Branyan's 2-out, 2-run single in 9th lifts Indians  —  CLEVELAND—Russell Branyan hit a two-out, two-run single in the ninth inning Thursday night, rallying the Cleveland Indians to a crazy 8-7 win over the Boston Red Sox.  —  Cleveland overcame three errors in one inning by third baseman Andy Marte …

Mount Lou erupts: Frustrated Piniella rips White Sox broadcaster  —  For those of us who pay close attention to Lou Piniella's day-to-day press conferences, it was evident that his fatigue and exasperation would likely boil over one day and result in a trademark eruption.

Ozzie, Ken in spite club  —  It became obvious Thursday that there won't be a pretty ending.  —  After the White Sox' 3-0 victory over the Detroit Tigers, the Sun-Times was told by a team source that general manager Ken Williams and manager Ozzie Guillen “almost came to blows in a heated shouting match” …

A-Rod's numbers, early exit troubling  —  Slugger invokes name of hip surgeon after leaving game early with right groin ‘cramp’ … BALTIMORE — On this date a year ago, Alex Rodriguez was hitting .234, with eight home runs, 25 RBIs, an on-base percentage of .393 and a slugging percentage of .495.

Suppan on way back to Cardinals  —  Jeff Suppan is coming back to the St. Louis Cardinals.  —  He will be joining the team in Phoenix and hopes to be active early next week.  He will be signing for the pro-rated minimum, his agent Scott Leventhal said.  —  Suppan has not officially signed yet …

GOODEN ‘IMPRESSED’ BY PHENOM  —  Niese's fastball ran about three to four mph faster than Santana's, and his curve ball was devastating.  —  Chris Denorfia played the role of Jimmy Qualls, the journeyman who broke up Seaver's 1969 perfect game bid in the ninth inning.

Keeping Score: One Game Says Little About Strasburg  —  It did not take long for declarations of greatness to start after Stephen Strasburg's debut for the Washington Nationals on Tuesday.  —  He had some impressive numbers in his 5-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates: 7 innings, 14 strikeouts, 4 hits, 2 earned runs and no walks.

Angels shouldn't chase first baseman  —  Morales' injury has some wondering if a move should be made, but L.A.'s not in position  —  OAKLAND — The question that seems to be hanging over the Los Angeles Angels ever since Kendry Morales went down with a grimace on top of home plate …

Cleveland Indians call up star catching prospect Carlos Santana  —  CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Indians have recalled top prospect Carlos Santos from Triple-A Columbus.  —  Santana  —  Santana is a switch-hitting catcher, who was batting .316 with 13 homers and 51 RBIs in 57 games for the Clippers.

ESPN analyst Dick Vitale, a long-time Rays season ticket holder, gets struck by line drive  —  ESPN analyst Dick Vitale, a Sarasota resident and long-time Rays season ticket holder, suffered a scare when he was struck in the stomach area by a line drive foul ball on the first pitch of the game Thursday.

The Manny Acta Interview  —  The Washington Nationals travel to Cleveland this weekend for an interleague series with the Indians, led by former Nats skipper Manny Acta.  Acta was relieved of his duties in Washington at last season's all-star break after compiling a 26-61 record in 2009 …

Hamilton, Young lead Rangers past Mariners  —  ARLINGTON, Texas—Josh Hamilton homered for the fourth time in seven games, Michael Young went 3 for 4 with a homer, and the Texas Rangers won their third straight over the Seattle Mariners, 12-3 on Thursday night.