Seattle Mariners Vice President & General Manager of Baseball Operations Lee Pelekoudas announced today that the Mariners have released first baseman Richie Sexson according to a team Press Release.

Sexson, in the last year of his contract with Seattle, struggled this season.  At the time of his release, he was hitting .218 with 11 home runs and 30 RBI in 74 games with the team.

In his first two seasons with the Mariners, Sexson posted over 30 doubles, over 30 homers and over 100 RBI and was ninth on the all-time Mariners home run list with 105.  In his career, the 33-year-old Sexson has 305 home runs, 937 RBI and a .261 average.

In an unrelated move, the Mariners placed Erik Bedard on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to July 5.  To replace Sexson and Bedard, right-handed pitcher Jared Wells and infielder Tug Hulett were brought up from Triple-A Tacoma.

SEXSON'S PLAYER PAGE ON BASEBALL DIGEST DAILY

On a conference call today with the two managers of this year's All-Star Game, National League manager Clint Hurdle revealed that Matt Holliday will take the place of Alfonso Soriano in the starting lineup of this year's All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium.

Hurdle said he was in contact with Major League Baseball senior vice president Katy Feeney who informed Hurdle that per the basic agreement with the players, the replacement outfielder is chosen by the Player's Ballot and Holliday was first amongst outfielders on the Player's Ballot.

As for Soriano's spot on the roster that decision belongs to Hurdle.  Previous to the call, Hurdle stated he was waiting until after the Final Vote process was complete to pick a replacement for Soriano.  On the call today, he said that while there was no guarantee the roster spot would be filled from the four players not selected in the Final Vote, they would be the "list to peruse first."

The Final Vote ends today and currently Miwaukee Brewers outfielder Corey Hart holds a slight lead over New York Mets third baseman David Wright and Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Pat Burrell.  San Francisco Giants outfielder Aaron Rowand and Carlos Lee of the Houston Astros are also in the running for the 32nd roster spot.

Hurdle said there was brief consideration given to adding another pitcher but, after some thought, decided the spot needed to be filled by a position player.

Also on the call, American League manager Terry Francona avoid directly answering numerous questions regarding the possibility of Yankees closer Mariano Rivera starting the last All-Star game at Yankee Stadium.  Francona did reveal a decision would be made public on Monday but also stated his goal was "to win and use as many players as appropriately as possible" and did not know if it made sense to go against the mold and start a closer.

 

...With the Mid Summer Classic coming up, one of things that fans look forward to is the Home Run Derby. The players on the other hand, not so much. A lot of players and main stream pundits think the Derby messes with your swing. And the first thing they point out as an example is Bobby Abreu who won it in 2005 with a record 41 jacks - and then went on to only hit 6 in the second half. Not only that, but they think the format is to long.

...Just 18 days before being posthumously inducted into Baseball's Hall Of Fame, former Dodgers Owner Walter O'Malley will be honored with a plaque at Dodgers Stadium. He was instrumental in bringing the Dodgers west from Brooklyn.

Here's what Peter O'Malley had to say about the plaque honoring his father.

"He wasn't much for awards, quite frankly," said Peter O'Malley, who took over from his father as president of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1970 when Walter became chairman of the board in 1970, and assumed ownership upon his death in 1979.

"But I think what would have impressed him today as much as much as the great honor of the plaque is the gathering of some of the people who he worked with 50 years ago — some more than 50 years ago. That would have made it a very special day for him."

...With the Padres more than likely being sellers at the deadline, there's at least one guy that would love to remain a Padre - Randy Wolf. He will be a free agent at the end of the season, but would love to remain in sunny San Diego. He can veto trades to 14 teams, which might make it tough to unload him to begin with.

...Even though he was a bit shocked, Rich Harden - now a Chicago Cub is excited to be a part of a team that's contending for a division title.

"It's my first trade. I've been in Oakland my entire career. So it definitely was a shock," Harden said Wednesday, a day after the Cubs obtained him in a six-player trade with the Athletics."But it's exciting to come to the Cubs, especially with the talent they have, the reputation they have -- the fans, how passionate everyone is for baseball here. I couldn't be happier."

Of course the big thing for Harden is the question of whether or not he can remain healthy.

...If you're looking for a piece of Baseball History and happen to be in New York for the All-Star game, you could bid on Babe Ruth's 712th home run ball.

"It's an incredibly significant ball. It's nearly impossible to overstate it's historical significance," said David Hunt, president of Hunt Auctions, which has possession of the ball and has authenticated its validity in advance of the auction. "We think it will go for six figures, but it's hard to say how high the price will go."

...According to Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal, the Dodgers could've gotten CC Sabathia, Casey Blake and Jamey Carroll without giving up Matt Kemp. He also goes on to add that the Dodgers are near impossible trade partners. There were even rumors that Frank McCourt nixed the deal to begin with. He just said "The Players didn't match up".

Fan selection Alfonso Soriano will not play in the upcoming All-Star game next week due to the left hand injury he suffered on June 11 when he was hit by a pitch by Atlanta's Jeff Bennett.  Although he will not play, Soriano will attend the game.

After hearing the news, National League All-Star manager Clint Hurdle announced he planned to hold off on a decision to replace Soriano until after the Final Vote selection process to award the final roster spot on the team came to a close.

Soriano -- hitting .283 with 15 homers and 40 RBI in 52 games -- was one of seven Chicago Cubs picked to play in the final All-Star game at Yankee Stadium.  Yankee Stadium was also where Soriano got the first hit of his Major League as a member of the Yankees on September 14, 1999.  Soriano spent five seasons in pinstripes primarily as a second baseman.  Now, the 32-year-old Soriano will have to sit out his fifth All-Star starting nod and eighth consecutive All-Star selection. 

SORIANO'S PLAYER PAGE ON BASEBALL DIGEST DAILY

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One day after rumors of Barry Bonds swept through the desert, Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Justin Upton was scratched from Wednesday's game when he felt discomfort in his left side during batting practice prior to their game in Washington against the Nationals.

The extent of Upton's injury is unknown and it is unsure if the discomfort was due to an injury to his oblique muscle or his rib cage.  The injury was serious enough that manager Bob Melvin refused to rule out the possibility of Upton going on the disabled list.

While General Manager Josh Byrnes fanned the flames of Bonds' talk by not denying the team had interest in signing him, the aftermath has revealed a Bonds-to-Diamondbacks story in the near future is unlikely.  Bonds' agent Jeff Borris said that there has been no discussions between himself and the Diamondbacks regarding the possibility of signing Bonds.  Borris did attend a Diamondbacks' game on July 1 and said the team showed no interest in Bonds. 

UPTON'S PLAYER PAGE ON BASEBALL DIGEST DAILY

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Anyone surprised by this piece of news has not been paying attention this season -- Moises Alou is hurt again! 

During a rehab start with Double-A Binghamton, Alou was forced to leave the game with pain in his left hamstring after diving for a ball.  The 42-year-old outfielder has been out of action since June 13 with a strained left calf and is on his third stop on the disabled list this season.

The Mets were counting on a healthy Alou returning after the All-Star break to help counter the loss of Ryan Church who landed on the DL on Tuesday with further complications stemming from his concussion in May.  Like Alou, Church has been on the disabled list numerous times.

The Church injury spawned a few "Will the Mets pursue Bonds?" articles in the print and electronic media after General Manager Omar Minaya played into the hands of reporters eager to run with the idea of Barry Bonds in New York by not ruling out the possibility of bringing in baseball's infamous free agent. 

As if A-Rod and C-Rod didn't make the job of the New York media easy enough with their pending divorce with a side order of A-Rod's infidelity with Madonna rumors.  If Bonds lands in New York, the sports pages of the New York Post and New York Daily News might need their own edition.

ALOU'S PLAYER PAGE ON BASEBALL DIGEST DAILY

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One of Bonds' former managers, Tony LaRussa, was not happy with what he saw when Mark Mulder's return to the Cardinals starting rotation ended after just 16 pitches in the first inning against the Phillies on Wednesday.  Mulder left with an injured shoulder and is expected to go on the 15-day disabled list for the fifth time in four seasons.

After the game, GM John Mozeliak inferred to reporters that Mulder's days in a St. Louis uniform are numbered.  "Typically, I have a very optimistic tone," said Mozeliak.  "But, in this case, it's hard to envision this getting to a point where it's going to work for us or for him."

After going 16-8 in 32 starts in his first season with the Cardinals in 2005, Mulder has made just 21 starts and pitched 106 innings over the past three injury-filled seasons.

MULDER'S PLAYER PAGE ON BASEBALL DIGEST DAILY

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Texas Rangers starter Vincente Padilla was placed on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to July 5 on Wednesday after officially being scratched from his scheduled start that day. 

Padilla -- replaced by a bullpen-by-committee led by Warner Madrigal for Wednesday's game -- is still on track to make his first start after the All-Star break in the team's third game following the break.  Instead of calling up a reliever, the Rangers added reliever Wes Littleton from Triple-A Oklahoma. 

Madrigal became the 12th different starting pitcher used by the most potent offense in the Majors.  Padilla has made the most starts of any Rangers pitcher this season with 18 and is 10-5 with a 4.70 ERA and has never given up a home run to Barry Bonds in his career.

PADILLA'S PLAYER PAGE ON BASEBALL DIGEST DAILY

MADRIGAL'S PLAYER PAGE ON BASEBALL DIGEST DAILY

LITTLETON'S PLAYER PAGE ON BASEBALL DIGEST DAILY

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One day after Ryan Spilborghs strained his left oblique muscle which prevented him from scoring the tying run from first base on a Yorvit Torrealba double in the sixth, the Rockies outfielder was placed on the 15-day disabled list.

The loss of Spilborghs -- the fourth Rockies player to land on the DL in the past seven days -- could be painful for the Rockies.  It looked like the team was just beginning to heat up and Spilborghs was one of the hottest players on the team.  In their last seven games, the Rockies were 5-2 and Spilborghs was 11-for-25 with two home runs, seven RBI and eight runs scored during that stretch.  His walk-off single on July 3 gave the Rockies a 6-5 win over the Marlins.

The team replaced Spilborghs with outfielder Seth Smith who was sent down to Triple-A Colorado Springs before Tuesday's game but never left town.  Smith was scheduled to join Colorado Springs on Wednesday but plans changed with the injury to Spilborghs.

SPILBORGHS' PLAYER PAGE ON BASEBALL DIGEST DAILY

SMITH'S PLAYER PAGE ON BASEBALL DIGEST DAILY