Giants' waiver options are slim  —  Alfonso Soriano indicated to Chicago Cubs beat writers on Wednesday that he would not waive his no-trade rights for the San Francisco Giants.  —  Other external options will be available to the Giants if they seek to replace left fielder Melky Cabrera …

Lucchino: Bobby Valentine will remain Sox manager  —  Red Sox president and CEO Larry Lucchino made clear today that he's “not going to walk away” from manager Bobby Valentine and that the embattled skipper would remain on the job for the rest of the season.

Dan Duquette on O's pitching philosophy: “We don't like the cutter”  —  In an interview with Orioles executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette on Wednesday at Camden Yards, Duquette made it clear he is not a fan of young pitchers throwing cut fastballs.

Reddick out of A's lineup with tooth issue  —  Melvin takes the opportunity to give his outfielder a needed day off  —  KANSAS CITY — Josh Reddick is down a tooth, and it meant the A's were down a middle-of-the-order hitter for Wednesday night's game against the Royals.

Konerko set to return Friday against Royals  —  Sox captain will be DH to start as club monitors progress from concussion symptoms  —  TORONTO — The White Sox are hoping for some inspiration when they arrive in Kansas City for a weekend series against the Royals.

Mets send Pedro Beato to Red Sox for Kelly Shoppach  —  The Mets announced that Pedro Beato was acquired by the Red Sox on a waiver claim to complete their trade for C Kelly Shoppach.  —  The Mets acquired Shoppach earlier this week for a player to be named later.  —  The Mets acquired Beato via the Rule 5 draft in 2010.

BALCO founder Victor Conte says Melky Cabrera's positive testosterone test not surprising, many more dopers are flying under radar  —  Conte calls synthetic testosterone, which is what San Francisco outfielder is believed to have tested positive for ‘biggest loophole in drug testing.’

With Suspension, Is Melky Cabrera Batting-Title Favorite?  —  Yes, suspended Melky Cabrera will finish the season with 501 plate appearances.  —  Yes, the cutoff for winning a batting title is 502 plate appearances.  —  So the batting title is safe, right?  —  Nope.

Blue Jays send Comer to Astros to complete swap  —  Right-hander was selected 57th overall in 2011 First-Year Player Draft  —  Kevin Comer had 29 strikeouts and just eight walks in 43 1/3 innings with Bluefield.  (Dano Keeney/ MiLB.com)  —  The Blue Jays and Astros completed …

Reds hit three homers to back Leake over Mets  —  CINCINNATI, Ohio — Scott Rolen and Todd Frazier hit back-to-back home runs, and Mike Leake pitched his second complete game of the season, helping the Cincinnati Reds extend their win streak to five with a 6-1 win over the New York Mets on Wednesday night.

Q&A: David Murphy, Underrated Ranger  —  David Murphy isn't a star.  The former first-round draft pick — 17th overall by the Red Sox in 2003 — has never been able to establish himself as more than a solid player.  Coming into the season, his high-water marks included an .806 OPS and 2 WAR.