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:

Cubs' plummet likely will end in fall guy  —  With wins and revenue down, Jim Hendry's days as general manager appear numbered  —  CHICAGO — Fledgling scapegoat Mike Quade was contemplative about the Chicago Cubs' latest injury victim, one Kerry Wood.  —  “We can put people on the moon …

Florida Marlins front office tells Logan Morrison to quiet down after recent comments  —  MIAMI GARDENS — Marlins left fielder Logan Morrison has been told to tone down his comments by president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest after Morrison's reaction last week to the firing of hitting coach John Mallee.

Dodgers' June 30 payroll looms large in McCourt case  —  Frank McCourt is expected to meet payroll Wednesday, but team reportedly appears to have ‘no chance’ of making next one that roughly triples, without cash infusion from TV deal that is under debate.  —  Dodger owner Frank McCourt comments …

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,” …

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.

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.

Uni Watch Profiles: Lynn Farrell  —  The increasingly indispensable Mike Hersh has found yet another way to be indispensable.  Mike's wife works with woman named Lynn Farrell, who has an unusual line on her résumé: Back in the mid-1970s, she was a live mascot for a big league ballclub.

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.