After the Manny Ramirez-beating-up-the-old-traveling-secretary incident, David Ortiz put his arm around Manny in front of the media and talked about how the Red Sox were a "family," and I couldn't agree more. I mean, just last week I asked my 64-year-old uncle to get me a beer out of the fridge, and when he told me he was already getting five more for other people and couldn't carry a sixth, I got up and beat the #### out of him. That's just what families do.

(By the way, the language filter is very sensitive around here. Trying to write a phrase like "beat the _______" out of someone is really hard. ####, ####, #### - they all get flagged.)

Who's off: Nobody

First pitch: There are a couple of 7:05 p.m. ET starts in the AL, and three 7:10 starts in the NL. Here's the full schedule.

Pitcher to start: When in a slump, bet on one of Dave Duncan's mediocre Cardinal starters - Kyle Lohse was terrific against the Mets last night.

There are a few solid choices tonight, and despite the presence of the reliable Messrs. Danks and Wellemeyer on the schedule, I'm going back to the well with Matt Garza (21.2 percent owned), even though he's pitching against the Red Sox. Garza was soooooo good last time out that he earned this selection.

On to the news:

• Felix Hernandez's sprained ankle has finally landed him on the DL, but I wouldn't worry too much if I owned him. He's not ready to pitch tonight, and since the move is retroactive to June 24, he can start as soon as next Wednesday. He should be fine.
• Last week in my AL keeper league, I traded for Tigers OF Magglio Ordonez, who was disabled Sunday. Yesterday I dealt for 3B Miguel Cabrera, and within eight hours he left the game against the Twins with a hip flexor injury. Cabrera's status is day-to-day, and if you're a Justin Verlander owner you'd better hope I don't trade for him next.
• Speaking of the Tigers, Joel Zumaya got the save last night, and the team says it was because closer Todd Jones needed a day off. Don't do anything crazy after reading that boxscore.
• Rays closer Troy Percival re-injured his hamstring last night, and could be headed for another DL stint. Marc Lancaster of the Tampa Tribune suggests letting Dan Wheeler and Grant Balfour take over the closing duties if Percival goes on the shelf, but since both had already pitched before Percival's injury, lefty J.P. Howell finished up last night.
• Astros ace Roy Oswalt left last night's start after six fantastic innings with a hip injury, and the team's Web site says he's day-to-day. His next start is scheduled for Sunday, so we should know more as the weekend approaches.
• It's back to the disabled list for D'backs OF Eric Byrnes, who re-injured one of his hamstrings last night. Speedy Jeff Salazar filled in, and could get some more playing time while Byrnes recovers. C Chris Snyder also left the game for the D'backs after taking a foul tip to the groin, and the team site says he's day-to-day.
• OF Juan Pierre will miss 4-6 weeks with a sprained knee, but if you're a Dodger fan reinforcements are on the way. Rafael Furcal, Nomar Garciaparra, Hiroki Kuroda and Brad Penny could all be back within a week. I guess Penny doesn't exactly qualify as a "reinforcement" the way he's been pitching all year, but you know what I mean.
• The Marlins are hoping that 2B Dan Uggla is able to return Thursday from his sprained left ankle.
• See you next year, Chad Cordero.
• Cubs 3B Aramis Ramirez apparently has some family issues to deal with in the Dominican Republic, and he'll be out of the lineup until Thursday.
• A few miles away, Juan Uribe is probably on his way out of Chicago. Alexei Ramirez is your White Sox second baseman until further notice. You know how just about every Cuban import gets wildly overrated? Ramirez might be a little better than most. Not a lot, but a little. He's owned in 7.1 percent of leagues around here.
• Rangers OF Josh Hamilton knocked in his 80th run last night. I really hope his bat, WONDER BOY, lasts until September.
• OF Brett Gardner started his first game for the Yankees last night and - whooosh! - stole a base.
• Royals OF David DeJesus might miss a couple more days with a rib injury that he suffered in a collision over the weekend.
• The A's might have a 75-year-old righthanded DH platoon ready to play in a couple of weeks. I wouldn't run to the free agent pool over this one if I were you.
• Pirates OF Nate McLouth missed last night's game with a knee injury, but he should be back tonight.
• Everyone who was counting on Omar Vizquel to lead their squad to a fantasy title might be looking at a little less playing time for their star shortstop.
• Finally, you know what I always say - it's not an All-Star week unless Bon Jovi is playing.

Enjoy Joba's start tonight, everyone. See you tomorrow.