Harper: For Posada, time to go to knife  —  He was doing his best to sound optimistic and committed to helping his team as a DH and first baseman, but the more you listened to Jorge Posada at his locker Monday, the more you came away thinking we have seen the last of him in 2008.

Lester, Varitek lead Red Sox by Mariners  —  SEATTLE (AP)—Seattle is special to Jon Lester, and not just because he's a local favorite.  —  It's where he was during a series in 2006 when he first had his sore back examined, before being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

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 …

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.

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.

Astros in discussions to acquire Padres LHP Wolf … The Houston Astros are engaged in serious discussions to acquire veteran left-hander Randy Wolf of the San Diego Padres.  —  Wolf, 31, is 6-10 with a 4.74 ERA this season.  He began his career with the Philadelphia Phillies …

Pedroia has become a safe bet  —  SEATTLE - Maybe we should overreact and just say that Dustin Pedroia is morphing into Boston's Pete Rose.  —  That's Pete Rose - without the switch hitting, without the boys' regular haircut, without the betting slips.  —  Pedroia has emerged as a second baseman …

New faces join Phils-Mets rivalry  —  No city in America buzzes about a big baseball series quite like New York, and though the rivalry between the Phillies and the Mets isn't as intense or deeply rooted as the one between the Boston Red Sox and the Yankees, Shea Stadium will crackle …

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.

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 …

Rockies out of it early in Wells' return  —  Righty pulled in first; Holliday finishes triple shy of cycle  —  DENVER — With a spot open in the Rockies starting rotation, manager Clint Hurdle made it clear that Monday night was Kip Wells' tryout for a permanent role.

Nats Hoping Zimmerman Provides Boost  —  Only Ryan Zimmerman's return can finally fill the void he created some eight weeks ago.  Sure, when Zimmerman suffered a left shoulder injury May 18 — and when he vacated the Washington Nationals' lineup for good after May 25, in a prolonged attempt to recover …

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 …

Bucs' bats, long balls topple Astros  —  Seven-run ninth saves Pirates from extending winless streak  —  HOUSTON — With Monday's game all but sealed in the loss column, the Pirates' offense exploded for its biggest inning of the season.  But no, we're not simply talking in terms of total runs scored.