HALLADAY UPDATE, PHILS AS FRONTRUNNERS  —  I have talked to a half-dozen baseball executives this morning and the general consensus is that the Phillies should be viewed as the front-runner if Roy Halladay does get traded.  Boy the news keeps getting worse and worse for the Mets.

BLUE JAYS RELEASE RYAN, ACTIVATE DOWNS  —  The Toronto Blue Jays gave reliever B.J. Ryan his unconditional release and activated left-hander Scott Downs from the 15-day disabled list and on Wednesday.  —  Ryan, 33, had appeared in 25 games this season, posting a 1-1 record with just two saves and an ERA of 6.53.

Sources: Rockies, BoSox explore trade options  —  Ken Rosenthal has been the senior baseball writer for FOXSports.com since Aug. 2005.  He appears weekly on the FSN Baseball Report and MLB on FOX.  —  add this  —  The Rockies have discussed a Garrett Atkins-for-Takashi Saito trade with the Red Sox …

Reds near deals with top two Draft picks  —  Organization allowing pitchers Leake, Boxberger to rest  —  PHILADELPHIA — Neither side has urgently tried to put pen to paper, but the Reds are nearing deals with their top two selections from the 2009 First-Year Player Draft.

Strike three for Lenny Dykstra: Former Met files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection  —  It's strike three - and Chapter 11 - for Lenny Dykstra.  —  The one-time Mets hero, facing divorce, foreclosure on his mansion and a multitude of lawsuits, filed for bankruptcy protection in California, his attorney said Wednesday.

KAWAKAMI, BRAVES TOP CUBS IN RUBBER MATCH  —  Chicago, IL (Sports Network) - Casey Kotchman hit a solo homer and Kenshin Kawakami pitched six strong innings, as the Atlanta Braves got by the Chicago Cubs, 4-1, in the rubber match of a three-game series at Wrigley Field.

French fried: Tigers rookie outpitches Greinke, Detroit wins 3-1  —  DETROIT (AP) — Rookie Lucas French outdueled Zack Greinke and the Detroit Tigers beat the Kansas City Royals 3-1 on Wednesday night.  —  French (1-0) beat Greinke in just his second career start, holding the Royals to one run and six hits in 6 1-3 innings.

Montero named a Double-A all-star  —  After 26 games in Trenton, Jesus Montero is a Double-A all-star.  —  Granted, there are only six teams in each Eastern League division, so when an all-star catcher gets hurt, the replacement options are limited.  But still... wow.

VICTORINO CLUTCH AS PHILLIES EDGE REDS  —  The Sports Network  —  Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Shane Victorino singled in the game- winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Phillies a 3-2 victory over the Reds at Citizens Bank Park.

Earl Weaver … “TEAM SPEED?  GET SOME BIG#$@&*%$*!  WHO CAN HIT THE #$@&*%!  $* BALL OUT OF THE PARK!”  —  On a Saturday afternoon in mid-March, the most irascible manager in the history of the Baltimore Orioles is watching an Orioles pitcher get pasted, one hitter after another.

METS ACTIVATE LHP OLIVER PEREZ  —  The Sports Network  —  Flushing, NY (Sports Network) - The New York Mets activated pitcher Oliver Perez from the 15-day disabled list and he started Wednesday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.  —  Perez took the mound for the Mets for the first time since May 2.

Randolph suspended for Game 2 against Cardinals  —  Brewers bench coach Willie Randolph was suspended for Wednesday's game against the Cardinals and fined an undisclosed amount for what Major League Baseball called “inappropriate actions” during his argument with plate umpire Bill Hohn in Tuesday's series opener.