They have their work cut out now  —  Sitting in his box on Level 3 of Fenway Park, overlooking the field where his ball club got pounded, 7-2, by the Rangers last night, Red Sox owner John Henry pondered the immediate future of the local nine.  —  “We have to survive July and all these road games coming up,” said Henry.

What Do We Really Know About Defense?  —  Occasionally, I get asked—what's going on with my attempts to make a defensive metric?  I started off working on a Loess-based defensive metric, and then efforts just stalled.  —  It's a fair question, and one that's harder to answer …

Cubs rout Phillies 12-6  —  Dempster gets plenty of support as club chases Moyer and cruises to victory  —  Derrek Lee cranks a two-run homer in the third inning.  (Scott Strazzante, Chicago Tribune / July 15, 2010)  —  Twenty-four years ago this week, a skinny Cubs rookie named Jamie …

Prospect Hot Sheet: July 16  —  Team: high Class A Wilmington (Carolina)  —  Age: 20.  —  Why He's Here: 2-0, 0.00, 11 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 12 SO  —  The Scoop: John Lamb is no longer the most impressive teenage pitcher in the Carolina League.  Thanks to his July 10th birthday …

Sneeze lands Latos on disabled list  —  SAN DIEGO — Mat Latos said Thursday that he has learned a valuable lesson — the next time he has to sneeze, he'll go ahead and let it fly.  —  Latos, who is tied for third in the National League with 10 victories, will be placed on the 15-day disabled list …

With prize Lee gone, assessing the trade market for pitchers … With star left-hander Cliff Lee, the clear prize of this trading season, now off the board and a Texas Ranger, here are the best of the rest among the available, semi-available and perhaps available pitchers.

Giants ink Willis to Minor League deal  —  SAN FRANCISCO — In the midst of a year in which he had already been designated for assignment by two teams before the All-Star break, Dontrelle Willis was ready to sit out the remainder of the 2010 season.  —  Then, the Giants came calling …

Words don't hurt Ozzie  —  Guillen takes no offense to Williams' dig about fighting  —  MINNEAPOLIS — Leave it to White Sox general manager Ken Williams to turn a mundane pregame clubhouse into a Jerry Springer audience.  —  Appearing on ESPN's “Pardon the Interruption” on Thursday afternoon …

Carpenter sharp, Cardinals beat Dodgers 7-1  —  ST. LOUIS—Chris Carpenter allowed four hits in eight innings to improve to 6-0 against the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the St. Louis Cardinals chased an off-kilter Clayton Kershaw in the fifth inning of a 7-1 victory Thursday night.

New York Yankees say reports of a player bus being delayed en route to Bob Sheppard's funeral are false … NEW YORK — Reports that a bus carrying Yankees players to Bob Sheppard's funeral Thursday got stuck in traffic due to a fatal accident on a Long Island highway are false, according to a team spokesman.

Why You Can Go for the Gold Ball and the Silver Trophy  —  Home Run Derbies have been around in some form for many years, but it officially became part of the All-Star Game festivities in 1985.  Since then, hitters have frequently blamed the Derby for messing up their swings.

Time running out for Joba Chamberlain as New York Yankees setup man  —  With trade deadline looming, struggling reliever needs to start producing in setup role … While this weekend will be a celebration of what George Steinbrenner accomplished, it very well could be a tipping point about what Joba Chamberlain hasn't.

The Grandy man can?  —  Unlike some players who have noticeable trends towards being a first-half or second-half player, Curtis Granderson is almost dead even over his career.  His first-half OBP? .  342. Second-half? .  340. His first-half slugging? .  475. Second-half? .  480. His first-half batting average? .

Lincecum, Giants shut down Mets 2-0  —  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Tim Lincecum pitched a six-hitter for his fourth career shutout and Pablo Sandoval hit an RBI double to help the San Francisco Giants open the second half of the season with a 2-0 victory over the New York Mets on Thursday night.