Boston's Buchholz ready to return on Wednesday … BOSTON (AP) — The Red Sox are about to get one of their injured stars back.  —  Boston manager Terry Francona said Saturday that All-Star pitcher Clay Buchholz, on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left hamstring, will start Wednesday in Oakland.

Before the grand ol' man, there was The Boss  —  NEW YORK—Many great Yankees were on the field wearing the famous pinstripes again, now with special memorial patches in honor of George Steinbrenner and Bob Sheppard.  —  Amid all the tributes of the past week since the owner's death …

Unpredictable Lincecum  —  Even two-time Cy Young Award winners have to adapt, and Tim Lincecum has.  —  The main headline from his shutout of the Mets on Thursday was his control.  He threw 77 strikes and 33 balls.  Beyond that, though, Lincecum delivered on his goal of being less predictable.

Red Sox are now over the luxury tax threshold  —  According to a major league source, the Red Sox found out today that they they have indeed gone over the luxury tax threshold for 2010, which also will affect their payroll for 2011.  —  This is not the best of news for the club …

Yankees show interest in Helms  —  The Yankees are looking for some bench help, and a player that has caught their attention is Marlins veteran Wes Helms.  —  Helms initially signed with the Marlins in 2006 when Joe Girardi was managing in Florida.  —  Helms has long been a fan of Girardi …

Billingsley rocked but undaunted  —  Despite giving up seven runs in four innings, righty doesn't feel he pitched badly … ST. LOUIS — In the city where Yogi Berra was born and raised, it initially sounded like a case of deja vu all over again.  But upon further review …

Crowe's clutch hit helps Indians top Tigers 4-3  —  CLEVELAND - Trevor Crowe singled in the go-ahead run with two outs in the seventh inning and the Cleveland Indians beat the Detroit Tigers 4-3 in the first game of a day-night doubleheader Saturday.  —  Fausto Carmona (9-7) …

Yankees RHP Burnett leaves game with cuts on hand  —  NEW YORK—A.J. Burnett has been removed from the New York Yankees' game against Tampa Bay in the third inning because of cuts on his pitching hand.  —  Burnett hit Evan Longoria with a pitch and gave up an RBI single to Carlos Pena to start the third.

Phillies score 4 in 9th to beat Marmol, Cubs 4-1  —  CHICAGO - Placido Polanco, just off the disabled list, hit a tying single with two outs in the ninth inning and the Philadelphia Phillies rallied for four runs against wild closer Carlos Marmol to beat the Chicago Cubs 4-1 on Saturday.

Konerko: Sox don't need outside help to keep rolling  —  MINNEAPOLIS — White Sox general manager Ken Williams is no stranger to pulling a veteran aside near the trade deadline and asking him, “What do you think about me adding so-and-so?”  —  As of Friday, he hadn't yet approached Paul Konerko …

Finger blister forces Wood back to DL  —  CLEVELAND — The Indians made a move involving closer Kerry Wood, but it wasn't the pre-Deadline trade so many are anticipating.  —  Rather, Wood was placed on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to July 12, with a blister on his right index finger.

Did Jim Konstanty deserve the 1950 MVP?  —  Thanks to the fantastic latest updates from Retrosheet and Baseball Reference, I am able to find out something I've wondered about a long time: Did Jim Konstanty lead the National League in Win Probability Added in 1950?