Beckett, Red Sox sweep Royals  —  Ramirez's homer backs righty's strong outing  —  BOSTON — Minimal effort, maximum gain.  That describes Boston's offensive output over the last two games and its results, thanks to spectacular pitching.  —  Matching Jon Lester less than 24 hours earlier …

Padres release Castilla, continue search for 3B  —  SAN DIEGO (AP) — Third baseman Vinny Castilla was released by the San Diego Padres on Wednesday, an unpopular move in the clubhouse and one that likely will hasten the NL West leaders' search for a replacement before the trading deadline.

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: 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 …

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 …

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.

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.

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) …

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 …

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

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.

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.

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.

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 …

Kennedy Is Good Soldier in Platoon  —  For years, just about every time he didn't start against a left-hander, Angels second baseman Adam Kennedy would stew, wondering if it was a one-time thing or if he'd been relegated to a part-time role.  —  The left-handed-hitting Kennedy …