Varitek Out 4-6 Weeks With Broken Foot  —  BOSTON (WBZ) ― The hits just keep coming for the Boston Red Sox.  —  A major league source told WBZ-TV's Dan Roche that catcher Jason Varitek has a broken foot and could miss 4-to-6 weeks.  —  The Red Sox acquired catcher Kevin Cash …

Diamondbacks fire GM Josh Byrnes and manager A.J. Hinch  —  The Diamondbacks have fired general manager Josh Byrnes and manager A.J. Hinch, the team announced Thursday night.  —  Arizona named Jerry Dipoto interim general manager and Kirk Gibson interim manager for the remainder of the season …

Gonzalez powers Rockies to 7-3 win over Giants  —  DENVER—Carlos Gonzalez hit an early two-run homer and Aaron Cook threw 6 1-3 sharp innings, lifting the Colorado Rockies to a 7-3 victory over the reeling San Francisco Giants on Thursday night.  —  Dexter Fowler provided a spark on the basepaths …

White Sox, Rangers play unlikely marquee series this weekend  —  As baseball fans scan the schedule to find the most enticing matchups this holiday weekend, an unlikely option has emerged: the Chicago White Sox at the Texas Rangers.  —  While lacking the marquee appeal of New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox …

Pirates beat beaten-up Phillies 3-2 behind rookie  —  PITTSBURGH—Daniel McCutchen became the second Pittsburgh rookie in as many days to win for the first time this season, pitching into the sixth inning as the Pirates beat the injury-thinned Philadelphia Phillies 3-2 on Thursday night.

Sabean defends reputation among GMs  —  DENVER — Responding to an ESPN.com columnist's item, Giants general manager Brian Sabean defended his accessibility and willingness to communicate with his Major League counterparts.  —  ESPN's Buster Olney polled 12 GMs and found that Sabean …

Tag not in the bag for Twins' Cuddyer  —  MINNEAPOLIS — Michael Cuddyer hasn't spent a lot of time at third base this season for the Twins, but he didn't have much doubt about the tag that he applied on Kelly Shoppach in the 10th inning of the Twins' 5-4 loss to the Rays on Thursday.

Yanks' Sabathia wins 10th thanks to A-Rod's 2-run home run  —  NEW YORK (AP) — Alex Rodriguez (FSY) hit a tiebreaking homer in the eighth inning and CC Sabathia (FSY) won his sixth straight start, leading the New York Yankees past the Seattle Mariners 4-2 on Thursday to avoid a three-game sweep.

Wolf gets 1st win at Busch to lead Brewers  —  ST. LOUIS—Randy Wolf allowed one run over 6 1-3 innings and Prince Fielder hit one of three Milwaukee home runs to lead the Brewers to a 4-1 victory over St. Louis on Thursday night.  —  The Brewers, who have won eight of their last 11, lead the National League with 99 homers.

Angels' Weaver masters Rangers in 2-1 victory  —  ANAHEIM, Calif.—Jered Weaver pitched two-hit ball over seven scoreless innings while shutting down Texas slugger Vladimir Guerrero and helping the Los Angeles Angels beat the Rangers 2-1 Thursday night.  —  The second-place Angels took …

Zimmerman hits sac fly, Nats beat Mets 2-1  —  WASHINGTON—Ryan Zimmerman hit a sacrifice fly in the ninth inning, giving the Washington Nationals a 2-1 victory over the New York Mets on Thursday night.  —  Pinch-hitter Willie Harris started the decisive rally with one out in the ninth …

Cahill, Sweeney lead Athletics past Orioles 8-1  —  BALTIMORE—Trevor Cahill pitched seven innings of four-hit ball to earn his seventh straight win, and the Oakland Athletics got four hits from Ryan Sweeney in an 8-1 rout of the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday night.