Papelbon proves to be a dominant factor  —  In discussing the New York Yankees dynasty of the late 1990s, veteran right-hander David Cone once described closer Mariano Rivera as "The X Factor."  Now, inside the walls of antiquated Fenway Park, that is precisely what Jonathan Papelbon is becoming for the Red Sox.

Caught napping on the job  —  Cubs stumble to 10th loss in last 12 games despite Lee's return  —  MINNEAPOLIS — Derrek Lee was driven from Des Moines to Minneapolis after Saturday night's game at Triple-A Iowa, getting only a few hours of sleep before his long-awaited return to the Cubs' lineup.

The mystery man  —  Texas can't solve Kim, who delivers second straight dominant outing  —  Not so long ago, Byung-Hyun Kim was something of a mystery to his own team.  —  Now, comfortable and happy in a Rockies uniform, he's evolving into a central character in a solid starting rotation.

Asheville Tourists manager loses it following ejection  —  LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Minor league manager Joe Mikulik had a major league tantrum Sunday night.  —  The manager of the Asheville Tourists, a Class-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies in the South Atlantic League …

Bonds leaves game with knee irritation  —  SAN FRANCISCO —Barry Bonds left Sunday's game against the Oakland Athletics after the second inning with irritation in his left knee, a day after the San Francisco slugger connected for his 719th home run.  —  Bonds is day to day.

Mariners-Padres Preview  —  Seattle's Joel Pineiro hopes to even his record and defeat San Diego for the third time in his career as Mariners and Padres close their series at Petco Park on Sunday.  —  In his last start, Pineiro (6-7, 5.34 ERA) struggled through 6 1-3 innings …

Ozzie's slurring topped only by Ozzie's skating  —  I keep thinking of a sportswriter who was suspended 30 days, without pay, for a first-case slip of the tongue.  I keep thinking of an owner who was banished from baseball, a general manager who was disgraced for life, broadcasters who have lost their jobs.

New stadium not on time for Hunter  —  Normally when a team moves into a new ballpark, it generates enough money to keep its stars long-term.  —  Twins center fielder Torii Hunter, however, isn't sure he wants to wait for the Twins to open their new park in 2010.  —  "It's not the Twins.

May be time for Purpura to act boldly  —  CHICAGO — The Astros are a broken team.  Let's begin with that fundamental word.  Team.  —  Baseball is a game of numbers.  They're used to evaluate players and analyze seasons.  They're at the core of every decision.  Numbers, numbers, numbers.

Angels fall short of sweep in Arizona  —  PHOENIX — Orlando Hudson broke open a tie game by drilling a three-run homer in the fifth inning as the Diamondbacks handed the Angels a 9-7 loss in front of 24,778 on Sunday afternoon.  —  The loss prevented the Angels from getting their first sweep …

Visionary Johnson can relax  —  SHORT AND SWEET  —  DAYTONA BEACH — Twenty years ago, the man in the sunglasses was in the middle of the biggest story in sports.  —  The tanned, rested 63-year-old sitting behind home plate Friday night at Jackie Robinson Ball Park was the calm maestro …

White has sore shoulder checked  —  Rondell White's Twins career might not be as short as many have assumed.  That is because he and the Twins might have gotten to the root of the designated hitter's struggles.  —  White was in Cincinnati on Saturday, having his surgically repaired left shoulder examined …

A whole bunch of Nutting  —  It seemed like a good idea at the time.  It seemed like the best way to get answers about the Pirates was to speak directly with Robert Nutting, who is the chairman of the board of the team.  —  People who know him say he's not as reclusive as his father, G. Ogden Nutting, who also is on the board.

Notes: Showalter searching for starters  —  DENVER — The Rangers, going into Sunday's game, are 27-8 this season when they get six innings from their starting pitchers.  —  The problem is getting those six innings from their starters, something that had occurred just four times …

Notes: Ellis ready for rehab assignment  —  Second baseman will play for Sacramento on Monday  —  SAN FRANCISCO — A's manager Ken Macha said second baseman Mark Ellis will have a rehab assignment in Triple-A Sacramento on Monday.  —  Ellis has been on the 15-day disabled list since fracturing …