A-Rod sits against Rays, chase for 600 on hold  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Alex Rodriguez is not in the lineup against the Tampa Bay Rays, putting his chase of 600 home runs temporarily on hold.  —  The reason for Rodriguez's absence was not immediately clear Sunday morning.

Prospect Kalish enjoys memorable debut  —  Red Sox outfielder collects hit in first at-bat, adds RBI single  —  BOSTON — The biggest acquisition the Red Sox made on Saturday's non-waiver Trade Deadline was courtesy of the farm system.  Outfielder Ryan Kalish, touted for a while as one of …

Strasburg throws, reports no pain  —  WASHINGTON — Stephen Strasburg threw on Sunday for the first time since he was placed on the 15-day disabled list on July 29, and everything went well.  —  Strasburg  —  The Washington Nationals' right-hander was scratched minutes before his scheduled start …

Red Sox acquire Saltalamacchia  —  The Red Sox have obtained catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia from Texas for 1B Chris McGuiness, RHP Roman Mendez, a player to be named later and cash considerations.  —  The 6-foot-4, switch-hitting Saltalamacchia was once a heralded prospect who has fallen on hard times.

Phillies Notes: Tired Howard gets a day off  —  WASHINGTON - Anchored as the cleanup hitter, Ryan Howard has seen a lot of lineup changes around him because of all the injuries that have hit the Phillies this season.  —  On Saturday, Howard saw things from the bench when manager Charlie Manuel decided …

Leveraging Future Surplus for Present Wins  —  This picture is totally unrelated to Ryan Ludwick or Jake Westbrook.  I just think it is funny.  —  Browse more photos »  —  I know a lot of you aren't happy with this trade.  I'm not here to tell you it's a blockbuster that John Mozeliak knocked out of the park.

Mets' idle deadline: Years in the making  —  Exorbitant salaries, thin farm system limit options as team languishes in standings … NEW YORK — The trading deadline passed Saturday at 4 p.m. with the New York Mets having done nothing, unless sending Triple-A first baseman Mike Jacobs …

Rockies win as Gonzalez hits walkoff homer, completes cycle  —  Arms wide open after hitting a walk-off solo home run in the bottom of the 9th inning, Colorado Rockies left-fielder Carlos Gonzalez (21) jumps on home base while his teammates emphatically greet him.

Winners and Losers: Rangers improve most  —  Something about July turns baseball executives into spring breakers.  They forget about consequences, about long-term plans, about everything rational, and they go hog wild.  They give up the game's most valuable commodity - cheap prospects - with impunity.

Slowey, Mauer lead Twins over Mariners  —  MINNEAPOLIS—Kevin Slowey pitched eight sparkling innings, Joe Mauer had three hits and the Minnesota Twins beat the Seattle Mariners 4-0 on Saturday night for their seventh consecutive win.  —  Delmon Young added two hits and two RBIs …

KC trades Ankiel, Farnsworth to Braves  —  CINCINNATI—The Atlanta Braves made a five-player deal Saturday to upgrade their outfield and an already formidable bullpen, acquiring Rick Ankiel and right-hander Kyle Farnsworth from Kansas City for three players.

Burrell lifts Giants; trades beef up bullpen  —  (07-31) 17:48 PDT — As Sarah Palin might say, “Hey, ya Dodgers, whatcha think about hitting Buster Posey now?  How'd that work out for ya?  —  Saturday looked like a red-letter day for the boys in blue.  They added a barrel full of players …

New York Yankees obtain Cleveland Indians closer Kerry Wood for player to be named later or cash  —  NEW YORK — The New York Yankees acquired pitcher Kerry Wood from the Cleveland Indians on Saturday, the third deal in less than 24 hours for the World Series champions as they beefed up for the stretch run.

Dodgers Acquire Lilly, Theriot For DeWitt  —  The Dodgers acquired veteran lefty Ted Lilly, infielder Ryan Theriot, and $2.5MM from the Cubs for second baseman Blake DeWitt and minor league pitchers Brett Wallach and Kyle Smit today.  Lilly has $4.24MM remaining on his contract, while Theriot has $918K.