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:

The Morgan-Milledge Deal  —  Over the last few years, one of the easier running jokes in baseball was to suggest that any available outfielder would interest the Washington Nationals.  Jim Bowden couldn't hide his love of toolsy, athletic underperformers, so every kid who had ever been ranked …

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.

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.

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.

Prado's four RBI propels Braves past Phillies in 10  —  ATLANTA (AP) — Martin Prado singled in the winning run in the 10th inning to finish with a career-best four hits and four RBIs, helping the Atlanta Braves beat Philadelphia 5-4 on Tuesday night for their first home win over the Phillies since 2007.

Yanks Considered Trading Rivera For Wells In '95  —  Former Yankees GM Gene Michael told John Harper of the New York Daily News that he considered dealing Mariano Rivera to the Tigers for David Wells back in 1995.  Rivera was still considered a starter then, and he was one of the players the Tigers had interest in.

Game 76: Mariners at Yankees (with pre-game updates and Cashman audio — 8:05 new first pitch time)  —  YANKEES (43-32)  —  Pitching: RHP Joba Chamberlain (4-2, 3.81).  —  MARINERS (39-36)  —  Ichiro RF  —  Branyan 1B  —  Lopez 2B  —  Griffey LF  —  Sweeney DH  —  Gutierrez CF

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 …

Haren hits first career homer, pitches Diamondbacks past Reds  —  CINCINNATI (AP) — Dan Haren held the Cincinnati Reds scoreless into the seventh inning, showing why he's been the NL's stingiest pitcher in June, and connected on his first career homer Tuesday night during a 6-2 victory …

Brewers to “take a look” at Backe  —  The Brewers will do their due dilligence on right-hander Brandon Backe, the former Astro who was designated for assignment last week and refused a trip to Houston's Triple-A club on Monday.  —  Backe, 31, missed two months with an oblique injury …

Inside MLB Attendance - Interleague 2009  —  With Sunday's games in the books, Interleague Play for MLB in 2009 is nearly concluded (a June 16th rainout between the Cubs and White Sox still needs to be replayed), seeing average attendance drop from last year's record setting pace.

Pujols homers twice off Unit, but Giants hold off Cardinals  —  ST. LOUIS (AP) — Randy Johnson won his third straight decision and 303rd of his career despite surrendering two home runs to Albert Pujols in the San Francisco Giants' 6-3 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday night.