Jon Lester, Sox brass ponder if woes will keep talent away  —  BALTIMORE — For most of the past decade, the Red Sox [team stats] have been regarded by a vast majority of players as a desirable team for which to work.  —  And now?  —  “I don't know,” ace lefty Jon Lester [stats] told the Herald yesterday.

Galvis' suspension over, but will go on DL  —  MILWAUKEE — Thursday represented the 50th game of Phillies second baseman Freddy Galvis' 50-game suspension for using a performance-enhancing substance.  —  He will be placed on the 15-day disabled list Friday with a strained lower back.

Felix Hernandez and arbitrarily historic performances  —  Wednesday afternoon, as I made my way to the digital pages at ESPN.com to check some of the early box scores, my eyes were directed toward the main article on the site's home page, notifying those who were unaware that Felix Hernandez was in the eighth inning of a “perfect game.”

Exclusive: MLB to test two different advanced replay systems during games next week  —  Major League Baseball owners have agreed to test two different advanced replay systems live during games starting next week, and if they prove accurate they could precede an overhaul of the system for the 2013 season, sources told Yahoo! Sports.

Kap: Cubs, Castro working on long-term deal  —  With the focus of the Cubs management team of Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer clearly on a long term plan of overhauling the Cubs organization, nearly every move they have made since taking control of the team has been with a vision towards the future.

Down the stretch they come  —  A look at postseason odds, potential matchups, impact of one-game showdown  —  What lies ahead is another fabulous baseball stretch drive.  And that's always a beautiful thing.  —  But what lies ahead is also a stretch drive unlike any other we've ever witnessed.

Measure the Mets' Progress in Inches  —  CINCINNATI—The worst thing about the monotony is how familiar it is.  If you've followed the Mets at all, you know it well by now.  It's the realization in August that your team is headed nowhere.  It's looking at seven more weeks of mostly meaningless baseball.

Cherished Tradition or a Colossal Waste of Time?  —  Derek Jeter is one of the players who enjoys batting practice.  “I think it's vital,” he said.  “I like to hit every day.”  —  Baseball is a sport defined by routines and traditions, and there are few more entrenched than batting practice …

Green goes on DL; Morrison's season is over  —  Infielder has sprained thumb; LoMo moved to 60-day DL and likely faces knee surgery  —  Healthy infielders are hard to come by for the Marlins right now.  —  Nick Green, hindered by a sprained left thumb, was placed on the 15-day disabled list …

Cooperstown Confidential: The Aaron-Strasburg connection  —  Other than the suspension of Melky Cabrera, it just might be the biggest hot-button issue of the month: When will the Nationals shut down the man who is arguably their best starter, Stephen Strasburg, who has thrown 139 innings as of this writing?

Game between Blue Jays and White Sox halted while fan receives CPR  —  The game between the Chicago White Sox and Toronto Blue Jays has been delayed for 4 minutes in the seventh inning while a fan received CPR and was taken away on a stretcher.  —  Blue Jays players left their dugout Thursday night …