Chicago's AM 670 The Score, is reporting that Bobby Jenks is "likely headed to the DL".

There isn't anything else to back up this story, and given the ChiSox decision to designate Pablo Ozuna for assignment, moving Jenks to the disabled list would be an interesting move.

The Sox are being rather tight lipped about Jenks to begin with, which makes me wonder how much pain Jenks is actually in. That is, the Sox trainers could be thinking that Jenks will be out for a substantial amount of time, not revealing that information would not handcuff Kenny Williams into making a move.

On July 7th, the day after Jenks threw a bullpen session, the Chicago Sun Times quoted Guillen as being guarded and cautious regarding Jenks.

The report continues suggesting that this is an ideal time to shut Jenks down. With only a handful of games remaining before the break, avoiding the temptation to rush Jenks back will not hinder the club to a great degree.

Or maybe all of this is just the White Sox trying to win a headline or two in the windy city. I hear some Canadian with great side burns is making noise down there.

The Associated Press is reporting that Bob Melvin is not optimistic that Eric Byrnes will return to the Diamondbacks this season. Byrnes has been on the DL with a strained left hamstring since July 1.

Eric would most likely avoid surgery, but the Arizona manager doesn't expect him to return to the lineup soon.

"He (Byrnes) potentially could be looking at doing it non-surgically, too," Melvin said. "It still could be that he misses the end of the season."

The Chicago Cubs today acquired right-handed pitchers Rich Harden and Chad Gaudin from the Oakland Athletics for right-handed pitcher Sean Gallagher, outfielder Matt Murton, infielder Eric Patterson and catcher Josh Donaldson.

Here's a summary of the players involved from the A's press release...

Gallagher began the season at Triple-A Iowa and was 2-2 with a 3.10 ERA in five starts before he was promoted to Chicago on May 3.  He was 3-4 with a 4.45 ERA in 12 games, 10 starts, with the Cubs this year after posting an 8.59 ERA in eight relief appearances in his Major League debut last year.  The 22-year old right-hander was originally drafted by the Cubs in the 12th round of the 2004 draft out of St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Florida.  He has compiled a 38-17 record, a 2.77 ERA and 482 strikeouts in 481.0 innings in 89 career minor league appearances, 88 starts.  Gallagher, who was named the Cubs’ number five prospect by Baseball America prior to the 2008 season, will join the A’s in Oakland.

Donaldson was the Cubs’ second round pick in the 2007 draft and was batting .217 with six home runs and 23 RBI in 63 games with Single-A Peoria in the Midwest League.  He hit .335 with nine home runs and 35 RBI in 53 games in his professional debut last year.  The 22-year old catcher was named the Cubs’ number seven prospect by Baseball America prior to the 2008 season.

Patterson was batting .237 with one home run and seven RBI in 13 games over three stints with Chicago this year.  He also has a .320 average with six home runs, 28 RBI and 11 stolen bases in 52 games with Iowa.  The 25-year old has played second base and outfield in his professional career and was originally the Cubs’ eighth round pick in the 2004 draft.  Patterson owns a .301 career average in the minors with 124 stolen bases in 437 games.  He will be added to the A’s 40-man roster.

Murton was batting .250 with no home runs and six RBI in 19 games in two stints with Chicago.  He also has a .298 average with a home run and 15 RBI in 54 games with Triple-A Iowa.  The 26-year old outfielder was originally drafted by Boston as a compensation pick following the first round of the 2003 draft and was traded to the Cubs in the Nomar Garciaparra trade on July 31, 2004.  Murton made his Major League debut with the Cubs in 2005 and is a .294 career hitter in 308 games in the majors. He will be added to the A’s 40-man roster.

Harden was 5-1 with a 2.34 ERA in 13 starts for Oakland this year.  He won each of his first five decisions before taking the loss in his last start Sunday at Chicago.  The 26-year old right-hander made two starts this year before going on the disabled list for the sixth time over the last four years.  He went 4-1 with a 2.59 ERA in 11 starts following his return from the DL.  Harden leaves the A’s with a 36-19 career record and a 3.42 ERA in 97 games, 89 starts.  He has appeared in just 29 games over the last three seasons and 51 games over the last four years.

Gaudin was 5-3 with a 3.59 ERA in 26 games, six starts, for Oakland.  He began the season in the starting rotation and went 3-2 with a 3.75 ERA in six starts.  The 25-year old right-hander moved to the bullpen on May 9 prior to Harden’s return to the rotation and was 2-1 with a 3.38 ERA in 20 relief appearances.  Gaudin has a career record of 24-23 with a 4.33 ERA in 161 games, 50 starts.

The Oakland A's announced today that they have agreed to terms with Jemile Weeks, their first round selection from the 2008 First-Year Player Draft.

From the A's press release (if you didn't already know Jemile's story)...

Weeks earned first team All-ACC honors this year at the University of Miami and batted .363 with 13 home runs and 62 RBI in 63 games.  He also had 17 doubles and five triples for a .641 slugging percentage and was successful in 22 of 23 stolen base attempts.  The 21-year old junior was also named a Louisville Slugger First Team All-American by Collegiate Baseball and is the brother of the Milwaukee Brewers’ Rickie Weeks.  The switch-hitter was originally drafted by the Brewers in the eighth round of the 2005 draft but did not sign and attended Miami.  He is the Hurricanes all-time leader in triples (18).  Weeks was selected with the 12th overall pick in the draft, the earliest the A’s have drafted a player since 1999 when they selected Barry Zito with the ninth overall pick.

Out since June 15 with a left oblique strain, Chicago White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko was cleared to play and has been activated by Chicago to be available for their upcoming series against the Kansas City Royals.  With Konerko's return, someone had to go and Pablo Ozuna was designated for assignment to make room.  Ozuna will need to clear waivers in order for the Sox to keep him in the organization.

While Konerko was away, the White Sox 4 1/2 game division lead dwindled to just 1 1/2 games over the hard-charging Minnesota Twins although Chicago went 13-7.  During the same stretch, the Twins went 16-4 and closed the gap by three games. 

The former All-Star has struggled so far this season hitting .215 with eight home runs and 30 RBI in 62 games.  Konerko was showing signs of a turn around before the injury -- he was 10-for-32 with one homer and 4 RBI in the eight games before he was sidelined. 

The White Sox could lose Ozuna on the waiver wire.  In his fourth season with the White Sox, the 33-year-old utilityman was hitting .281 and in his career has played every position with the exception of catcher.  In June, Ozuna was 7-for-20 and showed the ability to be an excellent pinch hitter and pinch runner.

KONERKO'S PLAYER PAGE ON BASEBALL DIGEST DAILY

OZUNA'S PLAYER PAGE ON BASEBALL DIGEST DAILY

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More troubles for Detroit's Dontrelle Willis in the Minors.  Willis was examined on Tuesday and the team announced the examination revealed the struggling pitcher was diagnosed with tendinitis in his right knee -- the same knee that put him on the DL in April. 

Now, Willis will be forced to wear a brace as he continues to search for his control at Class A Lakeland.  Since joining Lakeland, Willis appeared in one game on June 29 and allowed one run on one hit and three walks in two innings of work. 

Willis is currently not scheduled to appear in a game for Lakeland and there is no timetable set for his return to a game at any level of ball.  Also, it is unsure of how this latest injury will hamper his return.

WILLIS' PLAYER PAGE ON BASEBALL DIGEST DAILY

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Three players landed on the 15-day disabled list today:

Washington Nationals outfielder Elijah Dukes will require surgery to repair his injured right knee which has forced the team to place him on the 15-day disabled list.  Dukes injured himself chasing down a deep fly ball off the bat of Cincinnati's Jay Bruce on Saturday.

Dukes is expected to miss 4-6 weeks.

New York Mets outfielder Ryan Church cannot shake the lingering effects of the concussion he suffered on May 20.  Church will head to the DL again due to migraine headaches.  He will be replaced by outfielder Nick Evans.

Marlins catcher Matt Treanor was also placed on the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday due to a left hip strain.  In his absence, catcher John Baker was called up from Triple-A Albuquerque.  Baker has never played in the Majors and joins Paul Hoover and his 59 career plate appearances as the Marlins' only backstop options.

It is no secret Florida is searching for a catcher before the July 31 trade deadline.

The pitching-depleted Atlanta Braves have announced the signing of right-handed pitcher Julian Tavarez.  Tavarez has a 84-72 career record with 22 saves and a 4.46 ERA in 750 games.  He has appeared in 16 games this season (nine with Boston and seven with Milwaukee) and is 0-2 with a 7.50 ERA.  The Braves will be his 10th big league team.

...Philadelphia Phillie's pitcher Brett Myers has made it no secret that he actually prefers being a Closer, than in the rotation. With that said, the Phillies Front Office doesn't really care what Myers prefers.

Quoth Phillies GM Pat Gillick:

"There are a lot of things people in life don't want to do," general manager Pat Gillick said. "But you get paid, and you've got to show up for work and do the best job you can. I know Brett Myers will give us 100 percent."

[snip]"We're kind of stubborn on this. We think Brett is a starter," Gillick said. "It might be that he prefers to close, but we don't see a reason he can't start."

Oh but it gets better, heres Assistant GM Ruben Amaro.

"We've always viewed Brett as a starter," assistant general manager Ruben Amaro said. "We had a situation last year where our bullpen was in shambles and Brett was willing to become the closer. But he's a starter. He's a very important piece of this ball club. He may have felt more confident in the bullpen, but we believe he's a starter."

Wow, just wow...

...Boston Red Sox Designated Hitter David Ortiz took live batting practice yesterday before their game against the Twins. According to the USA Today, Big Papi was in good spirits after the session. It's still up in the air if he'll take more BP or start a rehab assignment.

...Brewers GM Doug Melvin appeared on "The Show" with Kevin Kennedy and Rob Dibble, on XM 175 to talk about the trade that brought CC Sabathia to the Brew Crew.

"When I look at the standings, the one thing I always look at is I always look at the last 10 games and that column that shows you’re “8 and 2” or “7 and 3” and I don’t want to see any “3 and 7”s or “2 and 8”s. Or “1 and 9”s and that’s the reason, the teams that never have those are teams that have 1, 2, and 3 kind of starters or ace type starters at the top of their rotation, they just avoid those kind of losing streaks.

And you can throw together winning streaks with those kind of pitchers and there is no better example than the Tampa Bay Rays. They run a very good quality pitching staff out there, solid bullpen, an athletic team, and they’re on a roll right now. And were hoping that with Ben and CC, and Manny Parra was 5 and 0 last month, that between them and Bush and McClung and Suppan, we feel we’re solidified for the stretch run or the last 75 games."

...With the trade season heating up, one team that may remain silent by the dead line is the Minnesota Twins. According to Joe Christensen of the Star Tribune, the Twins don't see any glaring holes that would spur on a trade before the deadline.

...Justin Duchscherer pitcher for the Oakland A's likes it so much in Oakland that he's talked to his agent about getting an extension done. This comes from A's beat writer Susan Slusser of the San Fransisco Chronicle. He's looking for a three year deal that would take care of his arbitration years.

...Who knew that Texas OF/DH Milton Bradley was a blogger? Surprisingly he's pretty good. In this article "What I have Done Now?" talks about his inclusion into the All-Star Game, the last one being played at Yankee Stadium.

The Indians assigned C.C. Sabathia trade prize Matt LaPorta to Double-A Akron. LaPorta will play left field and some first base for the Aeros. Left-handed Zach Johnson and right-hander Rob Bryson, other players named in the trade, were assigned to Triple-A Buffalo and Low-A Lake County respectively.

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Marlins top prospect Cameron Maybin will miss the Southern League All-Star Game with a back injury that has sidelined him since Thursday. Maybin has posted a solid, but not spectacular .825 OPS through 308 at bats with Double-A Carolina.

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Orioles right-hander prospect Chorye Spoone suffered a recurrence of the shoulder injury that sidelined him in April and was placed on Double-A Bowie's disabled list according to Baysox communications manager Tom Sedlacek. Baltimore's eighth-ranked prospect according to Baseball America was the MVP of the 2007 Carolina League championship won by Orioles High-A affiliate Frederick.

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Angels catching prospect Anel De Los Santos was promoted to Double-A Arkansas. Los Angeles's tenth-ranked prospect by Baseball America was bumped up despite his .438 OPS with Low-A Cedar Rapids.

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White Sox right-hander prospect Lucas Harrell was promoted to Double-A Birmingham. Harrell, Chicago's 15th-ranked prospect by Baseball America, returns to the Barons following a right shoulder injury, rehab in extended spring training, and stints at low-A Kannapolis and High-A Winston-Salem.

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Mets right-hander prospect Nick Carr was promoted to High-A St. Lucie. Carr had an 0 and 7 record in 12 starts with St. Lucie before he was sent down to Savannah earlier in the year.

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Brewers first base prospect Chris Errecart is having an MRI on a broken hand on Tuesday. Milwaukee's 29th-ranked prospect by Baseball America went on the disabled list on Sunday.

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Indians right-hander prospect Frank Herrmann's promotion to Triple-A Buffalo was for a spot-start and he has been returned to Double-A Akron.

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The Braves sent right-hander prospect Erik Cordier to Low-A Rome from extended spring training in Orlando.

Five of the eight Home Run Derby participants at the last All-Star game to ever be held at Yankee Stadium were announced on Monday.  Chase Utley, Dan Uggla and Lance Berkman of the National League will join Grady Sizemore and Josh Hamilton in the American League with three players -- one in the National League and two in the American League -- to still be announced.  One name missing so far is defending Home Run Derby champion Vladimir Guerrero who did not make the All-Star roster but could still be asked to participate.

Another possibility is Yankees slugger Jason Giambi who said he would participate if asked, if he were to be selected by the fans as the 32nd player on the AL roster in conjunction with Major League Baseball's Final Vote promotion.

No player on the Chicago Cubs will be available for the Derby.  All of the Cubs' players that made the team have collectively decided not to participate.

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Mississippi must be a magical place.  Don't believe me?  Ask Jeff Francoeur.  Francoeur was sent down after a game on July 3 to spend just enough time at Double-A Mississippi to have his feelings hurt by the team's decision to send him down -- Francoeur was recalled on Monday after just three games in the Minors.

Francoeur told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution he felt "betrayed" by the decision to send him down.

"After three years, after playing hurt, playing every day, going in every day whether I got a hit and never complaining, I just played because Bobby [Cox] kept putting me in the lineup," Francoeur said to the Constitution. "But I just felt like a little three-minute thing -- 'Hey, you're going down' -- I feel like after three years, I was owed a little more of an explanation. But that's [general manager] Frank [Wren]'s deal and that's what I guess they decided to do."

Granted, Francoeur went 7-for-13 in three games and the team lost two pitchers and a utility player to injury on Sunday but it is a little surprising to see Francoeur return so quickly.

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The Texas Rangers will use their 11th starting pitcher of the season on Tuesday when 22-year-old Matt Harrison takes the hill against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.  With Eric Hurley and Vincente Padilla injured, the Rangers announced they plan to call up the lefty from Triple-A Oklahoma.

Harrison started the season in Double-A Frisco before being moved up to Triple-A.  Between the two levels, Harrison is a combined 6-3 with a 3.43 ERA. 

Pitching, in general, has been poor for the Rangers this season.  The team's 5.03 ERA is the worst in the American League and only the Pittsburgh Pirates with their 5.17 ERA have a higher one in the Majors.  After Padilla with 10 wins, no one on the team has more than six.

Harrison is scheduled to face All-Star Joe Saunders who is 12-4 with a 3.04 ERA for the Angels in his Major League debut.

- David DeJesus had 3 hits, a triple, and 2 RBI, Mike Aviles went 3-for-5 with a home run, and John Buck belted a 3-run homer as the Royals cooled off the Rays, 7-4.
- Daisuke Matsuzaka shut down Minnesota for 7 1/3 innings, and Manny Ramirez came through with a big RBI single in the bottom of the 8th inning as the Red Sox held on to blank the Twins, 1-0. Scott Baker tossed 7 scoreless innings for Minnesota.
- Jason Bay and Adam LaRoche each reached base 4 times and scored 2 runs, and Ryan Doumit and Xavier Nady drove in 2 runs apiece as the Pirates outslugged the Astros, 10-7. Carlos Lee homered and knocked in 3 runs for Houston.
- David Wright doubled, homered, and drove in 4 runs, and Endy Chavez, Damion Easley, and Fernando Tatis each contributed 3 hits as the Mets barely hung on to beat the Phillies, 10-9. Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Pat Burrell, and Geoff Jenkins all hit home runs for Philadelphia.
- Torii Hunter went 3-for-5 with 2 home runs and 3 RBI, and Vlad Guerrero added 3 hits, a homer, and 2 RBI as the Angels defeated the Rangers, 9-6. Jeff Mathis also reached base 3 times, homered, and drove in 2 runs for Los Angeles. Ian Kinsler had 4 hits for Texas, and David Murphy hit a 3-run home run.
- Ubaldo Jimenez gave up just 3 hits over 7 scoreless innings, and Matt Holliday provided the offense with 2 hits, a walk, a home run, and 2 RBI as the Rockies edged the Brewers, 4-3.
- Hiroki Kuroda took a perfect game into the 8th inning before finishing with a complete game one-hitter, and Nomar Garciaparra hit a 2-run home run as the Dodgers shut out the Braves, 2-0.
- Ricky Nolasco gave up one run over 8 innings, and Jorge Cantu belted a 2-run homer to lead the Marlins to a 3-1 win over the Padres. Alfredo Amezaga went 3-for-4 as well for Florida.
- Wes Bankston hit a 2-run homer, doubled, and scored 2 runs, and the Oakland bullpen picked up starter Dana Eveland with 3+ scoreless innings as the Athletics got by the Mariners, 4-3. Adrian Beltre went 4-for-5 for Seattle.

Monday's Scoreboard

American League

National League

Final(10) 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 R H E Kansas City « 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 7 12 2 Tampa Bay 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 4 11 1 W:J.Soria(1-1) L:D.Wheeler(2-4) HR: KAN- J.Buck (4), M.Aviles (4) TAM- C.Pena (13), E.Hinske (14)   Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Minnesota 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 0 Boston « 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 X 1 7 0 W:H.Okajima(2-2) L:B.Bass(3-3) S:J.Papelbon (26) HR: MIN- None BOS- None   Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E LA Angels « 2 6 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 9 13 0 Texas 0 0