Ruggiano hits game-winning single with two outs in ninth  —  CHICAGO — Justin Ruggiano hit an RBI single with two outs in the ninth inning Friday that sent the Chicago Cubs over the Atlanta Braves 5-4.  —  Arismendy Alcantara singled with two outs off Jordan Walden (0-1) and stole second.

Yankees can't afford to wait six weeks for Tanaka to (hopefully) return  —  After Thursday's revelation that Masahiro Tanaka has a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament, I offer the following three statements:  —  1. Even though it's only a “partial” tear, there's a very real chance we've seen …

Marlon Byrd reveals 4-team no-trade clause  —  As baseball's trade season heats up, Marlon Byrd will be connected to any team looking for a bat.  —  The Phillies' rightfielder is having an excellent season.  He leads the team in homers (18) and slugging (.481) and is second in RBIs (52).

Yankees Acquire Jeff Francis  —  1:50pm: The A's have now released a correction that lines up with the Yankees' announcement (hat tip: MLB.com's Jane Lee).  Francis and cash considerations are indeed heading to the Yankees for a player to be named later.  —  1:17pm: The Yankees, however …

Cardinals Designate Mike O'Neill For Assignment  —  The Cardinals have designated outfielder Mike O'Neill for assignment, according to the MLB.com transactions page.  Presumably, the move was made to clear roster space for the recently-claimed George Kottaras.

Cardinals Claim George Kottaras  —  The Cardinals have claimed catcher George Kottaras off waivers from the Indians, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (on Twitter).  Kottaras was recently designated for assignment by Cleveland.  —  It's not surprising to see St. Louis pursuing catching depth …

Texas Rangers catcher Geovany Soto ‘embarrassed’ by arrest for pot possession, apologizes to family and fans  —  Updated at 2:59 p.m.: Rangers catcher Geovany Soto has released a statement on his arrest on a marijuana possession charge.  —  “I was stopped by Grapevine Police on Wednesday night.

Lucroy in for Molina as NL catcher  —  NEW YORK — The Milwaukee Brewers' Jonathan Lucroy will replace injured St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina as the National League's starter for Tuesday night's All-Star Game.  —  The commissioner's office said Friday that the Arizona Diamondbacks' Miguel Montero …

Price is right: Mariners should step up and trade for Tampa ace  —  Heaven knows, the Mariners' biggest need is a right-handed slugger.  —  They passed on Nelson Cruz.  They failed to sign switch hitter Kendrys Morales.  They're 12th in the American League in runs, last by a considerable margin in OPS against left-handed pitching.

Rangers' Relievers Drawing Interest  —  The Rangers are receiving trade interest in a number of their bullpen arms, according to multiple reports.  MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan reports that the team is listening on right-hander Jason Frasor and lefty Neal Cotts, and both have generated some interest.

White Sox sign Carlos Rodon  —  The Chicago White Sox signed first-round pick Carlos Rodon on Wednesday for $6.582 million signing bonus, the team announced on Friday.  —  The left-hander out of North Carolina State was the third overall selection in the 2014 first-year player draft.

BY LEBRON JAMES (AS TOLD TO LEE JENKINS)  —  Before anyone ever cared where I would play basketball, I was a kid from Northeast Ohio.  It's where I walked.  It's where I ran.  It's where I cried.  It's where I bled.  It holds a special place in my heart.  People there have seen me grow up.