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 …

Rangers C Bengie Molina hits for cycle  —  BOSTON—Bengie Molina of the Texas Rangers hit for the cycle against the Boston Red Sox on Friday night.  —  His feat included a grand slam in the fifth inning.  He completed the cycle with a drive over the head of center fielder Eric Patterson for a triple in the eighth.

Phillips has 3 hits, Reds beat Rockies 3-2  —  CINCINNATI—Brandon Phillips followed his first All-Star appearance with a three-hit game and Arthur Rhodes pitched out of a bases-loaded, none-out threat in the eighth inning Friday night, preserving the Cincinnati Reds' 3-2 win over the Colorado Rockies.

What Do We Really Know About Defense?  —  Occasionally, I get asked—what's going on with my attempts to make a defensive metric?  I started off working on a Loess-based defensive metric, and then efforts just stalled.  —  It's a fair question, and one that's harder to answer …

Romero leads Blue Jays over Orioles 4-2  —  BALTIMORE—Ricky Romero allowed five hits in seven innings, Aaron Hill homered and the Toronto Blue Jays ended the Baltimore Orioles' four-game winning streak with a 4-2 victory Friday night.  —  Fred Lewis had two hits and scored twice for the Blue Jays …

With prize Lee gone, assessing the trade market for pitchers … With star left-hander Cliff Lee, the clear prize of this trading season, now off the board and a Texas Ranger, here are the best of the rest among the available, semi-available and perhaps available pitchers.

Angels' Weaver beats Mariners, Hernandez 3-2  —  ANAHEIM, Calif.—Jered Weaver outpitched Felix Hernandez for the third time this season in a matchup of the AL's strikeout leaders and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Seattle Mariners 3-2 on Friday night.  —  Weaver (9-5) allowed two runs …

Strasburg pitches Nationals past Marlins 4-0  —  MIAMI—Stephen Strasburg struggled through a 34-pitch first inning but escaped early jams to lead the Washington Nationals past the Florida Marlins 4-0 Friday night.  —  Strasburg (4-2) allowed two baserunners in each of the first three innings …

Prospect Hot Sheet: July 16  —  Team: high Class A Wilmington (Carolina)  —  Age: 20.  —  Why He's Here: 2-0, 0.00, 11 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 12 SO  —  The Scoop: John Lamb is no longer the most impressive teenage pitcher in the Carolina League.  Thanks to his July 10th birthday …

Reyes: I haven't heard about a DL trip  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Jose Reyes indicated Friday that he has not been told anything about a trip to the disabled list, but the New York Mets appear to be making alternative plans in case their All-Star shortstop's injury lingers.

New York Yankees say reports of a player bus being delayed en route to Bob Sheppard's funeral are false … NEW YORK — The Yankees weren't at Bob Sheppard's funeral, and according to team captain Derek Jeter some didn't even know when the event was taking place.

Yankees Covet Dunn, Soria  —  The Yankees would love to have Adam Dunn and Joakim Soria, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter).  But the Yankees' interest in the two stars doesn't mean those players will be in pinstripes any time soon.  After all, many teams would love …

Ramirez's late solo shot rallies Cubs past Phillies  —  CHICAGO (AP) — Aramis Ramirez homered with two outs in the bottom of the eighth Friday for his third hit of the game and the Chicago Cubs rallied for a 4-3 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies .  —  Ramirez appears to be coming out of a season-long slump.

Woman reveals lifelong secret that Yankee owner George Steinbrenner donated $13K to save her life  —  George Steinbrenner's death immediately brought Lorraine Blakely back to the year when The Boss helped save her life.  —  The Long Island mother of three was just a second-grader …