YANKS OBTAIN HINSKE  —  The Yankees acquired veteran lefty hitter Eric Hinske from the Pirates for two minor leaguers not considered significant prospects, righty pitcher Casey Erickson and outfielder Eric Fryer.  —  The move was made by the Yankees for several reasons:

Red Sox duo locked in close All-Star votes  —  Youkilis pulls ahead, Pedroia very near in balloting's final days  —  On his march to the Major Leagues, the little guy who plays second base for the Boston Red Sox has heard over and over again that he can't, but then he laces up his spikes, throws on his glove and proves everyone wrong.

Bailey in Baltimore  —  BALTIMORE — Jeff Bailey has arrived in Baltimore, and will take the spot of Mike Lowell if the Sox decide to place the third baseman on the disabled list.  —  Lowell got an injection of Synvisc in his hip yesterday, and had 15 ccs of fluid drained from the hip.

Source: Steadman finds bruise, recommends rest thru ASG  —  Carlos Beltran's trip to Vail, Colo., provided a reassuring diagnosis, a source familiar with the examination told the Daily News.  —  Dr. Richard Steadman, who examined Beltran (pictured right) on Monday, agreed …

Nats swap with Bucs, acquire Morgan  —  Club also gets Burnett in exchange for Milledge, Hanrahan  —  WASHINGTON — The Nationals have traded reliever Joel Hanrahan and outfielder Lastings Milledge to the Pirates for reliever Sean Burnett and outfielder Nyjer Morgan on Tuesday afternoon.

At start of Mariano Rivera's Yankee career, Gene Michael almost traded him  —  All these years later, Gene Michael still laughs when he thinks about how Mariano Rivera became the greatest one-pitch pitcher in baseball history.  —  “He had a hell of a changeup when he was young …

DeCaster Sold to New York Yankees  —  FARGO, N.D. - Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks 3B Yurendell DeCaster is trading in his RedHawks pinstripes for a set of Yankees pinstripes.  —  The All-Star third baseman has had his contract purchased by the New York Yankees today and will report on Tuesday …

San Francisco Giants scouts checking out Jermaine Dye  —  Sox RF grew up near San Francisco  —  Jermaine Dye runs the bases following a solo home run against the Cubs.  (José M. Osorio, Chicago Tribune / June 28, 2009)  —  CLEVELAND — With the non-waiver trade deadline one month away …

Source: Beltran back after break  —  The Daily News will show you Citi Field.  Go on the field, into the clubhouse and see how the new stadium was built.  —  Sponsored by:  —  Today's Top Picks … Best Of NYDN.com

Tom Verducci's AL, NL All-Star selections … With only three days left before polling closes, it's time to recognize the players who should be going to the All-Star Game, as if Ben Zobrist and Aaron Hill have any chance of catching Dustin Pedroia in the balloting.

Papelbon ties Red Sox's saves record  —  Closer notches No. 132, remains in awe of Yanks' Rivera  —  BALTIMORE — Closer Jonathan Papelbon tied the Red Sox's club record for saves, set by Bob Stanley, with career save No. 132, notched in a 4-0 victory against the Orioles on Monday night.

Marlins stadium deal clears another hurdle  —  Miami-Dade County commissioners voted for a second and final time on Tuesday on a measure tied to the financing package that will allow the new $640 million Florida Marlins baseball stadium to be built.  —  Commissioners voted 7-3 in favor …

Astros option Wright to Triple-A  —  Lefty pitches well, but team needs roster spot  —  SAN DIEGO — Left-hander Wesley Wright knew the news coming, but it didn't make it any easier to swallow.  —  The Astros optioned Wright to Triple-A Round Rock following Monday's 3-1 win over San Diego …

Improved two-strike approach helping Tampa Bay Rays offense rank among baseball's best  —  TORONTO — LF Carl Crawford may have delivered the biggest hit of Monday's game, a two-run homer in the third inning off Blue Jays ace RHP Roy Halladay.  —  But it was his single up the middle …