Heyward helps Jurrjens as Braves beat Brewers, 2-1  —  The Atlanta Braves' new shortstop, Alex Gonzalez, left, prepares to throw after fielding a ground ball as second baseman Martin Prado looks on during batting practice for the Braves' baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Turner Field in Atlanta on Thursday, July 15, 2010.

Yankees plan Friday tribute to Steinbrenner  —  NEW YORK—The Yankees plan a Friday night tribute to George Steinbrenner when the team returns home for the first time since the owner's death.  —  The team said Thursday there will be pregame tributes to Steinbrenner and longtime public address …

Los Angeles Dodgers activate Manny Ramirez from disabled list  —  ST. LOUIS — As expected, the Los Angeles Dodgers activated left fielder Manny Ramirez from the 15-day disabled list Thursday and immediately inserted him into the starting lineup, batting fourth, for the team's second-half opener against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Cincinnati Reds' Joey Votto rips Chicago Cubs, passes on congratulations for Marlon Byrd  —  Marlon Byrd made two big plays to help the National League beat the American League for the first time in 14 years, but All-Star teammate Joey Votto wasn't about to congratulate the Cubs outfielder.

Cardinals Give John Mozeliak a Three-Year Extension  —  The Cardinals will hold a press conference on Thursday afternoon where they will formally announce that general manager John Mozeliak will receive a three-year contract extension.  The news wasn't expected but it doesn't come as much of a surprise either.

Reds Seek Right-Handed Reliever  —  The first-place Reds are looking to add a right-handed reliever, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (via Twitter).  Cincinnati leads the NL Central, but their bullpen (4.45 ERA) could use help.  Francisco Cordero, Nick Masset, Logan Ondrusek …

Judge in McCourts' divorce case talks of Dodgers sale  —  As Frank and Jamie McCourt both claim to be low on cash, L.A. Superior Court Commissioner Scott Gordon says one resolution would be to sell ‘the asset which is being fought over.’  —  Frank and Jamie McCourt take in a July 4th game at Dodger Stadium.

Were the All Stars really throwing that hard?  —  If you watched the All-Star Game on Tuesday night, you may have noticed a lot high-nineties fastballs zipping from pitcher to catcher.  At one point Fox put up a graphic listing the fastest fastballs of the night:

Castillo's $2.2 Million Deal Highlights Seattle's Three Top International Signings  —  The Mariners have signed three high-profile international free agents, the most prominent being Dominican outfielder Phillips Castillo, who signed for $2.2 million.  —  Seattle also signed Colombian …

Giants Sign Dontrelle Willis  —  The San Francisco Giants' official Twitter feed reports that the club signed left-hander Dontrelle Willis to a minor-league contract with Triple-A Fresno on Wednesday.  The Giants are Willis' third team this season, after he was designated for assignment …

Phillies Designate Nelson Figueroa For Assignment  —  The Phillies designated reliever Nelson Figueroa for assignment, according to David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News (via Twitter).  The club also activated Chad Durbin and Antonio Bastardo and subsequently optioned Bastardo to Triple A.

Theo Epstein not thinking big  —  Red Sox GM may do some tweaking  —  With two weeks until the trade deadline, general manager Theo Epstein would love to make a big splash that will have a profound effect on pushing the Red Sox [team stats] into the playoffs.  —  In reality, though, he may only be able to make subtle tweaks.