Old bawl game  —  Rejuvenated Orioles wipe out nine-run deficit and wash away stunned Red Sox  —  BALTIMORE - By the time Jonathan Papelbon jogged in from the bullpen, the Red Sox celebratory mood had withered.  Where once they were mocking each other for leaving the field with just two outs …

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Dukes Optioned to Class AAA  —  The Washington Nationals sent Elijah Dukes to AAA Syracuse on Wednesday morning, saying Dukes was not a “finished product” and needed to play every day rather than sit on the bench in the majors.  —  The move came in response to the team's acquisition …

Hill has Tommy John surgery  —  Padres righty out 10-14 months after procedure last week  —  SAN DIEGO — The Padres confirmed Tuesday that right-handed pitcher Shawn Hill had elbow reconstruction surgery last week, the second time since 2004 he has had the procedure on his right elbow.

Torrealba decision delayed until Friday  —  LOS ANGELES — Yorvit Torrealba's status remains in limbo after the decision to activate him was delayed until Friday.  —  Manager Jim Tracy was told this morning that the situation would not have to be resolved until then after believing today was the deadline.

Webb will not have shoulder surgery  —  D-backs ace will rest, exercise, hope for September return  —  PHOENIX — Brandon Webb will not undergo right shoulder surgery and hopes to return to action in September, the D-backs ace told MLB.com on Wednesday.  —  On Tuesday, Webb completed …

Post Game: Mets 1, Brewers 0  —  The Mets defeated the Brewers by the score 1-to-0 this afternoon.  —  For a full recap and boxscore, click here.  —  The Least You Should Know:  —  Mike Pelfrey was brilliant this afternoon despite committing his fifth balk of the season …

Hot hitters squeezed out of Reds' order  —  Cincinnati (37-38) vs. Arizona (31-46), 7:10 p.m. ET  —  CINCINNATI — Some of the hottest bats the Reds have right now never left the dugout during Tuesday's game vs. the D-backs.  —  Outfielders Jonny Gomes and Chris Dickerson weren't in the starting lineup …

Pittsburgh Pirates players question timing of trades  —  The reaction in the Pittsburgh Pirates clubhouse to Tuesday's trades wasn't as vocal as it was when Nate McLouth was dealt to the Braves for three players last month.  But that doesn't mean Pirates players were happy with the timing, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported.

Fair or not, Chicago Cubs' failures are Jim Hendry's fault  —  Fair or not, blame for failures squarely on Hendry's shoulders  —  If you think Milton Bradley is having a rough year so far, how about Jim Hendry?  —  The Cubs' general manager is responsible for signing the .238-hitting …

Trade deadline looms, excitement begins  —  October serves as baseball's platform month, the time when legends and scapegoats are made for the ages.  Yet for many fans, July can be equally thrilling and deflating.  —  Yes, welcome to peak trading season.  Friday, July 31, at 4 p.m. E.S.T., marks the non-waivers trading deadline.

July 2 Projected Top 25 List  —  The players below from Latin America are ranked based on their expected signing bonuses, not their projected talent.  In fact, that is important enough that it bears repeating: The rankings are not an attempt to gauge the talent, but a way to forecast the market.

Another snoozer for Joba  —  Because of the rain delay, there was less time to write for the newspaper, so I had to pick my spots for interviews after the game  —  A little Girardi, a little Matsui, a little Jeter, some Mo, some Bruney, some Hughes.  —  I passed on Joba because he wasn't going to be a very big part of the story.

Clock to Trade Deadline begins to tick  —  Clubs have less than month to buy, sell or hold their chips  —  It's July, which means 30 days until the pivotal non-waiver Trade Deadline on the last day of the month.  —  Normally, one can expect blockbuster deals a la Mark Teixeira to the Angels and Manny Ramirez to the Dodgers in 2008.

A's GM Beane not so far ahead of the pack  —  There is no truth to the rumor Sony scrapped the proposed “Moneyball” movie because lead actor Brad Pitt said “Connie Mack thought up all of this stuff first,” after reading the screenplay's ode to Oakland general manager Billy Beane.

Franco: ‘No leadership there’  —  (UPDATED) MILWAUKEE — Longtime Mets closer John Franco blasted his struggling former team in a radio interview this week, saying there is no leadership in the clubhouse and “too much individuality.”  —  Franco, who became the Mets' all-time saves leader during …

Orioles running Trembley out of a job?  —  Club's propensity for mistakes on base paths not helping manager's cause  —  Throughout his minor and major league coaching career, Dave Trembley has been known as a stickler for the little things.  He wants the game played right …

July 2 Team-By-Team Forecast  —  Ben Badler previews the international signing period with a breakdown of what to expect for all 30 teams when the international signing period begins tomorrow.

All the gangstas on the bus - or else!  —  As part of Jerry Manuel's postgame message to stomp out “individualism,” the manager demanded that all of the Mets ride the 11 a.m. CDT bus from the team's hotel to Miller Park for Wednesday's matinee against the Brewers.  No cabs, limos or mopeds.

Prospectus Roundtable: Fluke or No Fluke? by Baseball Prospectus  —  Matt Meyers, ESPN Insider: Welcome to the latest ESPN Insider Roundtable, and thanks in advance for participating.  This week's topic: “Is he for real?”  Or, as I like to call it, “how I learned to stop worrying and love Fernando Nieve.”