Source: ChiSox 'extremely close' to Soriano deal  —  The White Sox are "extremely close" to trading for Nationals outfielder Alfonso Soriano, a source close to the situation told ESPN The Magazine's Tim Kurkjian.  The Nationals have great interest in pitcher Brandon McCarthy.

Jays brush aside turmoil, Yankees  —  Toronto takes 3 of 4, putting to rest Hillenbrand saga  —  TORONTO — Shea Hillenbrand is with the San Francisco Giants now and the pitcher the Toronto Blue Jays obtained for him, Jeremy Accardo, saw his first American League action in yesterday's 13-5 victory over the New York Yankees.

Dodgers acquire LaMura for Alomar  —  Catcher traded for Double-A pitcher; Repko to be activated  —  LOS ANGELES — With the team caught in a tailspin, the Dodgers announced a move after Sunday's 6-1 loss.  Sandy Alomar was sent to the White Sox in exchange for right-hander BJ LaMura …

Mets Learn a Lesson About Maintaining Focus  —  Aaron Heilman fielded Chris Burke's grounder; his mistake was taking it to first.  Burke beat him to the bag.  —  Despite what it says on the schedule, the Mets will probably not play their next meaningful game until October.

BOMBERS' ABREU BID REJECTED  —  July 24, 2006 — TORONTO - The Yankees have made an offer to the Phillies for outfielder Bobby Abreu that was immediately turned down because it didn't include major league-ready talent or top prospect Phil Hughes.  —  Like other teams, the Yankees believe …

Cabrera Is a Royal Pain for Brown  —  KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Orlando Cabrera is an outgoing player, often fraternizing with opponents during batting practice and chatting them up on the basepaths, but the Angels shortstop is not exactly making friends with Kansas City Royals outfielder Emil Brown.

Future Shock  —  2B Alberto Callaspo, Triple-A Tucson (Diamondbacks)  —  Callaspo is on another roll, with Sunday's five-hit performance as part of Tucson's 28-5 drubbing of Salt Lake representing his fifth consecutive multi-hit game.  It's a streak in which he's gone 15-for-27 with a pair of doubles …

Paul's rule of thumb: play hurt  —  While Paul Lo Duca thinks he may have a broken bone or an injured ligament in the hand he slips into his catcher's mitt, he has no intention of finding out exactly what the problem is anytime soon.  —  "It doesn't matter," Lo Duca said.

Marlins unlikely to make major moves  —  Florida's GM and manager say team likely to stay the course  —  MIAMI — Barring something overwhelming that would pique their interest, the Marlins are unlikely to make any major moves before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.

Sox can't get handle on Seattle  —  SEATTLE — Manny Ramírez may have done the smartest thing any Red Sox outfielder did yesterday afternoon when he took advantage of a break in the action in the sixth inning — reliever Craig Hansen was trotting in to pitch — to grab a seat in the Sox bullpen.

Don't count out A-Rod in blue stripes  —  Remember Hendry's 2004 surprise  —  Jim Hendry has pulled a rabbit out of his hat before at the trade deadline.  But can the Cubs general manager top the Nomar Garciaparra deal of 2004 this time around?  —  It's not impossible.

Maybe 3rd time's the charm for Hill  —  Cubs hope lefty can translate minor fame into major success  —  WASHINGTON — Left-hander Rich Hill will be called up from Triple-A Iowa to start for the Cubs against St. Louis on Thursday night at Wrigley Field.  But which Hill shows up is anyone's guess.

Mittless Bowen makes crucial play at the plate  —  SAN FRANCISCO - Most catchers require a mitt to get an out at home plate.  —  Not Rob Bowen.  The Padres catcher made a barehanded catch and tagout yesterday to record the biggest out in San Diego's 6-5 win over the Giants.

Pickoff Moves, Post-Lunchtime Edition  —  OT: Wet, And Late  —  Getting in late today on a lazy, steamy Sunday.  Hope you all enjoyed the thunder and lightning show this morning.  We got a fantastic hour-long rainstorm here that got the grass all soaky wet.  Let's hope the clouds stick around for a while.