July 12--American League
Central Division
White Sox: Jeff Samardzija's upcoming memoirs to be titled "My Life on the Trade Block."
Indians: All-Star Jason Kipnis perseveres: "Last year, you could write me off as part of the problem."
Royals: Alex Gordon injury hurts, but Royals still best team in AL heading into All-Star break.
Tigers: Miguel Cabrera receives hyperbaric chamber treatment for strained calf, aims for mid-August return.
Twins: Torii Hunter hitting .125 (3-for-24) in July, finally starting to look like he's 39.
East Division
Blue Jays: Manager John Gibbons can't win with best offense in baseball. Paging Ozzie Guillen.
Orioles: Slugger Chris Davis has 14 homers, 36 RBIs at Camden Yards, only 5 homers, 16 RBIs on road.
Rays: Curse of Joe Maddon? After 40-30 start, Rays enter weekend with 14 losses in 17 games.
Red Sox: Surging Sox averaged 7 runs over 6 games entering weekend showdown with Yanks.
Yankees: Outrage over A-Rod's All-Star snub doesn't register outside Big Apple. Does anyone care?
West Division
Angels: Mike Trout declines to participate in Home Run Derby, just as LeBron turned down slam-dunk contest.
Astros: Grandstanding? Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, brings up hacking scandal at Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.
Athletics: No one needs All-Star break more than Marcus Semien, who enters weekend with 28 errors.
Mariners: Robinson Cano ranks 18th among second basemen with minus-.8.4 offensive WAR. Oof.
Rangers: Thrill is gone. Rangers head into weekend with 4-11 record since Adrian Beltre's return from DL.
National League
Central Division
Cubs: Jon Lester is back, showing why the Cubs gave him that wheelbarrow full of cash.
Brewers: An eight-game winning streak by the worst team in baseball proves parity is rampant.
Cardinals: Cubs fan Bill Murray calls Cardinals fans "Satan's messengers on Earth." Was not kidding.
Pirates: Bucs could become the first team to clinch a wild-card berth by Labor Day.
Reds: Great American Ball Park? Reds may be cited for false advertising after All-Star Game.
East Division
Braves: A.J. Pierzynski keeps on ticking with a .778 OPS, fourth among NL catchers with 200-plus plate appearances.
Marlins: Jose Fernandez has career record of 14-0 at Marlins Park, where no one goes to watch him.
Mets: "Who is Steven Matz?" turns into "How can Mets win without Steven Matz?" in only two weeks.
Nationals: Still in first with Jayson Werth, Ryan Zimmerman and Anthony Rendon on disabled list.
Phillies: Trade bait Cole Hamels allowed one or zero runs in 5 of last 11 starts before facing Giants on Friday.
West Division
Diamondbacks: Traded twice in 15 days, Welington Castillo has .284 average, .929 OPS with Diamondbacks.
Dodgers: Zack Greinke takes a 352/3-inning scoreless streak into break. Orel Hershiser's record is 59 innings.
Giants: Will snubbing Clayton Kershaw with All-Star pick backfire on NL manager Bruce Bochy?
Padres: Manager Pat Murphy loses on walk-off hit by son-in-law Pedro Alvarez, who gets cut out of will.
Rockies: Double-A affiliate in Hartford to be named Yard Goats. Cubs file for trademark protection.
