Beckett aims to keep Sox on a roll  —  Philadelphia (35-37) vs. Boston (42-28), Friday, 7:05 p.m. ET  —  After sweeping the Braves and Nationals, the Red Sox will set their sights on another National League East team, the Phillies, for their second head-to-head series of the season beginning Friday night at Fenway Park.

Current, former BoSox deny Crawford's story  —  Former Boston Red Sox teammates of Paxton Crawford are criticizing Crawford's account of steroid use in his brief stint with the team in 2000 and 2001.  —  Crawford told ESPN The Magazine's Amy K. Nelson that he was introduced to steroids …

Phillies ace arrested in Boston on domestic violence charge  —  BOSTON —Philadelphia Phillies ace pitcher Brett Myers was arrested Friday and charged with assaulting his wife on a downtown Boston street.  —  Myers, 25, who was scheduled to pitch Saturday against the Red Sox …

Baker's days appear numbered  —  MINNEAPOLIS — The clock is close to officially ticking down what a growing number of close observers now suspect will be the final weeks of Dusty Baker's tenure as Cubs manager.  —  It might be perceived more correctly as a time bomb.

Marlins rally late to dump O's in 10th  —  Pinch-hit homers by Borchard, Helms force extra innings  —  BALTIMORE — They may not yet be the "Miracle Marlins," but what this underdog team did Thursday night was downright miraculous.  —  One out away from defeat in the ninth inning …

1-hit thunder  —  Thome only batter to crack Cards' Reyes— with solo HR in 7th to complete sweep  —  Several thousand White Sox fans turned Thursday to a suite behind home plate where their suspended manager was seated and chanted "Ozzie, Ozzie."  —  But Freddy Garcia and Jim Thome deserved …

No Quick Fixes for Angels  —  Stoneman does things his way, even as fans grow more impatient  —  The Angels' general manager has been on the job for seven seasons, indisputably the most successful period in club history, a renaissance on the field and at the gate.

Delgado first, then Pedro  —  Before Pedro Martinez visits Fenway for the first time since leaving the Red Sox, the Mets' reunion tour has another stop to make.  —  The Mets are at Toronto tonight through Sunday, meaning Carlos Delgado will face his former team for the first time.

Conte may have leaked transcripts  —  The BALCO saga took a bizarre turn Thursday when Barry Bonds' personal trainer appeared in federal court and the government accidentally revealed confidential information that put Victor Conte Jr. back in the spotlight.  —  The San Jose Mercury News learned …

The Closer: How Not To Intentionally Walk Someone  —  Notes from a day in baseball ...  • 1.  Where Have You Gone Kelly Leak, A Nation Turns It's Lonely Eyes To You.  Well, it's Friday, the day we ask the musical question: Can't the Orioles do anything right?

My 25 Least Favorite Yankees of the Last 20 Years  —  Inspired by Catfish Stew, here's a list of my least favorite Yankees from the last twenty years:  —  25. Tim Stoddard Stoddard was 6'7", 250 pounds and looked like Wally Walrus from the Woody Woodpecker cartoons.  What's not to like about that?

Woman charged with stalking Uecker arrested, awaiting extradition  —  Woman charged with stalking Uecker arrested, awaiting extradition  —  MILWAUKEE (AP) — A woman charged with stalking Hall of Fame announcer Bob Uecker was arrested in Illinois and turned over to U.S. Marshals to await extradition to Wisconsin, police said.

Future Shock  —  Midpoint National League Report  —  The minor league regular season is over at the end of August, which means we've now reached the halfway mark.  Let's take a look at whose stock has risen and fallen, who the candidates are to be each team's top prospect in my postseason rankings …