Report: Red Sox get catching help in Javy Lopez  —  Looking for help at catcher following the injury to captain Jason Varitek, the Red Sox have acquired veteran Javy Lopez from the Baltimore Orioles, ESPN Radio 890 in Boston reported.  —  Lopez, who will join the team tomorrow in Tampa …

Mets lock up Reyes with four-year, $23.25 million deal  —  NEW YORK — Jose Reyes can count on buying a nice, big house in New York.  —  The speedy All-Star shortstop signed a $23.25 million, four-year contract extension with the Mets on Thursday, the sides working quickly this week to ensure him a home through the 2010 season.

Something's Rotten in Den...ver  —  Thanks to all of you who checked in with assistance on the Tejada/Tehama thing.  I've added the name of the Orioles' shortstop to my Word dictionary, which has solved the problem.  As always, writing for people smarter than yourself has its privileges.

Weak NL West is up for grabs  —  The trading deadline has come and gone, and for some contenders, it went well.  They were able to get what they needed to vie for a playoff spot and possibly the World Series.  And then there are teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers that went out and made trades …

Not quite showtime for Volquez, Danks  —  Pitchers one step from the Rangers but still have much to prove  —  OKLAHOMA CITY - It didn't take John Danks long to figure out the differences between Double-A Frisco and Triple-A Oklahoma when he was called up in late June.

Pelfrey looks for minor adjustment  —  MIAMI - Mike Pelfrey knew he was ticketed for the minors early in the day at the team hotel when he got wind of Royce Ring being summoned to the Mets.  Pelfrey got the news he was headed to Triple-A Norfolk from Willie Randolph when he arrived at Dolphin Stadium.

A's key victory may be costly  —  THEY EXTEND LEAD OVER ANGELS; PAYTON HIT BY SHIELDS PITCH  —  ANAHEIM - The natural inclination Wednesday was to pump up the stereo and feel good, and this the A's did after winning two of three games from the Los Angeles Angels.

Daily Dish: Aug. 3  —  One of the premiere pitching matchups across the minors took place at Double-A Reading on Wednesday, as Phillies lefthander Gio Gonzalez went up against Yankees righthander Philip Hughes.  —  Gonzalez wound up on the winning side, as the Phillies downed Trenton 5-1 …

Death, Taxes, and Major League Waivers  —  MLB's rules are complex and convoluted, but they're not hard.  I've heard various people in front offices referred to as "rules experts" or - my favorite "waivers experts."  The rule on waivers (Rule 9) runs nine pages, a large part of which revolve around resolving the order of claims.

Cubs' Wood skips surgery on shoulder  —  Right-hander will come out of the bullpen after rehab  —  CHICAGO — Chicago Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood has decided not to have surgery to repair a partially torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder, and also has accepted that he may have to pitch in relief rather than start when he does return.

Lies, Damned Lies  —  Is Bigger Better?  —  friendly  —  Contact  —  Which was the more important trade deadline acquisition: Carlos Lee, or Todd Walker?  —  If ESPN took a SportsNation poll on that one, the map would probably be about as monotone as the 1984 presidential election.

Breaking News - Royals Sign Hochevar  —  A new era continues to evolve at Kauffman with the announcement that the Royals signed first round draft pick Luke Hochevar to a 4-year, major league contract.  —  We all remember the Alex Gordon negotiations of last year when the Royals would not budge …

Larry Legend vs. Big Papi  —  Four years ago, back when David Ortiz was just The Fat Guy on the Twins, I tackled "Pacino or DeNiro?" and called it the most important mailbag question in Sports Guy history.  Now I'm wondering if that question has been surpassed by "Big Papi or Larry Legend? …

Mariners Notebook: Beltre savors second chance  —  After long foul, HR came on a repeat fastball  —  BALTIMORE — Adrian Beltre thought he missed his shot for a first-inning home run when he jumped on an Erik Bedard fastball and yanked it deep but foul.  —  "It was a fastball, and I was right on it," Beltre said.

Matheny done for the season with concussion  —  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Catcher Mike Matheny has made little progress in his recovery from a concussion and will not play again this season for San Francisco.  —  After another series of tests and appointments with specialists at the University …