Lester dominates; Ramirez lectured by traffic cop  —  The Boston fans in the crowd here, and there were thousands of them at Safeco Field tonight, erupt as Jonathan Papelbon and company jog back to the dugout after ending a wild eighth inning.  Seattle loaded the bases with one out off Jon Lester …

Blanton's first test as Phillies comes tonight against Mets  —  MIAMI - As Joe Blanton stood at his locker 2 days ago and fiddled with the brim of his red Phillies cap, he wasn't much different than a lot of modern-day Americans feeling their way through the first couple of days at a new job.

Trading Tex not as simple as some think  —  Raise you hands if you thought that on July 21, the Braves would be opening this series in Florida with the Marlins playing for a share of first place and the Braves contemplating trading away a star this late in the season for the first time since …

‘LAST CALL’ FOR AILING GODZILLA  —  If Hideki Matsui's left knee fills with fluid again, GM Brian Cashman believes it will be impossible for the Yankee DH to avoid a second knee surgery.  —  “If the knee swells up we are dealing with last call,” Cashman said last night after Dr. Scott Rodeo recommended …

Under The Knife  —  Deep Cut with Jorge Posada … It's not often that news breaks during a chat.  I'd ignored a couple calls, but apparently my readers didn't, asking about Jorge Posada almost as soon as the news started to trickle out.  The Yankees' catcher was headed to the DL …

Baker's focus on defensive skills wins teammates' trust  —  MIAMI GARDENS - John Baker didn't have to break into any offices and skim through his personnel file to find out why his professional career had stalled.  —  His offense wasn't the reason Baker totaled 1,151 Triple-A at-bats …

Tradewinds: Cost of Holliday would be expensive for N.Y. Mets  —  PLAYER OF THE DAY  —  MATT HOLLIDAY, Rockies OF  —  He could be the star of this year's deadline, much the way Mark Teixeira was last year.  Or he could stay put.  The Rockies' run to the World Series last year has them cautious …

Markakis, O's talk deal, back off  —  The Orioles and standout right fielder Nick Markakis engaged in negotiations for a contract extension in the past week, but those discussions halted yesterday and likely will not be rekindled until after the season, several baseball sources said.

SUNBLOCKHEADS AT THE STADIUM  —  YANKS TAKE HEAT OVER BIZARRE BAN  —  Ladies and gentlemen, The Bronx is sunburning.  —  Yankee fans are seeing - and turning - red over a ban on sunscreen, which Stadium security guards say was widely expanded in the last few weeks.

Dodgers' Kershaw to be recalled and start tonight  —  The top pitching prospect is expected to stay in the majors for the rest of the season, Manager Joe Torre says.  He had two wins for double-A Jacksonville after being sent down July 2.  —  DENVER — Top pitching prospect Clayton Kershaw …

Seeing Stars  —  Introduction  —  The Huntsville Stars, the Double-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers, have one of the most prospect-laden teams in minor league baseball.  Even after trading away Matt LaPorta to Cleveland in the CC Sabathia deal, this Alabama team is loaded with position players.

Mets' Wagner has muscle spasm near shoulder  —  Mets closer Billy Wagner has no structural damage and only muscles spasms around his pitching shoulder, an MRI revealed today.  Wagner could be ready to pitch possibly as early as tonight against the rival Phillies, according to Mets spokesman Jay Horwitz.

Rodriguez Signs With Hollywood Talent Agency  —  LOS ANGELES — The William Morris Agency bolstered its sports management business Monday by signing Alex Rodriguez as a client.  The New York Yankees star and frequent tabloid piñata will continue to use Scott Boras as his baseball agent and Guy Oseary as his manager.

K-Rod May Be Baseball's First 60-Save Man  —  Francisco Rodriguez helped his Los Angeles Angels polish off a sweep of Boston with his 40th save on Sunday, which is pretty impressive even if you're not the sort to be impressed by any achievement involving the worst statistic in baseball.