Inbox: Should Hughes stay in the 'pen?  —  Beat reporter Bryan Hoch answers fans' questions  —  Phil Hughes has been dominant in relief and seems to have found “something” that wasn't there as a starter.  Maybe this is what he is and they found it by accident.  What do you think?

Chicago White Sox escape collision disaster  —  If the White Sox climb out of their early hole to make the playoffs, something that didn't happen Tuesday will be one of the keys.  Gordon Beckham and Alexei Ramirez (right) narrowly avoided an ugly collision when Beckham reversed field to grab …

Sox hoping Lowell responds well to shot  —  Infielder could require DL stint if right hip doesn't improve  —  ATLANTA — The earliest that Red Sox third baseman Mike Lowell will be back in the starting lineup would probably be Wednesday afternoon at Camden Yards against the Orioles.

BREAKING: Surgery for Beltran?  —  (UPDATED) MILWAUKEE — In a ominous-sounding move, Mets center fielder Carlos Beltran flew to Vail, Colo., today for a second opinion on his ailing right knee from the inventor of microfracture surgery.  —  The Mets confirmed that Beltran was in Colorado …

Yankees and Mets fans are unimaginative  —  sports, yankees, mets  —  Freakonomics — the book, the blog, the phenomenon — is basically about applying economic theory to non-traditional things.  Things like parenting and sumo and the Ku Klux Klan and what have you.

Pirates Notebook: Snell fans 17 for Indianapolis  —  Ian Snell found one good way to escape the “negativity:” Strike 'em all out.  —  In a superb return to Class AAA Indianapolis yesterday, he fanned 17 batters over seven innings, including his first 13 outs of a 2-1 victory against visiting Toledo.

Tracy thriving in third managerial stint  —  Jim Tracy tries to be diplomatic, but it isn't easy.  —  He is managing the Colorado Rockies, having taken over when Clint Hurdle was fired a month ago, and Tracy admits his third time as a big-league manager has extra meaning.

Jays may finally act on slumping stars  —  Ricciardi's all but at the bag of balls stage with Wells and Rios  — Special Report: Salt - Weather - Globe editorials - Blogs - RSS Feeds - Globe Books - TV listings - Globe on Twitter - Globe Campus  —  Hey Alex Rios and Vernon Wells …

Darren Daulton: “I Can Assure You There's Probably No One In Any Sport That Has Taken More Drugs Than I Have.”  —  The new leader in the clubhouse for 2009 quote of the year, Darren Daulton.  I'm guessing Todd Marinovich might want to argue with this claim.  Man has Daulton lived an interesting life.

Ken Rosenthal Joins MLB Network, Will Keep FOX Sports Duties  —  MLB Network today announced that Ken Rosenthal has joined its roster of on-air talent.  Rosenthal will join the cast of MLB Tonight beginning Tuesday, June 30 at 6:00 p.m. ET.  Rosenthal, who will continue his reporting …

Phillies looking for arms in tight market  —  GM soliciting trades, but pitchers are hard to come by  —  PHILADELPHIA — General manager Ruben Amaro Jr. has been on his Blackberry incessantly in recent weeks.  —  He is looking for pitching help, and he is finding this year is much like previous years.