If the Phillies are willing to try to get Mike MacDougal straightened out, the reliever could be a centerpiece in a White Sox deal for Aaron Rowand. The Phillies desperately need bullpen help and are letting teams know Rowand could be available in the right deal. The speedy Michael Bourn seems ready to move into a regular role in Philadelphia’s outfield. … Give Oakland’s Billy Beane credit for getting Dan Haren from St. Louis in the Mark Mulder trade. Haren is 6-2 with an AL-best ERA of 1.64, giving him a chance to be the AL starter in the All-Star Game. … Illinois-Chicago product Curtis Granderson continues to have a huge season for the Tigers. He entered the weekend hitting .280 with 33 extra-base hits, including eight triples and eight homers. Since 1988, Andy Van Slyke, Carl Crawford and Jose Reyes are the only big-leaguers to have 15 triples and 15 homers in the same season. … Troy Percival is expected to pick a team this weekend, with the Phillies and Tigers still showing the most interest. … Tampa Bay’s starting rotation is about to get real young. Lefty J.P. Howell and right-hander Andrew Sonnanstine are expected to lead a migration from Triple-A Durham that could include Jeff Niemann, Mitch Talbot and Jason Hammel before September. The Rays think all can be effective big-league starters. …
Matt Garza, considered the Twins’ best pitching prospect behind the injured Francisco Liriano, is steaming after watching Triple-A teammates Kevin Slowey, Glen Perkins and Scott Baker all get promoted ahead of him. Garza, who is 2-5 with a 3.21 ERA for Rochester, put himself into the doghouse when he criticized the Twins for pushing him to throw more off-speed pitches. … Jason Schmidt is close to returning to the Dodgers, but his fastball isn’t back in the mid-90s. … Cleveland closer Joe Borowski could be an interesting All-Star call. He entered the weekend leading the AL with 17 saves but had a 6.75 ERA.
