Braves loss caps Cards' unlikely run to playoffs

HOUSTON -- Chris Carpenter and the St. Louis Cardinals completed one of baseball's greatest comebacks, clinching the NL wild card Wednesday night with an 8-0 win over Houston and a later loss by Atlanta.The Cardinals got their playoff spot when the Braves fell to Philadelphia 4-3 in 13 innings.St. Louis trailed Atlanta by 10½ games on Aug. 25. The Cardinals won 23 of their last 31 games. The Cardinals will open the postseason on Saturday at NL East champion Philadelphia. In the other NL playoff matchup, Arizona visits Milwaukee.Carpenter (11-9) struck out 11 and allowed two hits in his 15th career complete-game shutout as St. Louis kept up its improbable September charge."We had nothing to lose. We were already out of it," Carpenter said. "People were telling us we were done. We decided to go out and play and not embarrass ourselves and do what we can. We played ourselves back into it."The Cardinals poured onto the field after Carpenter fielded J.D. Martinez's weak grounder for the final out. The celebration was brief and muted, as the team raced into the clubhouse to watch the end of the game in Atlanta."It was exciting, there's no doubt about it," Carpenter said. "The way these guys have played the past month and a half has been amazing, every single night grinding, playing their butts off, not giving up."We continued to give ourselves an opportunity and now we are here."The teams entered Wednesday's regular-season finales with 89-72 records. Atlanta's game started an hour earlier, but the Cardinals virtually took away any hope for a Houston victory in the first inning of their contest, jumping to a 5-0 lead against Brett Myers (7-14).Albert Pujols and Lance Berkman drove in runs with singles, and David Freese doubled to left-center before Myers even recorded an out. Berkman scored when Skip Schumaker's hard grounder ricocheted off Myers' glove for an infield hit, and Freese came home on Nick Punto's single to right.Carpenter handled the rest.He had struggled at Minute Maid Park lately, going 0-3 with a 4.62 ERA in his last five starts here, but he was in total command from the start on Wednesday, striking out five of the first nine hitters he faced. He also had an RBI single in the third to drive in Freese, who reached base when right fielder Brian Bogusevic dropped his fly ball for an error.Freese led off the fifth with a double to right-center, the Cardinals' 10th hit of the game. Myers, 4-0 with a 1.24 ERA in his last five starts, hadn't allowed more than nine hits in a start since Aug. 6.Freese later scored on Schumaker's groundout to shortstop Clint Barmes for a 7-0 lead, equaling the most runs given up by Myers in 33 starts this season. Wilton Lopez replaced Myers for the start of the sixth.As the Astros batted in the seventh, the left-field scoreboard posted a 3-3 tie in the Phillies-Braves game, prompting a roar from the large contingent of Cardinals' fans in the stands behind the St. Louis dugout. Carpenter then struck out Bogusevic and Jimmy Paredes to wrap up another easy inning. Allen Craig hit a solo homer in the ninth off Lance Pendleton.The Cardinals huddled around a television in the clubhouse cafeteria after their victory.Only three weeks ago, the Cardinals had virtually lost all hope."There was absolute doubt from us," Punto said. "I remember early on in September, we were like, 'Let's just finish up strong for the fans. Let's give them something to come out and watch.'"When you're 10½ games out, that's a hole you can't climb out of," he said, "unless you get a lot of help."The Cardinals were loose and relaxed -- and confident -- before the game.Champagne was ordered for a potential postgame celebration and someone wrote, "Happy Flight! After Game" on a marker board in the clubhouse.Game notes Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said LF Matt Holliday (right hand injury) and SS Rafael Furcal (left hamstring) were unavailable on Wednesday night. ... Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan rejoined the team after missing more than a month to tend to his ailing wife. Jeanine Duncan is recovering from surgery on Aug. 21 to remove a brain tumor. Dave Duncan, La Russa's trusted assistant since the early 1980s, did not know how long he would be able to stay with the club because his wife has more medical appointments scheduled. ... The sparse crowd offered a standing ovation to Astros owner Drayton McLane after a video tribute was shown on the giant scoreboard between the second and third innings. McLane is still waiting for Major League Baseball to approve his sale of the team to Houston businessman Jim Crane for $680 million. General manager Ed Wade said before Wednesday's game that McLane still has the final say on all baseball decisions.

Red Sox start Lavarnway at catcher in No. 162

ESPNBoston.com's Gordon Edes on the Sox from Baltimore before game 162 More Podcasts " The 24-year-old will bat fifth in making his second career start behind the plate. The game is the biggest of the season for the Red Sox, who enter play Wednesday tied for the wild card lead with the Tampa Bay Rays, who face the New York Yankees on Wednesday in their regular season finale. Red Sox catchers Jarrod Saltalamacchia (collarbone) and Jason Varitek (knee) are banged up, though Francona said Wednesday that Saltalamacchia is available to play.

Braves blanked by Nationals, wild-card lead at 1

WASHINGTON -- The top four hitters in the Braves' lineup, including Chipper Jones and Dan Uggla, went a combined 0 for 16 with five strikeouts Sunday in a 3-0 loss to the Washington Nationals that cut Atlanta's NL wild-card lead over St. Louis to one game."This was a very brutal loss for us," Braves rookie first baseman Freddie Freeman said.Atlanta has dropped 10 of its past 15 games, allowing St. Louis to close in. The Braves finish the regular season with a three-game home series starting Monday against the NL East champion Philadelphia Phillies. Wilson Ramos homered off Braves starter Mike Minor (5-3) in the fourth, and Michael Morse hit the 29th of his breakout season -- a two-run shot -- off reliever Cristhian Martinez in the seventh.Ross Detwiler (4-5) went six innings for Washington before a crowd of 37,638 in the final game of 2011 at Nationals Park. He allowed four hits and two walks while striking out four. Over his last two starts of the season, the lefty pitched 13 1/3 scoreless innings, with seven hits, seven strikeouts and three walks.The last 15 Braves batters made outs, including seven strikeouts.With nothing more at stake than a third-place finish, the Nationals have played well down the stretch, winning 12 of 15 games. That includes taking two of three from the struggling Braves."We know what's at stake. We know what every game means," Atlanta manager Fredi Gonzalez said before the game. "You've got to go out and play the game with some fun. We can't play with white knuckles on the bat and hold the ball so hard you can't throw it."There were some key moments Sunday when his hitters did fail to produce in the clutch.In the third, the Braves loaded the bases with no outs, thanks to David Ross' single and some serious wildness by Detwiler, who walked No. 8 hitter Jack Wilson and then the opposing pitcher.All told, Detwiler threw eight consecutive pitches that were called balls, going to a 3-0 count on leadoff hitter Michael Bourn -- with nowhere to put him.After finally putting one pitch over the plate for a called strike -- and drawing sarcastic cheers from the crowd at Nationals Park -- Detwiler got Bourn to fly out to left in foul territory. Bearing down some more, Detwiler got out of the inning unscathed: Martin Prado hit a fly to right that wasn't deep enough for Ross to try to tag up and head for home, before Jones grounded out.The bottom of the order gave the Braves another opportunity to score two innings later, but again they came away with nothing to show for it.Ross led off with an infield single, Wilson singled to center, and Minor moved them up with a sacrifice bunt -- putting runners at second and third with one out. But Bourn lined out to second and Prado flied out."You need to get those runs in," Uggla said, "or more than likely it's going to come back to haunt you."In each of his other four innings, Detwiler faced the minimum three hitters.Henry Rodriguez replaced Detwiler in the seventh and was rather impressive, regularly reaching 100 or 101 mph and striking out all three batters he faced. He got pinch hitter Jason Heyward swinging at a 100 mph fastball, Ross on a two-strike foul bunt on a 101 mph offering, and Wilson looking at an 88 mph slider with a ton of movement.Tyler Clippard pitched the eighth, and closer Drew Storen got the last three outs for his 42nd save in 47 chances.Minor hadn't lost in his preceding 11 starts; his last loss came May 31 against San Diego. He threw 4 2/3 innings, giving up six hits and one run.Game notes Braves RHP Kris Medlen came on in relief in the eighth inning, his first appearance since Aug. 4, 2010. Medlen had reconstructive elbow surgery later that month and came off the disabled list Saturday. ... Braves INF Alex Gonzalez was out of the starting lineup with a strained right calf muscle for the fourth consecutive game. He said he might be able to play Monday against Philadelphia. ... The Braves will send RHP Randall Delgado (1-1) to the mound in the first game of their season-ending series against the Phillies, who will start LHP Cliff Lee (16-8). ... In Wednesday's season finale, the Braves could start RHP Tommy Hanson (on the DL since Aug. 7 with right shoulder tendinitis) if they've already clinched a playoff berth, Fredi Gonzalez said. Otherwise, RHP Tim Hudson will start on regular rest. ... Atlanta RHP Jair Jurrjens threw three innings in the Instructional League Saturday, and Gonzalez said he could be activated from the DL for the first round of the playoffs. Jurrjens (strained right knee) has been out since Aug. ... Atlanta LHP George Sherrill (left elbow) could be activated this week. ... Nationals RHP Stephen Strasburg will be on an innings limit next season, GM Mike Rizzo said. ... Washington wraps up the season with a three-game series at the Florida Marlins. LHP Tommy Milone -- the Nationals are 4-0 in the rookie's four major league starts -- will pitch Monday against Florida's Anibal Sanchez.

Cabrera, Tigers pound Matusz, knock off Orioles

DETROIT -- Brad Penny walked back to the dugout after finishing his final start of the regular season, and a few home fans stood and applauded.It wasn't the easiest season for the burly Detroit right-hander, but he made his contribution to the AL Central champions."It's been a long road for me, but I'm blessed to have been healthy this year and get the innings," Penny said. "Whatever happens, I want this team to win. This team can win." Penny allowed three runs and five hits in 5 1/3 innings Sunday, helping the Tigers to a 10-6 victory over the Baltimore Orioles. Penny could be the odd man out when Detroit sets its postseason rotation, but this was his 31st start of the season. He made only nine with St. Louis last year before being sidelined with a back injury.Although his 5.30 ERA is nothing to write home about, Penny (11-11) has thrown 181 2/3 innings, his most since 2007."It was a little inconsistent," Penny said. "Half the year, I was really not where I should have been strength-wise, probably."He had plenty of run support Sunday. Miguel Cabrera homered and singled, keeping the pressure on in his push for the American League batting title before leaving the game with lightheadedness. Manager Jim Leyland didn't seem worried about his slugger."He got dizzy," Leyland said. "I just didn't want to take any chances."Cabrera came out after lining out to left field in the seventh inning -- a trainer had checked on him in the middle of the at-bat. The slugger began the day one point behind Boston's Adrian Gonzalez, but raised his average from .339 to .341 and took over the league lead.Brian Matusz (1-9) gave up six runs and seven hits in five innings.Assuming he doesn't pitch again this year, Matusz will finish with a 10.69 ERA, a record high for a pitcher with at least 40 innings in a season, according to STATS LLC. Roy Halladay had a 10.64 ERA for Toronto in 2000."I'm going to have a lot of motivation going into this winter, because I'm never going to forget what this has felt like," Matusz said. "I've got a lot of mistakes to learn from."The Tigers have clinched the AL Central and are now playing largely for playoff position and individual honors. Cabrera hit a two-run shot in the first inning, his 29th home run of the year, and Victor Martinez, Don Kelly and Jhonny Peralta added homers of their own for Detroit.After Cabrera gave Detroit a 2-0 lead, Delmon Young hit an RBI single in the third to make it 3-0.Baltimore scored three runs in the fifth to tie it. Pedro Florimon Jr. drove in two of them with a double, his first career hit.Detroit immediately rallied back. After Cabrera hit a two-out single in the bottom of the inning, Martinez followed with a three-run homer to make it 6-3. Kelly added a three-run shot an inning later.Nolan Reimold hit a three-run homer in the eighth for the Orioles -- an estimated 434 feet to left-center -- to make it 9-6. Peralta's solo shot in the bottom half gave Detroit another insurance run.The Tigers are 27-9 since Aug. 19 and have pulled away from the rest of the AL Central. They are now hoping to beat out AL West champion Texas for the right to open the first round of the playoffs at home."Anywhere we have to go, it's still a ballpark," Martinez said. "It doesn't matter. Definitely, it's nice to start at home, but if we don't, it's not the end of the world."Game notes Leyland said second baseman Carlos Guillen (strained right calf) isn't ready to return yet. ... Detroit's Magglio Ordonez extended his hitting streak to 17 games with a third-inning single. ... Baltimore's Vladimir Guerrero went 0 for 4 and remained tied with Julio Franco for the career lead in hits by a Dominican-born player. Both have 2,586. ... The Tigers will send Doug Fister (10-13) to the mound Monday night against Cleveland's Ubaldo Jimenez (4-3) to begin the final series of the regular season. ... Baltimore hosts Boston for three games. The Orioles will send Tommy Hunter (4-4) to the mound Monday night to face Josh Beckett (13-6).

Braun helps Brewers wrap up NL Central title

MILWAUKEE -- Ryan Braun stepped into the box when a familiar feeling overcame him. Just like in 2008, the Brewers homegrown slugger propelled Milwaukee back into the postseason."It's not new," Prince Fielder said. "That's what he does." Braun hit a three-run, go-ahead homer in the eighth with chants of "M-V-P" ringing throughout the sellout crowd and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Florida Marlins 4-1 on Friday night to win their first division title since 1982."I think for me honestly, I live for that moment. You play the game to have the opportunity to play meaningful games down the stretch in September," Braun said. "I truly expected to come through in that situation."Fielder also homered for Milwaukee, which clinched the NL Central and reached the postseason at the earliest date in team history after waiting 20 minutes for the Cubs to finish off their 5-1 win over the Cardinals.With most of sellout crowd still in its seats, fireworks went off again after the Cardinals lost and fans were showered with confetti and streamers.Nearly an hour after the Cubs' victory, Fielder took a victory lap around the field, hugging several of the nearly 5,000 fans that stayed to party.Braun homered off Clay Hensley (6-7) to end a 1-for-16 skid. He then pointed his bat in the air toward owner Mark Attanasio and the fans before rounding the bases."I definitely knew I hit it pretty good. It felt amazing," Braun said. "It just feels so good, all of us as a team, to be in this moment."It was reminiscent of his 2008 homer on the last day of the season that lifted Milwaukee to its first postseason appearance since winning the AL East in 1982. Now, they're back."It's eerily similar," said Braun, who signed a $105 million extension this season that keeps him in Milwaukee through 2020. "Having the opportunity to watch the last couple of innings of somebody else's game feels almost identical."Obviously a little better, though, because we won our division instead of the wild card," he said.In 2008, the Brewers waited for the Marlins to eliminate the Mets before they could celebrate.Shortly after the Cardinals' first out, the team congregated in the Brewers clubhouse, passing out champagne and preparing for its second celebration in four seasons.The stadium has remained packed even though this season hasn't been as dramatic as '08. Milwaukee built a 10 1/2-game lead midway through August over St. Louis, and even though the Cardinals whittled it down, time ran out."It means a lot, we've got a great team, the fans are with us all here," Fielder said. "I'm just glad we're able to do it, we've got a little ways to go, but I'm going to enjoy the hell out of this. Hopefully, we go all the way."Milwaukee fell to the Cardinals in seven games in the 1982 World Series, but even that season they didn't have a home-field advantage like this.The Brewers are 53-23 at Miller Park, one win away from tying the most home wins in franchise history.Brewers starter Yovani Gallardo pitched into the eighth, setting two franchise records for strikeouts before leaving when Emilio Bonifacio singled and second baseman Rickie Weeks couldn't handle a throw that put two on.Francisco Rodriguez (6-2) came in and struck out Mike Stanton and Logan Morrison to end the inning, pumping his fist and beating his chest after escaping the jam.Corey Hart doubled off Hensley with one out and Morgan walked to bring up Braun. Milwaukee had been 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position before Braun's at-bat.After fouling a pitch off and working the count to 3-1, Braun hit Hensley's slider to deep left-center field, hitting off the scoreboard supports, then returned for a curtain call from the crowd of 44,584."Ryan loves the big stage," Attanasio said.John Axford converted his 44th save in 46 chances with a perfect ninth, including the last 41 in a row, but had to pause with two outs in the ninth when the Cubs-Cardinals score was displayed after Alfonso Soriano hit a three-run homer.Milwaukee has made three previous trips to the playoffs, but never was assured a spot until either the next to last day or final day of the season.Fielder's homer off Chris Volstad was his 35th this year, but that was the only mistake the lanky right-hander made. Volstad deserved better. He scattered five hits and struck out five, but hasn't won a start since July 10.The Marlins tied it in the fourth when Sanchez doubled and scored on Petersen's two-out single. Braun made a diving catch in the fifth, setting the stage for his big at-bat."That may have been the turning point of the game," Marlins manager Jack McKeon said.General manager Doug Melvin said his goal coming into the season was to drop confetti from the Miller Park roof, just like in 2008. In the offseason, he decided to keep Fielder, a free agent to be, and built the starting rotation by trading away his farm system's top talent.In the span of two weeks in December, Melvin dealt his starting shortstop, backup center fielder, top pitching prospect, top hitting prospect and two pitchers who projected to be no worse than major league relievers.The returns included 2009 AL Cy Young winner Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum. Melvin said the Brewers were all-in, just liked they were in 2008 when they traded for CC Sabathia at midseason.The gamble paid off again, but it took longer than expected for rookie manager Ron Roenicke.Milwaukee remained in third place behind Pittsburgh and St. Louis on July 25. Milwaukee then won 27 of 32 to take a 10 1/2-game lead in the NL Central."I know the team always felt like we were going to play good ball," Roenicke said. "It didn't take long for us to turn that around."Milwaukee joined the NL in 1998 and watched St. Louis win seven division titles while the Brewers remained mostly in the bottom of the division.Things began changing when Attanasio, an L.A. investment banker, purchased the Brewers in September 2004 from Commissioner Bud Selig's family and steadily raised the payroll, up to more than $85 million to start this season.Milwaukee holds losing records against the Phillies, Braves and Diamondbacks -- the other three NL teams in line to join them in the postseason. This time, the Brewers come in a team built on pitching and still has a potent offense."It's the most fun you can possibly have," Attanasio said. "The thing about all our guys, they really pull together."Game notes Marlins closer Leo Nunez admitted Friday to using fake documents and a fake ID to sign a professional contract more than a year ago and Dominican authorities arrested a man accused of falsifying Nunez's documents. ... With Nunez gone, McKeon will finish the season mixing and matching who will close games. ... Morgan received an award as the team's high energy player of the year, and his alter ego, Tony Plush, got a second trophy in a lighthearted moment. ... Greinke (15-6, 3.75 ERA) faces Marlins RHP Alex Sanabia (0-0, 1.29) in the second of this three-game series on Saturday night.

Yanks faked Crawford interest to cost Red Sox

Yankees GM Brian Cashman joined ESPN New York 1050's "The Michael Kay Show" with some interesting things to say about his attempt to drive up Boston's price for Carl Crawford. More Podcasts " "I actually had dinner with the agent to pretend that we were actually involved and drive the price up," Cashman said. "The outfield wasn't an area of need, but everybody kept writing Crawford, Crawford, Crawford, Crawford. And I was like, 'I feel like we've got Carl Crawford in Brett Gardner, except he costs more than $100 million less, with less experience.' " The rivalry continues on the field Friday night. The Red Sox are clinging to a two-game lead over the Rays in the wild-card standings going into a three-game set in the Bronx against the AL East champion Yankees. It wasn't long ago that the Yankees were looking up at the Red Sox in the standings, but Boston has slumped badly in September after leading the wild-card race by nine games, and Crawford hasn't lived up to expectations. And now it turns out the Yankees didn't even want him. They had put all of their eggs in the Cliff Lee basket this offseason, but Cashman had to scramble when the left-hander chose the Phillies.

Twins end 11-game slide on walk-off double

MINNEAPOLIS -- Twins manager Ron Gardenhire kept his eye on the field, and on the 37,000-plus fans at Target Field.He watched them squirm Thursday as Minnesota struggled through key spots against the Seattle Mariners for the third straight day. In the end, Gardenhire, the Twins and their crowd had reason to celebrate.Rene Tosoni hit an RBI double with two outs in the ninth inning and the Twins snapped their 11-game losing streak, beating Seattle 3-2.The Twins avoided another sweep and won for just the second time in 17 games. This was the third-longest skid in Minnesota's 51-season history, behind a 14-game slide in 1982 and a 13-game drought in 1961, the first year the franchise moved from Washington."Today was very entertaining, to say the least," Gardenhire said. "I'm honestly watching our fans get up and get down and have their hands on their heads, and I'm right there with them. But bottom line is we got a win."Trevor Plouffe drew a two-out walk from Steve Delabar (1-1) in the ninth and Tosoni followed with a drive that hopped off the right-field wall. Plouffe slid home, easily beating the relay. The Twins poured out of the dugout and mobbed Tosoni near second base."It's been a while since we won a game, so of course we feel a little pressure, especially with the last couple of games having been so close," Tosoni said. "I don't think anyone's pressing. We just have to let everything go, start playing some baseball and win some games."Tosoni had three hits and scored twice. The rookie began the day batting .174 in his first big league season."A pretty good day for him," Gardenhire said. "We need it and it was a big one at the end. We've been waiting for that one for three days."Joe Nathan (1-1) pitched a scoreless ninth to earn the win after getting out of his own trouble. The Mariners stranded 12 runners, including the potential go-ahead run at third in the ninth when Wily Mo Pena flied out.Both teams had their chances late in this one.Ichiro Suzuki grounded back to reliever Glen Perkins with the bases loaded to end the Seattle eighth.The Twins threatened in the bottom half before Michael Cuddyer hit into a double play against Delabar.Tosoni's hit ended the third straight one-run game between the two teams. The Mariners won the first two games of the series by 5-4 scores."Usually one of the last things to come for young hitters is hitting with runners in scoring position and particularly with two outs and runners in scoring position," Seattle manager Eric Wedge said of his young team, which featured five rookies in the starting lineup."We had short spurts of that, but nothing consistent. That's something we'll have to do a much better job with next year, and I think we will," he said.Mariners starter Blake Beavan, acquired from Texas along with Justin Smoak in the Cliff Lee trade in 2010, pitched seven innings, giving up two runs and six hits.After what Gardenhire called a "flop" in his last start, Anthony Swarzak came back with a six strong innings for the Twins, allowing two runs on nine hits.Game notes Minnesota C Drew Butera's RBI single in the fifth inning snapped a personal 0-for-21 stretch. It was the first hit by a Twins catcher since Sept. 9, a string of 27 at-bats. ... Seattle OF Casper Wells (nose) was going to see a doctor Thursday to further diagnose what is giving him sinus trouble. He's expected to be with the team this weekend for a series at Texas. ... Minnesota OF Denard Span (concussion) sat out after playing Wednesday for the first time since Aug. 13. Span told trainer Rick McWane he would prepare to play in Friday's game at Cleveland. ... The Mariners took their 13th walk-off loss of the season, setting a club record. ... Seattle LHP Anthony Vasquez (1-4, 8.25) will be making his sixth career start on Friday in the opener at Texas. Vasquez lasted just three-plus innings in his last start also against Texas. He gave up five runs and seven hits and allowed home runs to Adrian Beltre, Josh Hamilton and Elvis Andrus. ... Minnesota RHP Carl Pavano (8-13, 4.40) will make Friday's start for the Twins in Cleveland. Pavano has lost his last two starts, including Sept. 18 against the Indians when he gave four runs -- one earned -- in 6 2/3 innings. Pavano is 1-1 with a 1.93 ERA in four starts against Cleveland this season.

Cubs win, keep Brewers' magic number at three

CHICAGO -- Matt Garza pitched a six-hitter, Marlon Byrd hit a three-run homer and the Chicago Cubs prolonged Milwaukee's drive to clinch the NL Central, beating the Brewers 7-1 in the final game at Wrigley Field this season.The Brewers' magic number for winning the division title and closing out second-place St. Louis remained at three. The Cardinals played the New York Mets on Wednesday night. The Brewers dropped two of their games against the Cubs and finished 39-42 on the road. They now go to Miller Park to wind up the regular season with a six-game homestand against the Marlins and Pirates beginning Friday.Garza (9-10), 3-0 in his last five starts, allowed just an unearned run and struck out 10 in pitching his second complete game this season and eighth of his career. He walked one in a 123-pitch effort.DJ LeMahieu broke a 1-all tie with two-out, two-run double in the fifth off Randy Wolfe (13-10). Center fielder Nyjer Morgan appeared to lose the ball in the sun and the drive scored Alfonso Soriano, who had singled, and Starlin Castro, who was intentionally walked as he came to the plate trying for his 200th hit of the season.Byrd's three-run shot, his ninth homer of the season, followed singles by Jeff Baker and Geovany Soto in the sixth.Wolf, who entered the game with a 1.37 ERA in three previous starts this season against the Cubs, allowed 10 hits and six runs in six innings.Castro's error on a double-play grounder allowed the Brewers to take a 1-0 lead in the third. Yuniesky Betancourt led off with a single and Garza plunked Wolf with a pitch as the Brewers starter was attempting to bunt. Corey Hart hit a grounder toward the middle that Castro reached, but the shortstop's flip was wide of second and Betancourt scored.Castro made up for it with an RBI single in the bottom half on a hard ball that deflected off third baseman Jerry Hairston Jr. Castro's 199th hit of the season scored Bryan LaHair, who led off with a double.In his final three plate appearances needing one hit to get to 200, the 21-year-old Castro drew an intentional walk, grounded to short and walked.Game notes Milwaukee's Yovani Gallardo will make his 33rd start of the season and second of the season against the Marlins in the series opener. He struck out a career-high 13 in his start last Saturday against the Reds. ... The wind was blowing out at 14 mph on a 70-degree day. ... Castro doubled leading off the bottom of the first and was thrown out trying to stretch. It marked the 34th straight game he has reached base, matching the Cubs' record for a shortstop set in 1929 by Woody English. ... Cubs 3B Aramis Ramirez sat out with a leg injury in what could have been his final home game for the Cubs. ... Ryan Dempster will start for the Cubs on Friday in St. Louis. Dempster (10-13) is 8-8 on his career against the Cards. . . As is custom at the final home game, the Wrigley Field grounds crew led the singing during the seventh-inning stretch. ... A crowd of 30,965 gave the Cubs a home attendance for 2011 of 3,017,966. It marked the eighth straight season the Cubs have drawn more than 3 million fans. Chicago finished 39-42 at home. ... Garza's first complete game this season came in a losing effort, 1-0 against the White Sox on July 2.

Lohse outduels Halladay as Cards hold off Phils

PHILADELPHIA -- The celebration in the St. Louis clubhouse showed just how excited the surging Cardinals are to be in the thick of the playoff chase.Kyle Lohse outpitched Roy Halladay, and St. Louis held off the Philadelphia Phillies 4-3 on Monday night to gain ground on Atlanta in the NL wild-card race.Lance Berkman homered and had an RBI single for the Cardinals, who moved within 2½ games of the wild card-leading Braves.Moments after Octavio Dotel closed out the Cardinals' victory, Atlanta lost 6-5 at Florida on Omar Infante's two-run homer off Craig Kimbrel with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning. The Cardinals, who were watching the game on television, burst into loud cheers that reverberated around the clubhouse."To win our game we're already pretty happy, and to see that, that was big," Lohse said.Cardinals manager Tony La Russa, who was tuned to the Rams-Giants NFL game in his office, smiled when he heard the news."This is what the pennant race is all about," La Russa said. "This is what you try to sell in spring training. This is the fun of it. It's part of the fun of being in contention in September."St. Louis, which took three of four in the series, has won 10 of 12 overall.Despite the loss, the NL East champion Phillies clinched home-field advantage throughout the postseason when Milwaukee lost to the Chicago Cubs 5-2.Lohse (14-8) tossed 7 1/3 strong innings, allowing an unearned run and seven hits while striking out five and walking one."I thought Lohse was outstanding," La Russa said. "You just can't give him enough credit. We had our best defensive team out there and we kicked it around. He picked everybody up all day."The Cardinals, who made a pair of errors, have nine games remaining and return to St. Louis for a six-game homestand that begins Tuesday against the Mets.Atlanta has eight games left, including the final three against the Phillies in Atlanta."We've had our backs up against the wall for a long time now," Lohse said. "Every series has been tough. We knew coming in here was going to be really tough. To take three out of four was huge. We've just got to keep it going."The Phillies scored a pair of runs in the ninth off reliever Jason Motte. Carlos Ruiz doubled with one out and scored on Jimmy Rollins' triple. Rollins scored on Shane Victorino's groundout.Arthur Rhodes relieved Motte and gave up a two-out single to Chase Utley. Dotel followed and retired Hunter Pence to earn his second save with the Cardinals. He also had one for Toronto this year.The Phillies lost their second straight since clinching their fifth consecutive NL East title on Saturday. Philadelphia played most of its regulars, with only Ryan Howard getting the day off after receiving an anti-inflammatory injection in his left ankle. Howard is expected to miss a couple of days.The Phillies (98-54) remained four victories shy of setting a franchise record for wins in a season."We came out a little flat, but that's not going to last," manager Charlie Manuel said. "We'll be ready."Phillies hitters have been in a bit of a lull lately. Philadelphia has scored three runs or fewer in 10 of its last 11 games, averaging 2.5 runs while going 5-6."I'm looking for our offense to pick up," Manuel said. "We've got to start scoring some runs before we go into the playoffs."Halladay (18-6) had won seven straight September decisions and was 9-0 with a 1.97 ERA in his last 10 September starts dating to 2009. But he failed in his bid for his 19th victory and 40th over the last two seasons, which would've marked the first time a Philadelphia pitcher accomplished that since Steve Carlton won 42 games combined in 1979-80.Halladay tossed eight innings and allowed four runs on six hits with six strikeouts and a season-high four walks (two intentional)."Hopefully we'll get things going and finish on the right foot," Halladay said. "We've won all year and there's no doubt we'll continue that. There's no cause for concern. Naturally there's a little lull after you clinch."Berkman's solo homer and Nick Punto's RBI groundout in the first helped the Cardinals take a 2-0 lead. It was Berkman's 31st homer, but first since Aug. 26.The Phillies got a run back in the second on Ruiz's single.St. Louis regained a two-run lead in the third when Lohse, after hitting his second double of the season to lead off the inning, scored on Berkman's two-out single.Philadelphia had a chance for a big inning in the bottom half, loading the bases with one out on a pair of singles and an error, but Lohse struck out Raul Ibanez and Placido Polanco to end the threat.Albert Pujols' two-out double to left in the seventh drove in Punto and gave the Cardinals a 4-1 lead. The slugger, who had been 1 for 10 against Halladay, has reached safely in 35 straight games.Philadelphia lost a four-game series for the first time this season after winning its previous eight. The Phillies have scored three runs or fewer in 10 of their last 11 games, averaging 2.5 runs while going 5-6.Rafael Furcal went 3 for 4 with two doubles for St. Louis.Game notes Rollins' triple gave him 100 for his career. ... Berkman is 11 for 24 (.458) in his last seven games. ... The crowd of 45,048 was the 200th straight regular-season sellout and 213th overall, counting postseason games. ... Cardinals outfielder Matt Holliday missed his fifth straight game with an inflamed tendon on his right middle finger.

Rays trim Red Sox's wild-card lead to 2 games

BOSTON -- David Price took a line drive off his chest but stuck around to pitch four solid innings, and the Tampa Bay Rays capitalized on Tim Wakefield's wild knuckleball to beat the Red Sox 8-5 Sunday and cut Boston's AL wild-card lead to two games.Boston lost for 11th time in 14 games, including three of four in this series after getting swept at Tampa Bay last weekend. The Rays, who trailed Boston by nine games on Sept. 3, closed within two games of the Red Sox for the first time since June.Tampa Bay has 10 games left: seven against the AL East-leading Yankees and three versus Toronto. Of Boston's remaining games, seven are against last-place Baltimore and three are at Yankee Stadium.Price took Mike Aviles' liner off his right shoulder, just above the "Rays" on his uniform, in the third. The ball caromed to third baseman Evan Longoria, who threw out Aviles for a 1-5-3 putout.Trainers looked at Price for several minutes behind the mound -- at one point he pulled his shirt out so they could examine the bruise. Price stayed in to finish the third, and then pitched the fourth before leaving for what the team said was precautionary reasons.Matt Joyce had three hits and three RBIs, Jake McGee (3-1) picked up the win with 2 2/3 innings of relief and Joel Peralta pitched the ninth for his fifth save.Wakefield (7-7) threw one wild pitch and catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia muffed four of his knucklers for passed balls, miscues that contributed to three runs. The Rays beat Boston for the eighth time in their last nine meetings.Entering with a 6-2 lead, McGee retired his first eight batters before Marco Scutaro's singled chased him with two outs in the seventh. Jacoby Ellsbury singled, Aviles hit a three-run homer before Cesar Ramos struck out Adrian Gonzalez.By then, it was too late.Tampa Bay went ahead 3-0 in the second after Casey Kotchman led off by reaching on a passed ball on a third strike. He took second on another passed ball and scored on Johnny Damon's double. Matt Joyce and Desmond Jennings singled in runs later in the inning.In the fourth, Joyce doubled, took third on a passed ball and scored on Sean Rodriguez's sacrifice fly, but Darnell McDonald's two-run double cut the gap to 4-2 in the bottom half.Desmond Jennings singled leading off the fifth, stole second, took third on a wild pitch and scored on a passed ball.Wakefield allowed six runs -- two earned -- six hits, one walk, one wild pitch and a hit batter in five innings while striking out five. The 45-year-old earned victory No. 200 in his previous outing, his only win in his last 10 starts.Andrew Miller added a wild pitch in the seventh that helped another run score. Aviles also had two throwing errors at third base, contributing to one more Rays' run.Game notes Wakefield pitched his 3,000th inning as a member of the Red Sox -- the first player in franchise history to reach the milestone. Only the Cincinnati franchise had been around as long as Boston without having one pitcher throw 3,000 innings. ... The Rays finished 7-2 in Fenway Park and 12-6 against Boston this season. ... Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon had his team wearing high school-style letter sweaters for the train ride to New York to face the Yankees. Wade Davis (10-9) will face Ivan Nova (15-4) in the opener on Tuesday. The Red Sox have a day-night doubleheader against the Baltimore Orioles on Monday, with Kyle Weiland (0-2) starting the opener for Boston and John Lackey (12-12) pitching the night game. ... Price is the only Rays starter without a complete game. ... Red Sox INF Kevin Youkilis missed his third straight game because of a sports hernia. "He needs some time down, whether it's days or weeks, we don't know," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said.

Yanks' Rivera ties MLB record with 601st save

TORONTO -- To Mariano Rivera, it was just another save. To Yankees manager Joe Girardi, there's no such thing.Rivera tied the major league saves record, earning the 601st of his career and matching Trevor Hoffman while preserving the New York Yankees' 7-6 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday."To me it was normal," Rivera said.With his team still trying to clinch the AL East, Girardi wasn't hearing any of that."Right now, they're all big for us," he said.The 41-year-old Rivera was perfect in pitching the ninth inning for his 42nd save of the season, leaving him on the brink of sole ownership of the mark. "602 is the big one because it just puts the final stamp on it that he's the greatest closer of all time," Girardi said.If Rivera doesn't get the record Sunday, he'll likely reach it sometime during an eight-game homestand that begins Monday."I would love to get it at home, but I don't think like that," Rivera said.Rivera struck out Colby Rasmus looking to start the ninth, then retired Brett Lawrie on a broken-bat grounder to first. While some in the crowd of 39,288 headed for the exits, most stayed to watch as Rivera got Eric Thames on a routine fly to center.Even before the ball had been caught, Rivera walked off the mound with his head lowered to shake hands with catcher Russell Martin. Rivera broke into a smile during the postgame congratulations line and embraced teammate Alex Rodriguez. Center fielder Curtis Granderson flipped Rivera the souvenir ball.Rivera, whose wife and two youngest sons joined him in Toronto for the weekend, told the media hordes gathered around his locker that he doesn't enjoy the spotlight of his record pursuit."I am uncomfortable because I don't have this much attention at all," he said, smiling. "I would like you guys to just leave it alone. That would be good."Rivera, now in his 17th season in the big leagues, recorded his 600th save at Seattle on Tuesday. He also has 42 saves in postseason play."Mo is awesome," Rodriguez said. "You just run out of things to say about him. Every save he's had in his career meant something, and tonight was another example of that."Blue Jays manager John Farrell called Rivera "the standard by which all are compared.""If you're a fan of baseball and the game, you appreciate how good he is, how consistent he is," Farrell said.The tying save came in Rivera's 60th appearance of the year, surpassing former Yankees teammate Mike Stanton with a record 14 seasons of 60 games.Granderson hit his 40th homer, a go-ahead shot in the seventh to cap a 12 pitch at-bat. He fouled off seven straight pitches before homering.Rodriguez hit his 16th home run as New York ended a two-game skid. The Yankees trailed 6-1 before beginning their comeback with four runs in the sixth.Aaron Laffey (3-2) pitched one inning for the win. Scott Proctor, Laffey, Hector Noesi and Rafael Soriano each worked a scoreless inning before Rivera closed it out.Bartolo Colon, who has not won in eight starts, allowed six runs and seven hits in four innings for New York."It wasn't great," Girardi said. "Six runs in four innings is not what we expect from Bartolo. We'll see if we can get him back on track his next start."The Yankees closed to 6-5 in the sixth. Granderson led off with a double and scored when Rasmus bobbled Mark Teixeira's single to center. Robinson Cano was hit by a pitch and Rodriguez followed with his first home run since Sept. 4."I came up in the same situation a couple of innings before and didn't come through so I was glad to get another opportunity," Rodriguez said. "I got a good pitch to hit and capitalized."Derek Jeter opened the Yankees seventh with an infield single and Granderson homered against Carlos Villanueva (6-4).The Blue Jays scored four times in the second against Colon. Rasmus and Jose Molina each hit RBI doubles, Lawrie drove in a run with a groundout and Mike McCoy capped it with a squeeze bunt.The Yankees answered with a run in the fourth, an inning marked by Cano's baserunning blunder. After hitting an RBI double, Teixeira moved to third when left fielder Adam Loewen dropped Cano's fly ball to left. One out later, Nick Swisher hit a liner into right center but Rasmus made a fine running catch for the second out. Thinking the ball would drop, Cano rounded third and passed Teixeira, who was heading back to tag up. Cano was ruled out, and the Blue Jays got credit for a double play."I think Robby thought the ball was going to drop for sure," Girardi said. "When Swish hit it, I thought it was going to fall, too. Still, you've got to make sure."Toronto added to its lead and chased Colon with two runs in the bottom half, with McCoy hitting a two-out double to right.Game notes Rivera has blown five saves this season. ... Rodriguez batted fifth for the first time this season. He scored the 1,821st run of his career, tying Eddie Collins for 14th place on the all time list. ... The Yankees are an ML-best 40-11 in day games. ... Yankees RHP Phil Hughes (back spasms) has been scratched from Monday's start against Minnesota and will be replaced by RHP A.J. Burnett. Hughes, who felt sore after Friday's bullpen session, is expected to pitch Tuesday or Wednesday. ... New York OF Greg Golson celebrated his 26th birthday. ... Loewen made his first start in left field after previous appearances in right and center. ... New York RHP Freddy Garcia (11-7) faces Toronto RHP Brandon Morrow (9-11) in Sunday's series finale.

Young tops 100 RBIs as Ogando, Rangers win

ARLINGTON, Texas -- With Michael Young standing on deck for the Texas Rangers already with 98 RBIs, the Cleveland Indians opted to walk Josh Hamilton.Giving that free pass to Hamilton and loading the bases in the fifth inning only briefly delayed a big blast by the AL West-leading Rangers. Young delivered a three-run double to go over 100 RBIs for the second time in his career, and Adrian Beltre immediately followed with a two-run homer as Texas went on to a 7-4 victory Thursday night, completing a three-game sweep and extending its division lead to 3½ games over the idle Los Angeles Angels."I don't take those things personally. I just try to focus on my job," Young said. "At that point we're really making sure we're trying to push one across. I was just trying to get something to the outfield. Worst-case scenario, sacrifice fly scores a run."Texas (86-64) moved to 22 games over .500 for the first time since 1999, and will now play nine of its final 12 games on the road, starting Friday night at Seattle.Cleveland's loss cut Detroit's magic number for clinching the AL Central to one. The Tigers lost 6-1 at Oakland later Thursday."All you can think is you failed to achieve your goal, which is to win the division," Indians manager Manny Acta said. "You play to win the division. So you get your head up, play for second place or above .500. You have to shift gears and have another goal."Young's bases-clearing double off Fausto Carmona (6-15) gave him 101 RBIs. Beltre followed with his 25th home run for a 6-0 lead.Hamilton hit his 22nd homer in the seventh.The 40th double of the season for Young, now primarily the Rangers' designated hitter, pushed him within two RBIs of his career high set five years ago. Young is only three hits shy of his seventh 200-hit season."What a year," manager Ron Washington said. "It doesn't matter where I put him in that lineup, he delivers."Endy Chavez opened the Texas fifth with an infield single before his second stolen base of the game. Ian Kinsler then walked before Elvis Andrus' sacrifice bunt brought up Hamilton, the reigning AL MVP who hit a grand slam Wednesday night after also going deep in the series opener."Like any team that has depth, pick your poison," Washington said. "I think any manager would have did what he did, not pitch to Josh. But he had to deal with Michael, had to deal with Beltre."Alexi Ogando (13-8) allowed only two singles while throwing six scoreless innings. The All-Star right-hander struck out four and walked two while winning for the first time in a month. He had been 0-3 in five starts since his last win Aug. 15 at the Angels.Ogando was nearly flawless, except for a 39-pitch second inning when he got out of a bases-loaded jam with consecutive strikeouts after both of his walks. He faced the minimum three batters the other five innings he pitched, getting Ezequiel Carrera to ground into an inning-ending double play after Jason Kipnis singled in the sixth.Washington said Ogando's "competitive juices" kicked in after he probably came within one batter of making an early exit."Sometimes during the game you have times like that during an inning. I was going too much to my left side on my fastball," Ogando said through an interpreter. "That's why I couldn't control those pitches. You can't do anything else. You have to think about what you were doing wrong. When they came and talked to me, that's what happened. I was able to fix it and worked my way to do it."Ogando had already thrown 52 pitches after he struck out Lonnie Chisenhall and Lou Marson to get out of the second. He needed only 40 more pitches to get through the next four innings, and had his longest outing in his past five starts.Carmona, an AL All-Star last season, is 0-3 with a 6.97 ERA over his past six starts. Against the Rangers, the right-hander struck out three, walked five, and gave up seven hits and five earned runs over six innings. He also threw a wild pitch.Texas got its first run after Chavez had a leadoff single in the third to snap his 0-for-13 slide. He then got to third on a stolen base and a throwing error by catcher Marson before scoring on a single by Andrus.Shelley Duncan had a bloop RBI single with two outs in the seventh off Darren Oliver for the Indians' first run.Game notes The Rangers went 9-1 against Cleveland this season, outscoring the Indians 68-32. Texas has won 21 of 25 in the series over the past three seasons. ... Andrus has hit in all 23 of his games against Cleveland. ... Texas had only nine hits, ending its club record streak of consecutive 12-hit games at seven. ... Cleveland scored twice in the ninth off closer Neftali Feliz, who was pitching for the first time since Saturday. ... Actor Jonah Hill, a co-star in the upcoming movie "Moneyball," threw out the ceremonial first pitch. ... Texas is 49-29 at home.

Phillies edge Marlins, inch closer to division title

PHILADELPHIA -- Kyle Kendrick threw five strong innings in the opener of a day-night doubleheader and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Florida Marlins 3-1 Thursday, reducing the magic number for clinching their fifth straight NL East title to three.Cliff Lee goes for his 17th win as the Phillies try to complete a sweep. The games are a makeup from rainouts due to Hurricane Irene last month.Kendrick (8-6) didn't allow a hit until Logan Morrison homered to lead off the fifth. He gave up one run and one hit, striking out six.Michael Stutes tossed two scoreless innings, Antonio Bastardo and Brad Lidge worked the eighth, and Ryan Madson finished for his 31st save in 33 chances.Madson pitched out of a second-and-third, one-out jam by striking out Emilio Bonifacio and getting Omar Infante to foul out.Anibal Sanchez (8-8) pitched six strong innings, but was the hard-luck loser. He gave up two runs and four hits, striking out seven.Hunter Pence and Raul Ibanez hit RBI doubles in the first, and the major league-leading Phillies (96-51) moved within six wins of setting a single-season franchise record.Placido Polanco got the Phillies started in the first with a one-out single. He went to second on a balk and scored on Pence's double to left. Ibanez hit an RBI double to right with two outs to make it 2-0.The Marlins cut it to 2-1 in the fifth on Morrison's 20th homer.Ryan Webb walked Polanco with the bases loaded in the seventh to force in a run that put Philadelphia up 3-1.The Marlins put two runners on with one out against Bastardo in the eighth. Lidge came in and allowed a single to Gaby Sanchez. But left fielder Ibanez threw out Infante trying to score for the second out.Lidge then walked Morrison to load the bases. But he struck out John Buck to escape the jam.A crowd of 44,216 was the 208th consecutive sellout at Citizens Bank Park, including postseason play. There were more empty seats than usual on a dreary, drizzly day.The Phillies played without three regulars: Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins and Carlos Ruiz. All three were expected to start the second game. Utley got a pinch-hit single in the seventh in his first action since sustaining a concussion last Wednesday. Rollins and Ruiz also came in late and hit singles.Kendrick got plenty of defensive help from second baseman Pete Orr, who made three outstanding plays. Orr ran a long way to catch a shallow pop by Bryan Peterson in the second. He made a leaping, snow-cone catch on Sanchez's liner leading off the third. Then, he made a diving stop on Greg Dobbs' grounder in the hole in the fourth.Polanco helped Stutes in the seventh with an excellent, backhanded stab on Jose Lopez's hard one-hopper down the third-base line.Game notes Since Aug. 30, Florida's starting pitchers have a 2.78 ERA. ... The Phillies swept the Marlins in a doubleheader on June 15. ... The Phillies are 28-4 when Brian Schneider is the starting catcher. ... Kendrick improved to 7-2 vs. the Marlins. ... Sanchez fell to 3-8 vs. Philadelphia.

Behind Halladay, Phillies 1st to snag playoff spot

HOUSTON -- Roy Halladay pitched his 20th career shutout and the Philadelphia Phillies became the first team to reach the playoffs this season with a 1-0 victory over the Houston Astros on Wednesday.The NL East leaders clinched at least a wild-card berth and will appear in the postseason for the fifth straight year. Philadelphia won the World Series in 2008 and took the NL pennant in 2009.Once the club signed ace pitcher Cliff Lee last winter to round out a dominant rotation, another playoff berth for Philadelphia seemed a foregone conclusion. The Phillies said this week there would be no champagne celebration for wrapping up the wild card, and when Halladay finished off Houston he and his teammates barely cracked a smile.Phillies players and manager Charlie Manuel simply lined up for handshakes following their 95th win, just as if it were any other. The goal this season is a World Series championship, and anything short of that would hardly satisfy.Philadelphia's magic number is four for clinching its fifth division title in a row.The Phillies, who had lost three in a row, needed just a win over Houston or a loss by St. Louis on Wednesday to wrap up a playoff spot. The Cardinals beat Pittsburgh 3-2.Shane Victorino doubled in the first inning and scored the only run on Placido Polanco's single to help Philadelphia avoid a three-game sweep.Halladay (18-5) escaped trouble in the second and seventh, finishing with seven strikeouts and one walk for his first shutout of the season. The two-time Cy Young Award winner gave up six hits and threw 114 pitches for his eighth complete game of the year, tops in the NL.Houston loaded the bases in the second on Polanco's error at third, a single by Brian Bogusevic and a bunt single by Jose Altuve. The threat ended quickly when Carlos Lee was forced at home and Humberto Quintero hit into a double play.Halladay struck out pinch-hitter Matt Downs with a runner on second in the seventh to end that threat. Downs leads the majors with 12 pinch-hit RBIs.The Phillies spoiled a strong seven innings by Bud Norris (6-10). Victorino doubled to start the game and scored on Polanco's single.After that, Norris retired 15 batters in a row before escaping a one-out, bases-loaded jam in the sixth. He struck out Ryan Howard with a 94 mph fastball and Raul Ibanez flied out to end the inning.Norris allowed four hits, struck out three and walked one.Game notes The Phillies are 17-24 at Minute Maid Park. ... The Astros are 32-21 against Philadelphia since 2004, the best record of any NL team against the Phillies. ... The Astros currently have 16 rookies -- 10 pitchers and six position players. ... Philadelphia clinched a playoff spot in a franchise-best 146 games. The 1915 Phillies did it in 147 games.

Stark: Tigers roaring toward postseason

• Who will be managing the White Sox next season? We tossed that question at a baseball source who is tight with team chairman Jerry Reinsdorf, and got this succinct reply: "Ozzie Guillen." The same source also said, with zero equivocation, that if the Marlins think they can wait this out and then scoop Guillen off the unemployment line this winter, they'd better re-think. Unless the folks in Florida want to trade a big-time player to the South Side, the source said, the White Sox won't make any move to resolve Guillen's future until after the Marlins have hired a manager. Damon • More and more, it sounds as if the Rays would be amenable to bringing back Johnny Damon for another year of DH fun. And Damon would love to stick around. But remember, Damon wanted to go back to Boston, New York and Detroit, too -- and his trusty agent, Scott Boras, sometimes has different ideas about what Damon is worth than his former employers. As Damon himself said last year, after finding himself in Detroit: "I usually stay out of this stuff. I leave it in Scott's hands -- and I always end up changing teams." • Sources say Aaron Rowand definitely wants to play next season, but isn't likely to play again this season unless he gets an offer he can't turn down. The Phillies had kicked around the thought of bringing Rowand in this month, even though he'd be ineligible for the postseason. But with the arrival of Hunter Pence and the emergence of John Mayberry Jr., they can't offer him any playing time -- and aren't a fit down the road because they probably don't have much of a role to offer him for next season, either. Rowand has told some ex-teammates that since the Giants will still be paying him next year and money won't be a factor, his No. 1 criterion this winter is to land with a team that can offer him a chance to play. But other clubs seem to view him more as a platoon player at this stage of his career. Of the 217 players in the big leagues who have gotten 350 plate appearances this year, Rowand ranks 209th in OPS (.621). But if you look beyond those numbers, here's what you find: Away from AT&T Park, his OPS was 131 points higher (.682, versus .551 in San Francisco). And against left-handers, he hit .327, with an .818 OPS, away from AT&T Park (versus .240/.609 at home). • Scouts who have been following the Braves keep reporting they think the Braves' bullpen is finally showing signs of wear and tear. Just nine NL pitchers have appeared in 70 games this season. And guess the only team with more than one reliever on that list. Yep, it's Atlanta -- with THREE (Jonny Venters, Eric O'Flaherty and closer Craig Kimbrel). Neither Kimbrel nor Venters had let a late-inning lead get away since June until last week, when both of them blew saves against the Phillies and Cardinals. So it's getting increasingly noteworthy that Kimbrel leads all closers in innings (71⅔), while Venters leads all relievers, period (81⅔). Manager Fredi Gonzalez told Rumblings he never set out to have that happen, and he's trying his best to avoid riding these guys too hard. "But it doesn't help," he said, "that you play 23 extra-inning games. So that's 47 extra innings in those games. And they're all bullpen innings." • Finally, for all of us National League MVP voters, one of the toughest questions we face is just figuring out who's the MVP of the Brewers, let alone of the league. We've asked a bunch of people in baseball that question this month, and they're all split between Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder. "I'll tell you one thing," said one of them. "You'll find out next year -- when Fielder's gone, and Braun walks about 150 times." Five Astounding Facts (Tuesday edition)

Strasburg goes 3 innings, sparks Nats by Astros

WASHINGTON -- Stephen Strasburg allowed one run over three innings in his second start back from Tommy John surgery, and the Washington Nationals hit three consecutive home runs in an 8-2 win against the Houston Astros on Sunday.Strasburg didn't display the same efficiency he did in his return Tuesday. The right-hander needed 31 pitches to get out of the first inning, although he settled down and finished with six straight outs. He allowed three hits and struck out four in his 57-pitch outing.Ian Desmond, Rick Ankiel and Ryan Zimmerman all went deep off Houston starter Henry Sosa (2-4) to start the Nationals' third inning.The Astros (49-97) tied the franchise mark for most losses in a season. They have lost 97 games three times, most recently in 1991.To mark the 10th anniversary of 9/11, Washington wore special blue jerseys with a stars-and-stripes background for the team's 'W' logo. Two red, blue and white logos were painted on the field in foul territory along the base lines, with the date "September 11, 2001" and the words: "We shall not forget."Tom Gorzelanny (3-6) followed Strasburg and pitched three scoreless innings, giving up one hit.Strasburg's pitch count was almost exactly the same as it was in his first start back, when he threw 56 pitches over five scoreless innings and struck out four against the Dodgers. It was clear from the start Sunday he wasn't going to cruise through the Astros' lineup the same way -- he needed nine pitches to strike out leadoff batter Jordan Schafer.Strasburg went to a full count on the first three batters, although he struck out two of them. The other, No. 2 hitter Jimmy Paredes, singled on a grounder up the middle that went through Strasburg's legs and bounced off second base. The fourth batter, Carlos Lee, singled on a 2-2 fastball to score Paredes.Chris Marrero's sacrifice fly in the second tied the game, and the Nationals took the lead with three consecutive homers in the third. It was the first time the Nationals had hit back-to-back-to-back home runs since July 11, 2009, at Houston. That was also the last time the Astros had allowed three straight homers.The Nationals added their fourth run of the inning on Marrero's RBI double.Sosa, making his seventh major league start, allowed five runs and seven hits in 2 2/3 innings, the first time he has failed go at least five innings.Zimmerman hit an RBI bloop single in the sixth inning to extend the lead to 6-1, and Washington added a pair of runs in the seventh. Lance Pendleton hit Marrero and Wilson Ramos with pitches on successive at-bats, and both scored on RBI singles by Laynce Nix and Desmond.The Astros scored in the ninth inning on a throwing error by Zimmerman at third base.Game notes Nationals 2B Danny Espinosa snapped an 0-for-15 slump with a double in the second inning. He was 2 for 4 with two doubles. ... Houston purchased the contract of LHP Xavier Cedeno from Triple-A Oklahoma City and placed LHP Sergio Escalona on the 60-day disabled list. Cedeno flew from Puerto Rico to join the team in Washington, although his luggage and equipment didn't arrive with him. "We'll get him some shoes and a glove and go from there," manager Brad Mills said before the game. ... The Nationals start a four-game series at the New York Mets on Monday. LHP Ross Detwiler (2-5) will start for Washington against RHP R.A. Dickey (8-11). ... Houston hosts Philadelphia on Monday. RHP Brett Myers (4-13) faces Phillies RHP Roy Oswalt (7-8) in a matchup of pitchers going against their former teams.

Guillen wants to lead White Sox 'next 20 years'

White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen joins "Talkin' Baseball" to discuss his future with the team and what the club can do to improve next season. More Podcasts " "I expect to be back here next year," Guillen told ESPN 1000's "Talkin' Baseball" on Saturday. "I expect to be back here for a long time. I think I'm shooting for the moon, but I think my expectations are pretty high, always will be. I think there's no doubt in anybody's mind how much I love this organization, how much I love this city. ... [There were] two things that [were] my goals when I was a kid, that was to play in the big leagues and manage in the big leagues, and I did it with this organization. I expect to be back just not next year, I expect to be back here the next 20 years." With one year remaining on his contract and the team languishing around the .500 mark in spite of an offseason spending spree, much speculation has centered around Guillen's future with the White Sox. Rumors of his possible departure haven't been helped by his hot-and-cold relationship with White Sox general manager Kenny Williams. Guillen may have further complicated the situation by recently saying he wanted the club to extend his deal beyond the 2012 season. So has that off-the-field drama had an adverse impact on the White Sox this season? "No, not at all," Guillen said. "People think that's going to be an excuse because [we're] not playing the way we should be playing. Well, that's their opinion. ... Those guys out there, they're very professional. ... Believe me, I say it very clear all the time, if anything's distracting the players, I try to stay away from it. [The media] can say what they want to say. They can have their own opinion. But I'm [the] manager of this ballclub. I'm with them every day. I look at their face every day. I talk to them every day about it. And the last thing they mention is what's going on off the field." Guillen isn't the only franchise fixture whose future with the White Sox has been called into question. Mark Buehrle, who has spent all 11 of his big league seasons with the club, will be a free agent when the 2011 season ends. Based on what Buehrle said when he inked a four-year extension in 2007, some have speculated he might consider retirement. Guillen doesn't think that will be the case. "Oh, he's staying," Guillen said. "Mark Buehrle will make a lot of money next year no matter [whom] he plays for. & I talk to him every day and he never mentions [to] me anything about retirement. I think this kid's got a lot left to give [to] baseball. I think this kid can help a lot of big league ballclubs. Believe me, I don't think he's retiring."

Kennedy earns 19th win as D-backs top Padres

PHOENIX -- Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Ian Kennedy doesn't view a 20-win season as an attainable goal even as he's on the doorstep.Kennedy struck out a season-high 11 over seven-plus innings for his National League-leading 19th win as the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the San Diego Padres 4-1 on Thursday night."When you're a little kid, 20 wins is what the best guys do," Kennedy said. "When you grow up and learn how hard it is, it's not a realistic goal."Kennedy (19-4) scattered seven hits and did not walk a batter over 7 2/3 innings. The right-hander joined Detroit's Justin Verlander and New York Yankees ace CC Sabathia as the majors' only 19-game winners."I keep saying good bullpen and timely hitting and that's the truth," said Kennedy, who entered the season with a 9-10 career mark. "You saw last year how (games) can get out of hand sometimes and that's what makes the difference between a no decision and a win."Kennedy faced only two batters over the minimum in his first seven innings before tiring and allowing a run on three hits in the eighth. J.J. Putz pitched the ninth for his 38th save."He was exceptional," said Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson. "He's got pinpoint control, he has various pitches that he goes to and he limits his mistakes."Justin Upton hit his career-best 29th home run for the Diamondbacks, who won for the 14th time in 16 games to open a 7 1/2-game lead over San Francisco in the NL West. Arizona's magic number to clinch its first division title since 2007 dropped to 12.Upton left the game in the seventh with a cold he caught during the Diamondbacks' recent series in Colorado."I hate playing there," Upton said with a chuckle. "It always takes something out of you."Corey Luebke (5-9) allowed two runs and three hits over 5 2/3 innings. He walked four and struck out nine."Any time you are in a pitchers' duel like that, one or two pitches can cost you," said Padres manager Bud Black. "That was the case with tonight's game but Cory stayed with him. We were close enough but he just couldn't bunch enough hits together or get the big ball in the gap to get us closer."Paul Goldschmidt gave the Diamondbacks a 1-0 lead in the fourth with a one-out, line-drive homer that landed in the first row of the left-field bleachers. Upton made it 2-0 in the sixth, hitting Luebke's first pitch deep into the left-field stands."I was making sure I didn't have to sprint anywhere," Upton said.Luebke has allowed 11 home runs this season -- seven to the Diamondbacks and three to Upton alone."He's got me right now but I'll figure him out eventually," Luebke said. "He's not going anywhere."Arizona made it 4-0 in the seventh off Brad Brach. Brach hit Kennedy in the jersey with a pitch with one out, Willie Bloomquist singled and Aaron Hill hit an apparent double-play grounder to short. But Orlando Hudson's relay throw went well wide of the first-base bag, allowing Kennedy to score.Montero followed with an RBI single off Joe Thatcher to bring home Hill.Jeremy Hermida drove in Nick Hundley with an RBI single to left in the eighth for the Padres' lone run.Game notes Padres INF Logan Forsythe underwent arthroscopic surgery Thursday to debride his left knee. Forsythe will begin rehab immediately and should be ready for full activity in spring training. ... Arizona has won 13 straight at home, the second-best streak in the majors this season. Cleveland won 14 straight from April 3 to May 10. ... Kennedy is 5-0 in seven career starts against the Padres. He has won four straight starts and 10 of 12. ... San Diego has lost seven of its past eight against Arizona. ... Luebke's nine strikeouts matched a career high set on August 6 at Pittsburgh. ... Montero extended his hitting streak to 16 games. ... RHP Mat Latos will start for the Padres on Friday. He will be opposed by RHP Daniel Hudson, who is 15-5 with a 3.18 ERA in his last 25 starts.

Gwynn snaps tie in 9th as Dodgers take Game 1

WASHINGTON -- Tony Gwynn hit a tiebreaking double in the ninth inning and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Washington Nationals 7-4 in the first game of a doubleheader on Thursday.Gwynn drove in Jerry Sands and Rod Barajas with a long double to center off Drew Storen (6-3). Dee Gordon added a run-scoring single -- setting a career high with his fourth hit of the game. Mike MacDougal (3-1), the Dodgers' sixth pitcher, worked a scoreless eighth for the win. Javy Guerra pitched the ninth for his 16th save. Six Los Angeles relievers held Washington hitless over the last 6 1/3 innings.Juan Rivera hit two-run doubles in the first and third off Chien-Ming Wang to give the Dodgers a 4-0 lead.The Nationals tied the score at 4 in the bottom of the third off Chad Billingsley. Ryan Zimmerman and Michael Morse hit RBI doubles and Jayson Werth had a two-run home run -- his 19th.Los Angeles manager Don Mattingly yanked Billingsley after 2 1/3 -- his shortest start in more than two years.Game notes Dodgers OF Andre Ethier was shut down for the season. He'll get his ailing right knee examined by Dr. James Andrews. "I'm just trying to figure this whole thing out right now and figure out a way to get it better where it won't affect me for spring training," Ethier said. Ethier had a 30-game hitting streak -- the second longest in team history and the second longest in the major leagues this season. ... Washington manager Davey Johnson said he was resting 2B Danny Espinosa, who this week set a team record with seven straight strikeouts, because he was mentally tired. Stephen Lombardozzi got his first major league start. ... Johnson said that C Ivan Rodriguez, who was on the disabled list for nearly two months with an oblique strain, will be limited to pinch-hitting for the remainder of the season. He wants to see more of Wilson Ramos and Jesus Flores. ... Nats prospect Bryce Harper, who has a strained hamstring, won't play in the Eastern League playoffs. ... Washington begins a three-game series with Houston on Friday. LHP Tom Millone (0-0), who hit a home run on his first major league pitch last Saturday, will pitch against RHP Bud Norris (6-9). ... Los Angeles opens a three-game series in San Francisco. LHP Clayton Kershaw (17-5) faces RHP Tim Lincecum (12-12).

Tigers rally past Indians as Verlander wins 22nd

CLEVELAND -- Victor Martinez and the Detroit Tigers found a way to pick up Justin Verlander.Verlander won his 10th straight start and earned his 22nd victory overall, helped when Martinez hit a late grand slam that sent the Tigers over the Cleveland Indians 8-6 Wednesday.The AL Central-leading Tigers completed a three-game sweep and won their sixth in a row. "What a great win," said Verlander, who leaped off the bench and cheered Martinez's shot that highlighted a five-run rally in the seventh inning. "When he hit it, I said, 'It's that kind of year.'"Verlander (22-5) gave up a pair of two-run homers to Shelley Duncan and trailed 4-2 before Detroit rallied against Justin Masterson (11-9) and the Indians' bullpen.Verlander leads the majors in wins and is 20-2 since May 1. He gave up four runs and three hits in six innings, striking out eight."My stuff was not as crisp as it has been," Verlander said. "The two pitches to Duncan were pretty good, where I wanted them. Guys in this league get paid to hit it, too."Once again, our team came through in a huge way. They got big hits and I'm always extremely confident in our bullpen."Verlander is the first Detroit pitcher to win 10 consecutive decisions since Jack Morris in 1983, and first to win 10 straight starts since Hall of Famer Hal Newhouser in 1946. His 22 wins are the most for a Detroit pitcher since Joe Coleman went 23-15 in 1973."They didn't get many hits off him, just a couple out of the ballpark," manager Jim Leyland said.Jose Valverde pitched a perfect ninth for his 42nd save, tying Todd Jones' team record set in 2000. Valverde has not blown a save this year."That's his job and he's doing it pretty well," Leyland said. "Don't forget what (Joaquin) Benoit did in the eighth."The Tigers' setup man struck out two in a perfect inning and has a 1.58 ERA over his last 43 outings.Martinez went 5 for 13 with two homers and 10 RBIs in the sweep of his former team as Detroit dropped Cleveland 9 1/2 games back. The Tigers are 16-4 since Aug. 19, going 6-0 against Cleveland and sweeping three in a row from the Chicago White Sox to take command of the division."They took care of business and, obviously, we didn't," Indians manager Manny Acta said. "They're doing a great job running away from us."Leyland isn't ready to celebrate."Have we accomplished something? Absolutely," he said. "So far we've met a head-on challenge pretty good. I told them, 'Have a good day off (Thursday). You earned it. But get ready to play Friday because nobody is going to give us anything.'"Masterson left after Detroit loaded the bases on two singles around Duncan's error at first base in the seventh. Joe Smith came on and yielded Miguel Cabrera's RBI single that got the Tigers within 4-3.Lefty Tony Sipp replaced Smith and the switch-hitting Martinez turned around to the right side and hit the first pitch into the left-field seats for his second career slam, both against the Indians. The first was Oct. 3, 2009, for Boston, a couple of months after Cleveland traded him to the Red Sox."It's not just because it's against the Indians, I always want to do my best," Martinez said.Martinez, Cabrera and Alex Avila each had two of Detroit's 13 hits. The Tigers have had 10 or more hits in 11 of their last 13 games and 31 of 51 games since the All-Star break."We were kind of up and down for a while and are starting to hit our stride," Verlander said.Duncan had his second two-homer game this week and fourth of his career. He also did it Sunday in Kansas City.He came in just 2-for-11 (.182) with four strikeouts in his career against Verlander before connecting in the second for a 2-0 lead. The two runs were more than the Indians scored in seven of Masterson's starts this year.Detroit tied it at 2 in the fourth. Cabrera singled with one out for the Tigers' first hit and was doubled to third by Martinez. Cabrera scored on a sacrifice fly by Avila and Wilson Betemit doubled home Martinez.Jim Thome lined a two-out double high off the wall in left-center in the Indians' fourth. Duncan followed with his eighth homer, a towering shot to left for a 4-2 lead.Lonnie Chisenhall's two-run homer off Tigers reliever Phil Coke got Cleveland within 7-6 in the bottom of the seventh. Don Kelly's RBI triple made it 8-6 in the ninth.Game notes Verlander has thrown at least six innings and 100 pitches in all 31 starts this season. ... Fans sitting in a dreary drizzle throughout the game got a few laughs in the middle innings as a squirrel darted around the outfield. ... Indians DH Travis Hafner, out since Aug. 22 with a strained tendon in his right foot, ran in the outfield before the game. "Just straight ahead, nothing lateral, but I'm feeling better," he said. ... Detroit is 21-10 on the road since July 6, best in the AL. ... Cabrera has hit .391 with 26 RBIs while reaching base safely in a career-high 34 consecutive games, the longest streak by a Tigers player since Damion Easley's 34-game streak in 1998. ... The Tigers are off Thursday before playing host to Minnesota for three games. ... The Indians start a four-game set in Chicago on Thursday in a chase for second place. LHP David Huff (2-3) will oppose White Sox RHP Gavin Floyd (12-10).

Fister's career-high 13 K's help Tigers pad lead

CLEVELAND -- Doug Fister's breaking ball put the brakes on Cleveland's challenge to first-place Detroit.Fister struck out a career-high 13, Victor Martinez hit a three-run homer and the Tigers beat the Indians 4-2 on Monday to extend their AL Central lead to 7½ games."That's the best I've seen Fister," said Tigers manager Jim Leyland, still wary of the gritty Indians."I'm not looking ahead," he said. "We haven't done anything but put ourselves in good position. That's all."Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski laid the groundwork for the surge by acquiring Fister (7-13) from Seattle on July 30. The right-hander is 4-1 in seven starts for Detroit. He gave up an earned run and four hits over eight innings."He did a little of this when they were looking for that," Leyland said. "The curve was a huge pitch for him and he stayed out of the middle of the plate. You can't hardly pitch better than he did today."Jose Valverde worked a perfect ninth to move to 41 for 41 in save opportunities, extending his team record and helping the Tigers improve to 14-4 since leading the Indians by 1½ games on Aug. 19. Detroit began a three-game home sweep of the Indians that night and has won five straight against them, sending Cleveland to its largest deficit of the season."We've got enough games left, but the main thing is this is the only opportunity to really shave the lead," Indians manager Manny Acta said. "When you don't play the team you're trailing it takes forever sometimes to (cut) a game."We need to be ready to even up the series. This is the most important one. Our effort and our energy should be concentrated on winning tomorrow."Martinez drove a 2-2 pitch from Ubaldo Jimenez (2-2) 420 feet into the right-field seats for a 3-0 lead in the fourth."I was looking fastball because that's what he was throwing everybody else," Martinez said. "He threw one down the middle and I swung."Jimenez struck out five over the first two innings and didn't yield a hit until Delmon Young singled with one out in the fourth. Miguel Cabrera then walked before Martinez connected for his ninth homer.Martinez, dealt to Boston by the Indians at the trading deadline in 2009, signed with the Tigers as a free agent last winter. He is batting .392 with runners in scoring position and .324 with 82 RBIs overall.Grady Sizemore, activated by Cleveland after six weeks on the disabled list, drove in an unearned run with a groundout in the fifth to make it 3-1.The Indians, riddled by injuries all year, led the division from April 8 until June 14, when the Tigers' Justin Verlander beat them 4-0. Cleveland climbed back into the lead, but has trailed Detroit since losing to the Chicago White Sox 3-0 on July 22.That was one day after Sizemore had abdominal surgery. The Indians have been without several key players for large chunks of time this season and hope the three-time All-Star can give them a much-needed September spark.Jason Donald singled, took second on a wild pickoff attempt by Fister and advanced to third on a groundout by Lou Marson. Sizemore hit a sharp grounder up the middle that shortstop Jhonny Peralta fielded behind the second-base bag. His throw to first got Sizemore as Donald scored."Defense helped there," Fister said. "That's my job, make them put it in play and rely on the defense. I don't try for strikeouts. Today, I just got them."Detroit added another run in the eighth on Cabrera's fielder's choice with the bases loaded.Kosuke Fukudome hit his second homer for Cleveland with one out in the eighth. Fukudome hit three homers for the Chicago Cubs before being acquired by the Indians in July.Jimenez struck out eight in seven innings and was charged with three runs and two hits. He has a 5.27 ERA in seven starts since Cleveland dealt four prospects to Colorado for him on July 31.Game notes Jimenez is 8-11 overall, including his time with the Rockies. ... Fister's 13 strikeouts are the most by a Tigers pitcher against Cleveland since LHP Mike Kilkenny fanned 13 on Sept. 17, 1969. ... Detroit recalled C Omir Santos from Triple-A Toledo for the fourth time. ... The Tigers arrived at their Cleveland hotel around 2 a.m. after an 18-2 win over the White Sox on Sunday night. Leyland said he will try to rest some Tigers when they play another day game Wednesday against the Indians. ... Tigers OF Brennan Boesch is out for the season with a torn ligament in his right thumb. He could have surgery this week at Cleveland Clinic, by noted specialist Dr. Thomas Graham. ... Acta said 2B Jason Kipnis may be activated this week. Kipnis has been out since Aug. 14 with a strained hamstring. ... Indians DH Travis Hafner, out since Sept. 6 with a strained right foot, said he may start jogging this week. He has been taking swings in the batting cage. ... Detroit's Rick Porcello (12-8) will face Fausto Carmona (6-13) in a battle of right-handers in the series' second game.

Francisco, Reds hurt Cardinals' playoff hopes

ST. LOUIS -- Juan Francisco capped a career-best four-hit day with the go-ahead hit in the 10th inning and the Cincinnati Reds beat the St. Louis Cardinals 3-2 on Sunday, taking two of three from a team desperately trying to stay in contention.Jon Jay homered and Daniel Descalso had an RBI triple for the Cardinals, who fell 9 1/2 games behind NL Central-leading Milwaukee heading into a three-game series with the Brewers starting Monday night. St. Louis was 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position and 2 for 20 with men on base.Francisco Cordero went through the heart of St. Louis' order for his 30th save in 35 chances and 13th in a row, also giving him seven 30-save seasons.

Cano key as Yanks rally for win over Blue Jays

NEW YORK -- Through all the drama surrounding the New York Yankees this year -- the lineup changes, injuries and off-field issues -- Joe Girardi has had one constant: Robinson Cano.And the smooth-swinging second baseman has not let his manager down.Cano gave the Yankees the lead for the second straight game against Toronto, this time hitting a two-run double in the seventh inning to exceed 100 RBIs for the second consecutive season, and New York rallied to beat the Blue Jays 6-4 on Saturday for its sixth win in seven games."This kid loves to play the game, loves pressure moments," Girardi said. "It's a pleasure to pencil his name in there every day. It's real easy." Cano lined a 2-2 pitch from reliever Casey Janssen to the wall in center field to score Curtis Granderson and Alex Rodriguez, back in the lineup after missing a week with a sprained left thumb.A .309 career hitter, Cano was motivated by the walk to Rodriguez."Every time I see they walk a guy in front of me, that pumps me up," Cano said, "and I say, 'Come on, now is a situation where you've got to show them they've got to pitch to the guy in front of you."Ricky Romero (13-10) was cruising along after giving up a two-run homer to Francisco Cervelli and an RBI single to Eduardo Nunez in the third until he hit Granderson in the back with a curveball with one out in the seventh and walked Rodriguez.After Cano's hit, Nick Swisher ended Janssen's scoreless streak at 16 2/3 innings with an RBI single, making it 6-4. Cano had the tiebreaking hit in Friday night's 3-2 win, a single in the fifth. He has 101 RBIs this season."He's a good hitter. (I) didn't have to give in 2-2 but definitely wanted to throw an aggressive pitch and he hit it," Janssen said. "It was a cutter. A little bit flatter than I wanted it."The Yankees improved to a major league-best 36-9 in day games and ended Romero's winning streak at six straight decisions. His last loss came against New York on July 16."I thought I did a pretty good job of battling," Romero said.Rodriguez returned with a taped left thumb after missing six games. With Derek Jeter getting a day off after a night game and Mark Teixeira out for a second straight game because of a sore knee, A-Rod batted third for the first time since 2008. He went 1 for 3, striking out in the fifth after getting ahead in the count 3-0, and walked.Boone Logan (5-2) relieved Bartolo Colon with one out in the seventh and got two outs for the victory.David Robertson tossed a perfect eighth. With Mariano Rivera and Rafael Soriano unavailable after each pitched two straight nights, Robertson gave up a hit in the ninth before finishing his first two-inning outing in more than a year for his first save this season and third of his career.Robertson would love to be a closer, but knows it won't happen soon."I don't have to worry about it. We've got 42 here," Robertson said, referring to Rivera, who is four saves away from 600.Toronto injury replacement Dewayne Wise tripled in his first at-bat after entering the game for Eric Thames, who left because of dizziness after striking out looking in the first. Wise hit his first homer of the season in the fifth, a tiebreaking shot.Blue Jays shortstop Yunel Escobar also left because of an injury, pulling out before the bottom of the fifth with a jammed left wrist. He said X-rays were negative but he was sore and wouldn't play Sunday.Adam Lind connected off Colon and Jose Bautista drove in a run for the fourth straight game for Toronto, which built a 4-3 lead against Colon in the fifth.Colon came in 6-1 with 1.88 ERA in eight day starts, but he struggled at times in his 6 1/3 innings, giving up four runs and seven hits. He struck out seven and walked one, throwing a season-high 107 pitches.Colon started off well enough in the brilliant sunshine, striking out the side -- two looking with nasty movement on his fastball and a sharp breaking pitch. The second inning was another story.Lind led off with his 24th home run, Edwin Encarnacion and Kelly Johnson each had a single and Encarnacion advanced to third on Brett Lawrie's fielder's choice.J.P. Arencibia gave Toronto a 2-0 lead with a sacrifice fly.The Yankees scored three times with two outs in the bottom half. Nunez laced an RBI single and Cervelli followed with a two-run homer. He crossed the plate without the hand clap that upset pitcher John Lackey on Tuesday night in Boston and led to a bench-clearing staredown two innings later.The Blue Jays got a run right back when Wise tripled into the right-field corner and scored on Bautista's single.Colon struck out his last batter of the third and fanned the side in the fourth. Wise homered into the Yankees' bullpen in right-center with one out in the fifth for a 4-3 lead.Game notes Teixeira said he was feeling better and should return to the lineup Sunday. ... Blue Jays 3B coach Brian Butterfield was ejected for arguing balls and strikes after Johnson struck out to end the third inning. ... Acting manager Don Wakamatsu said Bautista was sore after fouling ball off his leg Friday night and the slugging RF will probably DH on Sunday. "Get him off his feet a little bit tomorrow," Wakamatsu said. ... Top Yankees prospect Jesus Montero got his first big league hit in the sixth, a single.

Stark: What to watch for in September

This will be the 17th September since baseball broke into six divisions and added two wild cards back in the mid-'90s. None of the previous 16 looked anything like this. It's the first time in all those years that we could look around on Sept. 1 and not find even ONE tug-o'-war, for any of the eight playoff spots, between teams that were separated by no more than 1½ games. Yikes. How'd THIS happen, anyway? All right, it's true that the Red Sox and Yankees are divided by only a game and a half in the AL East. But does that count as a "meaningful race" if the loser is almost guaranteed to be the wild card? We'd vote no -- not in a traditional, win-or-else, pennant-race kind of way, anyhow. There's one thing we should remember, though. Sometimes these races aren't as "over" as they look. A year ago at this time, the Giants were four games out in the NL West. The Phillies were three back in the NL East. You know how their seasons turned out. In 2009, the Tigers blew a 3 �-game lead, entering September, in the AL Central. In 1995, the Mariners came from 7½ back to win the AL West. And we're not even going to get into what happened to the 2007 Mets. So it does happen. Just sayin'. October Matchup Scramble: AL Edition 2 On one hand, thanks to the flaws in the current wild-card system, that Yankees-Red Sox race is pretty close to irrelevant. If they're both moving on, why should we care? On the other hand, here's why we should care: Because it might not seem so irrelevant come October. The winner gets to open the postseason at home and have home-field advantage through the first two rounds. The loser gets home-field advantage in NO rounds and probably (barring a big finish by the Angels) has to kick off the postseason in Texas against a Rangers team nobody should want to mess with in October. Not that it would be any fun to run into Justin Verlander and the Tigers. But here's why inviting Verlander to The Stadium would be a fine alternative for the Yankees: 1. They're 5-2 against Detroit in games Verlander has started since 2008 (including 2-0 this year). And 2. the Yankees have lost four of the past six postseason series in which they DIDN'T have home-field advantage, with just one of those two triumphs coming in the past 10 seasons. October Matchup Scramble: NL Edition 3 Has anybody spotted a race in this league? It would be tough -- even with the Hubble Space Telescope. It's hard to believe that the CLOSEST race for any of the four NL playoff spots is six games. So unless somebody does some serious collapsing, the only drama in the NL standings this month will be the jockeying for seeding. But you don't think seeding matters to the Brewers? They have a shot to become only the fourth NL team in the expansion era to win 60 games at home -- but they have as many road wins as the Pirates. So the Brew Crew are lusting after that first or second seed. And you don't think seeding matters to the Diamondbacks? They've scored 52 more runs at home than on the road. Their OPS is almost 100 points higher at home (.782-.683). And their road batting average (.237) is lower than the Giants' road average (.238). So besides their quest to hold off the defending champs, the D-backs have humongous incentive to catch the Brewers for that No. 2 seed and home field in the division series. The Brewers still lead Arizona by three games on that front. But here's a tidbit to file away in case the Diamondbacks take advantage of their cushy September schedule and make this race closer: Arizona won the season series (4-3), so if the Diamondbacks and Brewers finish tied, Arizona would be the No. 2 seed. Prospective matchups if the postseason started today: Phillies (1) versus Diamondbacks (3), Brewers (2) versus Braves (4). Playoff preview series 4 Not that it will tell us anything about what lies ahead in October, but the September schedule features a bunch of potential playoff-preview series -- like these, for instance: • Rangers at Red Sox, Sept. 2-4 • Braves at Phillies, Sept. 5-7 • Phillies at Brewers, Sept. 8-11 • Yankees at Angels, Sept. 9-11 • Phillies at Braves, Sept. 26-28 And you'll be shocked to learn that the Red Sox WILL play the Yankees again -- three more times, Sept. 23-24-25, in New York. The MVP races 5 Is there even an MVP favorite in either league right now? We don't see one. And any time we can weave September plotlines into the MVP discussion, that often constitutes September theater at its finest. In the American League, you have more than just a mad scramble. You have a wild clash of disparate voting philosophies. No starting pitcher has won an MVP award in 25 years, but if you think that's a bogus way to vote, Justin Verlander has a great case. No player from a noncontender has won since Alex Rodriguez in 2003 (for the last-place Rangers), but if you think contending is somehow overrated, Jose Bautista's numbers make him the clear choice of the sabermetrics crowd. No Yankee other than A-Rod has won an MVP award in the past quarter century, but Curtis Granderson's potentially historic season could rewrite that nugget. And if one of the three legit Red Sox candidates -- Adrian Gonzalez, Dustin Pedroia and Jacoby Ellsbury -- separates himself in September, the correct response to all the stuff we just talked about could be: Never mind. Over in the National League, the same arguments are swirling. It feels as though the Dodgers got eliminated on Mother's Day, but if that doesn't bother you, Matt Kemp's numbers are insane. And if we're going to welcome in all the noncontenders, toss the caps of Joey Votto, Troy Tulowitzki and Andrew McCutchen into this ring, too. Will we figure out which Brewer -- Prince Fielder or Ryan Braun -- to vote for? September could help us sort that out. And if Justin Upton leads the who-are-these-guys Diamondbacks into October, he could render all these other names defunct. But why do we have a feeling that the biggest MVP storyline in September might be more about how voting philosophies evolve among the baseball scribes with ballots than it will be about who does what on the field? Just a hunch. Let out a Cy 6 Before we hand Verlander his MVP trophy, we also should ask: Has he already ended the Cy Young debate? Uh, Jered Weaver still leads him in ERA (2.28-2.38), so that's one guy who sure doesn't think so, anyway. Then again, Verlander has now pulled within one-tenth of a run in ERA of taking the lead in all three categories that make up the pitching triple crown (wins, strikeouts, ERA). And keep in mind that since the invention of Cy Youngs, no pitcher has won a pitching triple crown and not won a Cy Young. That's a little factoid that's relevant to the NL Cy Young debate, too, by the way. In case you hadn't noticed, Clayton Kershaw leads the league in whiffs, is tied for the lead in wins and is now sitting at No. 2 in the ERA race. So Kershaw has elevated himself into the thick of the NL Cy Young free-for-all with a spectacular second half (9-1, 1.18 ERA since July 7). But Roy Halladay has obliterated the field in wins above replacement (7.2 to Kershaw's 5.8), has virtually an identical ERA to Kershaw's in a more hitter-friendly park and easily could argue he's the Cy Young of EVERY season. Then there's Cliff Lee, who is about to reel in his second pitcher-of-the-month award in the past three months and leads the league in shutouts (five) and double-figure strikeout games (eight). He also has piled up nearly twice as many starts of zero runs/eight-plus innings (eight) as any other pitcher in the league. Sure looks like we're in for a fabulous September pitch-off to settle that debate, doesn't it? The return of Strasburg and new September faces

Lawrie's HR breaks 8th inning tie, lifts Blue Jays

BALTIMORE -- Brett Lawrie has been in the majors for a month, and the Baltimore Orioles already have seen enough of the kid from Canada.Lawrie hit a tiebreaking two-run homer in the eighth inning, Yunel Escobar had his second straight four-hit game, and the Toronto Blue Jays defeated Baltimore 8-6 on Thursday.Lawrie made his debut at Camden Yards on Aug. 5. Since that time, he leads all rookies in homers (seven), triples (four) and extra-base hits (17)."Lawrie continues to play and swing the bat as good as you can expect," acting manager Don Wakamatsu said.Given his .340 batting average, it's safe to say Lawrie has exceeded expectations."No doubt," Wakamatsu said. "You can't sell him short."Especially when facing Baltimore. Lawrie is batting .417 in six games against the Orioles, all at Camden Yards. In addition, three of his seven homers and eight of his 20 RBIs have come in Baltimore."It's a home away from home. It's where it all started," Lawrie said. "We'll be back here some day."It will be too soon for the Orioles."He's a big ol' boy," Baltimore's Nick Markakis said. "He can swing the stick, no question about that. Their whole team can swing."Kelly Johnson also homered for the Blue Jays, who had 26 runs and 42 hits in taking two of three at Camden Yards.Orioles starter Tommy Hunter allowed six runs, five earned, in six innings.Manager Buck Showalter said the right-hander began feeling ill in the third inning and felt even worse after his performance."He was throwing up. He's heading to the hospital," Showalter said. "I'm not going to try to say what it is or what it isn't, but he won't make the trip (to Tampa Bay) with us right now."With the score 6-all, Johnson drew a walk from Willie Eyre (1-1) and Lawrie followed with his seventh home run. Lawrie went 3 for 5 and scored twice.Escobar was 4 for 5 with two RBIs. The four hits matched a career high.Shawn Camp (2-3) finished the seventh inning, Jon Rauch worked a perfect eighth and Frank Francisco got three straight outs for his 12th save.Vladimir Guerrero and Matt Wieters homered for the Orioles, who rallied from a 6-3 deficit before giving the lead back in the eighth. Guerrero had three hits, a season-high four RBIs and scored twice.But Markakis' streak of 182 consecutive series with at least one hit ended. It's the first time he went hitless in a series since May 23-25, 2008, in Tampa Bay.The defeat assured Baltimore (54-81) of a 14th straight non-winning season.The game was switched from 7:05 p.m. to 12:35 so the city could finalize plans for the first Baltimore Grand Prix. The change, combined with the lackluster matchup between the two bottom teams in the AL East, resulted in a meager crowd of 11,617.Toronto played a seventh straight game without manager John Farrell, who is recovering from pneumonia and won't be with the Jays at Yankee Stadium this weekend. Wakamatsu, Toronto's bench coach, is running the team in his place.The Orioles used successive doubles by Guerrero and Wieters to take a 1-0 lead in the second.Toronto responded with a two-run third that began with Hunter walking No. 9 hitter Mike McCoy, who took third on a double by Escobar. Eric Thames followed with a run-scoring groundout and Jose Bautista hit an RBI single.The Blue Jays made it 4-1 in the fourth. After Lawrie and J.P. Arencibia hit consecutive doubles, Escobar singled in a run.Guerrero and Wieters connected in succession in the bottom half, both on 3-2 pitches. It was the fourth time this season that Baltimore hit back-to-back home runs.Johnson led off the sixth with his 20th homer of the season and second in two games. He went 3 for 4 and is 9 for 17 in his last four games.Baltimore closed to 6-5 in the bottom half when starter Luis Perez walked the first two batters and Guerrero hit a two-run double. The Orioles then put runners at second and third with one out before Jesse Litsch retired the side.Guerrero drove in another run in the seventh with a slow roller to shortstop with one out and the bases loaded.Game notes The Blue Jays activated Rauch (appendicitis) from the 15-day DL. ... The Orioles purchased the contracts of RHP Rick VandenHurk and OF Kyle Hudson from Triple-A Norfolk. ... The Blue Jays open a three-game series in New York on Friday. Toronto will start Brandon Morrow, who is averaging a major league-best 10.35 strikeouts per nine innings. ... Baltimore rookie Zach Britton will start Friday night in the opener of a three-game series against Tampa Bay.