Sano to sign with Twins: Huntington responds  —  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 …

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 …

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.

Finally, Detwiler Picks Up the ‘W’  —  Withstanding defeat after defeat, interrupted only by the occasional no-decision, Ross Detwiler has been trained in his best professional season to expect the worst.  Entering his final game of the year, he had not a win-loss record, but a loss record (0-6).

Red Sox get help to clinch wild card after losing to Blue Jays  —  BOSTON — Behind a closed clubhouse door, the Boston Red Sox celebrated their sixth playoff berth in seven years in the usual way: with spraying beer, commemorative hats and T-shirts, and the customary promises that they will play better once the postseason begins.

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.

Kerrigan returning as pitching coach  —  CHICAGO — Joe Kerrigan just confirmed he will return as the Pirates' pitching coach in 2010.  —  Neither the team nor Kerrigan divulged the length of the contract, but general manager Neal Huntington said that part of the reason the team …

Iannetta helps Rox stretch Wild Card lead  —  Catcher hits pinch-hit homer in 11th for three-game cushion  —  DENVER — The Rockies were two outs away from their first smooth-sailing victory in nine days, since winning a pair of games in Arizona by six and four runs.

Marlins' 5-4 win slows Braves' postseason drive … ATLANTA(AP) Manager Bobby Cox wasn't terribly concerned after the Atlanta Braves lost a tight game in a close playoff race.  —  “We almost pulled it off,” Cox said.  “We had the bases loaded.  We had a couple chances.  Anything can happen.”

Padres beat Dodgers, keep L.A. from clinching NL West  —  SAN DIEGO (AP) — Tony Gwynn Jr. homered and Kevin Kouzmanoff singled in the go-ahead run as the San Diego Padres beat Los Angeles 3-1 on Tuesday night, keeping the Dodgers from clinching their second straight NL West title.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

Miranda beats Royals as A.J. delivers  —  The Yankees gave A.J. Burnett $82.5 million this winter with the hopes that he would form a lethal 1-2 punch with CC Sabathia.  —  While that has been the case at times this season, the true test will come next week, when the Bombers open the playoffs against either the Tigers or Twins.

Phils top Astros, trim NL East magic number to 1 … PHILADELPHIA(AP) A pregame pep talk from their manager helped the Philadelphia Phillies get back on track.  —  Pedro Feliz hit a grand slam, J.A. Happ pitched effectively into the sixth inning and the Phillies moved closer toward clinching …