Reyes receives seven stitches in finger  —  All-Star shortstop will miss final three games before break  —  NEW YORK — Mets shortstop Jose Reyes received seven stitches in his left pinky on Friday night after being spiked by Florida first baseman Mike Jacobs on a head-first slide in the sixth inning.

Gagne to undergo back surgery  —  LOS ANGELES — Eric Gagne will have season-ending surgery Saturday to repair a herniated disc in his lower back, the latest injury to sideline the Los Angeles Dodgers' All-Star closer.  —  The announcement was made about 3½ hours before Friday night's game against the San Francisco Giants.

Oswalt, Ordonez added to All-Star squads  —  PITTSBURGH (AP) — Houston pitcher Roy Oswalt and Detroit outfielder Magglio Ordonez were added to the All-Star rosters Friday, taking the place of injured Pedro Martinez and Manny Ramirez.  —  Ordonez will join Detroit teammates Ivan Rodriguez …

Johnson's last shot?  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Exactly 375 major league pitchers have tossed at least 1,000 innings in the last 32 years.  Guess where Jason Johnson ranks among them in career winning percentage?  —  If you guessed dead last, you win a prize.

Ortiz Can't Help Himself  —  Nationals' Pitcher, Offense Fall Short Against Padres : Padres 3, Nationals 2  —  For a few tantalizing seconds last night, as the ball hung in the air, hooking down the left field line, it appeared something of a minor miracle had occurred in favor of the Washington Nationals.

Indians sign Taiwanese right-handed pitcher Sung-Wei Tseng  —  Pitched for Chinese Taipei in the World Baseball Classic and currently the No. 1 starter for the Chinese Taipei National Team touring the U.S.  —  CLEVELAND — Tseng, 21, pitched for Chinese Taipei in the 2006 World Baseball Classic …

Power Rankings: Tigers still looking up at White Sox  —  ESPN.com  —  We understand how important the ESPN.com Power Rankings are this week.  It's the last one before the All-Star break, a significant marking point in the regular season.  OK, if you want to get technical …

Willis' exploits are a huge hit  —  Dontrelle Willis hit his first career grand slam and struck out nine in 7 1/3 innings to lead Florida past the first-place New York Mets.  'It was fun,' Willis said.  —  cspencer@MiamiHerald.com  —  NEW YORK - Dontrelle Willis was pitching so miserably …

Baker denies contract offer  —  Internet report says manager turned down deal  —  MILWAUKEE — Dusty Baker denied an Internet report Friday that said he had turned down a contract extension from the Cubs within the last two months.  —  The alleged offer to Baker was for between $4 million …

Cardinals designate RHP Ponson for assignment  —  HOUSTON (Ticker) - What began as a nice season for Sidney Ponson has evolved into a disappointing one.  —  Ponson, who began his first campaign with the St. Louis Cardinals with a 4-0 record, was designated for assignment by the team Friday.

Notes: DaVanon in leadoff spot  —  Counsell dropped to No. 8 spot as he tries to regain form  —  DENVER — As Arizona tries to build some momentum in its final series before the All-Star break, the team will bring a new look to the plate, with leadoff hitter Craig Counsell dropping …

NL teams look to move as deadline nears  —  Every National League contender has multiple flaws — even the Mets, who probably could use two starting pitchers, not just one.  —  The challenge for each team will be to rank its needs, then address them.  A thin trade market only increases the degree of difficulty.

ESPN.com's Ultimate All-Star Game … The All-Star Game is supposed to be an annual showcase reserved only for the greatest major league players of the moment.  But who would win a showdown between the best all-time National Leaguers and the best all-time American Leaguers?

Are we there yet?  —  Road Warriors give new meaning to journeymen ballplayers; next stop: L.I.  —  BRIDGEWATER, N.J. — For first baseman Mike Huggins, the worst of it is packing every three days.  —  "Everybody gets to know what clothes you have," he said.  "You get on a schedule: blue Monday, red Tuesday ... "

Thome is carrying a big stick … Halfway through another baseball season, here's what we're wondering:  —  Is Jonathan Papelbon going to give up fewer runs all season than Eddie Guardado gave up in his first inning of the season (three)?  Are we really about to see a catcher (the amazing Joe Mauer) do a Ted Williams?