Phillies designate Taschner for assignment  —  PHILADELPHIA — The Phillies have purchased the contract of right-hander Rodrigo Lopez from Triple-A Lehigh Valley and cleared a roster spot by designating reliever Jack Taschner for assignment.  —  Lopez, a two-time 15-game winner with Baltimore …

It's so wrong to celebrate Manny's return  —  Widespread love for Ramirez upon his being back in Dodgers' lineup a puzzling thing  —  That dreadlocked bon vivant, Manny Ramirez, will rejoin us — and the Dodgers — this weekend after eight weeks of purgatory on Planet Manny.  Whoop-de-doo.

BoSox in talks with coveted Cuban SS … The Red Sox are in serious discussions with Cuban shortstop whiz Jose Iglesias, according to a league source.  —  If finalized, the contract is expected to be for about $8 million, perhaps a little bit more than that, according to people familiar with the talks.

Star Cuban pitcher defects; Yankees interested? … A highly regarded Cuban pitching prospect has defected from the national team while playing in a tournament in Rotterdam, Netherlands.  His next stop could be in the major leagues, possibly with the New York Yankees.

Source: Padres to extend Black's contract  —  Buzz up!  —  SAN DIEGO - Rebuilding under new ownership, the San Diego Padres intend to extend manager Bud Black's contract in the coming weeks, according to a club source.  —  Black, 52, is in his third season managing the Padres …

Rockies 5, Diamondbacks 0  —  DENVER (AP) — Jorge De La Rosa pitched eight innings, Ian Stewart hit a solo homer and the Colorado Rockies beat the slumping Arizona Diamondbacks 5-0 on Friday night.  —  The Rockies have won a season-best six straight at Coors Field, and moved …

Rafael Palmeiro continues to deny knowingly using performance-enhancing drugs  —  Rafael Palmeiro spent some time reflecting before he was inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame on Friday in Lubbock, Texas, on Friday.  —  Palmeiro's legacy shifted in the summer of 2005.

Bases loaded walk gives Cubs win over Brewers  —  Jake Fox drew a bases-loaded walk off Mike DiFelice to force in the winning run with two outs in the 10th inning Friday, and the Cubs beat the Milwaukee Brewers 2-1.  —  Ryan Theriot singled off second baseman Craig Counsell's glove …

Wright Hears an Apology From Franco for Criticism  —  PHILADELPHIA — David Wright landed in Philadelphia on Thursday night and saw that while he was in the air on the Mets' charter flight, he had received a message.  Upon checking his voice mail, he heard an apology from John Franco.

Johnson's 11th-inning double lifts Mariners over Red Sox  —  BOSTON (AP) — Rob Johnson doubled home two runs in the 11th inning and the Seattle Mariners beat the Boston Red Sox 7-6 on Friday night.  —  George Kottaras hit his first major-league homer in the bottom of the 11th for the Red Sox …

If Cleveland's willing to trade Martinez, Boston's a likely suitor … Indians higher-ups say they aren't likely to trade hitting star Victor Martinez.  Not only is Martinez one of the better hitters in baseball, with 14 home runs, 57 RBIs and .313 batting average, but the Indians hold …

Thinking about Dusty Baker  —  Some things I was just wondering about...  Dusty Baker continuing to lead off Willy Taveras and building the lineups he does — is that the single worst thing any recent Reds manager has done to hurt the team's chances of winning?

Burnett shuts down Blue Jays  —  A.J. Burnett scatters six hits over seven innings as Yankees beat Blue Jays 4-2 to win for the eighth time in nine games  — Special Report: Salt - Weather - Blogs - RSS Feeds - Globe Books - TV listings - Globe on Twitter

Morosi On Yankees, Qualls, Tigers  —  Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports has a few more rumors worth passing along:  — The Yankees' bullpen has been performing well, but that's not stopping the team from keeping a close eye on D'Backs closer Chad Qualls.  — If Brian Bruney doesn't start pitching …