Dusty's in dugout for season  —  Dusty Baker's job is safe — for now.  —  Cubs general manager Jim Hendry made that clear before Thursday night's game against St. Louis, saying Baker will be retained until the end of the season.  —  "I felt like we should put that to bed,'' Hendry said. "

Blanton righting himself  —  A's pitcher wins third straight, avenges earlier outing against Toronto  —  OAKLAND - Plenty has changed since the last time Joe Blanton faced the Toronto Blue Jays on May 10 at Rogers Centre.  —  One of them, apparently, is Blanton.

Lee likely trade bait after rejecting deal  —  All-Star left fielder Carlos Lee rejected a four-year, $48 million contract offer from the Brewers on Thursday, dramatically increasing the chances that he will be traded before Monday's non-waiver deadline, major-league sources tell FOXSports.com.

Cashman Listening To All Offers  —  Hoping To Deal 2nd-Tier Prospects  —  Labels might be imaginary, but Yankees general manager Brian Cashman removed all perceptions about his top minor league prospects.  —  "I don't have any `untouchables,'" Cashman said Thursday, with four days left before the deadline for non-waiver trades.

Colletti Looking to Buy, Not Sell  —  Dodgers employees donned bright shirts, lathered on sunscreen and headed for Trump National Golf Club in Rancho Palos Verdes on Thursday for their annual golf tournament fundraiser.  —  Front-office honchos Ned Colletti, Kim Ng and Roy Smith stayed behind …

Nationals Sweep Away the Giants  —  Hernandez's Seven Solid Innings Help Wrap Up a 6-0 Homestand: Nationals 6, Giants 5  —  He was the first one to the edge of the field, headed to the coziness of the clubhouse.  Yet before he departed, Alfonso Soriano looked up at the small throng …

Clutch hits vanish; so does mojo  —  White Sox searching for their confidence  —  BALTIMORE — That confident feeling the White Sox's hitters once possessed seems as distant as their 19-inning victory over Boston on July 9.  That was when Jermaine Dye hit a game-tying home run off closer Jonathan Papelbon …

Lies, Damned Lies  —  Playing Matchmaker  —  How beautiful would it be to acquire Alfonso Soriano?  That depends on just who the beholder is.  There are probably seven teams that are legitimate contenders to acquire Soriano, or one of the two other big bats on the market—Bobby Abreu and Carlos Lee …

Penny unable to stop Dodgers' skid  —  Righty allows six runs in five frames in LA's eighth straight loss  —  LOS ANGELES — Having lost 12 of the 13 games they've played since the All-Star break, the Dodgers sent out their stopper Brad Penny on Wednesday, but it wasn't enough to prevent …

D-Backs loaded with young talent … PHILADELPHIA — When Arizona left fielder Luis Gonzalez banged out his 528th double Tuesday night to tie Frank Robinson for 29th place on baseball's career list, the Phillies' public relations staff briefly cited the accomplishment in the Citizens Bank Park press box.

R. Lopez is good enough in win … KANSAS CITY, MO. // Rodrigo Lopez took the mound last night, knowing that he could be making his last start as an Oriole.  For the most part, he has able to ignore that possibility even though his name seems to be linked to another team on a daily basis.

Redman drawing trade interest  —  Teams want pitching, but Moore says he doesn't need to deal players.  —  Teams looking to add pitching before the nonwaiver trading deadline — and there are a bunch of them, some increasingly desperate — figure to have Royals general manager Dayton Moore on speed dial over the next few days.

Heilman may get fresh start elsewhere  —  Aaron Heilman was a dual major at Notre Dame, but it is the philosophy half of his education - and not the management information systems part - that is a greater help in these tension-filled hours before Monday's non-waiver trade deadline.

Castilla relishes overdue vacation  —  Vinny Castilla was happy in Colorado again.  Only Thursday, his smile warmed a pool, not his position.  —  The San Diego Padres arrived in Denver without Castilla, having released him last week.  —  Speaking for the first time as his kids played in the background …

Contending Holes: National League  —  Last week, we looked at some the biggest holes on American League contenders; this week, we're back with a look at the National League.  Once again, I looked only at teams within five games of a playoff spot, as of games played on July 24 (ed note …

Wilpon Joins Steinbrenner's Vow of Silence  —  FRED WILPON, come out, come out, wherever you are.  —  Now New York has two owners of baseball teams who are incommunicado.  We know what George Steinbrenner's reason is.  He's aging and ailing, and his ego is too large to let his public …