Cards brawl with Reds, take division lead  —  Yadier Molina jawed with Cincinnati Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips in the first inning Tuesday night, sparking a bench-clearing altercation, and the Cardinals followed their catcher's lead to an 8-4 victory that moved St. Louis back into first place in the NL Central.

Pedroia shooting for Tuesday return  —  Breaking news here from Toronto.  Dustin Pedroia is on track to rejoin the Red Sox one week from today.  The Laser Show is back on.  —  Pedroia had a successful workout at the Rogers Centre this afternoon, running at nearly full speed.

Mets' Beltran clears waivers  —  Mets center fielder Carlos Beltran cleared trade waivers on Monday, major-league sources told FOXSports.com.  —  The Mets are now technically able to trade Beltran, just as they were prior to the July 31 non-waiver deadline.

Nationals reinstate Strasburg from DL  —  WASHINGTON (AP)  —  Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg is back from his first trip to the disabled list.  —  The Nationals have reinstated the rookie from the 15-day DL so he can start against the Florida Marlins on Tuesday night.  —  He last pitched July 21.

Ethier leads Dodgers over Phillies  —  PHILADELPHIA—Andre Ethier had four hits, scored four runs and reached base six times, and Casey Blake and Jay Gibbons hit home runs to lead the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 15-9 battering of the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday night.

Let's face it, Grandy's no Johnny Damon  —  Yankees outfielder booed as Red Sox salvage series split, playoff hopes in the Bronx … Damon, that is.  —  In a moment fit for Johnny Damon no matter what side of the rivalry he was on, his Yankeereplacement, the underwhelming Curtis Granderson …

Strasburg roughed up in return  —  Stephen Strasburg returned from his first trip to the disabled list and turned in the worst start of his sometimes-spectacular rookie season.  —  Washington's prized right-hander allowed a career-high six earned runs in a career-low 4 1-3 innings Tuesday night …

Burnett's highs and lows in 2010  —  William Perlman/The Star-Ledger/US Presswire  —  It will either be a smile or a grimace for A.J. Burnett, whose starts in 2010 have been rather inconsistent  —  Yankees starter A.J. Burnett is having a strange season.

Bo is no beau as girlfriend is hit by foul ball  —  HOUSTON — A young female Astros fan got a painful lesson in chivalry Monday night at Minute Maid Park.  —  The woman, identified only as Sarah, was struck on the right arm by a foul ball off the bat of Chris Johnson in the fourth inning …

Aging ‘El Duque’ aims for one more shot in majors  —  VIERA, Fla.—Orlando Hernandez travels to road games now in charter buses.  Private jets, luxury hotels and four-course meals don't exist here.  —  Not in the rookie league.  —  Games are played in mostly empty ballparks and even a four …

A Minor report  —  Mike Minor throws a four-seam fastball against the Mets in Spring Training, March 3, 2010.  (Icon/SMI)  —  Though I've always been interested in pitch grips, you may have recently noticed that fascination extending to my articles here at the Hardball Times.

Price K's nine Tigers to win No. 15  —  Lefty sets Tampa Bay single-season record for victories  —  DETROIT — David Price made Rays history Monday night, but he had to lean on his teammates to do so.  —  The Rays' 24-year-old left-hander established a new single-season club record …

Why We Miss the Obvious (Mariners Edition)  —  Don Wakamatsu went 127-147 before being fired by the Mariners.  (AP)  —  It all seems so obvious now, doesn't it?  Bringing back Ken Griffey Jr.?  Trading for Milton Bradley?  Giving 32-year-old Chone Figgins (and his lifetime 99 OPS+) …