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 …

Colorado Rockies pitcher Juan Nicasio able to walk in Denver hospital  —  CINCINNATI — Rockies rookie pitcher Juan Nicasio made progress Monday, walking for the first time since he was hit in the head by a line drive and the C1 vertebra in his neck was fractured Friday night.

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

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.

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 …

Uggla hustles his way to 29-game hit streak  —  MIAMI — When Dan Uggla's former Marlins teammates were in Atlanta during July's final weekend, he beat them with a pair of three-run homers.  Reunited again this week, the Braves' second baseman has taken time to show his old friends …

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.

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.

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.

Harrison throws seven strong, Rangers knock off Mariners  —  ARLINGTON, Texas — Matt Harrison pitched seven strong innings for his career-high 10th victory, Nelson Cruz homered, and the Texas Rangers beat the Seattle Mariners 9-2 on Monday night.  —  Harrison (10-8) allowed two runs …

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).