Hamels hurls gem, Rollins hurting as Phillies top Red Sox  —  PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Cole Hamels (FSY) pitched seven impressive innings, Ryan Howard (FSY) and Jayson Werth (FSY) homered, and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Boston Red Sox 5-1 on Friday night.

Oswalt requests trade from last-place Astros  —  The July 31 trading deadline is more than two months away, but one of baseball's best pitchers has asked to be put on the market.  —  Houston Astros ace Roy Oswalt, a three-time National League All-Star, has asked owner Drayton McLane Jr. to be traded, a source said Friday.

Braddock not joining Brewers  —  By Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel  —  I just spoke with Brewers assistant general manager Gord Ash and he said left-handed reliever Zach Braddock will not be called up from Class AAA Nashville to join the Brewers today.

Rangers may look for help behind plate  —  ARLINGTON — Rod Barajas is prominent among possible catchers whom the Rangers are scouting as spring moves into summer, and the July 31 Trade Deadline gets closer.  —  The Rangers had interest in Barajas in the offseason as a free agent …

Seething Ortiz boils over  —  In pregame rant, he blasts his critics  —  The smile is largely gone these days, the locker now a refuge instead of a stage.  It used to be a beacon, drawing in teammates and media to a back corner of the Red Sox clubhouse filled with the bulk of David Ortiz …

Quote: John Maine is a Habitual Liar  —  Dan Warthen, on pulling John Maine after five pitches during last night's start said: … ...habitual liar... lovely... ugh... seriously, it's always something with this team... it is remarkable... how they do not have a reality show about them is beyond me …

Dodgers release righty hurler Towers  —  LOS ANGELES — Triple-A Albuquerque pitcher Josh Towers was granted his release by the Dodgers and replaced in the rotation by Seth Etherton, a first-round pick of the Angels in 1998 out of USC.  —  Towers was 2-5 with an 8.05 ERA at Albuquerque …

BUEHRLE TWIRLS GEM AS WHITE SOX BLANK MARLINS  —  Sports Network  —  Chicago, IL (Sports Network) - Mark Buehrle worked eight innings to pick up his first win since the second week of April and Alexei Ramirez drove in five runs in an 8-0 White Sox win to kick off a three-game interleague series with the Florida Marlins.

Prospect Jones clears final paperwork hurdle  —  Dominican 16-year-old will serve suspension, then start playing  —  SEATTLE — San Diego director of player development Randy Smith said on Friday that Duanel Jones was well worth the wait.  —  Smith said that Jones, a 16-year-old third base prospect …

Answer Man: Charlie Manuel talks Mantle, Japan and wrestling  —  It took a while, but Charlie Manuel and the city of Philadelphia have developed quite a love affair.  Part of the thaw in relations had to do with the Phillies winning the World Series in 2008, of course, but another factor is Manuel's irrepressible personality.

HUDSON, BRAVES BLANK PIRATES IN SERIES OPENER  —  The Sports Network  —  Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) - Tim Hudson spun eight strong innings and Jason Heyward homered and drove in three runs to lead Atlanta to a convincing 7-0 win over the Pirates in the opener of a three-game set at PNC Park.

JAYS AND DIAMONDBACKS BRING BIG BATS TO THE DESERT  —  Sports Network  —  (Sports Network) - Arizona fans at Chase Field are used to watching the ball leave the park at a rapid pace.  That isn't likely to change with Toronto in town.  —  Two of the top three home run hitting teams …

Tracy hoping to create RBI chances for Tulo  —  KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Jason Giambi has logged 6,656 at-bats in the big leagues, 260 coming in the No. 2 spot in the batting order.  —  Make that 260 and counting.  —  Giambi will hit second tonight vs. the Royals when the Rockies open …