Thanks to round-trip Cruz, Rangers sink Sox  —  Slugger belts first pitch he sees in 11th over left-field fence  —  ARLINGTON — Nelson Cruz was the one who was mobbed his teammates at home plate and showered with beer in the clubhouse.  Josh Hamilton was the one who put him in that position …

Guthrie, Orioles continue winning ways in blanking of Rays  —  Sports Network  —  St. Petersburg, FL (Sports Network) - Jeremy Guthrie allowed two hits in six innings and Luke Scott went 3-for-3 with a home run, as Baltimore continued to shine in the Buck Showalter era with a thorough 5-0 win over Tampa Bay.

Broxton demoted from closer role  —  ATLANTA — The day after Jonathan Broxton's monumental meltdown in Philadelphia, manager Joe Torre said the All-Star closer had lost his job, at least temporarily until he regains confidence.  —  Torre also revealed that he told Broxton a week ago …

Mets' Rodriguez Agrees to Treatment for Anger  —  Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez has agreed to have anger-management treatment after his arrest Wednesday night on charges that he assaulted the father of his common-law wife.  The players union will help him find a therapist or counselor.

San Francisco Giants acquire Jose Guillen from Kansas City Royals for player, cash  —  KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Royals have traded outfielder Jose Guillen to the San Francisco Giants in exchange for a player to be named later and cash considerations.  —  Guillen

Post Game: Mets 1, Phillies 0  —  The Mets (58-57) defeated the Phillies (64-51) by the score of 1-0 tonight at Citi Field.  —  The Mets have won back-to-back games for the first time since June 23.  —  In addition, in four games and 36 innings this season at Citi Field …

Mariners should seriously consider pulling trigger on any Chone Figgins deal with Atlanta  —  Going to try to write this without ticking everybody off.  By now, most of you know that Atlanta Braves third baseman Chipper Jones is out for the season.  We discussed, prior to the trade deadline …

Reds bounce back in opener with Marlins  —  Sports Network  —  Cincinnati, OH (Sports Network) - Jay Bruce homered and drove in three runs to back six sturdy innings from Edinson Volquez in Cincinnati's 7-2 win over Florida in the opener of a three-game set.

Texas Rangers owner Chuck Greenberg plans to ‘step up’ to keep Cliff Lee  —  ARLINGTON, Texas — New Texas Rangers CEO Chuck Greenberg declined to say if next season's payroll might reach as high as the mercury during these triple-digit days, but with a wry smile said the franchise …

Hudson, Braves top Dodgers, 1-0 on Conrad's HR  —  ATLANTA—Tim Hudson extended his dominant stretch of starts with three-hit ball for eight innings and Brooks Conrad homered in the seventh to lift the Atlanta Braves to a 1-0 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night.

Yankees Sign Gumbs For $750,000  —  The Yankees have signed second-round pick Angelo Gumbs for $750,000, the largest bonus below the supplemental first round so far this year.  MLB's recommendation for Gumbs' No. 82 draft slot is $436,500.  —  An outfielder from Torrance (Calif.) High …

Cueto will not appeal suspension  —  Bailey will start in Sunday's series finale against Marlins  —  CINCINNATI — Reds starting pitcher Johnny Cueto chose not to appeal a seven-game suspension for his role in Tuesday's scuffle vs. the Cardinals and will begin serving his punishment on Friday.

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.

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.