Padres select RHP Mat Latos; designate RHP Josh Banks for assignment  —  San Diego, CA — The San Diego Padres today announced they have selected right-handed pitcher Mat Latos from Double-A San Antonio and designated right-handed pitcher Josh Banks for assignment.

A-Rod's late home run helps Sabathia beat Verlander  —  NEW YORK (AP) — CC Sabathia beat All-Star Justin Verlander in a prime pitching matchup that lived up to its billing, and Alex Rodriguez's pop-fly homer sent the New York Yankees to a 2-1 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Saturday.

Dodgers' win makes it a happy birthday for Joe Torre  —  Clayton Kershaw pitches seven shutout innings as Dodgers beat Astros, 5-2, on their manager's 69th birthday.  —  Asked whether he received anything notable for his 69th birthday Saturday, Dodgers Manager Joe Torre said the tributes mainly were cards …

JERRY'S JOKE KNOCKS DOCS  —  ATLANTA — Manager Jerry Manuel figures to get an earful from his bosses — if he hasn't already — after an ill-advised joke last night following the Mets' 11-0 loss to the Braves.  —  Manuel poked fun at the team's beleaguered medical staff when asked …

Injured NY Yankees pitcher Chien-Ming Wang says he's pain free, ready to throw on Monday … NEW YORK — Yankees pitcher Chien-Ming Wang said Friday that his right shoulder is pain free.  But Wang, sidelined since July 5 with a strained right shoulder, declined to put a date on his potential return from the disabled list.

Pedro pleased with his bullpen session  —  Righty throws 55 pitches, reports to Clearwater on Monday  —  MIAMI — There is still no plan for what the next step in Pedro Martinez's rehab will be.  No date for when he'll throw in his first Minor League game, and no timetable for when he'll make his debut for the Phillies.

S.F. now stands for Scoring Failure  —  The Giants' second-half start has the feel of May, when they scored five runs over a four-game losing streak in San Diego and Seattle and elicited general manager Brian Sabean's first declaration that he was searching for a bat.

Santana runs scoreless streak to 15 innings as Mets top Braves  —  ATLANTA (AP) — Johan Santana threw seven scoreless innings to take some pressure off New York's struggling offense and the Mets beat the Atlanta Braves 5-1 on Saturday.  —  The Mets scored two runs in the sixth to snap a streak of 19 consecutive scoreless innings.

Wilhite throws first pitch  —  OAKLAND, Calif. — Jon Wilhite survived a horrific car crash and three grueling months of rehabilitation to reach the Coliseum mound on Saturday.  His ceremonial first pitch sailed high and true to Kurt Suzuki, the former college teammate who has become Wilhite's biggest fan.

Lilly could've done some good things for Yankees  —  Twice this decade, the Yankees made their feelings clear regarding Ted Lilly.  —  In July 2002, they chose Jeff Weaver over Lilly, as Weaver came from Detroit to New York and Lilly went from New York to Oakland in a three-way trade.