Pirates extended Huntington, Russell contracts in winter  —  The Pirates extended the contracts of general manager Neal Huntington and manager John Russell by one year each this past offseason, team president Frank Coonelly disclosed this afternoon.  —  Huntington's contract had been set to expire after this season.

Arroyo homers, leads Reds over Dodgers 7-1  —  CINCINNATI—Hitting.  Pitching.  Defense.  Bronson Arroyo did it all.  —  The lanky right-hander hit the first of Cincinnati's three homers off rookie John Ely, pitched seven innings and completed three double plays while covering first base Thursday …

Mets have eyes set on arms … Baseball Tonight Live … Touch 'Em All

O's have chips to play at Trade Deadline  —  Wigginton, Millwood most likely to be dealt to contenders  —  SAN DIEGO — As June hits the midway-marker, the steady flow of trade rumors picks up steam and general managers around baseball make inquiries and begin to delve into the inventories of organizations.

Maddon: OF Matt Joyce “pounding on the door pretty loudly”  —  It is certainly not lost on the Rays how well OF Matt Joyce has been doing in Triple-A Durham.  —  Joyce, recovering from an elbow strain that has sidelined him in spring training, is hitting .343 with the Bulls, having reached base in his last 10 at bats.

Cupid strikes: Mariners bullpen catcher marrying woman he spotted in stands  —  Jason Phillips grabbed a baseball, scribbled his phone number on it, got the woman's attention and tossed it to her.  And for the rest of the game, he was left to wonder how she'd respond.  —  The courtship started in a bullpen, of all places.

Angels may have to go looking for shortstop because of injuries  —  With Maicer Izturis is on the disabled list and Erick Aybar possibly joining him, General Manager Tony Reagins keeps open option of trade or free-agent signing.  —  With Maicer Izturis on the disabled list and Erick Aybar possibly …

Scioscia's in favor of scrapping baseball's postgame scrum  —  The season-ending injury via postgame party is threatening to become an epidemic in Southern California.  First, the Los Angeles Angels lost star first baseman Kendry Morales  —  for the season when he broke his leg celebrating his game-winning grand slam on May 29.

Is He Baseball's Best Biologist?  —  A Science Whiz at Stanford, Chris Carter Has Aced His Tests With the Mets  —  Whether with the Mets or at Stanford, Chris Carter, nicknamed ‘The Animal’ by Mets manager Jerry Manuel, always gives his best.  —  CLEVELAND—Chris Carter looked at it this way …

Rare Documents: MLB Constitution and By-Laws Now Available Online  —  THE BIZ OF BASEBALL HAS BEEN UPDATED WITH HARD TO FIND DOCS  —  Two of Major League Baseball's rarest documents have now been published within The Biz of Baseball's document archive.  —  A searchable version of the last update …

Ubaldo wins 13th, Rockies snap skid with win over Twins  —  MINNEAPOLIS — Having caught the night before, Joe Mauer wasn't in the starting lineup Thursday.  —  Lucky him.  —  Ubaldo Jimenez was on the mound for the Rockies and, well, you know the rest of the story.

Royals tabbed to host 2012 All-Star Game  —  Kansas City awarded Midsummer Classic for first time since '73  —  KANSAS CITY — After years of waiting, a Major League All-Star Game is again a reality for Kansas City and the Royals.  —  Commissioner Bud Selig announced on Wednesday that the 2012 …