Hefner Is Sharp Again, but Mets Fall in 11th  —  PITTSBURGH — Jeremy Hefner, a recently unearthed gem on the Mets roster, maintained his impressive form here on Friday night.  And after starting the season as a fringe player and struggling to get his footing, Hefner will enter …

Jeter has quad strain, out until after break  —  NEW YORK — Derek Jeter will miss the Yankees' weekend series against Minnesota with a strained right quadriceps, and New York cannot rule out a return to the disabled list.  —  After missing the first 91 games of the season because of a broken ankle …

Orioles Designate Jair Jurrjens For Assignment  —  The Orioles announced on Twitter that they have designated right-hander Jair Jurrjens for assignment in order to clear a 40-man roster spot for Jairo Asencio, who has been called up from Triple-A Norfolk.  —  The 27-year-old Jurrjens appeared …

Pirates, O's Swap Russ Canzler, Tim Alderson  —  The Pirates have acquired Russ Canzler from the Orioles, according to his agent, William Appleton (Twitter link; hat tip to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com).  Kubatko tweets that the Orioles will receive right-hander Tim Alderson in the deal.

Corbin strikes out 10 as Diamondbacks edge Brewers  —  PHOENIX — Patrick Corbin matched a career high with 10 strikeouts for the second straight start, and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Milwaukee Brewers 2-1 on Friday night.  —  Corbin (11-1) allowed a run and seven hits in 6 2-3 innings.

Scott Boras rips Biogenesis leaks  —  CHICAGO — Agent Scott Boras said on Friday the leaking of names associated with Major League Baseball's investigation into Biogenesis, a closed Florida anti-aging clinic accused of distributing banned performance-enhancing drugs, does a disservice …

Red Sox Acquire Matt Thornton  —  The Red Sox bolstered their bullpen tonight when they acquired left-handed pitcher Matt Thornton from the White Sox in exchange for outfielder Brandon Jacobs.  The White Sox also sent $750K out east to help take care of a portion of Thornton's salary.

All-Star Freeman has three hits as Braves beat Reds  —  ATLANTA — Freddie Freeman celebrated his newly won All-Star berth by driving in four runs with three hits and the Atlanta Braves beat Mat Latos and the Cincinnati Reds 6-5 on Thursday night.  —  Freeman held off Dodgers rookie Yasiel Puig …

Zack Cozart, Todd Frazier, and #2 Hitters  —  Before yesterday's game, Dusty Baker talked about his line-up choices, specifically his decision to stick with Zack Cozart in the #2 spot in the order despite his .261 on base percentage.  From John Fay's article:

Richard to have surgery, won't return this year  —  SAN DIEGO — Pitcher Clayton Richard will have season-ending surgery to his left shoulder as soon as next week, though there is some upside to his malady.  —  Richard, who has been on the 15-day disabled list since June 22 …

Kluber Helps Indians Beat Royals 3-0  —  CLEVELAND — Corey Kluber pitched into the eighth inning and pinch hitter Michael Bourn had a big two-run single, leading the Cleveland Indians to a 3-0 win over the Kansas City Royals on Friday night.  —  Kluber (7-5) allowed three hits and struck out eight in 7 2-3 innings.

Beltran has three hits, Cardinals bounce back to beat Cubs  —  CHICAGO — Carlos Beltran had three hits and drove in a run, while reliever-turned-starter Joe Kelly (1-3) won his first game of the season as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Chicago Cubs 3-2 Friday at Wrigley Field.