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 …

Girardi set to turn to Olivo  —  With Matt Treanor going on the disabled list because of a strained left shoulder, Miguel Olivo can expect to handle the bulk of the Marlins' catching duties the next two weeks.  —  ''Olivo is going to catch a lot,'' manager Joe Girardi said.

Tex messaging: Teixeira lifts Rangers, 7-6, in 12  —  ANAHEIM, Calif. - Hello, AL West, it's Mark Teixeira calling.  —  Long distance.  —  As the race began in earnest Thursday, Teixeira continued to dial things up a bit.  His ringing homer off Kevin Gregg in the 12th inning pushed …

Royals agree with top pick Hochevar  —  Former University of Tennessee righty signs Major League deal  —  KANSAS CITY — Pitcher Luke Hochevar has become a Royal.  —  Hochevar, the No. 1 overall pick in the First-Year Player Draft this year, agreed to a four-year Major League contract, the Royals announced on Thursday.

Ten Things I Didn't Know Last Week  —  Some people need to be told that Cesar Izturis isn't really that good.  —  You should have read the Chicago Tribune the day after the Cubs dealt Greg Maddux to the Dodgers for shortstop Cesar Izturis.  Phil Rogers called it a "huge steal," a "major blow for the Cubs' uncertain future."

Liriano earns second rookie honors  —  Southpaw gets AL Rookie of the Month Award for June, July  —  Twins rookie pitcher Francisco Liriano was scratched from his first August start with soreness in his left forearm, and Minnesota is hoping that its 12-game winner is out just temporarily.

Looking ahead, Giants need fresh face at manager  —  Felipe Alou was always the Giants' post-Dusty Baker stopgap, an admirable man and dignified shop steward for the Barry Bonds status quo.  —  He was hired in 2003 to maintain the paranoid clubhouse culture, not change it.

Back in good graces  —  Cubs, Grace end 6-year feud with a familiar song  —  The six-year cold war between the Cubs and former first baseman Mark Grace ended Thursday when Grace led Cubs fans in the seventh-inning stretch during Game 2 of the doubleheader with Arizona.

Sox appeal  —  Nothing like a World Series run to make a team popular.  A poll shows the South Siders are closing in on the Cubs and Bears.  —  A Bear market it remains.  And the Cubs can still lay claim to being the most lovable baseball team in town despite this year's losses.

Future Shock  —  Not sticking to one league this time, let's go around the country to see what scouts are saying about some of the top prospects in the game... and some not so top prospects as well.  — We start in Oklahoma, where one scout recently caught the Rangers' 1-2 punch …

Contreras talks up young Cuban player  —  The White Sox disdain bidding for marquee amateur free agents, but one international player has caught pitcher Jose Contreras' eye.  —  According to the Bogota Times in Colombia, infielder Yuliesky Gourriel has fled Cuba and could ignite a bidding war for his services.

Wainwright's next stop: The rotation?  —  As the Cardinals' starting rotation has hit skids and had its moments in flux throughout the past two months, a pitcher groomed to be a starter for the Cardinals has hummed along as one of the teams' most reliable relievers.  —  Supply meet demand.

Pirates Notebook: Wilson shrugs off calf injury  —  By Dejan Kovacevic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette  —  Jack Wilson shrugged off the strained right calf that kept him out of the Pirates' lineup yesterday, even though he might miss today and tomorrow, too.  —  "It's no big deal," he said.