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.

Conrad makes presence felt with Braves  —  Called up from Minors, delivers game-winning homer  —  WASHINGTON — Brooks Conrad was ready to take his first at-bat in the top of the second inning of the Gwinett Braves' game Thursday, when manager Dave Brundage asked the infielder if he still wanted to hit.

Red Sox In Serious Talks With Cuban SS  —  The Red Sox are in serious talks to sign Cuban shortstop Jose Iglesias for about $8MM, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com.  No deal is complete, but Heyman's sources are optimistic that the sides will agree.  Iglesias, who is listed as 19, defected from Cuba last year.

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.

Three runs in 16th gives Tigers victory over Twins  —  MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Placido Polanco hit a pair of extra-inning RBI singles, the second giving the Detroit Tigers the lead for good in an 11-9 victory over the Minnesota Twins in 16 innings Friday night.  —  Polanco drove in a run …

Orioles get to Ervin Santana in his return  —  He strikes out five, but Baltimore hitters get to him early in a 6-4 win.  —  Ervin Santana's mandate Friday night was straightforward in the eyes of Angels Manager Mike Scioscia.  —  “We want him to go as hard as he can for as long as he can …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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?

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 …

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

Hudson possibly heading to Strand  —  Braves pitcher may rehab with Pelicans  —  MYRTLE BEACH — Tom Glavine is no longer with the Atlanta Braves, but he spread word throughout the Braves' clubhouse about Myrtle Beach before he left.  —  Glavine pitched in Myrtle Beach last August …

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 …