Verlander beats Indians for 17th  —  CLEVELAND (AP) — Someone changed the number plate over Justin Verlander 's locker from 35 to 100, and there was an iced champagne bottle sitting on a shelf next to his duffel bag.  —  On a night the Detroit Tigers desperately needed a win, Verlander notched a special one of his own.

Burnett or Hughes Could Lose Starting Role With Yankees  —  NEW YORK (Reuters) - The New York Yankees have decided six pitchers in their starting rotation is one too many, manager Joe Girardi said on Thursday.  —  “We feel we need to get it down to a five-man rotation and go with it,” …

Veteran lefty Rhodes set to join Cardinals  —  ST. LOUIS — Veteran lefty Arthur Rhodes has elected to sign with the Cardinals and could be activated as early as Friday for the opener of the series against Colorado.  —  Rhodes' agent Dan Horwits confirmed Thursday afternoon that the lefty had accepted the Cardinals offer.

Do not adjust your Internet: Mike Marshall and Tony Phillips fight  —  And they said there was no fight in Mike Marshall.  —  Marshall, the former Dodgers outfielder now managing the Chico Outlaws of the independent North American Baseball League, was suspended three games for fighting Monday with Tony Phillips.

Pujols powers Cardinals past Brewers  —  ST. LOUIS (AP) — Albert Pujols and the St. Louis Cardinals sorely needed this one, so the slugger picked a perfect time for a breakout game against the surging Milwaukee Brewers .  —  Pujols kicked off a 4-for-4 night with a solo homer and the Cardinals beat …

Blue Jays, Beede agree to disagree  —  According to a source familiar with the negotiations, it seems nearly certain that Blue Jays top pick (No. 21 overall) Tyler Beede will not join the organization and will honor his commitment to Vanderbilt University.  —  The right-hander from Massachusetts …

Rivera struggles again, but Yanks hold off Angels  —  NEW YORK (AP) — Mariano Rivera stunned a raucous crowd still buzzing after Robinson Cano 's grand slam.  Mr. Automatic faltered for the third straight game, the rarest of slumps for the dominant closer.

Source: Dodgers agree with top pick Reed  —  The Dodgers have agreed to terms with first-round Draft choice Chris Reed, a team source confirmed Thursday.  The club has not made any official announcement.  —  Reed, a 6-foot-5, 215-pound left-handed pitcher out of Stanford, was the 16th overall selection in June's Draft.

Numbers game forces Miller to wait for another opportunity  —  SEATTLE — Andrew Miller has been through this before.  —  When the lefty broke camp with the Florida Marlins two years ago, he started the season not in the rotation but as the long man in the bullpen.

Will Alfonso Soriano be a fit with the Cubs in 2012?  —  Alfonso Soriano runs out a sixth inning home run during the Cubs 4-2 win over the Washington Nationals Wednesday August 10, 2011 at Wrigley Field.  Tom Cruze~Sun-Times  —  Hack Wilson.  Andre Dawson. .    .  .

Who delivers from the cleanup spot?  —  Ryan Howard is tied for second in the majors with 91 RBI.  He has also come to bat with the second-most runners on base of any hitter.  Adrian Gonzalez is first in both categories.  Does that mean he's a good “RBI guy,” or a merely a good hitter driving …

Power outage for Adrian Gonzalez  —  MINNEAPOLIS — When Adrian Gonzalez agreed to compete in the Home Run Derby, he shrugged off the notion that his swing might be adversely affected.  —  But he has only one homer since the All-Star break.  —  Coincidence?