Cardinals acquire Holliday from A's  —  Prospects Wallace, Mortensen, Peterson shipped to Oakland  —  ST. LOUIS — A Major League source has confirmed that a deal is in place for the Cardinals to acquire Matt Holliday from the A's in exchange for Brett Wallace and two other Minor Leaguers …

Umpire Cooper has a full plate of no-hitters  —  Some umpires can work their entire careers and never find themselves behind the plate for a no-hitter.  Eric Cooper has been the plate umpire for three of them, including two by White Sox left-hander Mark Buehrle, who pitched a perfect game Thursday against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Sox designate Kotsay, who was surprised by the move  —  With the Red Sox needing to clear a spot on the 25-man roster for newly acquired Adam LaRoche, Mark Kotsay is the odd man out.  —  The Red Sox have designated the veteran outfielder/first baseman for assignment this afternoon.

Source: Maine could miss rest of season  —  Mets pitcher John Maine will seek a second opinion on his injured right shoulder, multiple sources confirmed Thursday.  Maine, who went on the disabled list June 12 with a pinched nerve in the shoulder, is expected to visit Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham …

Mariano, meet your successor  —  I've already gone on record saying that I believe Phil Hughes should be the Yankees' next closer.  What I saw tonight did nothing but confirm that belief.  —  Hughes picked up his first big-league save with a pair of scoreless innings …

HoJo says his sluggers ‘just not good enough’  —  HOUSTON - Howard Johnson has experienced the high of winning a World Series with the ‘86 Mets.  As for lows, the Mets’ current plight tops the hitting coach's list.  —  As the Mets try to regroup Friday night against the Astros after an off-day …

As trade deadline nears, talks for Halladay heat up  —  TORONTO - Scott Rolen spotted a Philadelphia reporter in the Toronto Blue Jays' clubhouse yesterday, and an I-know-why-you're-here smile spread across his face.  —  “He's the best pitcher in baseball,” Rolen said of teammate Roy Halladay …

Sano will be partially cleared  —  Major League Baseball's investigation will partially clear Miguel Angel Sano, of his identity but not his age, a source just confirmed.  The identity will come back “regular,” and the age will come back “undetermined.”  —  Details to come.

Mustached Wainwright remains red-hot  —  Tosses de facto complete game at Nats for fifth July win  —  WASHINGTON — Nothing can stop a mustached Adam Wainwright.  Not a heavy rainstorm complete with unbridled thunder and lightning, or the ensuing one-hour, 16-minute rain delay in the fourth inning …

Comeback Kings: Napoli, Kendrick rally Angels past Twins  —  ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Howie Kendrick's (FSY) single ricocheted off second base in the ninth inning to drive in Los Angeles' tying run, and Mike Napoli's (FSY) run-scoring double in the 10th capped the Angels' 31st comeback victory …

Aramis Ramirez carries Cubs to 8-5 win over Reds  —  CHICAGO (AP) — Aramis Ramirez (FSY) homered, doubled twice, singled and drove in three runs Friday in his most productive game since coming off the disabled list, leading the Chicago Cubs to an 8-5 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.

My Morning in Exile: My wife drives me nuts edition  —  So my wife — who is not a baseball fan by any stretch of the imagination — goes to the Columbus Clippers-Scranton-Wilkes Barre Yankees game last night.  It was a work function and the beer was free.  You know how that goes.

Yankees RHP Kennedy making progress in rehab  —  TAMPA, Fla. — New York Yankees pitcher Ian Kennedy hopes to pitch in a minor league game this season.  —  The right-hander, who underwent surgery on May 12 to remove an aneurysm from beneath his right biceps, made 50 throws at 90 feet to minor league coach Dan Borrell on Friday.

How do O's trade chips stack up?  —  As deadline nears, a closer look at five that may garner interest  —  NEW YORK - One week before Friday's nonwaiver trade deadline, the Orioles are in their usual position as sellers, looking to move a couple of their veterans to augment their young nucleus.

Tigers DFA Josh Anderson  —  The Tigers designated outfielder Josh Anderson for assignment to make room for Carlos Guillen, according to MLB.com's Jason Beck.  Anderson, 26, hit .242/.282/.315 with no homers in 74 games with the Tigers.  He played all three outfield positions for the Tigers, and defended well in limited innings.