Boston Red Sox place Hideki Okajima on DL with left calf strain, recall Felix Doubront  —  NEW YORK — The Boston Red Sox on Friday put lefty reliever Hideki Okajima on the disabled list with a right hamstring strain and recalled lefty Felix Doubront to take his spot in the bullpen.  —  Okajima

Baker, Reds working toward extension  —  CHICAGO — The early groundwork toward a contract extension for Reds manager Dusty Baker appears under way.  —  “I've been approached in the last couple days,” Baker said on Friday.  “There are some things starting.”  —  Baker's three-year contract with Cincinnati expires after the season.

Martino: Phils fight while Mets flop  —  The Mets sat in first place in the National League East when they made their initial visit to Philadelphia this year back in May.  Reminded of that fact then, one prominent Phillie smirked, rolled his eyes and said, “Yeah, we'll see about that.”

Ilitch: Leyland, Dombrowski will return in '11  —  DETROIT — Any lingering question about the futures of Tigers president/general manager Dave Dombrowski and manager Jim Leyland seemed to find its answer Friday, when team owner Mike Ilitch said both will be back next year.

Interview: Pedro Martinez  —  Photo by dbking, used with a Creative Commons license  —  Future Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez, who enjoyed one of the great peaks of any pitcher in baseball history, recently agreed to take a few questions from me.  He did so as part of the Gillette Fusion ProGlide Summer Job program.

Cardinals looking at Andy LaRoche as possible trade target  —  » PNC Park general manager Dennis DaPra and other team execs closely inspected the outfield turf Thursday afternoon.  The night before, Andrew McCutchen pulled up a large divot when his knee slammed into the grass as he tried to make a catch.

Mets' Single-A team Savannah Sand Gnats to have fan light stuntman Ted Batchelor on fire after game  —  There are plenty of people Mets fans would probably jump at the chancee to light them on fire, with the season they've been having, like the Wilpons, Omar Minaya and Jerry Manuel.

Maddon: This is why Rays need “a real baseball field”  —  After the Rays lost Thursday's game due in part to a ball hitting a Tropicana Field catwalk, manager Joe Maddon quickly made it a stadium issue, saying it showed why “there's a crying need” for a new stadium, a “real baseball field” to be built:

Mets owner: Minaya will be back as GM  —  The Mets' reign of error is set to continue into 2011.  —  The team's principal owner, Fred Wilpon, on Thursday said he is planning to stick with general manager Omar Minaya beyond this year, despite the threat of a second straight losing season.

Giants not awarded waiver claim on Dunn; It probably was the Dodgers  —  I have just learned that the Giants were not the team that was awarded the waiver claim on Nationals power man Adam Dunn.  That's not much of a surprise.  The Giants had the third-best record in the National League …

Foul call, then game, goes against Marlins  —  Inches from walk-off victory, Florida watches Phils prevail in 10  —  MIAMI — Near-elation turned into more frustration for the Marlins on Thursday night.  —  Carlos Ruiz belted a homer off Will Ohman in the top of the 10th inning to lift …

Arencibia set to realize dream with Blue Jays  —  Catching prospect expected to suit up for Friday's series opener against Rays  —  Blue Jays fans impressed with the development of pitchers Ricky Romero and Brett Cecil, along with outfielder Travis Snider, will get another glimpse of the team's future this weekend.

Reds beat Cubs 3-0, move 14 games over .500  —  CHICAGO—Bronson Arroyo threw five-hit ball over seven innings in another dominant effort against the Cubs, and the Cincinnati Reds beat Chicago 3-0 Friday to move 14 games over .500 for the first time in 11 years.