Red Sox trade for Pirates' Adam LaRoche, Cardinals' Chris Duncan … On Tuesday, the Yankees supplanted the Red Sox at the top of the AL East for the first time since June 5.  Yesterday, Boston got busy.  The Sox made a pair of deals, the bigger of the two for Pittsburgh first baseman Adam LaRoche.

Bernazard also in K-Rod incident  —  WASHINGTON — It turns out that ripping his shirt off and challenging minor-league players to fight him isn't even Tony Bernazard's most recent incident of outrageous, hot-headed conduct.  —  Mets All-Star closer Frankie Rodriguez confirmed this afternoon …

Aybar reaching his potential  —  The switch-hitter is now the hottest hitter in baseball this month.  —  Recommend  —  KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Erick Aybar is beginning to look like a shortstop whose time has come.  —  “That's the talent, the ceiling that everybody saw,” …

Jews for Jesus (Montero)  —  That gem of a sign comes from reader Dave Soberman, who was raising hell with his buddies at Saturday's Double-A Trenton game.  Here's the email he sent us, which tells the story.  Here's a few more pics: Dave with the sign, the sign at field level, the sign with Bolt …

MLB buzz: News and notes from the trade market  —  Here is the latest on the trade front based on what major-league sources are telling FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi:  — The Red Sox's trade for first baseman Adam LaRoche should eliminate any chance of them trading for Indians catcher Victor Martinez.

Ransom has a good night  —  NEW YORK - Cody Ransom didn't know until he arrived at Yankee Stadium yesterday that he would be starting at third base against the Orioles.  —  Manager Joe Girardi decided to use Alex Rodriguez as the designated hitter, part of the plan to lessen the load on his surgically repaired right hip.

Mariners 2, Tigers 1  —  DETROIT (AP) — Russell Branyan hit a two-out, two-run homer in the eighth inning to give Felix Hernandez and the Seattle Mariners a 2-1 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday night.  —  Branyan drove a 1- pitch from Bobby Seay (1-2) into the stands in right-center …

Marquis' start moved back; Timlin works out again  —  DENVER — There will be an all-star pitching Friday at Coors Field.  But it won't be Jason Marquis.  —  What set up as one of the best pitching matchups of the season has dissolved.  Marquis will not face Giants' all-star Matt Cain Friday …

Moore has no doubt that Royals are on the right track for long-term success  —  General manager Dayton Moore surveys the growing wreckage of a season gone wrong and remains undaunted in his belief — in his certainty — the Royals are poised for eventual long-term success as an organization.

Two runs in ninth have Astros one game out  —  Tejada's walk-off hit caps sweep of first-place Cardinals  —  HOUSTON — When the Astros went into the ninth inning Wednesday night trailing by a run and facing a closer who had blown only one save all season, they still had a belief …

Former Sox pitcher Jim Parque confesses: Why I juiced  —  Former Sox pitcher Jim Parque says he's sorry he juiced, but he wants to ask you one question: What would you have done?  —  I'm Jim Parque, former major-league pitcher, and I took human growth hormone.

Ramirez pledges Phi Slamma Jamma  —  This was Kirk Gibson without the limp, without the crust, without the stakes, without the Eck, without the 3-2 count, without the utter improbability.  In other words, it wasn't Kirk Gibson.  —  But whoa, was it ever Manny Ramirez.

Failcoeur: Nationals 3, Mets 1  —  I don't think there's any question that the Nationals have a superior lineup to the Mets right now.  I mean, the Mets fielded a lineup tonight that was even worse than this one.  It's July 22 and the Mets had two non-pitchers who entered (and exited) the game with a .000 OPS.