Hafner agrees to remain with Indians

Travis Hafner and the Cleveland Indians agreed to terms on a $57-million, four-year contract extension through the 2012 season.

Hafner, the Indians’ designated hitter, is making $3.95 million this year, and Cleveland had a 2008 option for a minimum $4.95 million. Under the new deal, he will receive more money next year.

The new agreement includes a club option for 2013.

The Indians are expected to announce the agreement today.

The 30-year-old Hafner is batting .262 with 14 homers and 57 RBIs this season after hitting .308 last year with 42 homers and 117 RBIs.

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Angels General Manager Bill Stoneman fell to 0-2 in his attempts to trade players who have been designated for assignment this season.

There were no takers for reliever Hector Carrasco, who was designated for assignment July 3, and the right-hander will be released Friday.

Carrasco signed a two-year, $6.1-million deal with the Angels before the 2006 season and was an integral part of the bullpen last season, going 7-3 with a 3.41 earned-run average in 56 games.

But the 37-year-old right-hander struggled this season, going 2-1 with a 6.57 ERA in 29 games before being designated for assignment.

Carrasco will become a free agent, and the Angels will have to pay all but about $180,000 of his $2.75-million salary this year, as well as another $500,000 to buy out his $3-million team option in 2008.

Designated hitter Shea Hillenbrand, who signed a one-year, $6.5-million deal last winter, also was released after being designated for assignment June 29.

Agent Dan Lozano said three teams have expressed interest in Hillenbrand, who could sign this week. The Twins and Yankees are believed to be among them.

-- Mike DiGiovanna

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Outfielder Marlon Anderson was released by the Dodgers.

Anderson, who was designated for assignment June 29, was batting .231 with no home runs and two runs batted in 26 at-bats. The 33-year-old spent a significant part of the season recovering from elbow surgery.

Anderson was obtained last season from the Washington Nationals and helped the Dodgers reach the playoffs by batting .375 with seven home runs and 15 RBIs in 25 games.

-- Dylan Hernandez

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The All-Star game Tuesday night drew a national Nielsen rating of 8.4 with a 15 share, down from a 9.3/16 for last year’s game. But the total number of viewers of 31.4 million was up from 31.2 million last year.

The 8.4 is the highest rating for a sporting event since the final round of the Masters on April 8 on CBS got a 9.1. The NBA Finals on ABC averaged a 6.2.

The All-Star game and the pregame show averaged a 7.9 rating, giving Fox the highest-rated night of prime time in the East on any network since its “American Idol” finale May 23.

St. Louis, home of National League Manager Tony LaRussa, was the highest-rated market with an 18.9/29. Host city San Francisco was the sixth highest with a 14.5/39.

Besides St. Louis, Boston, Milwaukee, Detroit and Minneapolis all had higher numbers. Los Angeles, with an 8.5/15 -- down from a 9.4/19 last year -- wasn’t among the top 10.

-- Larry Stewart

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Houston Astros right-hander Brad Lidge pitched a perfect inning in a rehab outing for double-A Corpus Christi on Wednesday night.

Lidge, who has been on the disabled list since June 20 because of a muscle strain, threw eight pitches in the first inning against Frisco. He induced a pop up and two fly outs.

Texas Rangers first baseman Mark Teixeira was batting fourth for Frisco and did not face Lidge. Teixeira has been on the disabled list since June 9 because of a strained muscle in his left leg.

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Longtime major league umpire Shag Crawford, patriarch of a family of prominent sports officials, died Wednesday. He was 90.

Jerry Crawford said his father died at an assisted living facility in suburban Philadelphia.

Jerry Crawford became a big league umpire in the mid-1970s, around the time his brother, Joey, became an NBA official.

Born Henry Charles Crawford, Shag called more than 3,000 games as a National League umpire from 1956 to ’75. He worked the World Series three times, NL championship series twice and handled three All-Star games.

In the 1969 World Series between Baltimore and the New York Mets, he ejected Orioles manager Earl Weaver during Game 4 during an argument about balls and strikes.

Crawford, one of the founders of the umpires’ union, ended his active career in 1975 after getting into a dispute with baseball over the rotation of umpires in the World Series.

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Rick Down is out as hitting coach for the New York Mets and will be replaced today by Rickey Henderson.