Big Z pushed back from Sunday start  —  Ace working through ‘dead arm’ phase; Marshall faces Phillies  —  CHICAGO — Cubs right-hander Carlos Zambrano will not make his scheduled Sunday start.  Sean Marshall will get a spot start against Philadelphia, and Zambrano will likely be pushed …

With stunning defeat, all seems lost for Yanks  —  It is fair to say whatever lingering hope Yankee legions held out for some sort of miraculous Colorado Rockies-like comeback charge into October by this underperforming Yankee team sufficiently dissolved in the aftermath of Robbie Cano's fateful flip in the seventh inning Saturday.

Buehrle roughed up in Boston  —  Sox drop third straight but maintain half-game division lead  —  BOSTON — Try as Ozzie Guillen might, the White Sox manager can't forget the seven straight defeats his team suffered to the Red Sox during a forgettable 2007 campaign.  —  Three in Boston.

Rays' Wheeler earns respect as stand-in closer  —  ST. PETERSBURG — When RHP Troy Percival was placed on the disabled list in mid August, manager Joe Maddon said he planned to use a closer-by-committee approach, based on particular matchups.  —  But throughout a recent stretch of close games …

Pirates Notebook: Coonelly faults Boras for Royals' involvement  —  The Pirates have been charged in some corners with having dragged the Kansas City Royals into the Pedro Alvarez dispute, by virtue of last week citing the Royals' negotiations with their first-round draft pick, Eric Hosmer, as an example of a similar case.

Dodgers' Kent could face early end to career  —  PHOENIX - Dodgers second baseman Jeff Kent, a five-time All-Star, former National League Most Valuable Player and almost-certain future Hall of Famer, might have played his last game in the major leagues.  —  Kent was sent back to Los Angeles …

Chipper's 20th home run makes history  —  Jones becomes second to accomplish feat in first 14 seasons  —  WASHINGTON — Chipper Jones has consistently produced statistics that link him with Hall of Famers, and he now shares an accomplishment only previously enjoyed by the other great third baseman the Braves once employed.

Knee injury lands Torrealba on DL, facing surgery  —  SAN DIEGO — Rockies catcher Yorvit Torrealba walked gingerly out of the trainer's room knowing the inevitable.  His left knee was no better, and he landed on the disabled list prior to Saturday's game.  Triple-A catcher Adam Melhuse will replace him.

Dodgers end eight-game slide  —  Ramirez homers twice in second straight four-hit performance  —  PHOENIX — Manny Ramirez had just pounded out four hits again, two of them homers.  He powered a 6-2 win that halted the Dodgers' losing streak at eight and trimmed the Diamondbacks' lead …

Silva will be activated Monday for start  —  Right-hander ready to go after alleviating elbow soreness  —  CLEVELAND — Carlos Silva will come off the disabled list and return to the Mariners' starting rotation Monday against the Rangers.  —  “He is 100 percent ready to go,” Seattle manager Jim Riggleman said.

Trips to the DL on the rise in MLB  —  Throughout the corridors of power, in the trainer's rooms and clubhouses, baseball people are puzzled about a recent rise in injuries, especially because a spike in trips to the disabled list over the last two years comes at a time when sports medicine …

Umpiring Gaffes Punctuate Rangers' Latest Defeat  —  You know why I have such an unspeakably hard time mustering much sympathy towards umpires (such as crew chief Jerry Layne) who are outspoken in their resistance to the idea of instant replay in Major League Baseball?