Jackson's homer lifts Diamondbacks  —  Before Saturday night's game against the visiting Chicago Cubs, Diamondbacks first baseman Conor Jackson was commenting on rookie pitcher Micah Owings' hitting exploits, adding that he was getting a little jealous.  —  "He's got more home runs than me lately; that's for sure," Jackson said.

Tigers hit 3 HRs off Hughes, top Yanks  —  DETROIT (AP) — The New York Yankees hit the ball hard Sunday.  The Detroit Tigers just kept making all the plays.  —  The Tigers used three early homers and three late defensive gems to beat the Yankees 5-4, and can win their first series since mid-July …

Red Sox look to finish sweep  —  Boston (79-51) at Chicago (56-73), Sunday, 2:05 p.m. ET  —  Back to the rotation he goes.  Julian Tavarez will start against the Chicago White Sox on Sunday afternoon, seven days after seemingly pitching his way back into the Red Sox's plans.

Mets' Wagner takes day off; Mets beat Dodgers, 4-3  —  Billy Wagner had his ruse all ready to go, only to be talked out of it at the last minute.  —  Standing in the trainer's room after sitting out the Mets' 4-3 win over the Dodgers, Wagner had his oh-so-valuable left arm in a sling.

Hunter chooses to put off talks  —  BALTIMORE — Twins outfielder Torii Hunter turned down a recent offer from the Twins to negotiate a contract extension, preferring to wait until the end of the season.  —  Hunter, for most of the season, has publicly hoped that the club would open talks …

Aurilia, Giants Topple Slumping Brewers  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Pedro Feliz scored from first base on Rich Aurilia's single to right field in the eighth inning, lifting the San Francisco Giants to a 5-4 victory over the slumping Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday and completing a three-game sweep.

Holliday leads Rockies to sweep of Nats  —  DENVER (AP) — Matt Holliday homered, doubled and drove in three runs, and the Colorado Rockies finished off a sweep of the Washington Nationals with a 10-5 win on Sunday.  —  Elmer Dessens (2-1) gave up a run and three hits in six innings …

Joe Maddon, Part One  —  When the Devil Rays hired Joe Maddon to replace Lou Piniella following the 2005 season, they replaced an old-school manager with someone who wakes up in the morning and pores over statistical information on his computer.  The former Angels' bench coach is more than just a stat geek, though.

Rockies recall Iannetta  —  The Rockies are going back to the future for their backup catcher.  —  Rookie Chris Iannetta will be recalled and is expected to be activated for today's series finale against the Washington Nationals, replacing Geronimo Gil.  Iannetta was sent down to Triple …

Dodgers a disappointment  —  There is no easy way to say this.  The Rockies aren't winning the National League West this year.  That's 15 consecutive seasons without a division crown, but who's counting?  —  Fans are tired of waiting, but wearing the Rockies out for this failure is a bit misplaced.

Fall forecast calls for Carlos to be hot at plate  —  The problem with Carlos Delgado, more than anything, is that he has not quite produced as advertised.  This is the ultimate crime in the age of big contracts and salary dumps.  Nobody minds paying top dollar, if you give them the performances that first earned the multiyear deal.