YANKS CAN'T AFFORD FENWAY FLOP  —  MUST PROVE WIN STREAK NO FLUKE  —  Give them credit for doing what was needed to avoid being buried in the AL East by winning the first six games following the All-Star break.  —  Starting tonight at Fenway Park, the Yankees step up in class with three games against the World Champion Red Sox.

Rollins has to set better example if he wants to be leader for Phillies  —  NEW YORK - They cannot take away the Most Valuable Player  —  trophy that Jimmy Rollins won last year.  It was earned and deserved.  He and the Phillies' 2007 division championship were both special and specially intertwined …

17 ejected in Class A brawl  —  DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — Umpires ejected 15 players and the two managers following a bench-clearing brawl during a tense game between the Midwest League's Dayton Dragons and Peoria Chiefs.  —  Peoria pitcher Julio Castillo threw a ball toward the Dayton dugout during …

In need of a trade partner?  Pirates might be your team  —  Tell Danny your opinion!  —  The Pirates have five of the most interesting players available on the July trading market, so it's no surprise that people around the game were talking about Pittsburgh this week.

Texas' Rangers' 1-2 punch appears to be a hit again  —  Kinsler, Young end mini-slumps  —  rdurrett@dallasnews.com  —  One positive to come out of Wednesday's 10-8 loss to the White Sox: Ian Kinsler and Michael Young appeared to have ended mini-slumps.  —  Young had a solo home run …

Dan Graziano's Trade Winds  —  Talk about a turnaround.  This wasn't even the top guy Baltimore got in the Erik Bedard trade, but here he is, atop the wish lists of several teams looking for left-handed relief help.  Teams connected to Sherrill include the Cardinals, Rays, Marlins, Red Sox and others.

Milledge returns as Estrada departs  —  Outfielder activated off DL; glut of catchers trimmed by one  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Following Thursday's game against the Giants, the Nationals activated outfielder Lastings Milledge from the 15-day disabled list and designated catcher Johnny Estrada for assignment.

Samardzija gets the call, may get start this weekend  —  CUBS IN BRIEF  —  A Cubs team fiercely trying to focus on the present could get its first glimpse of a big part of its future today with the arrival of top pitching prospect Jeff Samardzija.  —  The hard-throwing right-hander from Valparaiso …

Ortiz will bring punch to the party  —  The most telling aspect of David Ortiz's absence from the Red Sox lineup is that by any meaningful measure, the team's offense did not lose any of its potency.  —  To a man, of course, the Sox are thrilled at the timing of the return of Ortiz …

Front office infighting hampers Dodgers' trade talks … The Dodgers are diving into the middle of a lot of trade talks, but skepticism remains steep about whether they'll actually pull anything off.  “They're a mess,” one NL executive says, flatly.  —  Several baseball people say there was a deal …

“It's a little disrespectful”  —  Chad Cordero is quite unhappy with what's happened in the last day or two.  All along, he knew he was probably going to be non-tendered in December.  That decision makes sense, he acknowledged today.  But he called the announcement's timing “a little disrespectful” …

Baldelli's minor step may raise Rays' bat options  —  KANSAS CITY, Mo. — As executive vice president Andrew Friedman looks to acquire a right-handed-hitting outfielder, the Rays might yet have another intriguing option.  —  Rocco Baldelli played rightfield for Double-A Montgomery on Wednesday …