Carlos Beltran to stay in NL East?  —  New York Mets right fielder Carlos Beltran's next home may still be in the National League East.  Among the most active scouting occurring in the Beltran sweepstakes involves intra-division teams.  —  Gordon Lakey, the director of major league scouting …

Oh Pays Tribute to Matsui for 500th Home Run  —  TOKYO (AP) — Japanese home run king Sadaharu Oh paid tribute to Hideki Matsui after the Oakland Athletics' outfielder hit his 500th homer.  —  “Five hundred is a figure that carries a lot of worth in the major leagues,” Oh said Thursday.

Stephen Drew Breaks Ankle, Season Over  —  A slightly-extended version of SnakeSounds this evening, as we discuss the implications of Stephen Drew's horrific injury this evening.  As was already recorded, Drew broke his ankle sliding into home-plate during the fourth inning of this evening's contest …

Pujols hits two-run shot as Cardinals avoid sweep vs. Mets  —  NEW YORK — Albert Pujols hit a two-run homer while Jake Westbrook pitched eight strong innings as the St. Louis Cardinals beat New York 6-2 on Thursday to avoid a three-game sweep.  —  Pujols drove a pitch from Jonathon Niese …

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.

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 …

Joe Girardi says he'll consider eventually batting Brett Gardner at leadoff instead of Derek Jeter  —  Brett Gardner's recent offensive streak is difficult for Joe Girardi to ignore.  The issue, if Gardner ends up batting leadoff, is where to slot Derek Jeter in the Yankees lineup.

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.

Huntington a ‘Moneyball’ guy?  —  Neal Huntington finds it curious that people reflexively refer to him as a “Moneyball guy.”  —  By that, they presumably mean the Pirates' general manager is a disciple of Oakland A's GM Billy Beane, whose new-age, statistical-based evaluation of players …

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 …