Roy Oswalt would accept trade to Nationals  —  HOUSTON — Houston Astros ace Roy Oswalt would be open to waiving his no-trade clause and pitching for the Nationals if they and the Astros agree on a deal, Oswalt said today.  —  Oswalt, who has requested a trade from the 17-34 Astros …

Source: Clubs contacting Sox on Lowell  —  BOSTON — A Red Sox source ruled out any possibility of Mike Lowell going to the Los Angeles Angels in the wake of first baseman Kendry Morales going down with a broken ankle suffered while celebrating a walk-off grand slam over the weekend.  —  Lowell

Plenty of tight races for NL All-Star spots  —  Pujols, Utley have big leads, but other positions up for grabs  —  Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols and Phillies second baseman Chase Utley hold sizable leads at their positions, but the right side of the infield currently serves …

Mets too gutless to stand up to Ollie  —  By now, everyone knows the Mets are engaged in a to-the-death war with Oliver Perez, the kind that will produce no truce.  Perez, acting on his agent Scott Boras' instructions, continues to refuse an assignment to the minor leagues, daring the Mets to eat the final $20 million of his contract.

Nats rally in ninth, but can't hold off Astros  —  Desmond, Bernadina drive in big runs, but Capps falters  —  HOUSTON — Nationals closer Matt Capps thought he had the Astros' Lance Berkman struck out to end the game.  So did manager Jim Riggleman.  Third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, too.

WESTBROOK SOLID AS TRIBE EDGE TIGERS  —  The Sports Network  —  Detroit, MI (Sports Network) - Jake Westbrook pitched 7 2/3 stellar innings to lift the Cleveland Indians to a 3-2 win over the Detroit Tigers in the opener of a three-game AL Central series at Comerica Park.

Suns slugger Mike Stanton performs for Florida Marlins' brass  —  The 20-year-old phenom hits 19th and 20th homers of season as Jacksonville edges Carolina … Box score  —  Jacksonville Suns information  —  Jacksonville Suns website  —  Full 2010 schedule  —  Ticket Information

Pirates among teams after elite Mexican prospect  —  Heredia, 15, is tall righty, one of best in coming international class  —  The Pirates are one of several teams pursuing elite Mexican pitching prospect Luis Heredia, according to a source in that country.

KINSLER KEYS FIVE-RUN SIXTH AS RANGERS GET PAST WHITE SOX  —  The Sports Network  —  Chicago, IL (Sports Network) - Ian Kinsler's two-run double highlighted a five-run sixth inning, as the Texas Rangers defeated the Chicago White Sox, 9-6, in the opener of a three-game series at U.S. Cellular Field.

Saltalamacchia moving past throwing issue  —  Catcher confident he will soon be back in the big leagues  —  OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — Catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who three weeks ago had a terrible time simply throwing a baseball back to the pitcher, said he feels like his problems …

Adam LaRoche's Trade Value  —  The Diamondbacks are 10.5 games out of a playoff spot and they aren't scheduled to play a team with a losing record for more than a month.  If you suspect they might become sellers, you're not alone.  As ESPN.com's Buster Olney reports, executives expect the D'Backs to move payroll early this year.

STREAKING BRAVES TOP REELING PHILLIES IN ATLANTA  —  The Sports Network  —  Atlanta, GA (Sports Network) - Troy Glaus homered for a third straight game and Tim Hudson pitched six innings to win his fifth consecutive decision, and the Atlanta Braves won their seventh straight contest to widen …

One on One with Former All-Star Jose Canseco  —  In 1988, Jose Canseco became the first player in Major League Baseball history to hit at least 40 home runs and steal at least 40 bases in the same season.  After Canseco released his tell-all book, Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids …

Memories Are Forever  —  Our friend Todd Drew passed away almost a year-and-a-half ago.  In the days after his death, I coped with the sadness by staying busy.  I didn't want to sit with the pain.  We talked about Todd on the site as the Banter sat shiva.  What can we do?

NINTH-INNING IMPLOSION COSTS BLUE JAYS IN LOSS TO RAYS  —  TORONTO — Kevin Gregg is one of the reasons the Toronto Blue Jays have been able to make a season of low expectations far more interesting than anyone imagined.  —  Lately, though, he's made the ninth inning an adventure.

Don't be surprised to see Burrell by Friday  —  Manager Bruce Bochy took a long time to come into the interview room after tonight's loss.  My first thought was a move might be made.  Sometimes those decisions are made immediately after a game.  But I was told Bochy was just commiserating …