Francoeur wants to stay put as trade deadline approaches  —  It was Bastille Day so, naturally, Frenchy was in a feisty mood Thursday before the Royals opened their post-break schedule with the first of four weekend games against the Minnesota Twins.  —  Specifically, yes, of course …

Game 91: Red Sox at Rays  —  Hey, the Red Sox are playing again.  Here are the lineups:  —  RED SOX (55-35)  —  Ellsbury CF  —  Pedroia 2B  —  Gonzalez 1B  —  Youkilis 3B  —  Ortiz DH  —  McDonald RF  —  Saltalamacchia C  —  Navarro LF  —  Scutaro SS  —  Pitching: LHP Andrew Miller (3-0, 3.57)

New K-Rod deal removes games-finished clause  —  The Milwaukee Brewers and Francisco Rodriguez have negotiated a new structure of the reliever's contractual clause, and the end result now is that the Brewers can use K-Rod in any role — including closer — without being locked into $17.5 million deal for the 2012 season.

Owner Jeffrey Loria will consider Jack McKeon to manage Florida Marlins in 2012, promises changes to minor league system  —  Owner Jeffrey Loria just spoke to Marlins beat writers at Wrigley Field and offered his first public comments since June.  —  I'll have a story up later.

Clemens gets out of a jam  —  Mistrial is Rocket's biggest victory ever  —  Call it the biggest win of Roger Clemens's career.  —  The Rocket won 354 games in the big leagues.  He won 192 games for the Red Sox, still a franchise record (along with Cy Young, which is somehow fitting).

Postgame notes: “I've been thinking about my leg too much”  —  After tonight's game, Joe Girardi compared Bartolo Colon to Derek Jeter.  Both have a hard time admitting when they're hurt.  —  Colon has told the Yankees that he has recovered from a strained left hamstring …

After K-Rod trade, Mets may close by committee with Bobby Parnell, Jason Isringhausen, Pedro Beato  —  It did not take long to replace Francisco Rodriguez - in the Mets' clubhouse at least.  As the team reconvened for the first time since its former fiery closer was shipped off to Milwaukee …

Dempster throws eight scoreless innings as Cubs beat Marlins  —  CHICAGO — Canada's Ryan Dempster pitched four-hit ball over eight scoreless innings, and the Chicago Cubs overcame another shaky performance by closer Carlos Marmol to beat Florida 2-1, snapping the Marlins' season-high, six-game winning streak on Friday.

Pirates, Rockies interested in Twins' Slowey  —  Kevin Slowey's future with the Minnesota Twins was in question from the moment he failed to make the major-league rotation coming out of spring training.  —  Now, it's looking more likely that he will be dealt prior to the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.

Beltran, Reyes are top names for unpredictable trading season … The trading season began rather bizarrely, with the Mets rushing to trade Francisco Rodriguez, their star high-priced closer with the scary vesting option, a new agent and a missing no-trade list.

Coors Field rolls out Wok in the Park, the first food truck inside a baseball stadium  —  ​The latest food truck to hit Denver will either have you shaking your head because the craze has gone mainstream, or nodding it for the same reason.  —  On Thursday, Aramark Corporation …

Quade gets airport security treatment  —  Cubs manager undergoes full check before getting clearance  —  Cubs manager Mike Quade pitches during batting practice before a game against the Marlins at Wrigley Field.  (Chris Sweda, Chicago Tribune / July 14, 2011)

Latest On Extension Talks For J.J. Hardy  —  4:34pm: One holdup in the talks between Hardy and the Orioles has been concern on Hardy's part that the Orioles will trade him, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).  —  4:02pm: The Orioles and Hardy are progressing on a three-year deal …

Rangers doing all the right things  —  Payoff for sound approach should come to defending AL champs  —  You hear it from one general manager after another, one manager after another, one scout after another.  —  “How can the Rangers not be running away with the American League West?”