Source: Florida Marlins to offer Bobby Valentine four-year deal; meeting set for Friday  —  Former Texas Rangers and New York Mets manager Bobby Valentine has confirmed he will fly to Florida on Friday night to meet with Marlins executives, including owner Jeffrey Loria, and discuss the club's managerial job.

Garza goes eight effective innings in Rays' win vs. Padres  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Matt Garza (FSY) pitched eight effective innings, Kelly Shoppach (FSY) came within a triple of hitting for the cycle and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the San Diego Padres 5-3 on Thursday.

Rangers GM loses bet with streak at 10 … Texas Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said on an ESPNDallas.com chat Thursday that he will honor his bet with shortstop Elvis Andrus and dye his hair now that the team's win streak has reached 10 games.  —  “I was hoping he'd forget, but no such luck,” Daniels said.

Homers by Stewart, Giambi rally Rockies past Red Sox  —  They rushed the field Wednesday night, players flowing from the Rockies' dugout into the mosh pit at home plate.  —  Somewhere in the middle stood Jason Giambi, smiling like a 6-year-old on Christmas morning.

Mets, Twins appear to be two frontrunners in Cliff Lee sweepstakes  —  Quite the outing by Cliff Lee yet again, leading the Mariners to a sixth win in a row.  By the way, have you ever seen a team have so much trouble picking up even a single game in the standings?  It's getting ridiculous.

Gaston shuffles things up with Lind, Hill  —  Manager drops both struggling hitters in batting order  —  TORONTO — After nearly three months of watching sluggers Aaron Hill and Adam Lind struggle, Toronto manager Cito Gaston has finally seen enough.  —  Heading into Thursday night's contest …

Gallardo perfect after five vs. Twins  —  MILWAUKEE — Brewers right-hander Yovani Gallardo's bid for a perfect game was broken up with one out in the sixth inning by Twins catcher Drew Butera's opposite-field single to right on Thursday afternoon at Miller Park.

Inbox: Is it time for big move from D-backs?  —  Beat reporter Gilbert answers fans' questions  —  What do you think about trading Dan Haren?  He is our most valuable player in my opinion and is under contract for a few more years.  —  For me, Carl, that depends on the answer to the question …

LOWELL EXPECTED TO GO ON DISABLED LIST  —  Red Sox corner infielder Mike Lowell is expected to be placed on the 15-day disabled list (right hip) prior to tonight's game against the Colorado Rockies.  The move would clear a roster spot for pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka, who is scheduled to start in Denver on Thursday night.

Norris slated to start Monday for Astros  —  HOUSTON — Bud Norris will return to the Astros rotation Monday in Milwaukee.  Norris has been on the disabled list since May 24 with biceps tendinitis.  —  He threw six scoreless innings Tuesday night in his final rehab start with Triple-A Round Rock.

Aeros players charged with assault in brawl  —  3 Indians minor-leaguers charged in downtown Akron incident  —  Three Indians minor-league players have been charged with felonious assault following an altercation at a downtown Akron nightclub that left a man with rib and lung injuries, police said.

Reyes shines on Seinfeld's big night  —  The legendary comedian was in the TV booth, and the Mets' leadoff hitter was huge … NEW YORK — On an evening featuring comic legend Jerry Seinfeld talking about musical sensation Lady Gaga, once again the fastest rising star in Flushing wore No. 7 and sprinted through the night like a comet.