Even though Sammy Sosa is on pace to drive in 110 runs, the Rangers would like to deal him so they can look at two Triple-A players who could be part of their future, Jason Botts and Nelson Cruz. If no taker is found for Sosa, manager Ron Washington will have a hard time sitting him down the stretch. … Kenny Lofton should help Cleveland, but the Indians may need to make another trade, this time for a starting pitcher. Cliff Lee and Jake Westbrook entered the weekend having gone 1-7 with a 7.62 ERA in July. Lee, who tipped his cap to booing fans on Thursday night, was sent to Triple-A Buffalo on Friday. …
Boston’s interest in adding a hitter isn’t just about the struggles of J.D. Drew. The Red Sox are worried about David Ortiz, who is trying to play through a strained shoulder and a sore knee. They are shopping Wily Mo Pena, who has become a target of fans, but Ortiz thinks that could be a mistake. He says the powerful Pena could be “better than me.” … The Yankees paid $25 million for the rights to Kei Igawa but were shopping him over the weekend after dropping him to Triple A. …
Grady Sizemore is on the verge of joining Joe Carter as the only two players in Indians history to have 20-plus homers and stolen bases in the same season. … Look for Braves general manager John Schuerholz to make a good move or two, even if they miss out on Mark Teixeira. John Smoltz and Tim Hudson look like they’re capable of leading a late run to the playoffs. … Left-hander John Lannan, who opened the year in the high-A Carolina League, became Washington’s 12th different starter. Joel Hanrahan was the Nationals’ 13th, making his big-league debut against the Mets on Saturday night. … Tony Gwynn Jr. was going to leave the Brewers for a couple of days to attend his dad’s Hall of Fame induction, but instead he was optioned to the minors in favor of a 13th pitcher. He still will be in Cooperstown. … No, that wasn’t a misprint. The Rockies’ Aaron Cook had a 74-pitch complete game against San Diego. Cook threw only 35 pitches in the last five innings. He might have replaced Aaron Harang as the best pitcher nobody knows.
