Thome's 2009 option kicks in  —  Designated hitter's plate performance extends contract  —  KANSAS CITY — Jim Thome's $13 million contractual option for 2009 with the White Sox kicked in this weekend in Kansas City by virtue of his ninth-inning strikeout on Saturday night.

Every Given Sunday  —  Winding Down  —  A few months ago, it appeared that there would be wholesale changes made among major league general managers in the offseason, but now that no longer seems to be such a certainty.  One team that will definitely have a new GM in 2009 is the Phillies …

Game 156: Orioles at Yankees (with audio)  —  YANKEES (84-71)  —  ORIOLES (67-86)  —  Chris Waters (3-3, 4.75) has never faced any of the New York hitters.  —  Andy Pettitte (13-14, 4.57) vs. the Baltimore hitters.  —  Notes: The Yankees are 4,132-2,430 at Yankee Stadium.  There have been 17 ties.

Dodgers lose in 11, lead down to 2 1-2  —  LOS ANGELES (AP)—James Loney could only shake his head as he contemplated one of the Los Angeles Dodgers' most frustrating losses of the season.  —  Rich Aurilia's two-out, RBI single in the 11th inning lifted the San Francisco Giants a 1- victory …

Young's 4 RBIs power Diamondbacks to win  —  DENVER (AP)—Around this time last September, the Arizona Diamondbacks were celebrating an NL West title in Colorado.  Things are quite a bit different this season, with the Diamondbacks being on the other side of the chase.

Angels' Saunders to miss start with kidney stone  —  ARLINGTON, Texas — Los Angeles Angels lefty Joe Saunders' ongoing problems with a kidney stone will cause him to miss Tuesday night's scheduled start against Seattle.  —  Angels manager Mike Scioscia said Jered Weaver and Jon Garland …

METS NOTEBOOK: Simulated outing leads to another for Maine  —  ATLANTA - John Maine reported no problems after throwing 24 pitches during a simulated inning yesterday afternoon at Turner Field.  And yet, the possibility of a return this season remains cloudy.

Kyle Farnsworth deal not as rewarding  —  Free-agent value has dropped  —  When the Tigers acquired reliever Kyle Farnsworth for catcher Pudge Rodriguez in July, the deal seemed to include a bonus for Detroit.  —  Farnsworth, 1-2 with a 3.65 ERA at the time, appeared on course to become a Type B free agent.

Lineups, etc.  —  A few quick notes from the Red Sox clubhouse, where Sunday morning today meant some soothing tunes from Milli Vanilli and Amy Winehouse, among others.  (While we're on music, allow Extra Bases to humbly recommend checking out Fleet Foxes, a melodic acoustic group from Seattle …

Jays notebook: Burnett remains mum about off-season plans  —  • A.J. Burnett brushed aside questions about whether his start against the Yankees next Wednesday will be his last in a Toronto Blue Jays uniform.  —  During a media session after Friday night's 4-3 loss to the Red Sox …

Rockies' priority: pitching  —  An anticipated coronation became a rude education.  —  The Rockies went into this season eyeing a first-ever division title and spent the last six months learning lessons.  —  Expectations, for one, are powerful.  They can drive a team to unimaginable heights or create paralyzing pressure.

Harper: Mets will make it, Pedro might not  —  ATLANTA - The Mets aren't going to need any help from Pedro Martinez to make it to October, and they should be glad for that, not just because of his 5.50 ERA, but because he sounds like a man who needs to somehow be rejuvenated, both physically and spiritually.

Phils edge Fish, regain East's top spot  —  Dobbs snaps tie with bloop single, throws out runner at plate  —  MIAMI — Crouching at the hot corner with no outs, the tying run on third and the dangerous Dan Uggla up, Greg Dobbs went through his third baseman's mental checklist.  —  “Where am I playing?