Indians Designate Johnny Damon For Assignment  —  The Indians announced that they designated Johnny Damon for assignment.  The move creates 25-man roster space for outfielder Ezequiel Carrera, who has been recalled from Triple-A Columbus.  —  Damon signed a minor league deal with the Indians …

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.

Nationals Acquire Kurt Suzuki  —  The Athletics traded catcher Kurt Suzuki and cash considerations to the Nationals for catcher David Freitas, the teams announced.  The move provides the Nationals with Major League catching depth to complement Jesus Flores and Sandy Leon.

Tigers Designate Don Kelly For Assignment  —  The Tigers announced that they have designated utility player Don Kelly for assignment.  The move creates 25-man roster space for Andy Dirks, who has been recalled from his rehab assignment and reinstated from the disabled list.

Joe Maddon Says “Sabermetrics Rule”  —  Rays manager Joe Maddon has long been known as one of baseball's most statistically savvy skippers, but extensive Googling suggests that despite doing a two-part interview at BP, he has never stated explicitly and on the record that sabermetrics rule.  Until now.

Collins takes heat for Valdespin t-shirt flap  —  SAN FRANCISCO — The Mets delivered a lesson in comportment following Wednesday's game.  After rookie Jordany Valdespin showed up to AT&T Park in a plain white t-shirt, violating the club's self-imposed dress code, his teammates cut tassels …

Reddick homers, Colon solid as A's top struggling Blue Jays  —  OAKLAND, Calif. — Josh Reddick hit a two-run homer to back another strong outing by Bartolo Colon, and the Oakland Athletics beat the slumping Toronto Blue Jays 4-1 on Thursday night.  —  Brandon Inge and Seth Smith also drove …

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.

Totals  —  2B: LAA 4, M. Trout (21), T. Hunter (14), A. Pujols (29), K. Morales (12).  Tex 6, I. Kinsler (30), E. Andrus (25), J. Hamilton (18), A. Beltre (21), G. Soto (1), M. Moreland (9).  —  HR: LAA 3, M. Trumbo (28), K. Morales (12), A. Callaspo (8).  Tex 2, I. Kinsler (13), N. Cruz (17).

Carlos Marmol, Alfonso Soriano could be Cubs' trade bait in August  —  Carlos Marmol has $12.4 million left on his deal.  If he clears waivers, the Cubs would eat some of that money as part of a trade.  Jonathan Daniel~Getty Images  —  Carlos Marmol looked up from his iPad screen, noticed the inquisitive expression and grinned.

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.

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.

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 …