David Price of Tampa Bay Rays, Ubaldo Jimenez of Colorado Rockies named All-Star starters  —  ANAHEIM, Calif. — Colorado ace Ubaldo Jimenez will start for the National League in the All-Star Game while the AL will counter with Tampa Bay's David Price.  —  In this year of the pitcher …

Cubs' Cashner earns points after plunking Dodger  —  LOS ANGELES — Rookie Andrew Cashner received high-fives from everyone in the Cubs dugout after a fastball “slipped” from his hand in the eighth inning and plunked Blake DeWitt, prompting an umpire's warning to both teams.

Adrian Beltre of the Boston Red Sox has not been replaced on the All-Star team, as had been announced  —  ANAHEIM, Calif. — It turns out an announcement by American League manager Joe Girardi that Boston Red Sox third baseman Adrian Beltre was out of Tuesday's All-Star Game with a strained hamstring was premature.

Yesterday and the Futures  —  I spent the weekend before the All-Star Game attending two baseball games.  On Saturday, Jon Weisman hosted Dave Cameron, his brother Jeremy, Bryan Smith, and me at Dodger Stadium for the Dodgers-Cubs game.  On Sunday, my son Joe and I met up with Dave and Bryan …

Byrd savors first All-Star selection  —  A few years ago, Marlon Byrd wasn't even sure of a spot in the majors.  —  Ken Rosenthal has been the senior baseball writer for FOXSports.com since Aug. 2005.  He appears weekly on MLB on FOX.  Follow him on Twitter.

In their words: Remembering Bob Sheppard  —  “I am deeply saddened by the death today of Bob Sheppard, a good friend and fine man whose voice set the gold standard for America's sports announcers.  For over a half century, fans were thrilled to hear his unforgettable voice and players …

Legends, celebrities hammer home fun  —  ANAHEIM — Please, Hammer, don't get hurt.  —  This was just for fun, after all, and the way MC Hammer hacked his way through batting practice before the Taco Bell All-Star Legends & Celebrity Softball Game made you wonder whether his obliques would hold up.

Pirates Re-Acquire Brian Bixler  —  The Pirates re-acquired Brian Bixler from the Indians for a player to be named later, according to Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (via Twitter).  Bixler, 27, has spent the 2010 season playing for the Indians' Triple A team …

Rangers sued by prospective buyers  —  The group backed by Major League Baseball to buy the Texas Rangers sued the team on Monday, hoping to force the long-delayed sale and put a halt to the fresh round of bidding that was opened up unexpectedly in the team's bankruptcy case.

Blue Jays Make Gregg, Frasor, Downs Available  —  10:47am: The Jays have made Gregg, Frasor, and Scott Downs available, reports WEEI's Rob Bradford.  Bradford feels that the Red Sox are a potential match for one of them.  —  Frasor's control has slipped this year, especially against lefties.

A New Role for Francoeur  —  Jeff Francoeur is used to being in the lineup.  When he was 22, he played in all 162 games for the Atlanta Braves.  As a 23-year-old, he did the same.  Never in his six-year major league career has Francoeur not been an every-day player.

Untested Derby cast offers plenty of intrigue  —  With five first-time participants, power display sure to excite  —  ANAHEIM — Prince Fielder won't be out to defend his title.  Albert Pujols and Ryan Howard will be taking a spectator's view for a change.  Even Josh Hamilton has taken a pass.

The politics of crime, baseball and the Mariners  —  Lots of comments online about our stories in recent days concerning the Mariners and their decision to trade for Class AA pitching prospect Josh Lueke in the Cliff Lee deal.  —  Lueke, it turns out, pleaded no contest last year to a charge …

Minor League Transactions  —  Be sure to check out our Draft Database for a more comprehensive look at recently signed draft picks.  —  An asterisk (*) denotes an instance of a player agreeing to terms on a minor league contract with an organization with which he already had a major league agreement.

Rangers GM Jon Daniels: Cliff Lee discussion started a month ago  —  The Ticket's Norm Hitzges interviewed Jon Daniels on KTCK-AM 1310 Monday.  To listen live, click here.  Some excerpts:  —  On if he feels the deal Cliff Lee stunned baseball as much as it did the fans:  —  Maybe.

Sources: O's, Showalter close to deal  —  Ken Rosenthal has been the senior baseball writer for FOXSports.com since Aug. 2005.  He appears weekly on MLB on FOX.  Follow him on Twitter.  —  The Orioles are close to terms with Buck Showalter to become the team's manager, major-league sources said Sunday.