Clemens to Be Indicted for Perjury in Doping Testimony  —  Federal authorities have decided to indict Roger Clemens on charges of making false statements to Congress about his use of performance-enhancing drugs, according to two people briefed on the matter.  —  An announcement is expected shortly.

JJ returns to form as Marlins best Bucs  —  PITTSBURGH — Marlins right-hander Josh Johnson and Pirates right-hander Ross Ohlendorf hooked up in a pitchers' duel on Wednesday night at PNC Park.  The Marlins prevailed 3-2.  —  Johnson bounced back from his worst outing of the season …

Cardinals Acquire Pedro Feliz  —  The Cardinals acquired Pedro Feliz and cash from the Astros for pitcher David Carpenter, according to Astros director of social media Alyson Footer (on Twitter).  Feliz, 35, has a .221/.243/.311 line this season with four homers in 304 plate appearances.

Ozzie fires back at critics over Thome's departure  —  Jim Thome acknowledges the crowd's cheers.  (REUTERS / Eric Miller)  —  MINNEAPOLIS — White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen fired back at critics who still can't stomach the departure of Jim Thome, who hit a two-run walkoff home run Tuesday night …

Livan Hernandez's unique season rolls on  —  The statistical cocktail brewed up by Livan Hernandez this year is becoming more and more remarkable all the time.  Last night, he allowed nine hits and walked two and struck out one.  Of course, then, he surrendered two earned runs in seven innings …

Pirates agree to terms with Mexican pitcher Heredia  —  The Pirates early this morning agreed to terms with 16-year-old pitching prospect Luis Heredia of Mexico on a $2.6 million bonus, the biggest payout in franchise history for an international amateur.  —  In Mexico, the team owning …

It's time to fix dysfunctional draft  —  Slotting, signing pool, world-wide draft are some of the options MLB will address  —  Now that another action-packed episode of Last Minute Draft Pick Signing Theater is behind us, we can sum up our sentiments on the not-so-great American baseball draft in three words:

BLUE JAYS SEND ARENCIBIA DOWN TO TRIPLE-A LAS VEGAS  —  The Toronto Blue Jays optioned rookie catcher J.P. Arencibia back to Triple-A Las Vegas on Wednesday following their 5-4 loss to the Oakland A's.  —  The move had been planned to coincide with the return of catcher John Buck …

Open for discussion: Beltre's future  —  Adrian Beltre is on a pace that would see him finish the season with 31 homers and 112 RBIs.  He is hitting .328 and has a Red Sox-approved OBP of .366.  —  The guy is a wizard at third base, plays hurt and plays hard every second he's on the field.

Venezuela's Chávez Has Advice for Rodriguez  —  From one famous Venezuelan to another came a reassuring phone call this week.  —  Venezuela's president, Hugo Chávez, a fan and a friend of the embattled Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez, said he reached out on Sunday to the pitcher known in his native country as El Kid.

THE NEWS KEEPS COMING  —  News Item: DOPE HEAD FORESEES BASEBALL'S DOOM Maybe that should be “head doper,” but John Fahey has said such dopey things “dope head” it shall be.  John Fahey is the chief of the World Anti-Doping Agency, the body of steroids zealots who have appointed themselves …

Lindstrom placed on 15-day DL  —  Lindstrom goes on DL  —  The Astros placed righthander Matt Lindstrom on the 15-day disabled list following Wednesday's 3-2 loss to the Mets.  —  “We need to get him right,” Astros manager Brad Mills said.  —  Lindstrom is coming off three rough outings …

Cards seek help at third base  —  The Cardinals are pursuing a third baseman or utility infielder with more urgency as the team gropes for offense and stability at a position left exposed by inconsistent play and injury.  —  General manager John Mozeliak said the team was involved in discussions …

Reds rally for 11-7 win over D'Backs  —  PHOENIX—Pinch-hitter Chris Heisey laid down a perfect squeeze bunt, driving in Jim Edmonds with the go-ahead run from third base with one out in the top of the ninth inning, and the Cincinnati Reds rallied from a four-run deficit to beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 11-7 on Wednesday night.