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 …

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) …

Angels rally to end Rangers' 12-game streak  —  ANAHEIM, Calif. - Howie Kendrick had three hits and four RBIs, including a tiebreaking two-run single, and the Los Angeles Angels snapped the Texas Rangers' 12-game winning streak with a come-from-behind 9-8 victory Wednesday night.

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.

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.

Source: Sox host Yanks for Fenway centennial  —  BALTIMORE — The Boston Red Sox are scheduled to open the 2012 season against the Tigers in Detroit, according to an early draft of the major league schedule distributed to all 30 clubs and the players' union, according to a major league source.