Ortiz has 4 hits to lift Red Sox over Twins  —  MINNEAPOLIS—David Ortiz had four hits and three RBIs and delivered the go-ahead single with two outs in the ninth inning to lift the Boston Red Sox to an 8-6 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Monday night.  —  Ortiz, a former Twin …

John Danks wants to stay with White Sox  —  CHICAGO, IL - AUGUST 02: Starting pitcher John Danks #50 of the Chicago White Sox delivers the ball against the New York Yankees at U.S. Cellular Field on August 2, 2011 in Chicago, Illinois.  (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) R:\Merlin\Getty_Photos\120261501.jpg

New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox series at Fenway a reminder of Bombers' painfully slow pace  —  A year after umpire Joe West ripped the Yankees and Red Sox for slow play, the Bombers have shaved five minutes off their average game time, but are still playing at a glacial pace in comparison …

Halladay gets NL-leading 15th win as Phillies top Dodgers  —  LOS ANGELES — Roy Halladay became the NL's first 15-game winner, Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins each drove in two runs and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-3 on Monday night.

Tigers extend deals for Leyland, Dombrowski  —  DETROIT — The Detroit Tigers are keeping manager Jim Leyland and general manager Dave Dombrowski under contract beyond this year.  —  The team announced Monday that Dombrowski has agreed to a four-year extension and Leyland is being retained through the 2012 season.

Wood seeing new swing mechanics pay off  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Brandon Wood had welcomed a fresh beginning from the get-go.  —  Upon being claimed off waivers by the Pirates back in April, Wood arrived eager to get the perspective of a new hitting coach and intent upon proving that it was too early …

Smith homers twice, helps Rockies come back to beat Reds  —  CINCINNATI, Ohio — Carlos Gonzalez got the perfect pitch on a night when home runs were the norm.  —  Gonzalez hit a down-the-middle fastball for a two-run homer in the eighth inning Monday night, and the Colorado Rockies beat …

Kotchman hits leadoff homer in 9th, lifts Rays over Royals  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Casey Kotchman led off the ninth inning with a home run to lift the Tampa Bay Rays to a 2-1 win over the Kansas City Royals on Monday night.  —  Kotchman drove the first pitch from Blake Wood (5-1) over the centre field fence.

Bad blood brewing  —  It is highly unusual for Cardinals manager Tony La Russa to personally escort the lineup card to home plate in the third game of a series.  That is a duty left to a coach or, once earlier this season, Kyle Lohse wearing La Russa's jersey.

Carrasco to DL with elbow inflammation  —  Third baseman Hannahan reinstated from paternity leave list  —  CLEVELAND — Indians starter Carlos Carrasco exited the visitors' clubhouse at Rangers Ballpark wearing a compression sleeve on his right arm on Sunday night in Texas.  One day later, an explanation surfaced.

Polanco returns to Philly for MRI on left hip  —  Trip to disabled list possible; availability vs. Dodgers in question  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Placido Polanco left AT&T Park long before Sunday's series finale against the Giants.  —  He had a flight to catch.  —  Polanco returned to Philadelphia for an MRI exam scheduled for Monday.

Yankees bench Jorge Posada, likely for good  —  It's the last thing any athlete wants to hear from a coach: We think we're a better team without you.  —  Hearing that has to be especially difficult for someone who's had as much success in his baseball career as Jorge Posada(notes).