Cleveland Indians lefthander C.C. Sabathia was rumored to be on the trade block, perhaps to a MDR team.

Fox Sports was reporting that the Brewers offered prospects Matt LaPorta and Alcides Escobar to Cleveland for Sabathia. Other sources had another prospect, Taylor Green, involved.

The Brewers also were rumored to have interest in veteran Greg Maddux. Milwaukee's pitching coach, Mike Maddux, is Greg's brother.

The Cubs also were reported to have interest in Sabathia, who could declare free agency after this season.

Keep up on the trade rumors on the team sites via MDR links. If a deal is done, a brief will be put up on the site.

Weekend Preview

Carlos Zambrano

For the first time in three weeks, weekend action will not include at least one MDR matchup series.

That doesn't mean there aren't some great series, with a couple prime pitching appearances. The Twins and White Sox actually start their weekend on Thursday.

Livan Hernandez will start against the Indians' Paul Byrd, when the Twins continue their pursuit of the White Sox in the AL Central. The four-game series is at the Metrodome.

The Sox host the A's, starting Thursday. Javier Vazquez will face the A's Justin Duchscherer in the opener.

The Cubs and Brewers start their weekends on Friday, July 4. Carlos Zambrano will come back from his first stint on the DL in his career to face the Cardinals' Braden Looper in St. Louis.

Ben Sheets will go after his 10th win when the Brewers return to Miller Park to meet the Pirates. Tom Gorzelanny will start for the Bucs in the series opener.

You can read about all the weekend action by going to the team sites via MDR links. Come back here Sunday night for the Weekend Wrap.

Midweek Notebook

Alfonso Soriano

Brewers

** 2B Rickie Weeks missed the game in Arizona with a stomach virus. Weeks became so dehydrated he had to be given fluids intravenously.

** 1B Prince Fielder, in a 2-for-27 slump on the Brewers’ three-city trip, was given his first game off since May 8 in Florida.

** SS J.J. Hardy has a season-high 13-game hitting streak, during which he is batting .377 (20-for-53) with eight doubles, four homers and 12 RBIs.

** RHP Salomon Torres converted his 13th save in 13 chances since taking over as closer for then-injured RHP Eric Gagne in late May.

Cubs

** LF Alfonso Soriano may be able to take batting practice as early as this weekend in St. Louis. He’ll have another X-ray later this week in Chicago. If there is no adverse change in the bone structure of his broken left hand, he’ll likely be cleared for BP, manager Lou Piniella said.

** RF Kosuke Fukudome probably will drop from first to second in the batting order when Soriano comes back. Fukudome has been hitting leadoff since June 18, putting up a .396 on-base percentage in that role. He opened the year hitting fifth.

•**With OF Reed Johnson coming off the disabled list Thursday, CF Jim Edmonds will get a break now and then, according Piniella.

** SS Ryan Theriot was a late lineup scratch because of a stomach illness. Ronny Cedeno replaced him. Theriot pinch-hit later in the game and wound up going 0-for-2, both strikeouts.

Twins

** CF Carlos Gomez reached base in each of his four plate appearances, walking twice in one game for the first time in his career.

** The Twins hit into five double plays, tying a franchise record that’s been set several times, the last time in 2006. Minnesota has grounded into eight double plays in the last two games.

** 1B Justin Morneau said that if he makes this year’s All-Star team he will likely participate in the Home Run Derby if asked. Morneau was in last year’s Home Run Derby and said it affected his swing—in a negative way—for much of the second half of 2007.

** The Twins had the third-best batting average in the major leagues for June. Minnesota won 14 of its last 17 games in June, and six Twins batted better than .300 for the month.

White Sox

** Paul Konerko still won’t commit to a timeline as he tries to recover from a strained left oblique, but at least there was progress Tuesday. Konerko was expected to go to Class AAA Charlotte on Sunday, and begin his rehab assignment for the Knights on Monday. But the process of breaking through the scar tissue proved too painful for Konerko at the time. On Tuesday, however, he had his best batting practice session since the injury occurred.

** OF Dewayne Wise continued to show his value to the roster, coming off the bench in the 10th inning for Brian Anderson and picking up a key single off closer Joe Borowski with the game tied. Wise then stole second base, which allowed him to score the game-winning run on Orlando Cabrera’s single up the middle.

• 1B/OF Nick Swisher has 11 home runs in his first year with the Sox and raised his batting average almost 40 points in June.

• RHP Adam Russell picked up his first major league win, throwing one-third of an inning in relief.