Julio Lugo: ‘I wanted it to work out’  —  Julio Lugo has been designated for assignment by the Boston Red Sox [team stats], ending a relationship that never quite clicked the way either party would have liked.  —  Lugo, reached at the airport in Toronto, where he was leaving the Red Sox to return to Boston …

Dodgers enter race for Halladay; Jays freezing out Yankees, Red Sox … While the Phillies remain almost everyone's favorite to land superstar pitcher Roy Halladay, and the best-in-baseball Dodgers are now believed to be showing interest, two big-market contenders for the summer's big pitching prize …

Game 89: Tigers at Yankees  —  YANKEES (51-37)  —  TIGERS (48-39)  —  Pitching: LHP Lucas French (1-0, 1.93).  —  TIME/TV: 7:05 p.m., YES.  —  STATE OF THE STRIPES: The Yankees have had four days off since since being swept by the Los Angeles Angels last weekend.

Jurrjens, McCann help Braves blast Mets 11-0  —  ATLANTA (AP) — Brian McCann drove in four runs in the first three innings, Jair Jurrjens combined with three relievers on a two-hitter and the Atlanta Braves beat the New York Mets 11-0 on Friday night.  —  Jurrjens (8-7) gave up both hits …

Astros 8, Dodgers 1  —  LOS ANGELES (AP) — Roy Oswalt continued his dominance over NL West teams with a four-hitter, Ivan Rodriguez homered among his four hits and Miguel Tejada also connected, leading the Houston Astros to an 8-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night.

Rockies 5, Padres 3  —  SAN DIEGO (AP) — Ubaldo Jimenez struck out 10 and allowed three hits in seven innings to lead the Colorado Rockies to a 5-3 win over the San Diego Padres on Friday night.  —  Clint Barmes homered for the second straight game for the Rockies, who are 29-9 since June 4.

A's Rajai Davis goes long on error by Angels  —  Joe Saunders' errant pickoff attempt allows the exceptionally quick runner to scores from first.  —  This play might never have happened anywhere except the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, where the foul territory is expansive enough to cover two end zones.

White Sox 12, Orioles 8  —  CHICAGO (AP) — Jim Thome hit a grand slam and a three-run homer for a career-high seven RBIs Friday night, carrying the Chicago White Sox to a 12-8 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.  —  With 14 RBIs in the last three games, Thome increased his career total …

Cardinals 6, Diamondbacks 1  —  ST. LOUIS (AP) — Albert Pujols hit two homers to add to his major league-leading total and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 6-1 on Friday night.  —  The multi home run game was the eighth for Pujols, who has 34 homers and 89 RBIs, which also leads the majors.

Future Shock  —  Signing Situations  —  The signing period for the 2009 draft is, as expected, a complete mess.  As of today, teams have just one month remaining to sign their 2009 draft picks, yet 20 of 32 first-round picks remain unsigned, including 13 of the first 16 selections.

Mitre becomes Yankees' No. 5 with Wang on DL … NEW YORK (AP) — Sergio Mitre will become the Yankees' No. 5 starter while Chien-Ming Wang is on the disabled list.  —  Yankees manager Joe Girardi said the team plans to bring up Mitre and start the 28-year-old right-hander against Baltimore on Tuesday night.

Starters make Braves contenders for playoff spot  —  Ready to write off the Braves?  Not so fast.  With a strong starting rotation they can't be counted out of the race yet, Ken Rosenthal says.

Rays 8, Royals 7  —  KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Evan Longoria and Pat Burrell hit two-run homers in consecutive innings to help the Tampa Bay Rays rally for an 8-7 win over the Kansas City Royals on Friday night.  —  Longoria, who missed Tuesday night's All-Star Game with an infected finger …