Mets manager Jerry Manuel covets ace pitcher over reliever as Cliff Lee remains top commodity  —  WASHINGTON - Jerry Manuel's priorities are clear in advance of the July 31 trade deadline: If forced to choose between an ace starter and a setup man, the Mets manager would take the ace.

SCHERZER STRONG ON MOUND AS TIGERS TOPPLE MARINERS  —  The Sports Network  —  Detroit, MI (Sports Network) - Johnny Damon hit a two-run home run and Max Scherzer worked eight innings to help the Detroit Tigers take a 7-1 win over the Seattle Mariners in the opener of a three-game set.

Niese wins 5th straight, has 1st RBI in Mets' win  —  WASHINGTON—Jonathon Niese pitched seven solid innings, striking out a career-high eight for his fifth straight win, and the New York Mets held off the Washington Nationals 5-3 on Friday night.  —  Washington rallied for two runs …

BLOOMQUIST, ROYALS EDGE ANGELS IN 10  —  Sports Network  —  Anaheim, CA (Sports Network) - Willie Bloomquist singled home the winning run in the 10th inning to lift Kansas City to a 2-1 comeback win over the Angels in the opener of a three-game set at Angel Stadium.

Yankees Interested In Ty Wigginton  —  The Yankees have some interest in Ty Wigginton, according to Ed Price of AOL FanHouse.  Price suggests the Yankees would be interested in the 32-year-old as a part-time player, rather than as an everyday starter.  —  In 299 plate appearances for the Orioles …

Manny appears headed to disabled list  —  Ramirez sits for second consecutive game against D-backs  —  PHOENIX — The Dodgers are expected to place outfielder Manny Ramirez on the 15-day disabled list Saturday with a strained right hamstring.  It will be his second stint on the disabled list this season …

Infante's 2-RBI single lifts Braves in 11th inning  —  ATLANTA—Omar Infante's two-run single with no outs in the 11th inning helped Atlanta rally for a 4-3 victory over the Florida Marlins on Friday night, the Braves' 15th final at-bat win.  —  The Braves have won two straight overall and five of seven.

Garcia, Cardinals muzzle Brewers 5-0  —  ST. LOUIS—Rookie Jaime Garcia bounced back from his worst start with seven innings of three-hit ball and Matt Holliday doubled twice and drove in a run in the St. Louis Cardinals' 5-0 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday night.

Blum injures elbow while getting dressed  —  SAN DIEGO — Although Geoff Blum injured his right elbow in an unusual way on Thursday night, the impact of his injury is no less serious.  —  Blum felt a “pop” in his elbow while putting on his shirt following Thursday's contest against the Padres, according to manager Brad Mills.

Minor League Transactions  —  The numbers in parentheses denote draft round, of course, and I encourage one and all to check out our Draft Database.  It's the easiest place on the Web to find out, 1) who drafted whom, and from which school and which state, and 2) which players have signed.

‘El Duque’ signs minor-league deal  —  The Nationals have signed veteran right-hander Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez to a minor-league contract, according to two club sources.  —  Hernandez, the 44-year-old half-brother of Nats starter Livan Hernandez, will report to the organization's spring complex …

Price takes no-hitter into fifth but Twins rally to take down Rays ace  —  MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Danny Valencia (FSY) had two hits and the go-ahead RBI in the seventh inning and the Minnesota Twins outlasted David Price (FSY) and the Tampa Bay Rays for a 2-1 victory Friday night.

Nava's RBI, Drew's 2 HRs give Boston 3-2 win  —  BOSTON—A decisive bloop single meant more to rookie Daniel Nava than the grand slam he hit on the first pitch he faced in his major league career.  —  Nava sliced a popup down the right-field line as a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning Friday night …

Chris Young matches career high, Diamondbacks beat Dodgers  —  PHOENIX — Chris Young matched a career high with five RBIs, Edwin Jackson labored through five innings in the follow-up to his no-hitter and the Arizona Diamondbacks made Kirk Gibson a winner in his managerial debut with a 12-5 victory …