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.

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 …

Arroyo, Encarnacion help Reds shut out Brewers  —  CINCINNATI (AP) — Bronson Arroyo gave his second straight scoreless performance, using his vast array of pitches to full effect for seven innings, and the Cincinnati Reds took advantage of Edwin Encarnacion's four hits and two Milwaukee errors to beat the Brewers 4-0 on Friday night.