Twins close gap, beat Tigers in extras  —  Span's late-inning heroics move club one behind Detroit  —  DETROIT — Monday's rainout didn't change anything about the Twins' focus for their critical four-game series with the Tigers.  —  Twins manager Ron Gardenhire had said time and again …

Knoblauch charged with assault  —  HOUSTON — Former major leaguer Chuck Knoblauch was charged with assaulting his common-law wife.  —  A judge set Knoblauch's bond at $10,000 after he appeared in court Tuesday.  According to a criminal complaint, Knoblauch's wife told police he hit …

Nats 2, Mets 1: Five to go  —  Congratulations to Nationals lefthander Ross Detwiler, who picked up his first major-league win Monday at the Mets' expense.  Nelson Figueroa again was the hard-luck loser as the Mets lost to Washington, 2-1.  The tiebreaking run came in the sixth on Mike Morse's solo homer off Figueroa.

Sano to sign with Twins  —  CHICAGO - Miguel Angel Sano, the top prospect in the Dominican Republic, will sign with the Minnesota Twins for a $3.15 million bonus, agent Rob Plummer just told the Post-Gazette in a phone conversation.  —  Sano, a shortstop expected to convert to the outfield, had been intensely pursued by the Pirates.

Some good news to share with you  —  Now that everything is finalized, here is some more news for you.  —  I'm thrilled to announce that The Journal News has hired Chad Jennings of the Times-Tribune in Scranton and the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees Blog to cover the Yankees.  Chad starts on Oct. 7.

Bobby Valentine returns to ESPN as Baseball Tonight analyst  —  Bobby Valentine, fresh off his six-year stint as manager of the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan, is returning to ESPN as an analyst on “Baseball Tonight.”  —  Valentine, who led the New York Mets to the World Series in 2000 …

Mets manager Jerry Manuel says he's not worried about losing his job … WASHINGTON — Jerry Manuel has received enough assurances from Mets ownership to be confident this atrocious season won't cost him his job.  But he also knows the unspoken truth about his situation.

In a cinch, Angels clinch AL West title  —  Halos rout Rangers to claim third straight division crown  —  ANAHEIM — The Angels have joined another postseason party, hoping to hang around to the finish this time.  —  Attacking swiftly and often, the Angels flattened the Rangers, 11-0 …

Big East, Big 12 to play in Yankee Bowl … NEW YORK — New York Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner, New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg and the commissioners of the Big East and Big 12 will announce at a news conference Wednesday the formation of the Yankee Bowl, to be held at the new Yankee Stadium beginning …

Beckett: I'll make my next start  —  Saying that the rigors of the road conspired to tighten up his back yesterday morning, Josh Beckett told reporters before today's game that he already feels better, and expects to make his next scheduled start, which is Saturday against the Indians.

Time for Jon Lester to Hope He's Not the Next Matt Clement  —  With the postseason looming large, the Red Sox always knew that a lot would be riding on the left arm of Jon Lester this September.  No one was thinking much about his right leg.  —  But now, with Lester working hard to recover …

Top amateur to choose Japan or MLB  —  Kikuchi would be first high schooler to opt for big leagues  —  Yusei Kikuchi, the 18-year-old left-hander projected to be the No. 1 overall selection in next month's Japanese amateur draft, is expected to decide as early as this week whether to become …

Francoeur: It's great to be young and a Met  —  New York Mets' Jeff Francoeur follows through with his swing as he hits a home run, scoring teammates Carlos Beltran and Daniel Murphy, during the second inning of a baseball game against the Florida Marlins, Friday, Sept. 25, 2009, in Miami.

New York-Pen League Top 20 Prospects  —  Pair of electric Latin arms spice up NY-P list  —  While 2008 was a strong year for the New York-Penn League, with catchers (led by Jason Castro and Derek Norris) and power arms (topped by Adam Reifer and Brad Holt) in abundance …