Derek Jeter pays price for extra effort  —  The Captain is just six hits away from 3,000, but his body broke down on Monday night  —  NEW YORK — Derek Jeter has forever honored an unwritten pact with the paying public, a deal revolving around the one aspect of competition entirely within the athlete's control:

Realingment: D-backs, Astros two candidates to move to AL  —  PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks could be the team most likely to change leagues if Major League Baseball implements realignment in its new collective bargaining agreement.  —  “We would do whatever's best for baseball,” …

Obstruction call on Reyes proves costly for Mets  —  PITTSBURGH — A controversial call against Jose Reyes and the Mets in the first inning led to the Pirates' first run on Monday evening at PNC Park.  —  Pittsburgh's Jose Tabata, who'd singled to start the inning, ran to third on a single by Xavier Paul.

Pence's 4 RBIs leads Astros to 8-3 win over Braves  —  HOUSTON (AP) — Hunter Pence returned from a day off with back trouble and homered and drove in four runs as the Houston Astros snapped a four-game skid with an 8-3 win over the Atlanta Braves on Monday night.

Wells' 2 homers give Angels 6-3 win over Seattle  —  SEATTLE—Vernon Wells hit the Angels' first homer in a week with a solo shot in the third inning, then hit a tiebreaking two-run homer in the seventh to give Los Angeles a 6-3 win over the Seattle Mariners on Monday night.

Tigers edge Rays 2-1 in 10 innings  —  DETROIT—Ramon Santiago's RBI triple in the bottom of the 10th inning gave Detroit a 2-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday night, keeping the Tigers in a virtual tie for first place on the eve of their big series against Cleveland.

Reds 6  —  Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, California  —  Preview  —  Recap  —  Box Score  —  Play-By-Play  —  Photos  —  Conversation  —  Reds-Dodgers Preview … The Los Angeles Dodgers seemed to find their hitting stroke while on a 10-game road trip.

Cubs place Kerry Wood on DL  —  CHICAGO — The Chicago Cubs placed pitcher Kerry Wood on the disabled list with a blister and activated infielder Jeff Baker before Monday's game against the Milwaukee Brewers.  —  Wood, who has a blister on his right index finger, was placed on the DL retroactive to June 9.

MLB taps Forest Service to solve broken-bat danger  —  MADISON, Wis.—When it comes to baseball, Dave Kretschmann always keeps his eye on the bat.  —  A casual fan whose loyalties are split between the St. Louis Cardinals and Milwaukee Brewers, Kretschmann watches games much differently than he did three years ago.

Inbox: Room for depth with Pujols?  —  Beat reporter Matthew Leach answers Cards fans' questions … Hello from Qatar!  I am currently deployed with the USAF and have been trying as often as possible to read the updates online on how the Cards are doing!  I do have one question.