Albuquerque on Saturday, and will likely catch and serve as a designated hitter.

The Mussina renaissance  —  For Mike Mussina, 2007 qualified as an annus horribilis.  —  After getting cuffed around for six runs over four innings in his first start, Mussina left start No. 2 in the third inning with a strained left hamstring.  A trip to the DL kept him out for the rest …

Postgame notes: Hughes set for 85 pitches Tuesday … The slider I thought I saw in the third inning was just a cutter with a lot of movement.  —  My own ignorance of the Phil Hughes arsenal aside, the guy pitched pretty well tonight.  His fastball touched 95 four times in the first inning, and regularly sat 93-94 most of the night.

Bill Bavasi joins Reds front office  —  Named Special Assistant to Walt Jocketty  —  CINCINNATI — Cincinnati Reds President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Walt Jocketty today announced the hiring of former Anaheim Angels and Seattle Mariners general manager Bill Bavasi as a special assistant.

Torrid Streak Lasts All Summer  —  Southern California's Green dominating Cape Cod League with Chatham  —  Trailing the West by three runs in the eighth inning of the Cape Cod League all-star game, the East team is down to its final four outs.  With two runners on, Grant Green is at the plate—and he's in stitches.

Pirates endure short-term groans to achieve long-term gains … Pirates general manager Neal Huntington is 39 years old and looks young enough to have a MySpace page.  The keys to staving off the aging process?  Eat sensibly, get plenty of exercise and listen to sports talk radio in moderation.

Lambo Lambasting Lefties: Reverse Splits for a Future Dodger  —  Andrew Lambo is making a name for himself with the Great Lakes Loons.  Rapidly emerging as one of the top prospects in the Dodgers organization, the 19-year-old Lambo has been one of the best players in the Midwest League this summer …

‘50-50 chance’ Alonso could return to UM … Yonder Alonso could still be a Cane.  —  Alonso, a first-round pick whose contract negotiations with the Cincinnati Reds has have a snag, told The Miami Herald on Thursday he has signed up for fall classes at UM, and there is “a 50-50 chance” …

Eric Hosmer, Scott Boras, and the Royals' quest to get better  —  In another world from here, in Farmington, N.M., Eric Hosmer is living out an amateur career that's pretty close to perfect.  —  He plays for the Midland Redskins, a baseball powerhouse that's the amateur equivalent of the New York Yankees …