MINNEAPOLIS -- Twins manager Ron Gardenhire gave Joe Mauer the option of catching or playing first base against the Indians on Wednesday.Mauer had the choice to start at his natural position behind the plate or play first base for just the fourth time in his career -- but for the third straight day, including the first game of Monday's doubleheader."He said, 'First base sounds great,'" Gardenhire said.So while the decision to Carlos Pena Jersey play first base seemed like somewhat of a surprise, Gardenhire said that he was perfectly fine with the decision, because the Cubs Ryne Sandberg Jersey Twins are in the midst of a stretch in which they play 19 games in 18 days Mets Jose Reyes Jersey coming out of the All-Star break.Mauer also could see Authentic Nelson Cruz Jersey time at first base again on Thursday -- or at designated hitter -- as right-hander Carl Pavano is scheduled to start against the Tigers and has Drew Butera as his personal backstop."He's played every game, every inning, so I kinda expected that," Gardenhire said. "The original plan was to catch him today because Pav is out there tomorrow, but I'm kinda happy he's going to play first base today because it's going to be hot. And it gives him a couple days for him to get away from the squatting. We're playing a lot of games in a row here, so we need his bat in there every day and first base is a breather."                                              Baker to start against Tigers on Saturday                MINNEAPOLIS -- Right-hander Scott Baker, on the disabled list retroactive to July 7 with a strained right flexor muscle, threw a bullpen on Wednesday with no problems, and will be activated in time to start Saturday's game against the Tigers."It went well," said Baker, who estimated that he threw 50 pitches. "I guess you get to the point where you don't think about it, and that's kind of the point where you want to be. Today, I was working on my mechanics and not thinking about the elbow. Nelson Cruz Jersey So that's always a good feeling. Unless something happens that's unseen, I should be good to go Saturday."Baker, who has been the club's most reliable starter with a 3.01 ERA and a team-high 104 strikeouts, was originally expected to start the first game of Monday's doubleheader against the Indians, but was scratched Authentic Ryne Sandberg Jersey and placed on Authentic Carlos Pena Jersey the disabled list on Sunday. "He felt good," Twins pitching coach Rick Anderson said. "He didn't feel a thing. So he's on target to go Saturday. So it's a good thing. He felt more confident in this one. The last one he barely felt it, but this one, nothing. So he's good to go."Fellow right-hander Kevin Slowey, on the DL retroactive to May 21 with an abdominal strain, is also slated Rangers Nelson Cruz Jersey to make a rehab start with Triple-A Rochester on Wednesday night.Jason Kubel is also scheduled to play in that game, as he's expected to play nine innings in right field after serving as designated hitter with the Red Wings on Tuesday. Kubel, out since May 30 with a sprained left foot, could return to action as early as Friday."If Kubes is ready for Friday, then that's great," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "If he comes today and tomorrow, and he starts putting some good swings out there and his foot goes Authentic Jose Reyes Jersey through it, and they feel it's the right time, then great. But if not, we'll give him a few more days and give him the weekend to have him meet us in Texas."Center fielder Denard Span, who suffered a concussion on June 3 in a collision with Royals catcher Brayan Pena, is taking a scheduled day off on Wednesday before playing again on Thursday."You know Span is going to take a bit longer here," Gardenhire said. "He's played a few days but they're still gauging where he's at. He feels good."                                              Still ill, Gardy leaves game against Tribe                         MINNEAPOLIS -- Twins manager Ron Gardenhire is still battling an illness, and left Wednesday's 7-5 win over the Indians during the game, according to bench coach Scott Ullger, who served as manager in his absence."He might've stayed a couple innings, but then he went to the doctors," Ullger said. "He wasn't feeling well.Before the game, Gardenhire said that he added another medication to the ones that he's Cubs Carlos Pena Jersey already taking.Gardenhire joined the team on the field for early batting practice on Tuesday afternoon, and he admitted before Wednesday's series finale that it probably was not the best decision."I screwed up yesterday by going out for that Ryne Sandberg Jersey early batting practice and trying to run around a little Jose Reyes Jersey bit," he said. "I hadn't been out in a while and that really set me back, because I was coughing all through the game and it was not fun."The illness, which Gardenhire referred to last week as a viral infection in his esophagus, has forced the Twins to play most of the homestand with Gardenhire watching from his office. He even had to leave the ballpark early one night to go home and get some rest.Gardenhire said that it gets worse as the day goes on."I wake up in the morning and feel better; I've got some nice cough medicine that knocks me out," Gardenhire said. "But as the day goes, I just have a really hard time breathing. But yeah, they're trying some more aggressive stuff, if that can be possible with that bag of drugs over there."

 MINNEAPOLIS -- The extremely Michael Young Jersey hot and humid conditions have taken a toll on Michael Brantley's body. On Wednesday, the Indians outfielder remained sidelined with a severely upset stomach."Michael is in pretty bad shape," Indians manager Manny Acta said. "He's still not able to eat and process food properly. He's just not playable."Acta indicated that Brantley's ailment was initially described as heat exhaustion, which developed after Monday's day-night doubleheader against the Twins. The outfielder has been receiving fluids intravenously, according to Acta.Cleveland's manager also noted that a handful of his players were given fluids through IVs between and after Monday's games, and also following Tuesday night's loss. Acta hoped that the off-day on Thursday would help Brantley -- the Tribe's regular left fielder -- recover in time to play on Friday at home against the White Sox.With Brantley sidelined, and Travis Buck also unavailable after being hit in the head with a pitch on Tuesday night, Acta gave utility man Luis Valbuena the nod in left field on Wednesday afternoon. The Indians are also without outfielders Shin-Soo Choo (broken left thumb) and Grady Sizemore (right knee injury).The Indians lost Brantley in the midst of a hot stretch at the plate, too. Over his past 11 games, Brantley has hit .412 (21-for-51) with three doubles, six RBIs and nine runs scored. In his previous 23 contests, he hit at a .174 clip with a .503 OPS.On the season, Brantley is hitting .281 with six homers, 17 doubles and 39 RBIs in 92 games for Cleveland."For the most part, he's been pretty consistent," Acta said. "Like any young hitter, at Authentic Carlos Beltran Jersey times he gets out of his comfort zone, chases some pitches and gets himself out. But he's had a very good road trip so far. He's been huge for us."                                              Masterson employs fastball-heavy repertoire                MINNEAPOLIS -- The excessive heat warning that has been in effect for parts of Minnesota Carlos Zambrano Jersey reached the mound at Target Field on Tuesday night. That is where Indians starter Justin Masterson almost exclusively featured heaters.During Cleveland's 2-1 loss to the Twins, Masterson veered from an all-fastball arsenal just once in pitching into the eighth inning. The lone exception within his 104 Twins Denard Span Jersey pitches was a 79-mph slider that he threw to Minnesota's Michael Cuddyer with one out in the fourth.Why would Masterson throw just one offspeed offering?"Well, you know, we thought we'd probably use it more," Masterson said with a laugh. "That one would hopefully kind of put it in the back of the head like, 'Oh, later on in the innings, is he going to throw one here? Is he not?'"Masterson said that the end result was simply a case of "don't change what's working." The Twins scattered four singles against the right-hander and only had one baserunner advance as far as second in his 7 2/3 innings. Masterson induced 15 outs via ground balls, created two flyouts and struck out six.In all, Masterson fired 103 fastballs, though that included both four-seamers (54) and two-seam sinkers (49). Along the way, Masterson varied Denard Span Jersey his pitch velocity with the heaters, too. He ranged anywhere from 91-97 mph with his four-seam fastball and hit between 90-98 mph with his sinker."I was able to mix and match," Masterson said. "There's good movement on the sinker. Even within the fastballs, there was a mix, a range of velocities that also helped kind of keep them off-balance. And being able to control the inner and outer half, that's what kind Cubs Carlos Zambrano Jersey of made it effective."It was almost like having two or three different pitches just within a fastball."That is what enabled Masterson to throw 99 percent of his pitches for fastballs. For the season, the righty has averaged 81.8-percent fastballs and 17.3-percent sliders, according to fangraphs.com. Three seasons ago, those figures stood at 66.7 percent and 30.2 percent, respectively."I love the heat, man," Masterson said.The pitcher was referring to the temperature at the ballpark, but he might as well have been talking about his repertoire.                                              Buck out with headache after beaning                MINNEAPOLIS -- Indians outfielder Travis Buck was dazed, but fortunately not at all confused in the wake of being struck on the head with a pitch in the fifth inning of Tuesday's 2-1 loss to the Twins.On Wednesday, Buck still had a headache and was out of Cleveland's starting lineup, but he was not suffering any concussion-like symptoms one day after being beaned by a fastball from Minnesota lefty Francisco Liriano."I passed all the tests," said Buck, who then cracked a smile. "Granted, I've taken the test many times, so I kind of knew the answers before they asked the questions."Kidding aside, Buck and the Indians are taking a cautious approach given his history with head injuries. In 2008, Buck suffered a serious concussion while in the A's organization -- one of two head issues that he dealt with that year. On June 10 this season, Buck suffered whiplash when he was involved in a taxi accident in New York.Asked which felt worse -- the after-effects the fender bender or being hit in the helmet by a Liriano fastball -- Buck allowed himself to smile."The taxi," he replied.Acta indicated that Buck was not subject to Major League Baseball's concussion protocol after being cleared by a doctor after Tuesday's beaning. Still, the Indians manager felt it best to give the outfielder a day off on Wednesday, especially with a scheduled team off-day following on Thursday.Buck said that he Carlos Beltran Jersey had no time to Mets Carlos Beltran Jersey move out of the way of Liriano's pitch, considering the outfielder's approach to the at-bat. Liriano used sliders to the outside part of the plate to strike Buck out in the third inning. In the fifth, Buck kept that in mind."He struck me out Authentic Denard Span Jersey on sliders away when I was pulling off," Buck explained. "So I told myself in the second at-bat that I've got to keep my front shoulder closed and try to stay in there. So, yeah, I had no chance."Buck, who is hitting .243 with two homers and 18 RBIs in 45 games for the Tribe, knows that it could have been a lot worse. He is hoping to be ready to play for the Indians on Friday, when Cleveland opens a three-game set against the White Sox."It's very comforting for me to feel the way I do," Buck said.                                              Quote to note                "It was because the lefties were coming up and he had Authentic Carlos Zambrano Jersey over 100 pitches in 3,000-degree weather. He did his job." --Indians manager Manny Acta, on why he pulled Justin Masterson from Tuesday's 2-1 loss in the eighth inning                                              Smoke Authentic Michael Young Jersey signals                • The Indians have tweaked their rotation order for the upcoming series against the White Sox. Lefty David Huff will start on Saturday instead of Fausto Carmona, who will be held until the following series against the Angels. In two starts against Chicago this season, Carmona Rangers Michael Young Jersey has gone 0-2 with a 20.25 ERA (18 runs in eight innings).• With both Michael Brantley (upset stomach) and Travis Buck (headaches)

PITTSBURGH -- With Kosuke Fukudome Jersey the Trade Deadline just 10 days away, the Pirates continue to actively pursue relievers, particularly pitchers who could help fortify the back end of the club's bullpen. Jason Grilli may not so Lan Kinsler Jersey much fill that type of late-inning role, but the Pirates do hope he can nonetheless provide a boost for a team chasing the National League Central title.As Authentic Lan Kinsler Jersey expected, the Pirates announced Thursday that they have signed the 34-year-old right-hander, who did not pitch in 2010 due to right knee surgery and signed a Minor League deal with the Phillies last winter. That contract included an out clause that Grilli could trigger on June 1, but the right-hander Joe Mauer Jersey was on the disabled list at that time.  The Pirates also optioned infielders Pedro Ciriaco and Josh Harrison to Triple-A Indianapolis and and transferred right-handed reliever Evan Meek from the 15-day to the 60-day DL.  Though manager Clint Hurdle said Wednesday he would hold any comments on the topic until after the David Wright Jersey signing was official, he noted that Grilli is someone the club had been eyeing."We have interest," Hurdle said. "We have made a call on a number of people. I think what we're also letting people know is that we're not going to sit back and listen to the tremendous astronomical asks that are being presented to us for some of the other personnel we've made contact on. "We're going to be creative, and we've talked about a number of guys who are in the Minor Leagues trying to find their way back with some Major League experience. He would fall into Twins Joe Mauer Jersey that category."News of the acquisition was actually released by Grilli, who, shortly after midnight, tweeted: "Black & Yellow! Black & Yellow! Black & Yellow! Cannot wait to join the new squadron." Grilli has since followed that up with a tweet that links to an article about the Pirates.Grilli returned to the mound in June after his DL stint and continued to pitch well for Triple-A Lehigh Valley. In 28 games this season, Grilli has a 1.98 ERA and 43 strikeouts Cubs Kosuke Fukudome Jersey in 32 2/3 innings. He has limited opponents to a .217 batting average.He has played parts of eight seasons in the Majors since making his debut with Florida in 2000. Authentic David Wright Jersey In 238 career appearances -- the most recent of which was with the Rangers in 2009 -- Grilli has Mets David Wright Jersey posted a 4.74 ERA. He has notched 262 strikeouts and walked 161. Rangers Lan Kinsler Jersey Harrison, 24, has batted .263 with five RBIs in 30 games with the Pirates. Authentic Kosuke Fukudome Jersey Ciriaco, 25, has gone 0-for-6 in seven games. Meek, a 2010 All-Star who has been sidelined since early June by right shoulder tendinitis, has gone 1-1 with a 4.40 ERA in 17 appearances with Pittsburgh this season. The Pirates announced Authentic Joe Mauer Jersey they will make corresponding roster moves Friday, when they open a three-game series vs. the Cardinals.

Once again, the streets of Cooperstown, the tiny hamlet on the shores of Otsego Lake in the middle of New York, will be alive with the sounds of baseball past and present.Roberto Alomar, Bert Blyleven and Pat Gillick make up the National Baseball Hall of Fame's Class of 2011. Sunday's annual induction ceremony behind the Clark Sports Center, which is about a mile from the famous red-brick museum, will be broadcast live on MLB.com and MLB Network beginning at 11:30 a.m. ET.For the first time this year, there will be a separate awards ceremony at Doubleday Field for the J.G. Spink, Ford C. Frick and Mets David Wright Jersey Buck O'Neil Award winners on Saturday beginning at 4:30 p.m. ET."For me, it's an honor representing my country and people," said Alomar, the third native of Puerto Rico to be enshrined in the Hall behind Roberto Clemente and Orlando Cepeda. "It took a lot of hard work, a lot of sweat, a lot of tears and a lot of laughs."This past January, Alomar -- a 12-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glove-winning second baseman --  was named on 90 percent of the ballots filed by eligible members of the Baseball Writers Association of America, or 523 of the record 581 cast. That was good for the third-highest vote total in history. It was his second time on the ballot.Blyleven, the first Dutch-born Hall inductee, was named on 79.7 percent of the ballots, receiving 463 votes. It was his 14th and next-to-last year on the writers' ballot. A candidate must receive 75 percent of the vote to gain election. The threshold for election this year was 436 votes. A year ago, the Authentic Lan Kinsler Jersey two made history, as Blyleven missed election by five votes and Alomar missed by eight. In 2010, Blyleven had 74.21 percent of the vote and Alomar 73.65 percent. Andre Dawson was the only one who surpassed the 75-percent threshold. Never before had two players missed in a single year by so slim a margin.Hall of Fame history leaned heavily toward Alomar and Blyleven earning nods this year. Including the new inductees, all 23 of the previous players to receive 70-74.9 percent of the vote in a given election were eventually granted admission into the Hall, 19 by the BBWAA the following year. "Only God knows when you're going to go in," Alomar said. "Maybe last year I wasn't fated to go in, and this was the year. It was an honor to get that many votes. I never look back to what happened last year. I'm looking forward to what's going to happen this year, and I'm so very happy about it."Blyleven finished with 287 wins, 13 short of what is the magical line for first-ballot election. Perhaps that alone Joe Mauer Jersey delayed his Authentic Joe Mauer Jersey election for more than a decade. He also had 3,701 strikeouts, which is good for fifth on the all-time list, and 60 shutouts, good for ninth. "Baseball, of course, is all Cubs Kosuke Fukudome Jersey about numbers," Blyleven said. "There are certain numbers that are Authentic Kosuke Fukudome Jersey magic numbers. We just saw Derek Jeter get his 3,000th hit. If he had ended his career at 2,999, would he not be a Kosuke Fukudome Jersey Hall of Famer? I don't think Twins Joe Mauer Jersey writers would say, 'No.' I think I looked at my career the same way. I never considered myself a first-time inductee, but I did think I'd get in because of my overall numbers."Gillick, the general manager who created World Series winners in Toronto in 1992-93 and Philadelphia in 2008 and playoff teams during tenures in Baltimore and Seattle, was the sole candidate elected by a 16-member post-expansion Veterans committee.Gillick is the 32nd executive to be elected to the Hall and the first GM since George Weiss in 1971. Weiss was the architect of the Yankees teams that won 10 American League pennants and seven World Series from 1949-60.Gillick said that he believes his most recent success with the Phillies had a lot to do with his induction."Everything we accomplished along the way -- and when I say we, I mean everyone we work with as far as the players, staff on the field, scouting, player development -- everything you do plays a part," he said. "But people have short memories. It was 18 or 19 years ago since you won a World Series. Now you come to 2008, and you win it again. It validates what you did years ago."Dave Van Horne, the Marlins play-by-play man who spent 32 years in Montreal calling Expos games, won the Frick Award for excellence in Major League broadcasting. Bill Conlin, a columnist and Phillies beat writer for the Philadelphia Daily News, was named David Wright Jersey by the BBWAA as this year's Spink Award winner for his long-time contribution to baseball writing.And Roland Hemond, currently an assistant to D-backs president Derrick Hall and a baseball executive since 1952, will be the second recipient of the O'Neil Lifetime Achievement Award. The former Negro Leagues star was the first."I've been staying awake nights restructuring my speech," said Hemond, 82. "I got a letter from the Hall that said it couldn't be any longer than 10 minutes. Now they're telling me it can't be any longer than seven minutes. There are a lot of people over the course of 60 years for me to thank."Alomar played for Lan Kinsler Jersey seven teams, including the World Series-winning Blue Jays put together by Gillick, who obtained him and Joe Carter in 1990 from the Padres for Fred McGriff and Tony Fernandez.Blyleven, the right-handed pitcher with a record of 287-250, played for five teams, including the Twins twice. Blyleven was a member of the "We are Family" Pirates that won the 1979 World Series, as well as the Twins squad that won the 1987 World Series. A long-time broadcaster for the Twins, Blyleven's No. 28 was retired at Target Field on Saturday. He will be the first starting pitcher to go into the Hall since Nolan Ryan in 1999.Blyleven will be portrayed wearing a Twins cap on his plaque, and Alomar will be the first player ever to go in wearing a Blue Jays cap. They will be among a group of 295 players, umpires, managers and executives in the Hall of Fame, 111 of them players elected by the BBWAA.Alomar, one of the greatest defensive second basemen in history and a Authentic David Wright Jersey fabulous switch-hitter, had 2,724 hits, 210 Rangers Lan Kinsler Jersey homers, 1,134 RBIs, 474 stolen bases and a .300 average in 2,379 games. He's the first second baseman to be elected since Ryne Sandberg in 2005."I'll tell you, in the last 25 years I haven't seen anybody who can do anything at second base like Robbie Alomar did," said Gillick, who acquired him a second time as a free agent in 1995, shortly after taking over in Baltimore. "There are routine plays, phenomenal plays and instinctive plays that he made that I haven't seen anybody in 25 years make. He's a pretty spectacular offensive and defensive player, and I don't think we ever would have gone to the World Series in '92 [without him]."

PHOENIX -- Carlos Gomez's latest highlight-reel catch came with a price. The Brewers center Authentic Ike Davis Jersey fielder fractured his left clavicle making a diving catch to end a perilous fourth inning during Milwaukee's 5-2 win against the D-backs on Wednesday, and is out indefinitely.  Gomez's injury dampened spirits in the clubhouse Matt Garza Jersey after an otherwise uplifting extra-inning win over the D-backs. The Brewers will place Gomez on the disabled list before Thursday's series finale and appear poised to Cubs Matt Garza Jersey purchase outfielder Brett Carroll's Rangers Josh Hamilton Jersey contract from Triple-A Nashville. Carroll's brother, professional golfer Chase Carroll, announced that news via Twitter on Wednesday night. Brett Carroll, 28, appeared in 173 Major League games for the Marlins over the past four seasons and was hitting .281 at Nashville after a two-hit game Wednesday night. Brewers manager Ron Roenicke could not say after Wednesday's win Justin Morneau Jersey whether Gomez would need surgery on his Twins Justin Morneau Jersey shoulder. Left fielder Ryan Braun, who was the first teammate to Gomez's side, knew immediately the situation was dire. "I actually heard it as it happened," Braun said. "It did not sound good. It was loud." It was a costly half-inning for both Authentic Josh Hamilton Jersey teams. Moments earlier, D-backs shortstop Stephen Drew had been helped Josh Hamilton Jersey off the field with a fractured right ankle suffered on a slide at home Authentic Matt Garza Jersey plate. Braun and third baseman Casey McGehee combined to throw Drew out, preventing the tying run from scoring in what was then a 1-0 game. Arizona manager Kirk Gibson announced after the game that Drew will miss the rest of the season. Gomez's tumbling catch of Ryan Roberts' fly ball to the left-center-field gap was Authentic Justin Morneau Jersey just as big, because Arizona had a runner at second base. Gomez made the inning-ending catch, then popped up immediately in pain Ike Davis Jersey and was tended to by Brewers assistant athletic trainer Dan Wright. Nyjer Morgan took over in center field for Gomez the following inning. "I'm bummed about [Gomez]" Roenicke said. "It's a big loss for us. If he doesn't make that play, we probably don't win the game." "People don't realize how valuable he is," Braun said. "He's probably our best defensive player and one of the best defensive players in baseball. The guy is unbelievable in center field. He's hit lefties well all year. It's really valuable to have a guy that can come off the bench and be a great defender and run Mets Ike Davis Jersey the bases. "And he's a lot of fun to be around every day. He has a lot of energy. I feel horrible for him. ... You can't replace somebody like that."

All the talk for the next two weeks will center on buyers and sellers. It's one of the most entertaining times of the season -- the hot stove in summer, boiled down from two months into two weeks, with pennant races percolating all the while. With the July 31 non-waiver Trade Deadline approaching, clubs are figuring out whether they're looking to add veteran talent or thinking Mets Johan Santana Jersey about next year.The term "buy" is a bit misleading, though. Money is not the only way a contending club can acquire fixes at the deadline, though it's certainly an important one. For some teams, it's the best way, but for others it's not an option.Clubs on the rise, such as Cleveland and Pittsburgh, would be much wiser to take on contracts of veteran fill-ins than to give up talent. If either the Bucs or Indians were safely in the playoffs, you could argue more strongly that they should be willing to sacrifice future talent for October upgrades. However, both are in multi-team races with no guarantee of making Alfonso Soriano Jersey the postseason even with an upgrade. It's important not to lose sight of the bigger goal in both cities, which is to build teams that can contend year-in, Authentic Michael Cuddyer Jersey year-out.In such cases, the best way to add is with money and perhaps marginal prospects. Assume the contract of a veteran from a team that doesn't want to pay it, and Starlin Castro Jersey everybody wins.With other teams, however, there's greater incentive to win this year, even at the expense of future seasons. For various reasons, windows of contention may be threatening to close -- see the Cardinals and Brewers, both of whom could lose some serious star power after 2011. Or in the case of the mega-dollar powers like the Red Sox and Yankees, Twins Michael Cuddyer Jersey the money always seems to be there to paper over the prospects who might be lost in a deadline deal.In those cases, there's less worry about protecting the 2013-14 rosters. Money helps, but a willingness to part with prospects can mean major upgrades for teams with dreams of October glory.As for the big question, many clubs' optimal tack is obvious. The Rangers, Tigers, Braves and Giants, among others, are clear buyers. The Astros, Orioles, Padres and Royals are among the clubs that should already be looking to 2012 and beyond as the deadline approaches.In between, though, there's Authentic Johan Santana Jersey plenty of wiggle room. Here's a look at what a few fence-sitters should do in the next two weeks.Chicago White Sox: Buy, if possible. The Sox are in a fairly unenviable position. They built for this year but they don't have top prospects to trade and they don't have a whole lot of financial flexibility. Yet they have the second-best run differential in the American League Central, and even a couple of returns to form by so-far-disappointing veterans could turn them into a very serious factor in a strange division. Chicago shouldn't be any worse from here on out than it Cubs Alfonso Soriano Jersey has already been, and there's room to keep climbing the standings even without a move. It's worth an add -- the question is how.Cleveland Indians: Buy. This one's easy. Unlike the Pirates, with whom they're often compared, Cleveland's path to the postseason is a good bit clearer. The White Sox and Twins both have a shot, but they're both a few games back from the Tribe and Tigers. Being one of two teams separated by a half-game is a better position than being one of three teams separated by a half-game. The Indians still shouldn't go crazy; they should hold onto pieces like Jason Kipnis and Drew Pomeranz. But they Authentic Starlin Castro Jersey should be taking this chance at October baseball very seriously.Minnesota Twins: Sell. It would be painful for a franchise as Michael Cuddyer Jersey used to winning as the Twins are, but it's the right course of action. They stand a relatively small six games out of first place, but they trail three teams. More distressingly, they have the second-worst run differential in the AL, an indication that even with improved health, they're not likely to make the kind of run it would take to steal the Central.The Twins have a quantity of what everyone always wants at the deadline: relief pitching. They should part with some of it and focus on bolstering a core that should be plenty good enough to win again in 2012. Pittsburgh Pirates: Buy, within reason. In a typical year, Johan Santana Jersey in a typical division, the Pirates are just the sort of team that would make a mistake by buying. Often a surprising team that flirts with contention will lose sight of the long-term plan and give up key rebuilding pieces for a hopeless swing at a long-shot playoff berth.However, the National League Central isn't a typical division. While the Buccos would only be on the fringes of contention in either the East or West, they're right in the mix in the Central. Their chances of playing in October are real, if still far from guaranteed, and Pittsburgh should look to make upgrades -- within reason.The Pirates shouldn't part with key pieces of their future. The long view needs to remain the goal. But if they can add an outfield bat or a reliever for only a minor prospect, or in exchange for taking on money, they should do it.Tampa Bay Rays: Sell. This is coming from a fairly consistent and shameless Rays apologist. My preseason predictions included Tampa Bay winning the AL Wild Card. But the season has shown that this year's edition of the Rays just isn't as good as those of the Yankees or Red Sox. That wouldn't necessarily be a huge problem Cubs Starlin Castro Jersey if the three teams were in a dead heat, but they're not. Tampa Bay has to make up 6 1/2 games on New York just to win the Wild Card, and even then they would also have to hold off the Central and West runners-up.So while the Rays gave it a good run, surprising many observers by even making it this Authentic Alfonso Soriano Jersey far, it's time to get back to the plan. This always looked like a transitional year in St. Petersburg, a season to retool before returning to the top in the next year or two. There's nothing wrong with returning to that plan of attack, parting with replaceable pieces in order to strengthen the next two or three Rays teams.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Indians outfielder Travis Buck exited Tuesday's 2-1 loss to the Twins in the fifth inning after a frightening encounter with a fastball.With no outs and a runner on first base, Minnesota left-hander Francisco Liriano unleashed a 92-mph heater that tailed high and inside, Authentic Carlos Zambrano Jersey striking Buck hard on the helmet. Buck immediately dropped to his knees, and was clearly shaken up.After a brief meeting at home plate, Buck walked off the field with one of Cleveland's Joe Mauer Jersey trainers. Utility man Luis Valbuena entered the game as a pinch-runner for Buck, who was in the lineup as the Nelson Cruz Jersey ninth hitter and left fielder.Buck was later diagnosed with a head contusion."There's no signs of concussion," Indians manager Manny Authentic Alfonso Soriano Jersey Acta said.Acta was not sure Authentic Joe Mauer Jersey if Rangers Nelson Cruz Jersey Buck would be available for Wednesday's series finale Lan Kinsler Jersey in Minnesota."We don't know yet," Acta said. "We're going to have to Authentic Josh Hamilton Jersey wait Authentic Michael Young Jersey and see."On the season, including Tuesday, Buck is hitting .243 with two home runs and 18 RBIs in 44 games for the Indians. He has been serving as the Tribe's primary right fielder with Shin-Soo Choo Authentic Denard Span Jersey on the 15-day disabled list with a broken left thumb.Buck started in left on Rangers Michael Young Jersey Tuesday Authentic Carlos Pena Jersey in place of Michael Brantley, who was a late scratch from the lineup due to an upset stomach. Cleveland is also currently without center fielder Grady Sizemore Authentic Ryne Sandberg Jersey (right knee injury).Acta added that Brantley was not an option off the bench."He's very sick," Acta said. "He Authentic Nelson Cruz Jersey couldn't hold any food last night Authentic Lan Kinsler Jersey or this morning, for that matter. He didn't look very good at Twins Joe Mauer Jersey all from the moment he showed up here. They gave him treatment the whole afternoon."We waited up until right before the ballgame, and still he was not in any type of condition to play. Authentic Matt Garza Jersey He was seen by Authentic David Wright Jersey the doctors, and we Authentic Jose Reyes Jersey just kept him inside the whole time."