Howard, Utley power Phillies past Twins  —  PHILADELPHIA—Ryan Howard homered twice, Chase Utley also went deep and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Minnesota Twins 9-5 on Friday night.  —  Joe Blanton (2-5) threw six effective innings for the Phillies, who have won three straight and four …

Hammel stellar, resolve clear as Rockies shut out Brewers  —  Milwaukee Brewers manager Ken Macha argues with first base umpire Larry Vanover over a changed call at first base as home plate umpire Mark Carlson, far left, and third base umpire Jeff Kellogg, far right, look on during …

Slumping Yanks continue hit charade  —  Mets throw shutout as Bombers' bats get even colder during interleague homestand  —  NEW YORK — The numbers are getting ugly: Three runs and five hits on Wednesday night.  One run and four hits on Thursday.  Five hits, but no runs and 11 left on base on Friday.

Strasburg sets strikeout record in third start  —  WASHINGTON — In front of large crowd at Nationals Park, Washington right-hander Stephen Strasburg set an MLB record for most strikeouts through three starts to begin a career but found himself down, 1-0, after seven innings against the White Sox on Friday night.

Inge helps Tigers beat Diamondbacks 7-5  —  DETROIT—Brandon Inge hit a tiebreaking RBI triple in the eighth inning and the Detroit Tigers beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 7-5 on Friday night for their seventh straight win.  —  The Tigers wasted leads of 4- and 5-4 before sending Arizona …

Michael Young means more to the Rangers than many think  —  The perception among fans of Rangers hit king Michael Young is a textbook case study in how baseball fans have changed as the game has.  —  Among Ranger fans, there are only two schools of thought: He's everything you could ever want in a player, or he's a defensive slug.

Ryan confirms Rangers' interest in Oswalt  —  Club president could target Astros' ace to add pitching depth  —  HOUSTON — Texas Rangers president Nolan Ryan acknowledged Friday the club has interest in acquiring ace right-hander Roy Oswalt, who last month asked the Astros to trade him to a contender.

Cliff Lee leads Mariners past Reds 1-0  —  SEATTLE—Cliff Lee struck out seven in a six-hitter and the Seattle Mariners beat Cincinnati 1-0 on Friday night to knock the Reds out of first place in the NL Central.  —  Lee (5-3) earned his fifth career shutout and first since Sept. 15 for Philadelphia against Washington.

Nationals should learn from history and leave Strasburg alone … “Oh, crap,” says Ed Hearn.  —  The words come automatically.  The dismay is legitimate.  I have just informed the long-retired major league catcher that the Washington Nationals seem to think Stephen Strasburg …

Lowe has 2 RBIs, wins 3rd straight home start  —  ATLANTA—Chipper Jones and pitcher Derek Lowe each drove in two runs and Lowe won his third straight start at home in the Atlanta Braves' 6-4 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Friday night.  —  The Braves, winners of three straight …