Jeff Francoeur Extension: Locking in Mediocrity or Worse  —  Count me among the skeptics regarding the discussion this week about providing Jeff Francoeur with a three-year, $15 million deal.  Not skeptical of if it will happen, of course; I'd bet decent money in Vegas that it will …

Sluggish offense wastes Laffey's outing  —  Lefty allows just one run; Cabrera's defense shines  —  CLEVELAND — The Indians have found their way back into the American League Central basement.  Getting out is going to require a better effort than the one the Tribe delivered Tuesday night.

On Jackson and tipping pitches  —  One of the things pitching coach Rick Knapp mentioned Sunday that he and bullpen coach Jeff Jones were working on with Edwin Jackson in his morning side session was a quirk that they believed was tipping his slider, letting hitters know it was coming.

Greinke … KANSAS CITY, Mo.(AP) Trey Hillman thinks Zack Greinke should make room in his trophy case for the Cy Young Award.  —  Greinke bolstered his Cy Young credentials by holding Boston to two hits in six scoreless innings, leading the Royals to a 5-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night.

Joba's job on the line  —  Yankees starting pitcher Joba Chamberlain reacts on the mound after giving up a three-run home run on Sunday in Seattle.  —  “It's time for him to step it up,” the manager said.  “He needs to step it up.”  —  As Girardi spoke in the Yankees' dugout before Monday night's …

Rockies' Cook to start Friday vs. Cardinals  —  Aaron Cook will be rewarded for a month of tireless rehab, starting Friday at Coors Field against the St. Louis Cardinals.  —  Cook has been out with a strained right shoulder, but has been making steady progress.

Rivera apologizes to Scioscia for swagger  —  Slugger shows remorse after gawking at Monday's double  —  ANAHEIM — Angels left fielder Juan Rivera apologized to manager Mike Scioscia for breaking out into a home run trot a little too early during his RBI double in the eighth inning of Monday's 5-2 win over the Yankees.

Cards void Mateo's contract  —  The Cardinals announced today that they terminated the contract of top Dominican prospect Wagner Mateo because of “pre-existing injuries and physical defects” discovered during a physical exam.  —  Post-Dispatch baseball writer Joe Strauss reported Saturday that Mateo has vision problems.

NY Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte says shoulder fatigue no longer an issue … ANAHEIM, Calif. — Loss to the Angels aside, the Yankees scored a major victory on Monday night when Andy Pettitte emerged from his start feeling good.  —  “Physically, everything was good,” the lefty said after pitching six solid innings.

Safe at Second, but No Stolen Base to Show for It  —  A player takes an unchallenged lead off first base, dashes to second and makes it safely without a throw.  The runner has advanced but because there was no attempt to thwart him, he does not receive a stolen base.

Game 152: Yankees at Angels  —  YANKEES (95-56)  —  Pitching: RHP Chad Gaudin (1-0 3.68).  —  ANGELS (90-60)  —  Figgins 3B  —  Izturis 2B  —  Abreu RF  —  Guerrero DH  —  Hunter CF  —  Morales 1B  —  Rivera LF  —  Aybar SS  —  Mathis C  —  Pitching: vs. RHP Ervin Santana (7-8, 5.43).

Barmes, Hawpe homer as Rockies win wild one over Padres  —  DENVER (AP) — Brad Hawpe (FSY) homered for the first time since Aug. 29 and the Colorado Rockies beat San Diego 11-10 on Tuesday night despite a rare rough outing from lefty Jorge De La Rosa (FSY) and a four-run ninth-inning rally by the Padres.

SANCHEZ HELPS MARLINS EARN DOUBLEHEADER SPLIT WITH PHILLIES  —  The Sports Network  —  Miami, FL (Sports Network) - Anibal Sanchez dazzled the Phillies over eight stellar innings, and Dan Uggla and Cody Ross hit solo home runs, lifting Florida to a 3-0 win over Philadelphia in the nightcap of a doubleheader.

Despite big mistakes, Jim Hendry deserves one more shot  —  (M. Spencer Green, Associated Press / January 8, 2009)  —  Based on 2 division titles, Chicago Cubs GM can turn roster around  —  I'm trying to come up with someone who has had a worse year than Jim Hendry, of course exempting …

Padres Team Report  —  Because Kevin Kouzmanoff has been the Padres' third baseman as long as Chase Headley has been in the major leagues, Headley has been playing out of position in left field.  —  But with Kouzmanoff out of the lineup since Sept. 8 because of a strained left calf muscle …

Werth packing plenty of punch for Phils  —  In second season as a regular with Philadelphia, right fielder making a major impact  —  PHILADELPHIA — The champagne celebration and parade down Broad Street were too cool for words.  But when Phillies right fielder Jayson Werth reflects upon …

Contenders take aim at securing playoffs  —  Yanks look to clinch berth; others try to lower magic numbers  —  The Yankees are looking to clinch a playoff spot.  The Angels are chasing the Yankees for the best record in the American League as well as closing in on the AL West title.

Yankees edge Angels, become first to clinch playoff berth  —  ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Brett Gardner (FSY) scored the tiebreaking run on Alex Rodriguez's (FSY) sacrifice fly in the ninth, and the New York Yankees celebrated clinching their 14th playoff appearance in 15 seasons Tuesday night with a 6-5 victory over the Los Angeles Angels.

Young starters a mystery for Nats  —  Progress still being assessed  —  At the beginning of the year, it was the key to whether the Washington Nationals would be improved enough to reach the realm of respectability.  When that prospect had vanished by mid-May, it became the only reason to extract meaning out of the team's season.