With stars hurt, Tigers get younger quickly  —  Larish, Rhymes add to Mud Hens total; Ordonez has CT scan  —  DETROIT — Well, at least Tigers manager Jim Leyland doesn't have to worry about players not hustling.  —  Detroit purchased the contracts of infielders Jeff Larish and Will Rhymes …

A-Rod takes another crack at 600  —  The finale of the series between the New York Yankees and the Kansas City Royals could be a historic one, as Alex Rodriguez comes into the matchup one home run shy of becoming the seventh member of the 600 home run club.  —  Rodriguez has hit memorable homers …

Helms' hit helps Marlins beat Braves 5-4  —  MIAMI—Wes Helms hit a bases-loaded RBI single with none out in the 11th inning Sunday, and the Florida Marlins earned their fourth walkoff win of the week, beating the Atlanta Braves 5-4.  —  The Marlins went 7-3 on their homestand, with six wins by one run.

Rays' Davis beats Indians 4-2, unbeaten in July  —  CLEVELAND—Reid Brignac hit a three-run homer that helped Wade Davis remain unbeaten in July, and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Cleveland Indians 4-2 Sunday.  —  Brignac connected off Justin Masterson (3-9) in the second inning to put Tampa Bay ahead 3-1.

Orioles mum on trade talk  —  BALTIMORE — Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail has been fielding calls on the team's veterans, and said on Sunday that he doesn't believe Ty Wigginton — believed to be the team's best trade chip — will lose value based on his pending three-game suspension.

Competition For Scott Downs Heating Up  —  12:28pm: ESPN.com's Buster Olney says the Blue Jays' discussions involving Downs are drawing “fascination” from rival executives who are curious to see what Toronto can acquire.  The Jays have been asking for a significant return in part …

Rizzo: Starters remain biggest need for Nats  —  General manager Mike Rizzo has been a busy man, trying his best to improve the Nationals, who have a 42-56 record entering Sunday's action against the Brewers.  —  MLB.com caught up with Rizzo recently at Miller Park to talk about the team …

Timing of Minor League hGH Testing More Than a PR Move by MLB  —  On Thursday, MLB announced that it would immediately begin subjecting minor league players to random blood testing for the detection of human growth hormone (hGH) under Major League Baseball's Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.

Chicago surgeon trying for breakthough to help careers  —  (Chris Sweda, Chicago Tribune / July 23, 2010)  —  Rush's Romeo has radical notion of not being so concerned with bicep muscle when repairing shoulders  —  One day Mario DiCostanzo felt a pop in his left arm after throwing a tennis ball.

CUBS IN BRIEF: Gorzelanny a lefty without hefty price tag  —  Ted Lilly is not the only Cubs left-handed starter attracting attention from contending teams a week before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.  Tom Gorzelanny had scouts buzzing during his six-inning outing Saturday against the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Francona report: Martinez ready to go on Monday; praise for the injured players  —  Nothing official, but Terry Francona just said he thinks Victor Martinez will be ready for tomorrow's game.  —  “I actually think hes probably going to be ready [on Monday],” he said.  “It's silly to make the decision today.