Matt Cain goes 8 strong innings, Giants beat Braves 7-5  —  ATLANTA - Matt Cain snapped his three-game losing streak with five-hit ball over eight innings, and the San Francisco Giants barely avoided another loss to Atlanta in the final at-bat, holding on for a 7-5 victory over the Braves on Wednesday night.

Morneau's two-run single in ninth helps Twins beat Tigers  —  DETROIT — Justin Morneau's bases-loaded single in the ninth inning gave the Minnesota Twins a 6-5 victory over the first-place Detroit Tigers on Wednesday night.  —  With the game tied at four, Rene Tosoni led off the top of the ninth with a single off Jose Valverde (2-4).

Plenty of Time Left to Regret Rodriguez's Contract  —  The swollen ice wrap around Alex Rodriguez's right knee looked like it might burst and spray popcorn around the room in all directions.  He sat down and kept his leg erect, but couldn't keep a straight face when someone asked if he physically felt 100 percent.

Sammy to Big Z: Hold off on retirement talk  —  Former slugger wants players to know life after baseball ‘not easy’  —  CHICAGO — Sammy Sosa knows all about life after baseball, and planned on reaching out to Carlos Zambrano to remind him that once you retire, “it's a whole different ballgame.”

Valdez delivers clutch hit to lead Phillies over D'backs  —  PHILADELPHIA — Wilson Valdez went up to the plate looking for a sacrifice fly and got a lot more.  —  Cliff Lee threw seven impressive innings, Valdez hit a tiebreaking two-run double in the seventh, and the Philadelphia Phillies …

Teams Spend $236 Million On '11 Draft  —  MLB teams combined to spend $227,969,050 on draft bonuses in 2011, and a total of $236,019,050 including additional guarantees in major league contracts for Danny Hultzen, Trevor Bauer, Dylan Bundy, Anthony Rendon and Matt Purke.

Gordon and Butler hit home runs and Royals beat Yankees  —  KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Alex Gordon hit a three-run home run, Billy Butler added a contested solo shot and the Kansas City Royals survived a harrowing ninth inning to beat the New York Yankees 5-4 Wednesday night and avoid a three-game sweep.

Strasburg allows five runs in third rehab start  —  HAGERSTOWN, Md. — Stephen Strasburg knew he needed to face some adversity in his Minor League rehab starts, even if he might not face the level of competition he will see once he returns to the Nationals' rotation in September.

Gonzalez, Rockies Pound Marlins in 12-5 Win  —  DENVER (AP) — Aaron Cook pitched effectively into the eighth inning and Carlos Gonzalez' three-run homer highlighted a powerful offensive display that sent the Colorado Rockies to a 12-5 victory over the Florida Marlins on Wednesday night.

Encarnacion, Lind, Rasmus hit home runs for Jays  —  SEATTLE - Brandon Morrow allowed three hits and one run over six innings and the Toronto Blue Jays connected for three home runs in a 5-1 victory over the Seattle Mariners Wednesday night.  —  Edwin Encarnacion hit a solo homer to open the second …

Who Owns “Evil Empire”?  The Yankees Launch A Proxy War For Control  —  Bridgehampton, N.Y., out on the East End of Long Island, is Red Sox territory.  The bars along Main Street are decked out in red and will only show Yankees games if there's nothing else on.  TVs receive the Hartford network affiliates.

Angels need a youth movement  —  With season slipping away, it's time to bring back Conger, Trout for the experience  —  ANAHEIM — It's hard to believe the Los Angeles Angels will continue to watch baseball's worst-hitting offense since the All-Star break drag this team out of a pennant race.

Brian Wilson has sore elbow examined by Dr. James Andrews  —  San Francisco's injuries keep piling up.  —  Yesterday the Giants placed setup man Sergio Romo on the disabled list with elbow inflammation and now closer Brian Wilson is unavailable due to elbow problems of his own.