Bobby Valentine pulls name out of Baltimore Orioles skipper mix … Former Texas Rangers and New York Mets manager Bobby Valentine, now an analyst with ESPN, has withdrawn his name from consideration for the managerial job with the Baltimore Orioles, Valentine confirmed Wednesday.

Mets Ace Johan Santana Accused of Sexual Battery  —  TMZ has learned New York Mets star pitcher Johan Santana was accused in a police report of sexual battery that allegedly went down on a Florida golf course ... but the case went nowhere.  —  TMZ obtained a copy of the report filed …

Gibson can rest easy after Jimenez's implosion  —  DENVER - Well, he's human.  —  Those conspiracy theorists who believed the Colorado Rockies swapped Ubaldo Jimenez's  —  living corpus for some sort of newfangled pitching robot - the Ubaldo 9000, complete with 100-mph fastball …

Strasburg's strikeout show not enough  —  Phenom sets another K mark in taking first defeat  —  WASHINGTON — Stephen Strasburg may want to hone his hitting skills, as a lack of run support is beginning to become an early theme to the righty's young career.

ANGELS HOLD OFF DODGERS IN WILD ENDING  —  The Sports Network  —  Anaheim, CA (Sports Network) - Joel Pineiro allowed just one run in 7 1/3 frames, and the Los Angeles Angels continued to win at the expense of their cross-town rival with a 2-1 victory over the Dodgers.

Cunningham's risky dive pays off for Padres  —  Left fielder makes spectacular catch in eighth with tying run on  —  ST. PETERSBURG — Take it from someone who has spent time in the outfield — leaving your feet for a diving attempt at a ball is much more a high-risk venture than it is a high-reward endeavor.

Rollins hits 2-run HR in 9th, Phils beat Indians  —  PHILADELPHIA—Jimmy Rollins hit the first game-ending homer of his career, a two-run shot with one out in the ninth inning Wednesday night that lifted the Philadelphia Phillies over the Cleveland Indians 7-6.  —  Trailing 6-5, the Phillies rallied against Kerry Wood (1-3).

A Few Minutes With Dusty and Elvin  —  There are times when Dusty Baker's office feels like the back room of a night club.  The man's influence reaches out to so many worlds, you never know who you'll find in there.  Yesterday afternoon, with the Reds in town to play Oakland …

Jonathan Papelbon is crushed  —  + Recent Articles + Recent Blog Entries + Email  —  DENVER - Jonathan Papelbon [stats] looked and sounded appropriately crushed after last night's game.  —  When a closer comes into a game with a one-run lead and surrenders two home runs …

Curry's slam sends TCU to 11-7 win over Florida State in CWS  —  OMAHA (AP) — Matt Curry hit a go-ahead grand slam in TCU's eight-run eighth inning and the Horned Frogs eliminated Florida State from the College World Series with a 11-7 victory Wednesday night.

Ryan Westmoreland, Boston Red Sox prospect, talks about making progress after brain surgery  —  None of the doctors Ryan Westmoreland sees has been willing to give him a timetable on his recovery from surgery three months ago to repair a cavernous malformation on his brain.

The Brilliance of the Texas Rangers Ruling  —  As the age-old adage goes, haste makes waste.  News organizations (this one included), looking to get the report of U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Michael Lynn's opinion in the Texas Rangers bankruptcy case out timely, skimmed over the 28 page ruling …