Red Sox in a surprise fight to make the playoffs and more (cont.)  —  The struggle to sign Strasburg  —  Nationals president Stan Kasten's acknowledgement over the weekend that Washington may not sign ballyhooed No. 1 draft choice Stephen Strasburg should be taken seriously.  This is not a baseless threat.

Yankees Sign Heathcott For $2.2 Million  —  The Yankees have signed first-round pick Slade Heathcott for $2.2 million.  He was drafted 27th overall, and the MLB recommendation for his slot was $1,107,000.  —  A two-way star at Texas High (Texarkana, Texas), Heathcott will be an outfielder in pro ball.

Coonelly: Russell will be back in 2010  —  Decisions on rest of coaching staff coming after season  —  CHICAGO — The Pirates will bring back manager John Russell for the 2010 season, team president Frank Coonelly said yesterday at Wrigley Field.  —  Coonelly did not elaborate …

Jeter sets all-time shortstop hits mark  —  Veteran Yankee passes Aparicio with 2,674th knock at short  —  SEATTLE — For years, few have been as reliable as Derek Jeter has been at shortstop for the Yankees.  And now, no one has been more productive.  —  With a three-hit performance …

Church tells Wright not to rush back … Ryan Church, who arrives at Citi Field with the Braves tomorrow, exchanged text messages with David Wright on Saturday night.  Church's advice to his former teammate: Don't hurry back, no matter what.  —  “He's going to need to rest,” said Church …

Cubs' Carlos Zambrano: 'I've been lazy'  —  Cubs ace says he'll get ‘serious’ about ab work to help back problems  —  Admitting “my problem is I've been lazy” about between-start workouts, Carlos Zambrano vowed to “be serious” about a prescribed routine that will strengthen his stomach muscles.

Yankees Sign Murphy For $1.25 Million  —  The Yankees have signed J.R. Murphy, and BA's Aaron Fitt has confirmed that his bonus is $1.25 million.  That's the highest bonus in the second round this year, and more than double MLB's $477,900 guideline for his draft slot (No. 76).

Rays Break Off Talks With Top Picks  —  The Tampa Bay Rays, who have already signed several of their top picks to above-slot deals, have released a statement saying they don't expect to sign their top two picks, outfielder LeVon Washington and shortstop Kenny Diekroger.

Brewers Ink Hall For $700,000  —  The Brewers have signed Brooks Hall for $700,000.  His bonus is the third-highest in the fourth round this year and more than three times MLB's $198,000 recommended bonus for his draft slot (No. 136).  —  Hall was a two-way star at Hanna High (Anderson, S.C.) but will focus on pitching as a pro.

Howard's two homers power Phillies past Braves 4-1  —  ATLANTA (AP) — Ryan Howard (FSY) likes what he's seen so far from J.A. Happ (FSY).  “He's not a rookie any more,” Howard said.  “He's proven himself to be a very poised pitcher.”  —  GAME REPORT: Phillies 4, Braves 1

Witnesses confirm Myers wasn't in altercation  —  ATLANTA - Phillies pitcher Brett Myers said he was not involved in an altercation that occurred early Saturday morning while he was at a bar in Jacksonville, Fla., and multiple eyewitnesses confirmed his account.

Reeling Red Sox in a surprise fight to make the playoffs and more … The Red Sox were rightly considered a winner on deadline day for acquiring big-time hitter Victor Martinez, who has continued to thrive since leaving Cleveland for Boston.  But now, a couple weeks later …

Haeger to make Dodgers debut vs. Cards  —  Los Angeles (70-48) vs. St. Louis (67-52), 7:10 p.m. PT  —  PHOENIX — Charlie Haeger said he loves a challenge, so he should be one happy guy on Monday night.  —  Haeger makes his Dodgers debut as the starting pitcher against the St. Louis Cardinals …

Jeter, Teixeira and Defense  —  SEATTLE - Over eight seasons covering the Yankees, I've heard over and over that the writers glorify Derek Jeter, blindly praising his intangibles while ignoring what's right in front of us: that Jeter is a terrible fielder who hurts his team on defense.

Angels use nine-run 13th inning to beat Orioles 17-8  —  BALTIMORE (AP) — Torii Hunter (FSY) waited nearly six weeks for the opportunity to win a game for the Los Angeles Angels, then blew it by lining into a double play with the bases loaded in the 11th inning.