Papelbon, Sox suffer tough loss to Jays  —  Closer allows three runs in ninth for sixth blown save of season  —  TORONTO — When Jonathan Papelbon walks off the mound in the ninth inning of a tie game, you know it has been an exceedingly tough day for the star reliever.

Phillies shock Dodgers with 4 runs in 8th and 9th  —  PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The biggest challenge for Carlos Ruiz was escaping a Philadelphia Phillies barrage.  —  His game-winning, two-run double in the ninth inning capped a frantic rally from seven runs down and topple the Los Angeles Dodgers , 10-9, on Thursday night.

Mets organization shows a lack of backbone  —  Only the most naïve among us believed the Mets would finish their season in quiet desperation.  That would've been too much to ask of this broken franchise.  Instead, Francisco Rodriguez spent Wednesday night in jail after allegedly pummeling …

Prospect Hot Sheet: Aug. 13  —  Team: Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (International)  —  Why He's Here: .520/.556/1.000 (13-for-25), 6 R, 3 2B, 3 HR, 6 RBIs, 2 BB, 4 SO  —  The Scoop: When Montero was hitting under .220 early in June, many worried that he had suddenly regressed at the plate.

Granderson: “I wouldn't necessarily call it big changes”  —  What hitting coach Kevin Long called a “total reformation of the swing” is not quite that drastic according to Curtis Granderson.  After two days spent tweaking his mechanics, Granderson could return to the Yankees lineup tonight with a different look.

Pushing the Dodgers' Matt Kemp issue closer to brink  —  During a season in which a shrugging Matt Kemp has been benched and berated, somebody has finally stepped to his defense.  —  It is a giant step that could eventually lead him out of town.  —  Dave Stewart, Kemp's agent …

POLL: Is Mariano Rivera the greatest pitcher in baseball history?  —  Mariano Rivera is 40 years old, still pitching extremely well, and is first in baseball history in ERA+.  Among active pitchers, he's ranked first in ERA, WHIP, H/9IP, K/BB, HR/9IP, WPA, and fielding percentage.

Baldelli headed to Durham  —  Word from Port Charlotte tonight is that OF/DH Rocco Baldelli is taking his comeback attempt to Triple-A Durham.  —  Baldelli hit .283 for the Class A Stone Crabs in 12 games, and finished strong, going 3-for-4 on Thursday, and drawing his first walk.

Nolasco, Stanton lead Marlins past Nationals 5-0  —  WASHINGTON—Ricky Nolasco rebounded from a rough start by taking a shutout into the seventh inning, Mike Stanton homered for the second consecutive game, and the Florida Marlins beat the Washington Nationals 5-0 Thursday night to complete a three-game sweep.

Boyfriend who let girlfriend get hit by foul ball dumped, but couple visits CBS' ‘Early Show’  —  The video of a young woman being struck by a foul ball at Monday's Houston Astros game when her boyfriend moved out of the way may have contributed to the couple's break-up.

Should The Mariners Trade Chone Figgins?  —  A few weeks ago, we learned that the Braves and Mariners had a discussion about Chone Figgins before the July 31st trade deadline.  The Braves, in search of a leadoff hitter and a guy who could play multiple positions for them …