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 …

Theo Epstein: Red Sox would like to lock up Jacoby Ellsbury with a long-term deal  —  Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein did an interview on WEEI this morning.  There were three notable answers.  —  On signing Jacoby Ellsbury long term: “Yeah, I think with all of our young players …

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.

Verlander, Peralta leads Tigers to win over Twins  —  MINNEAPOLIS — Justin Verlander threw eight dominant innings, Jhonny Peralta drove in three runs with three hits and the Detroit Tigers beat Minnesota 6-2 on Thursday for their 10th straight win over the Twins.

LAPD exonerates suspect in Bryan Stow beating, source says [Updated]  —  Los Angeles police have arrested two men on suspicion of beating baseball fan Bryan Stow at Dodger Stadium and have concluded the suspect they took into custody in May was not responsible, a law enforcement source familiar …

Shields Outduels Sabathia, Rays Beat Yankees  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Tampa Bay Rays All-Star James Shields won for the first time in nearly a month, outpitching CC Sabathia and beating the New York Yankees 2-1 on Thursday night.  —  Shields (9-8) allowed six hits …

Braves hit three homers, beat Rockies  —  DENVER — Jason Heyward and Freddie Freeman each homered and had two hits and the Atlanta Braves overcame a shaky start by Tommy Hanson to beat the Colorado Rockies 9-6 Thursday.  —  Brooks Conrad homered and Nate McLouth had two hits apiece for Atlanta …

Jays complete sweep of Mariners  —  Rajai Davis hit a two-run double in the eighth inning on Thursday, lifting the Toronto Blue Jays to a 7-5 victory and a three game sweep of the slumping Seattle Mariners.  —  The victory came under a closed dome at Rogers Centre due to sizzling temperatures in Toronto.

Chicken and gags situation at this baseball induction ceremony  —  An irreverent nonprofit group that celebrates the game holds its annual awards, honoring the likes of the San Diego mascot and Dodgers great Maury Wills among others.  —  The famous San Diego Chicken poses for a picture …

Major League Baseball warns N.J. memorabilia company to stop selling Derek Jeter ‘3,000th hit’ balls  —  Major League Baseball has told a New Jersey memorabilia company that it will receive a big-league legal beating if it does not stop selling baseballs commemorating Derek Jeter's 3,000th hit.

Will Cubs take hit on Alfonso Soriano?  —  The Chicago Cubs would be willing to absorb a high percentage of left fielder Alfonso Soriano's contract if the right trade offer came along, a source familiar with the situation told ESPNChicago.com.  —  Soriano has more than $60 million remaining …

Marlins have interest in Inge  —  MIAMI — The Marlins have made it clear that they are seeking veteran experience at third base.  —  A player the club is looking at is Brandon Inge of the Tigers.  Now that Detroit has acquired Wilson Betemit, Inge has become expendable.

Rockies ace Jimenez says he wants to play winter ball  —  DENVER — Colorado Rockies ace Ubaldo Jimenez wants to play winter ball again in hopes of strengthening his arm to avoid a repeat of the rocky start he had this season.  —  Jimenez told The Associated Press he hopes to play …

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 …

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.