Source: Cardinals enter Oswalt fray  —  Fox Sports  —  The Cardinals have engaged the Astros in trade talks for starter Roy Oswalt, but the teams have struggled to arrive at a fit, according to one major-league source with close knowledge of the talks.  —  The Astros like Class …

Ralph Houk, Yankees Manager, Dies at 90  —  Ralph Houk, a third-string catcher for the Yankees who went on to win three straight American League pennants and two World Series championships in his first seasons as their manager, died Wednesday at his home in Winter Haven, Fla. He was 90.

Baseball Minor Leagues Will Test for H.G.H. Immediately  —  Blood testing for human growth hormone will begin immediately in the minor leagues, Bud Selig, the commissioner of Major League Baseball, announced on Thursday.  It is the first time a professional sports league in North America will test for the substance.

Verlander, Cabrera help Tigers take down Blue Jays  —  DETROIT — Miguel Cabrera started a three-run eighth inning with an RBI double, and Justin Verlander settled down after a rocky start to go eight innings in the Detroit Tigers' 5-2 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday.

Ozzie: Options ‘open now’ after Jenks' blown save  —  SEATTLE — The White Sox's closer's role is open after Bobby Jenks blew a lead for the second time on this 10-game trip.  —  “Our options are open now,” manager Ozzie Guillen said Wednesday night after Jenks allowed a two-run single …

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Placido Polanco homered leading off the 11th inning, and the Philadelphia Phillies survived another poor offensive showing with a 2-0 victory that ended the St. Louis Cardinals' eight-game winning streak and averted a four-game sweep on Thursday.

Podsednik says he'd like to stay in KC  —  The name of just about every Royal is being thrown around in trade rumors these days.  —  And as the team continues to slump, some of these rumors are bound to come true.  —  Jose Guillen knows this.  David DeJesus knows this.

Constant lineup tweaks paying off for Maddon  —  Rays' offense has second-greatest run differential in Majors  —  In an ideal world, Joe Maddon would walk into his office, take a look at his lineup card and fill in two names.  —  The Rays' manager would have seven spots set in stone each day …

MLB clears Mark Cuban to bid; judge reassures Rangers manager  —  Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has been cleared by Major League Baseball to bid on the Texas Rangers, his lawyer, Clifton Jessup of Dallas, said today.  —  Meanwhile, Rangers manager Ron Washington, called to court …

Marlins walk-off Rockies 3-2 to win the series Miami  —  MIAMI — A gentle morning breeze stirred the flags at Sun Life Stadium Thursday.  The grass was green, expectant.  The night's wicked storm was hours away.  Manager Jim Tracy, who has a place in Florida, sat back on the bench and enjoyed the moment.

Leyland unfazed by Boesch's struggles  —  DETROIT — Since the All-Star break, the Tigers' offense has sputtered.  No one is feeling the struggles more than rookie slugger Brennan Boesch.  —  Prior to the break, the rookie owned a .342 average with 49 RBIs and 12 home runs in his 65 games since …

Twelve Thoughts: Dodgers Ownership, Upton and Griffey, All-Star Bonuses  —  o.  Bud Selig needs to find a new owner for the Dodgers.  —  Time to make amends, commish.  You steered Frank and Jamie McCourt, the dodgy duo from the Evil Coast, into control of the Dodgers.  They've shown they weren't to be trusted.

Thumbing His Way Back Home … Before we talk about sacrifice, or phantom blackbirds, or the Chipper Jones Momentum-Turn Hypothesis, let me tell you about the time Bobby Cox demolished a toilet with one bare hand.  —  It happened at Shea Stadium.  Braves shortstop Darrel Chaney slid into home …

Opinion: The Mets are Starting to Panic  —  It's not just me and you.  —  Apparently, according to a few people I know close to the clubhouse, the team is starting to panic a bit too, with one person saying, 'They're coming unhinged.'  —  The players know what's up.  How could they not?

Sandberg on Cubs job: I'm ready  —  One day after Lou Piniella announced he would retire as Chicago Cubs manager following this season, Ryne Sandberg made sure there was no ambiguity about his desire and confidence to replace Piniella next year.  —  “I am ready,” Sandberg said Wednesday on “The Waddle & Silvy Show” on ESPN 1000.