Reports: Mets deal for Diamondbacks OF Green  —  NEW YORK — Outfielder Shawn Green reportedly was traded from the Arizona Diamondbacks to the New York Mets on Tuesday night, giving the NL East leaders one more big bat as they gear up for the postseason.  —  Two team officials familiar …

Elbow infection sidelines Escobar  —  MIAMI — The latest in a string of ailments that has plagued Alex Escobar during his career left the Washington Nationals outfielder unavailable to play last night against the Florida Marlins.  —  Escobar's left elbow began giving him problems Sunday in Philadelphia.

Cubs rookie's Wrigley debut turns sour  —  O'Malley leaves with injury, absorbs loss  —  Prospects come and prospects go, and sometimes they meet on a midsummer's night.  —  The Cubs' past bumped into its future Tuesday night at Wrigley Field as onetime prospect Jamie Moyer returned …

Notes: View from the top  —  Hart adapting well to role as team's leadoff hitter  —  cgardner@journalsentinel.com  —  Corey Hart is getting his chance to play every day in the outfield, and the 24-year-old is trying out a new spot in the batting order.  —  Milwaukee Brewers manager Ned Yost …

Peavy aims to bring stability to Padres  —  San Diego (63-62) vs. Los Angeles (66-59), 7:05 p.m. PT  —  If they could, the Padres might keep Tuesday's starter Jake Peavy in a protective bubble where nothing could harm him.  —  Should Peavy make it past the first inning in the middle …

Mulder remains a work in progress  —  NEW YORK — Both his manager and his coach believe Mark Mulder will be a work in progress when he returns to the mound for his first start in two months tonight.  But even before the lefthander twirls a pitch or finishes an inning against the New York Mets …

Markakis hits 3 homers … The cheers kept building even after Nick Markakis ducked his head in the home dugout and disappeared into a mob of smiling Orioles.  Finally, the rookie re-emerged and, after a playful nudge from hitting coach Terry Crowley, acknowledged the applause with a tip of his hat.

Six starters an option for busy month  —  · Come September, the Marlins may have a starting rotation six-pack.  —  Looking at a stretch of 20 games in 20 days beginning Friday, manager Joe Girardi and pitching coach Rick Kranitz are weighing the merits of using an extra starter.

Reds score eight runs in third, top Astros for fourth straight win  —  CBS SportsLine.com wire reports  —  CINCINNATI — A crushing comeback, a big blowout.  The Cincinnati Reds are winning every which way these days.  —  And some of the folks trying to catch them are starting to feel the futility of the chase.

Tigers end streak of losing seasons  —  Rogers tosses seven shutout innings for win No. 13  —  DETROIT — For all the superlatives that have been raised about this year's Tigers compared to their recent history, there's one more that can put this season into focus: Win No. 81 passed by like a state line along the highway to 100-plus.

Scouts' focus is down on the farm  —  Sox evaluating talent before looking at possible playoff foes  —  DETROIT — The White Sox won't send their pro scouts on the road to evaluate potential playoff opponents as early as they did last September.  —  But that's no reflection …

It's Meche, not Felix, being skipped; is a deal brewing?  —  The Mariners finally came through with their pitching rotation for the Yankees series, and, yes, a starting pitcher is being skipped in the rotation.  —  No, it's not Felix Hernandez, although the Mariners undoubtedly …