Top News:
Matthew Leach / MLB.com:
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 …
Discussion:
Fox Sports, Bats, Walkoff Walk, New York Times, A Die Hard Yankees Fan and Sliding Into Home
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Roy Halladay / Sports Illustrated:
Contenders jockeying for position in pursuit of big four trade targets … With one week to go before the July 31 non-waiver trading deadline, the Phillies remain the favorites to land ace Roy Halladay and the Cardinals emerged as a possible landing spot for outfielder Matt Holliday.
Discussion:
Hardball Times, Baseball America, Red Sox Monster, The Good Phight, Phillies Nation, Newsvine and MetsBlog.com
Chris De Luca / Chicago Sun Times:
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.
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Mark Feinsand / NY Daily News:
Chien-Ming Wang is worried he may need surgey — Chien-Ming Wang's season has been nothing short of a disaster. The righthander was hoping to return for the final two months to salvage the year, but after going for a second opinion on his injured right shoulder, Wang is fearful that his season might be over.
Nick Cafardo / Boston Globe:
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.
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Ben Nicholson-Smith / MLB Rumors:
Red Sox DFA Mark Kotsay — 3:55pm: Mike Petraglia of WEEI.com says Kotsay was designated for assignment, not waived. This gives the Red Sox ten days to make their next move. — 2:17pm: The Red Sox put Mark Kotsay on waivers to make room for the recently-acquired Adam LaRoche, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.
Mark Feinsand / Blogging the Bombers:
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 …
RELATED:
Peter Abraham / The LoHud Yankees Blog:Mariano's memento to his teammates
Discussion:
The Sommer Frieze
Katie Strang / Newsday:
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 …
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Peter Abraham / The LoHud Yankees Blog:
Game 96: Athletics at Yankees — YANKEES (58-37) — Pitching: RHP Joba Chamberlain (5-2, 4.05). — ATHLETICS (40-54) — Kennedy 3B — Cabrera SS — Hairston LF — Cust DH — Suzuki C — Sweeney RF — Barton 1B — Ellis 2B — Patterson CF — Pitching: LHP Brett Anderson (5-7, 4.25).
Discussion:
A Die Hard Yankees Fan, Bronx Baseball Daily, Sliding Into Home and Heartland Pinstripes
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Adam Rubin / NY Daily News:
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 …
Discussion:
The Real Dirty Mets Blog
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Jim Salisbury / Philly.com:
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 …
Discussion:
Balls, Sticks, & Stuff
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Dejan Kovacevic / PBC Blog:
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.
Mark Selig / MLB.com:
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 …
Discussion:
MLB
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Steve Foster / Inside the Colorado Rockies:
Rockies send Speier out — The Colorado Rockies announced Friday that relief pitcher Ryan Speier has been designated for assignment and Manny Corpas placed on the 15-day disabled list to make room for Jhoulys Chacin and Rafael Betancourt on the roster. — Speier was activated from the disabled list on Tuesday.
Discussion:
MLB Rumors
Associated Press:
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.
Associated Press:
Royals' Guillen out at least one month due to knee injury — KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Jose Guillen's (FSY) disappointing second season in Kansas City has taken a bizarre twist: The Royals right fielder could miss up to 10 weeks due to a knee injury sustained while he was putting on a shin guard.
Discussion:
Fox Sports
Craig Calcaterra / Hardball Times:
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.
