Braves sign Julio Franco  —  Hoping that a blast from their past will help fill a glaring need, the Braves signed 48-year-old first baseman Julio Franco for the rest of the season.  —  The oldest player in the majors, who turns 49 on Aug. 23, was dropped by the New York Mets last week …

Red Sox lose, lead in AL East down to 7  —  BOSTON (AP) — The Kansas City Royals left the slumping Red Sox answering questions about the surging Yankees.  —  "Are the Yankees back in it?"  Boston's Coco Crisp said.  "They were never out of it."  —  Riding high with a 12-game lead …

Angels send struggling Santana to minors  —  ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Struggling right-hander Ervin Santana was sent to the minors by the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday, a day after he was shelled by Tampa Bay and lost his fifth consecutive decision.  —  Santana fell to 5-11 with a 6.22 ERA in 19 starts.

Rolen leaves team to have shoulder examined  —  The Cardinals' tattered lineup took another hit today when third baseman Scott Rolen left the team in Florida and returned to St. Louis to have his left shoulder examined by team physician Dr. George Paletta.  —  Rolen also will receive …

Bonds sits again, Cubs rip Giants 12-1  —  CHICAGO (AP) — Just when it seemed Matt Cain could do no wrong, the Chicago Cubs came up with the kind of breakout innings that have landed them right back in the NL Central chase.  —  Carlos Zambrano pitched five shutout innings to become …

Padres shell out bucks for draft picks  —  The Padres have guaranteed a franchise-record $6.9 million to draftees this year and are still negotiating with three players chosen among the top 10 rounds.  —  The total includes $1.4 million paid to 2006 selections Matt Latos and Jeremy McBryde, two pitchers signed in May.

Mariners Notebook: Ibanez rests, takes stock  —  Left fielder gets day off, hopes to regain power  —  Coming off the best year of his career, Raul Ibanez isn't pleased with the way his production is progressing this summer.  But the Mariners' left fielder sees good things happening around him and can't wait to join the party himself.

Met bats regain mojo with HoJo  —  After early BP session, pound Padres behind Duque  —  SAN DIEGO - New hitting coach Howard Johnson invited Carlos Beltran, Paul Lo Duca and Jose Valentin, among others, to an early batting practice session on the field yesterday afternoon.

While Bonds nears record, trainer still jailed  —  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Barry Bonds thinks he has it rough these days?  —  While the San Francisco Giants slugger shows signs of strain as he struggles to hit five more home runs and become Major League Baseball's career home run king …

Franco: Clubhouse influence overrated  —  Sure, Julio Franco had his moments with the Mets.  He even had a few this year.  He just didn't have enough of them to prevent his release.  Franco signed today with the Braves, which wasn't really a surprise.  —  However, what was a surprise …

Dontrelle Willis is a Poor Pitcher  —  The Marlins found themselves on the wrong end of a 6-0 score as Kip Wells pitches eight strong innings, allowing just two hits.  But on the other side, Dontrelle Willis pitches another bad game.  He gives up eleven hits in just three innings.  His ERA is now 5.13.

Game 92: Blue Jays at Yankees  —  Here is the lineup:  —  YANKEES  —  Damon DH  —  Jeter SS  —  Abreu RF  —  Rodriguez 3B  —  Matsui LF  —  Posada C  —  Cano 2B  —  Phillips 1B  —  Cabrera LF  —  Pettitte LHP (5-6, 4.27)  —  Pregame chatter: Yanks are facing Roy Halladay …