Thursday's pitching preview: R.A. Dickey vs. Cole Hamels  —  R.A. Dickey (12-1, 2.15 ERA) will start for the Mets tonight.  —  Dickey is coming off another fantastic start against the Dodgers in which he allowed just three hits and a walk while striking out ten in eight innings.

Midseason Top 50 Prospects List  —  For non-subscribers, here's the list of the Top 50 Prospects at the midseason.  Subscribers can read further analysis of these players, as well as looks at breakout prospects of the first half, prospects who have disappointed and those who are stuck on the disabled list.

David Ortiz ‘humiliated’ and ‘embarrassed’ by offseason  —  OAKLAND - Next offseason is going to be different.  David Ortiz is certain about that.  No more arbitration process.  No more one-year deal.  And possibly no more Boston Red Sox.  —  The longtime Boston favorite …

Nats' Rizzo: 'We're always looking long term'  —  Mike Rizzo's Washington Nationals lead the National League East by 4 1/2 games, and he says he doesn't feel pressure to make a big move at this month's non-waiver trade deadline.  —  “We're always looking to upgrade, if there's an upgrade …

Heavy workload catches up to Jonny Venters and his elbow  —  Jonny Venters' left arm may have finally succumbed to the strain of his heavy workloads, as the Braves placed the setup man on the disabled list with an elbow impingement.  —  David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution notes …

Sources: Royals willing to move Broxton  —  The Kansas City Royals have signaled to teams that they are willing to move closer Jonathan Broxton, major-league sources told FOXSports.com.  —  The Royals entered Thursday with deficit of 7-1/2 games in the American League Central and .4 percent chance …

Yankees' Joba ‘feeling good’ with rehab progress  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — It might not have been the smartest move, but Joba Chamberlain heaving a ball from foul territory along the third-base line deep into the left-field seats Wednesday morning after a bullpen session was a strong hint the right elbow is fine.

Quintana solid, Youkilis homers as White Sox beat Rangers  —  CHICAGO — Rookie Jose Quintana allowed two hits in eight stellar innings, Kevin Youkilis came through again with a go-ahead homer and the Chicago White Sox completed a three-game sweep of the Texas Rangers with a 2-1 victory Thursday.

Bullpen could use work, but righthanded bat would be a bigger relief for NY Mets  —  What do the Mets really want before the July 31 trading deadline?  ‘A righthanded bat,’ one prominent player said, voicing a desire felt elsewhere in the room.  'We can't hit lefties.'

Headley market heating up; Dodgers, Bucs, O's, D-Backs, Indians among likely suitors  —  The Chase Headley market remains hot, with the Dodgers, Pirates, Indians, Orioles, Diamondbacks and at least two other teams believed to have some level of interest in San Diego's switch-hitting third baseman.

Lee Has Solid Debut as Marlins Beat Brewers 4-0  —  MILWAUKEE (AP) — Carlos Lee doubled and scored in his Miami debut, Mark Buerhle struck out a season-best eight over 7 2-3 innings and the Marlins beat the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3 Thursday to split the four-game series.

Dodgers put Andre Ethier on the disabled list  —  Right fielder goes on the 15-day DL because of a strained muscle in the rib cage and calls the move precautionary.  Mark Ellis is activated from the DL.  —  Andre Ethier took batting practice Wednesday and performed the other baseball-related drills …

Paul Maholm's pitching leads Cubs to 7th win in 9 games  —  ATLANTA — Manager Dale Sveum stated the obvious before Wednesday night's game at Turner Field when he said the Cubs have “underachieved” in the first half.  —  But the outlook is a little brighter as the offense continues to show a pulse.