Lowell on 15-day DL; Pauley recalled  —  Red Sox third baseman Mike Lowell has been placed on the 15-day disabled list due to an oblique injury suffered during last night's game.  —  Righthanded pitcher David Pauley has been recalled from Pawtucket to take Lowell's spot on the roster.

Yankees expected to offer GM Cashman extension in offseason … Never mind the Yankees' current standing in third place, or their recent struggles.  Both Steinbrenner brothers are now said by people familiar with their thinking to be on board with Brian Cashman as their general manager, for now and long into the future.

Cubs take both in doubleheader  —  ATLANTA — The Chicago Cubs are playing so well on the road, they won two lopsided games away from Wrigley Field in one day.  —  Rich Harden pitched five scoreless innings, Kosuke Fukodome drove in two runs with two hits and the Cubs beat the Atlanta Braves 8 …

Nomar Garciaparra delivers walk-off home run  —  His drive leaves the Phillies on the field for the second consecutive game.  —  Something wasn't right with Brad Penny.  —  That was the impression Penny gave in the weeks leading up him being put on the disabled list in mid-June …

CC earns seventh win in new uniform  —  Lefty allows one run over seven; Brewers win eighth straight  —  SAN DIEGO — CC Sabathia and the Brewers just keep on winning.  —  Sabathia worked seven innings to improve to 7-0 with Milwaukee and his new team won its eighth straight game, 7-1, over the Padres on Wednesday at PETCO Park.

Injury forces Giese out vs. Twins  —  Yanks hurler exits with stiff shoulder, shouldn't miss start  —  MINNEAPOLIS — Yankees right-hander Dan Giese left his relief appearance after 15 pitches on Wednesday with a stiff right shoulder.  —  Pitching in relief of starter Darrell Rasner …

Holt's Melville hopes to sign deal with Kansas City soon  —  SPRINGFIELD, MO - Holt pitcher Tim Melville (9)  —  Much as he has done all summer, Tim Melville waits.  —  Selected by the Kansas City Royals in the fourth round of the baseball draft in June, Melville, a hard-throwing righthander …

DuPuy's plan would end TV blackouts  —  MLB president presents a solution to alter territorial rules  —  WASHINGTON — Baseball's current rules on territorial television blackouts were drawn up in the 1960s, long before the dawn of MLB.TV and the Extra Innings package.

Mets get Piazza to help close Shea  —  Before the Mets tear down Shea Stadium later this year, their plan is to honor their home of the past 44 years with a special ceremony during the final weekend of the regular season.  The organization has stayed tight-lipped about the details …

Major League Baseball's 25 Most Improbable Success Stories  —  The unlikely story of Mike Aviles' ascent from a measly $1,000 signing bonus to a place among the most productive shortstops in the American League got me wondering: Who else among the current major leagues is there improbably?

Nine Down, One to Go, And It's Crow  —  With Friday's deadline to sign 2008 draft picks approaching, the Washington Nationals' first-round pick, Aaron Crow, remains unsigned.  —  Before last night's game against the New York Mets, General Manager Jim Bowden said the worst-case scenario …