Notes: Mench draws interest  —  Several teams inquire about trading for outfielder  —  TORONTO — The Rangers are getting what Major League officials describe as "decent" interest in outfielder Kevin Mench, but not enough to motivate them to make a trade.  —  The Pittsburgh Pirates …

Bonds faces possible grand jury indictment, MLB suspension  —  San Francisco Giants outfielder Barry Bonds, who has repeatedly denied he knowingly used illegal performance-enhancing drugs, could be indicted as early as Wednesday by a federal grand jury for perjury and tax evasion, according to attorneys involved in the case.

Notes: Casey likely for trade  —  First baseman disheartened at possibly leaving hometown  —  PITTSBURGH — Sean Casey was elated to be traded to his hometown Pirates in the offseason.  Much less thrilling is the likelihood that his homecoming will be cut short as a trade deadline casualty.

Clines, Rothschild will sink or swim with Baker  —  Not many organizations would have gone this long at so bad a clip without at least a coach paying the price for an underachieving group of players.  —  The Houston Astros, who began Tuesday last in the National League with a .257 batting average …

CUBS MIGHT PROVIDE BULLPEN HELP  —  July 19, 2006 — While there are very few stones making ripples in the trading pool, that hasn't stopped teams from doing their due diligence.  With the Yankees interested in upgrading their bullpen if the price is right, the Cubs, who have relievers to deal …

Slumping Crosby keeps moving down the order  —  The shortstop, batting eighth, connects for his first homer since May 31  —  A's notebook  —  BALTIMORE — As Bobby Crosby's batting average continues to sink, so does his name in Ken Macha's batting order.

O's, Phils discuss swap … Hoping to bolster their offense at the non-waiver trade deadline for both the present and the near future, the Orioles have discussed sending starter Rodrigo Lopez to the Philadelphia Phillies for one of their two expensive outfielders, Bobby Abreu or Pat Burrell.

Royals hope to end road trip with a win  —  Kansas City (32-61) at Boston (56-36), 12:05 p.m. CT  —  Hoping to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Red Sox, the Royals couldn't be sending a better person to help them pull out a win.  Southpaw Mark Redman will attempt to win his seventh decision …

Phillies-Padres Preview  —  Adrian Gonzalez is finally living up to his potential.  —  Gonzalez seeks to maintain his torrid hitting since the All-Star break when the San Diego Padres try to complete a three-game sweep of the Philadelphia Phillies at Petco Park on Wednesday.

Analysis of Two Young Guns  —  Good morning and welcome to SethSpeaks.net!!  I hope that your stay here is enjoyable.  If you do enjoy it, please, tell a friend!!!  Thanks!  OK, that was a little weird.  The highlight of today's posting is another in my "Analysis" series as you will see below.

Red Sox Notebook: Source of Wakefield's discomfort a mystery  —  BOSTON — Pitcher Tim Wakefield underwent a series of tests yesterday by the Red Sox medical staff, but there was no word before game time last night on the findings.  —  Wakefield underwent a CAT-scan and a bone scan on his ailing upper back …

Giants could be looking to deal  —  The Giants are interested in trading for Nationals second baseman Jose Vidro, according to two major-league sources.  —  The disclaimer:  —  A third source with knowledge of the Giants' intentions says Vidro hasn't been discussed.

Future Shock  —  Sunshine State Scouting Notebook  —  While things are hot all over the country lately, it's always warm in Florida, and the Florida State League has been a hotbed for talent this year.  Even though the bevy of top pitchers like Homer Bailey (Reds), Yovani Gallardo (Brewers) …

Diamondbacks generate little offense  —  Cruz allows three runs on six hits in five innings before exit  —  PHOENIX — The Diamondbacks had watched a lot of video on right-hander Chad Billingsley and thought they had a pretty good read on the Dodgers rookie heading into Tuesday's game.

BALTIMORE ORIOLES  —  Let's play a game called "Guess the Orioles Pitcher."  Here are three pitching lines from the 2006 season:  —  IP ERA K/9 BB/9 HR/9 K/BB  —  63.1 5.97 5.4 3.8 1.28 1.41  —  53.0 1.70 9.5 2.2 0.51 4.31

One-hit wonder  —  Lester's superb 8 innings leads Sox shutout of KC  —  With starters becoming an endangered species — Tim Wakefield's cranky back putting him at least temporarily out of commission along with David Wells (balky knee), Matt Clement (sluggish shoulder), and Lenny DiNardo …

Mid-Term Report Card: New York Mets  —  We're just past the All-Star break, and it's a good time to see how things have gone so far.  Now I've done some teaching in my professional career, and it's always much more pleasurable to hand out grades to the top students than to the ones who aren't doing well.

M&M boys mean more money  —  Roommates Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau of the Twins are expected to receive long-term contract offers this winter that could total $70 million between them.  —  "That would be nice, but who knows?"  Morneau said Tuesday.  "I've got to worry about finishing this year first."

Nats' Prospects Have Been Grim  —  Assessments of the Washington Nationals' minor league system read like movie blurbs from a box-office bomb:  —  "Barren," says Florida Today.  "Tattered," reports the Los Angeles Daily News.  "Dry," intones MLB.com.  —  Other recently published descriptions …