Thames' slam helps Tigers rout BoSox 9-2  —  DETROIT (AP) — The highest-scoring offense in baseball was too much for the team with the best record in the majors.  —  Curtis Granderson led off the fifth with a home run and Marcus Thames added a grand slam in the inning …

Buehrle packs. . . for good?  —  It was a very strange scene at 10:30 a.m. Friday in the White Sox clubhouse.  At the very moment general manager Kenny Williams strode into a meeting with manager Ozzie Guillen and coaches, ace pitcher Mark Buehrle was carrying a large box to his locker.

Pirates' McClatchy to step down as CEO later this year  —  Kevin McClatchy will step down as the Pirates' chief executive officer after the current baseball season, the team announced today, and the search for his replacement will begin immediately.  —  Mr. McClatchy, 44 …

Jeter's leadership, Bay's slump  —  Special to FOXSports.com, Updated 3 hours ago  —  LIKE THIS STORY?  —  Playing nine innings while waiting for Rafael Betancourt to throw the freakin' ball already . . .  1. Jeter as a leader  —  The Yankees, 40-42 and slumbering toward second-half irrelevance …

Talking A Good Game  —  Hall of Famers Gwynn, Ripken huddle on hitting  —  Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn combined to play 5,441 regular season major-league games, none of which involved the two of them playing against one another.  Their lives and baseball careers ran parallel tracks all the way to Cooperstown.

Guerrero, Ordonez join Derby field  —  Six sluggers set for Monday night's event in San Francisco  —  Vladimir Guerrero of the Los Angeles Angels and Detroit's Magglio Ordonez have joined the field for the State Farm Home Run Derby, Major League Baseball officials confirmed Friday.

Baseball prepares to celebrate, as it should  —  Despite lingering steroid issue, game is alive and well ahead of All-Star bash  —  SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — Steroids, labor disputes, the dilution of talent, a deep divide between the haves and the have-nots: Major League Baseball …

Angels could use another big bat  —  LIKE THIS STORY?  —  Imagine Ken Griffey Jr. batting behind Vladimir Guerrero.  The Angels would be transformed from World Series contender to World Series favorite.  —  Any legitimate slugger would fit nicely behind Guerrero, but Griffey is the most romantic possibility.

Under The Knife  —  Deep in the Heart  —  I'm making my annual trip to Newberg Night at ... well, what is the Rangers stadium called these days?  (You know, with the All-Star Game in the telcom stadium nom du jour, the commoditization of naming rights is becoming bothersome for reasons of consistency rather than anticommericalism.)

Local Yankees release pitcher  —  MOOSIC — Rain hammered PNC Field on Thursday, cancelling the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees' series finale against the Pawtucket Red Sox after a rain delay of an hour and 15 minutes.  —  While the steady downpour fell outside the stadium …

Maine helps Mets strike back  —  John whiffs nine & wins 10th to end skid  —  HOUSTON - John Maine isn't an All-Star.  He'll have to settle for being the Mets' stopper.  —  Maine took a scoreless effort into the eighth to notch his 10th victory and Ricky Ledee and Ramon Castro …