Gill defends team's care for Ellsbury  —  He cites timeline, ‘misconceptions’  —  Through all the tests and all the doctors, Jacoby Ellsbury is still nowhere near returning to the Red Sox in a season nearly half over.  —  In another attempt to shine a light through the murky waters …

Sox to call up Daniel Nava  —  According to sources, the Red Sox will option Josh Reddick on Saturday and will purchase the contract of outfielder Daniel Nava from Pawtucket.  The 27-year-old was hitting .294/.364/.492 with the PawSox.  —  Nava has been one of the best offensive players …

Rockies' Jimenez weathers storm for 12th win  —  DENVER—Ubaldo Jimenez pitched through rain and problems with his command to become baseball's first 12-game winner as the Colorado Rockies beat the Toronto Blue Jays 5-3 on Friday night in an interleague game twice stalled by bad weather before being called after six innings.

A-Rod and Andy a tale of two Yankees  —  Pettitte's big night, Alex's antics, prove how different these two teammates are … NEW YORK — They are forever linked by three little letters — PED — but aside from that, there couldn't be two teammates, or two men, more different than Andy Pettitte and Alex Rodriguez.

Sanchez & Sanchez lead Marlins past Rays 14-9  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.—Anibal Sanchez pitched seven solid innings and Gaby Sanchez homered twice and drove in a career-high six runs Friday night, leading the Florida Marlins to a 14-9 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays in the opener of the Citrus Series.

New park to feature aquarium backstop  —  MIAMI — The Marlins announced a new highlight for their upcoming stadium on Thursday — dual aquariums that will serve as a home-plate backstop.  —  The twin custom-made saltwater aquariums will flank both sides of home plate while encompassing fish …

Red Sox-Phillies game updates  —  Top 9th: Red Sox 12, Phillies 2  —  Game over.  Actually this game ended after one inning when the Sox scored five, followed by four more in the second inning and three in the third.  A 17-hit Sox attack and a strong 7 innings by John Lackey …

Ryan's 3-run homer lifts Cards over D-backs 5-2  —  PHOENIX—Brendan Ryan hit a three-run home run in the seventh inning and the St. Louis Cardinals snapped a four-game losing streak with a 5-2 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night.  —  Ryan's drive ruined an otherwise …

PINEIRO AND KENDRICK LEAD ANGELS IN POUNDING OF DODGERS  —  The Sports Network  —  Los Angeles, CA (Sports Network) - Joel Pineiro threw his third complete game of the season while Howie Kendrick went 3-for-5 with a two-run homer, as the Angels crushed the Dodgers, 10-1, in the opener of a three-game interleague series.

Diamondbacks brass keeping options open to turn team around … The Diamondbacks' honchos met much of Thursday, and they are meeting at length again today.  So far, they all can agree on one thing: there's a lot to talk about.  —  Hard as it is for Arizona's baseball leaders or anyone else to believe …

Liriano out-duels Hudson as Twins beat Braves 2-1  —  MINNEAPOLIS—Francisco Liriano struck out a season-high 11 batters to edge Tim Hudson in a dazzling pitchers' duel as the Minnesota Twins beat the Atlanta Braves 2-1 on Friday night.  —  Liriano (6-3) allowed five hits in eight innings …

Lincecum gets back on track for powerful Giants  —  SAN FRANCISCO—Pat Burrell hit a go-ahead two-run homer in his Giants home debut back in his native Bay Area, helping Tim Lincecum end a four-start winless streak and lead San Francisco past the Oakland Athletics 6-2 on Friday night in the Bay Bridge Series.

Cubs manager Piniella criticizes baseball analyst  —  CHICAGO—Cubs manager Lou Piniella criticized longtime Chicago baseball analyst Steve Stone for questioning how he's handling prized rookie outfielder Tyler Colvin.  —  Piniella took exception Friday to recent comments Stone …

Foltynewicz, Astros reach deal on bonus  —  The Astros have reached an agreement on a signing bonus with first-round Draft pick Mike Foltynewicz worth $1.3 million, his advisor Bobby Witt told MLB.com on Friday.  —  Foltynewicz, the hard-throwing right-handed pitcher the Astros selected …