Ruthian feat for Captain Jeter  —  ANAHEIM - Around the same time that Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy were being hailed as the next great starters in pinstripes this spring, the Yankees signed an unknown pitcher named Alfredo Aceves out of the Mexican League.  —  Who would have thought that Aceves …

Another loss: Piniella erupts  —  ST. LOUIS — If these guys aren't panicking by now, maybe they should be.  —  Another blown lead, another missed chance to step on an opponents throat in the middle innings and another loss on the last play of the game left the Cubs gasping again Tuesday night …

A Giant headache: D-Backs fall again  —  SAN FRANCISCO - It was close to 9:30 on Tuesday night when, in San Diego, Manny Ramirez hit a deep drive to the warning track in center field, a sacrifice fly that brought home the go-ahead run for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Angels' Torii Hunter, Yankees' Ivan Rodriguez suspended two games  —  Baseball official in charge of discipline cites both players for “violent and inappropriate actions” during incident in Monday's game in Anaheim.  —  The Angels' Torii Hunter and the New York Yankees' Ivan Rodriguez …

Without Wagner, Mets scramble to fill hole in back of bullpen … With closer Billy Wagner sidelined for the rest of this season and probably all of next season as well, the Mets have two big questions to answer: what to do now, and what to do later.  —  While Wagner will settle …

Struggling Pettitte wants to come back  —  ANAHEIM, Calif. - Andy Pettitte had the most tumultuous offseason of his career, the product of his role in baseball's drug scandal.  Named in the Mitchell Report, the left-hander admitted to using Human Growth Hormone, then testified several times to congressional investigators.

Grievance hearing begins for Pirates No. 1 pick  —  NEW YORK (AP) — Baseball commissioner Bud Selig was the leadoff witness Wednesday on the first day of testimony in a complicated grievance filed by the players' association after first-round draft pick Pedro Alvarez refused to sign his contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Cox says he'll return to manage Braves in '09  —  ATLANTA — Despite Atlanta's worst season since 1990, longtime Braves manager Bobby Cox vowed Wednesday to return next season.  —  The 67-year-old Cox signed a one-year contract extension in May, but his team was ravaged by injuries …

Apocalypse Now, or how the Diamondbacks prevented the end of the world as we know it  —  12:15 am.  Scientists activate Large Hadron Collider on Swiss-French border.  —  12:20 am.  High-energy collision of sub-atomic particles create voracious black-hole, which threatens to swallow entire planet.

Angels clinch AL West title  —  ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP)—The Los Angeles Angels became the first team in the majors to clinch a playoff spot this season, winning their fourth AL West title in five years Wednesday.  —  Francisco Rodriguez earned his 56th save in closing out the Angels' 4-2 victory over the New York Yankees.

Sox swept, Konerko hurt MRI confirms sprain  —  After witnessing a lack of fundamentals, his hottest hitter suffer a knee injury and a doubleheader sweep that cut the White Sox's lead to one game in the American League Central, manager Ozzie Guillen sent a message to his players late Tuesday night.

Up against the 'Skins on TV, Nats an afterthought  —  WASHINGTON — Even a little bit of winning can't get people interested in watching the Washington Nationals on television, especially if the Washington Redskins are on the other channel.  —  Only 6,000 households tuned …

Cardinals without Glaus, Ankiel, Lohse for a while  —  ST. LOUIS — Cardinals third baseman Troy Glaus will miss at least a handful of games after undergoing an MRI exam Wednesday and getting a second cortisone injection for a strained right shoulder.  —  The Cardinals were three players short for their matchup with the Chicago Cubs.

Delgado's 2 HRs help Mets pad East lead  —  NEW YORK (AP)—Carlos Delgado is putting on such an impressive power display that he reminds Mets manager Jerry Manuel of another big hitter he once had.  —  “Albert Belle,” Manuel said.  “The second half of—I forgot what year it was …

Happy Hearing Day!  —  Today is the day, as the hearing begins in Grievance 2008-11, more commonly known as Pedro-gate.  The thing is, all of a sudden it looks like this might take a while.  The list of witness prepared by the MLBPA was surprisingly long, and neither the Pirates nor anyone …

Pap's “Dirty Dancing”  —  There's nothing like being called over to the TV in the middle of the Red Sox clubhouse by David Ortiz.  OK, there's really nothing like the moment before he pushed the play button, and before the images popped up on screen.  —  Because it could have been anything.

First place remains in Rays' hands  —  Late come-from-behind victory helps chase Fenway demons  —  BOSTON — Finally, a win at Fenway Park.  And they don't get much more exciting than the 5-4 Rays victory over the Red Sox on Tuesday night in front of a sellout crowd of 37,573.