Cherington keeps core intact at Trade Deadline  —  ‘Empowered to do something bold,’ first-year GM adds bullpen piece  —  BOSTON — Roughly a week ago, Red Sox president/CEO Larry Lucchino noted that general manager Ben Cherington was “empowered to do something bold” before Tuesday's non-waiver Trade Deadline.

New York Yankees Facebook Page Announces Derek Jeter To Miss Rest Of Season Due To Sex Change [UPDATE: A Bunch Of Other Teams Hacked Too]  —  It's gone now, but it seems the Yankees' Facebook was hacked just now as it posted this breaking news about Derek Jeter's upcoming sexual reassignment surgery.

Twins top Red Sox 5-0 behind Samuel Deduno  —  BOSTON - Samuel Deduno allowed two hits in six innings in his third straight strong performance and the Minnesota Twins spoiled a rare solid outing by Jon Lester [stats] and beat the Boston Red Sox [team stats] 5-0 on Thursday night.

Escobar's RBI single in 11th gives Royals win over Indians  —  KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Alcides Escobar's RBI single with two outs in the 11th inning gave the Kansas City Royals a 7-6 victory over the Cleveland Indians on Thursday night.  —  Escobar's two-strike hit scored Eric Hosmer, who led off the inning with a single.

Jayson Werth collects RBI in return as Nationals past Phils … WASHINGTON — Ross Detwiler pitched three-hit ball for seven innings, Adam LaRoche homered, and the Washington Nationals beat the Philadelphia Phillies 3-0 on Thursday night.  —  LaRoche had three hits and two RBIs.

Angels could pull off a triple play in awards season  —  With Mike Trout and Jered Weaver, Angels are on track for top individual honors.  —  ARLINGTON, Texas — Plenty can change between now and October, but as the Angels entered August they had players with the potential to win American League …

Cueto records 14th win as Reds down Padres  —  Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati, Ohio  —  Recap  —  Box Score  —  Play-By-Play  —  Photos  —  Conversation  —  Johnny Cueto, Todd Frazier help Reds to 20th win in last 23 games … CINCINNATI — Todd Frazier hit a two-run homer …

Cliff Lee On Waivers  —  The Phillies have placed Cliff Lee on waivers, Yahoo's Jeff Passan reports (on Twitter).  The Phillies were expected to waive Lee this month, when waivers are revocable.  Teams routinely place high-profile players on waivers in August to determine other teams' interest.

‘Three Blind Mice’ music miffs umpire at Daytona Cubs game  —  DAYTONA BEACH — The Daytona Cubs edged the Fort Myers Miracle 2-1 in a game high in emotion and drama Wednesday night at Jackie Robinson Ballpark.  —  “These guys play hard every night,” Cubs manager Brian Harper said.  “It's a fun group.”

Final Score: Mets 9 Giants 1  —  The Mets (52-54) defeated the Giants (56-49) by the score of 9-1 today in San Francisco.  —  The Least You Should Know: … For a full recap and box score, check out SNY's In-Game Live.  —  Michael Baron, Pitching Analysis

Josh Beckett questionable for next start  —  Josh Beckett did not throw this afternoon and is questionable for his start on Sunday, according to Bobby Valentine.  —  “I'd say it's questionable for him to throw [Friday], which would then make it questionable that he would make his next start …

Derek Lowe would welcome a return to Red Sox  —  Derek Lowe is returning to his Fort Myers home for a “tune-up” and that's all he thinks he needs to get back on track after the Cleveland Indians designated him for assignment Wednesday.  —  He would love a return to the Red Sox.

Stanton could return as early as Tuesday  —  ATLANTA — If all goes according to plan, Giancarlo Stanton could be back in the Marlins' lineup in less than a week.  —  Barring any setbacks, Stanton could be back in the lineup on Tuesday in the series opener against the Mets at Citi Field.

NL Central Notes: Drew, Marte, Cardinals  —  The Reds have been nearly unbeatable since losing their top player to injury and now have the best record in baseball at 64-41.  Here are today's NL Central links after another Reds win...  - The Pirates considered and rejected a trade …

Rangers Add Power By Calling Up Mike Olt  —  In a need of an offensive spark after a 9-14 July. the Rangers reached down to Double-A Frisco to call up power-hitting prospect Mike Olt.  —  Expected to be in uniform for tonight's game against the Angels, the righthanded-hitting Olt will need …

Rockies stop skid with win over Cardinals  —  DENVER — Tyler Colvin hit a tiebreaking double and rookie Josh Rutledge homered in his fourth straight game, lifting the Colorado Rockies over the St. Louis Cardinals 8-2 Thursday night to avert a three-game sweep.