Phillies acquire Hunter Pence  —  PHILADELPHIA — Hunter Pence is adding his big bat to a pennant race.  —  Pence  —  Philadelphia is counting on its latest All-Star acquisition from Houston to do what Brad Lidge and Roy Oswalt did before him — help take the team with the best record in baseball deep into the postseason.

Rockies waiting for a decision on Jimenez  —  Ubaldo Jimenez is a Rockie — for now.  But other teams are ready to snatch him up.  —  The Denver Post  —  SAN DIEGO — Ubaldo Jimenez never thought it would come to this.  When he jogs onto the mound tonight at Petco Park, it could be for the last time as a Rockie.

TEAMS STILL ON BEDARD DESPITE BRUTAL START  —  Mariners left-hander Erik Bedard, in his first start since June 27, retired just four of the 11 batters he faced, permitting three hits and four walks while striking out two before leaving with his team trailing the Tampa Bay Rays, 3-0 …

Dodgers prepared to trade Kuroda  —  LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers continue to work toward a deal to give Hiroki Kuroda a chance for postseason glory, general manager Ned Colletti said Friday.  —  “I want to do what's good for him, what he's comfortable with, if it can help us,” said Colletti.

Smith: Ubaldo is more A.J. than answer  —  There was a 1-hour, 49-minute rain delay to the start the Bombers' game against Baltimore at Yankee Stadium Friday night.  —  Unlike the two rain delays that derailed CC Sabathia's potential perfect game on Tuesday night, no one anxiously awaited …

Floyd's pitching sends White Sox to victory over Red Sox  —  CHICAGO — Gavin Floyd outpitched Tim Wakefield, A.J. Pierzynski hit a tiebreaking two-run homer in the seventh, and the Chicago White Sox beat the Boston Red Sox 3-1 on Friday night.  —  Chicago's seventh straight victory over Boston …

Reynolds and Lee homer as Orioles beat Yankees  —  NEW YORK — Jeremy Guthrie shut down the New York Yankees for seven innings, perhaps driving up his price in a trade, and the Baltimore Orioles got homers from Mark Reynolds and Derrek Lee in a 4-2 victory Friday night.

Renteria single gives Reds 13th inning win over Giants  —  CINCINNATI, Ohio — Edgar Renteria singled in the bottom of the 13th inning to give the Cincinnati Reds a 4-3 win over the San Francisco Giants on Friday night.  —  Jay Bruce walked on a 3-2 pitch from Brian Wilson (6-3) to lead off the ninth.

Arencibia homers as Blue Jays beat Rangers 3-2  —  (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Chris Young)  —  TORONTO—J.P. Arencibia hit a three-run homer, Brett Cecil beat All-Star Alexi Ogando for the second straight start and the Toronto Blue Jays edged the Texas Rangers 3-2 on Friday night.

Tigers Rout Angels Behind Guillen, Martinez  —  DETROIT (AP) — Carlos Guillen's two-run triple highlighted a four-run sixth inning and the Detroit Tigers went on to beat the Los Angeles Angels 12-2 on Friday night.  —  Guillen and Victor Martinez finished with four RBIs, while Ramon Santiago added three hits.

Twins get some help in 9-5 win over A's  —  OAKLAND, Calif. — Francisco Liriano rebounded from his worst start of the season to go seven innings, Michael Cuddyer hit his team-leading 16th homer of the season and the Minnesota Twins beat the Oakland Athletics 9-5 Friday night.

Yankees have fond memories of Irabu  —  NEW YORK — The communication barrier was one big obstacle Hideki Irabu had to overcome after arriving to the Bronx from Japan, but his former Yankees teammates had fond memories of the right-hander and his clubhouse presence.