NL | Sliding Braves might have to deal Teixeira

Mark Teixeira's future with the Atlanta Braves might be short.

The Braves matched their low point of the season at four games under .500 with Tuesday night's loss to Philadelphia. Should they continue losing before the July 31 deadline to trade a player without securing waivers, they might consider trading their cleanup hitter.

Teixeira, who can become a free agent at the end of the season, was traded to Atlanta from Texas under similar conditions last July 31.

"I feel like I have some unfinished business here with the Braves," Teixeira said. "I was brought here during a pennant race last year. [A playoff appearance] didn't happen last year, and I'm hoping that it does this year."

Teixeira, 28, is hitting .273 with 16 homers and 63 runs batted in. He is in position to extend his streak of four seasons with at least 30 homers and 100 RBI.

Teixeira, represented by Scott Boras, is earning $12.5 million this year. A bigger contract likely is coming after the season.

How big? Before he was traded last season, Teixeira turned down an eight-year, $140 million offer from Texas.

Chicago: RHP Carlos Zambrano will come off the disabled list to start Friday in St. Louis. He has been out with a strained right shoulder.

Cincinnati: SS Alex Gonzalez is scheduled for surgery Monday on his troublesome left knee, which has sidelined him all season.

Colorado: LHP Jeff Francis, the team's opening-day pitcher, went on the 15-day DL with shoulder inflammation.

Los Angeles: Jeff Kent's 498th double as a second baseman broke a tie with Roberto Alomar for first all-time at the position. ... SS Rafael Furcal will have surgery today to relieve pressure on a disk in his lower back and could be out at least eight weeks.

Pittsburgh: Closer Matt Capps will be sidelined about eight weeks with a shoulder injury. He's the fourth Pirates pitcher to go on the DL in the last two weeks.

San Diego: Two 16-year-olds from the Dominican Republic were among five players signed by the Padres. The club committed nearly $5 million in bonuses to the five, including $2M to RHP Adis Portillo of Venezuela.

San Francisco: Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum and Jonathan Sanchez each have 100-plus strikeouts, the first time in San Francisco history three pitchers reached the mark before the All-Star break.

Courts: Brian McNamee asked a federal court to dismiss Roger Clemens' defamation lawsuit or move the case from Houston to New York. Clemens, a seven-time Cy Young Award winner, sued McNamee in January after his former trainer accused him in the Mitchell Report of using steroids and human growth hormone. The case originally was filed in Texas state court and was shifted in February to the U.S. District Court in Houston. McNamee's lawyers first tried to dismiss the case in early March. McNamee claims no defamation took place and that it would be a burden for him to defend the case in Texas.

Seattle Times news services