Minus a Star, the Bullpen Stays Strong  —  The topic makes Kyle Farnsworth cringe.  Some people may be surprised that the Yankees' bullpen functions without Joba Chamberlain, but Farnsworth is not.  He was signed as the Yankees' setup man when Chamberlain was still in college.

Phillies may move Myers to bullpen  —  Struggling righty endured shortest start of career Friday  —  ARLINGTON — Struggling starting pitchers typically say the worst part about a poor outing is waiting five days until the next one.  —  Brett Myers may have to wait longer.

Mota lowers ERA during off-day  —  Successful scoring appeal helps reliever's statistics  —  MINNEAPOLIS — Guillermo Mota lowered his ERA by more than half a run on Thursday.  What made the development especially interesting was that Milwaukee was enjoying an off-day.

Gibbons so close, yet far  —  Ex-Oriole's road to redemption takes him to independent-league series in York, Pa.  —  YORK, Pa. - Jay Gibbons is a 50-minute drive from the place where he was once a hero, 50 minutes away from a stadium where his best buddies are still revered.

Orioles storm past Nationals  —  Scott, Hernandez homer in rain-delayed game before 39,479 at Nationals Park  —  By the time a severe thunderstorm drenched a history-making crowd at Washington's new ballpark, the Orioles had already dampened the enthusiasm of most of the 39,479 fans.

Jered Weaver could do without the trivia part  —  But after he and reliever Jose Arredondo combined to keep the Dodgers hitless only to lose, the effort will go down in history.  —  This was a piece of trivia that Jered Weaver could do without.  —  The question: Who were the last Angels pitchers …

Webb wins 12th, helps Arizona end slide  —  MIAMI (AP)—Brandon Webb slammed a water bottle into the trash can and paced the dugout yelling after he was taken out, showing the kind of emotion that's been missing from his recent outings.  —  Webb returned to his All-Star form …

3,494 and counting: Ballhawk in league all his own  —  DENVER (AP) — Zack Hample can beg for a baseball in 32 languages, including Swahili, Swedish and sign.  —  The baseball-seeking savant from Manhattan has tricks galore to help him snare a prized souvenir at a major league game …

With a Few Powerful Swings, Giambi Turns His Season Around  —  Jason Giambi insisted he was not thinking about the possibility of making the American League All-Star team.  Giambi moved his head from side to side and widened his eyes to punctuate his point.  Really, Giambi said and tried to show, it is something he has not pondered.