Giants' interest in Beltran hits snag  —  The Giants openly flirted with Carlos Beltran when the Mets visited San Francisco this month, and closer Brian Wilson recruited the Mets outfielder at the All-Star Game, but the teams are experiencing difficulty matching up in a trade.

Matsui Hits 500th Pro Homer as A's Top Tigers 8-5  —  DETROIT (AP) — Hideki Matsui hit his 500th professional homer and drove in three runs to lead the Oakland Athletics over the Detroit Tigers 7-5 Wednesday night.  —  Matsui led off the sixth inning with his milestone homer …

Candid Dunn admits thinking about quitting  —  Adam Dunn(notes) is talking about quitting.  He's talking about it like he's been thinking about it, like it's always a possibility, a failsafe if this misery continues.  And then he's talking about it like the chances of him doing it are infinitesimal …

SOX STILL EYEING LONG-TERM DEAL FOR ELLSBURY  —  Speaking on the Dennis & Callahan Show with John Dennis and Dale Arnold, Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein confirmed that the organization has previously attempted to sign Jacoby Ellsbury to a multi-year extension, and hope to still execute such a deal in the future.

Braves need another hitter, but who?  —  The Braves are going to get a hitter.  What kind of hitter, which position he will play, no one yet knows.  —  The Astros' Hunter Pence, at least at the moment, is not the Braves' slugger of choice, two major-league sources say.

Padres tell Adams he's staying put  —  At least a dozen teams have contacted the San Diego Padres about standout reliever Mike Adams(notes), and to this point they've all been rebuffed.  With good reason.  —  The big boss said he's staying put.  —  Certainly a team could come with a blowaway offer …

Drew Breaks Ankle, Brewers Beat Arizona 5-2 in 10  —  PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona lost shortstop Stephen Drew with a broken right ankle, then Milwaukee gave young reliever Ryan Cook a rude welcome to the big leagues with a three-run 10th inning in a 5-2 victory over the Diamondbacks on Wednesday night.

Mets' Collins expects Wright in lineup on Friday  —  NEW YORK — New York Mets manager Terry Collins expects to have third baseman David Wright in the lineup on Friday night when the Mets take on the Florida Marlins in Miami.  —  “I do (expect him in there),” Collins said.

Ludwick, Guzman power Padres to blowout win over Marlins  —  MIAMI — Ryan Ludwick and Jesus Guzman both drove in four runs for the San Diego Padres in a 14-3 win over the Florida Marlins on Wednesday night.  —  Will Venable homered, scored three runs, and reached base four times for the Padres …

Granderson homers, four Yankees combine to shut out Rays  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Curtis Granderson backed a solid pitching performance by Freddy Garcia with a two-run homer, leading the New York Yankees to a 4-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday night.

Gonzalez lifts Rockies to walk-off win over Braves  —  DENVER — Carlos Gonzalez singled home the winning run off Eric O'Flaherty with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to lift the Colorado Rockies to a 3-2 win over the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday night.  —  O'Flaherty (1-3) …

Morrow gets revenge against Mariners  —  As is his habit before most of his starts, Brandon Morrow was caught up in his own world in the Toronto Blue Jays clubhouse, his ears swallowed up by a giant set of headphones dispensing tunes as he contemplated a puzzle in the newspaper.  —  What a multitasker.