Peavy's agent comments on Philly  —  Axelrod says Padres ace hasn't talked about trade to Phillies  —  PHILADELPHIA — If the Phillies decide they need starting pitching help before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, the hottest name available would be San Diego Padres right-hander Jake Peavy.

Game 47: Yankees at Rangers (with updates on Bruney, Cabrera and Posada)  —  YANKEES (26-20)  —  Pitching: RHP A.J. Burnett (2-2, 5.28).  —  RANGERS (27-18)  —  Kinsler 2B  —  Young 3B  —  Hamilton CF  —  Jones DH  —  Cruz RF  —  Murphy LF  —  Davis 1B  —  Saltalamacchia C

Jeter, Longoria vie for most votes in American League All-Star Balloting  —  wo Rangers, two Red Sox are among A.L. leaders; Ichiro, Griffey compete for OF spot  —  New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter and Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Evan Longoria are in a closely contested race …

Zambrano ejected, Johnson's homer gives Cubs win  —  CHICAGO - Carlos Zambrano went wild in a ball-tossing, bat-swinging tirade after being ejected, and was gone when Reed Johnson hit a tiebreaking home run in the eighth inning that sent the Chicago Cubs over the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-2 Wednesday.

Myers injures hip in loss to Marlins  —  Right-hander expects to make next start, but isn't certain  —  PHILADELPHIA — The unknown gnawed at Brett Myers late Wednesday night at Citizens Bank Park.  —  He has been healthy for most of his eight-year Phillies career, but he suddenly finds himself wondering …

Braves' GM won't comment on Francoeur-Red Sox rumors  —  SAN FRANCISCO -  —  Braves general manager Frank Wren would not comment on a report that the Boston Red Sox have recently scouted Jeff Francoeur and might have trade interest in the Braves right fielder.

The Manny candidacy gains steam  —  A few years back, American Idol had a contestant named Sanjaya Malakar, and when he sang it was evident that he probably was not the most qualified candidate.  But he was different and he was quirky and liked unusual hair styles and he got a lot of attention week to week.

Randy Johnson wins No. 299, Giants top Braves 6-3  —  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Randy Johnson earned his 299th victory with six impressive innings, yielding three hits and one run in the San Francisco Giants' 6-3 win over the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday night.  —  Johnson (4-4) retired the Braves …

Manny Ramirez's return to Los Angeles Dodgers goes through minors … DENVER — Suspended outfielder Manny Ramirez will be sent to the minor leagues for a week to 10 days as part of a rehabilitation assignment prior to rejoining the Los Angeles Dodgers.  —  Ramirez

Fran Tarkenton Responds to the Brett Favre Stir He Created, Destroys Marcellus Wiley  —  Fran Tarkenton appeared on 790 the Zone Tuesday and was asked about Brett Favre coming back to the Vikings.  He called it “despicable” and got freaking blasted yesterday.  (For whatever it's worth, I freaking agree; go 'way, Brett!)

Red Sox-Twins: Updates  —  (10:51, bottom seventh, 4-2 Twins)Not a great night for George Kottaras.  He's boxed around six wild pitches, the last one here in the seventh by Justin Masterson kicked off his right leg into the dugout, scoring the runner from second.

Porcello's historic run continues  —  Rookie wins fifth consecutive start as Tigers beat KC  —  KANSAS CITY — Rick Porcello wasn't born yet when Dwight Gooden dominated as a teenager.  For history's sake, that's good; if he was around then, he'd be too old to set the kind of standards he's reaching right now.

Bay rests  —  MINNEAPOLIS — As expected, Jason Bay will a day off for the first time this season, with Jeff Bailey getting the start in left field as the Sox play the finale of their four-game set here.  Mike Lowell moves up to fifth in the batting order, while David Ortiz remains in the sixth spot.

PitchF/X Detective: Has Bradley's Strike Zone Been Widened  —  Last weekend Milton Bradley claimed that his strike zone had been expanded in retaliation for his early season run-in with umpire Larry Vanover. … This claim was brought to my attention in Craig Calcaterra's ShysterBall blog …

Yankees sign RHP Paul Bush  —  A big thank you to Mike Ashmore who forwarded a press release to make sure I heard about this one.  It helps having a friend who spends some time covering the Atlantic League.  This is Ashmore's breaking news, I'm just the guy posting it...

Eric Gagne would welcome a return to the Dodgers  —  Former closer, who will pitch for an independent team this summer, wants to return to the majors this season.  —  Eric Gagne, who will pitch for an independent team in Quebec this summer in the hope of resurrecting a career that has faded since …