Berkman willing to return  —  CHICAGO  • Pending free agent Cardinals right fielder Lance Berkman says he would entertain another one-year contract following this season but added that he would also be prepared to retire if not approached by one of a handful of contending teams.

Burnett Leaves Early in Anger, and Girardi Heatedly Defends Him  —  MINNEAPOLIS — Yankees Manager Joe Girardi's support of A. J. Burnett went to a new level Saturday when he angrily lashed out at questions about the pitcher's most recent debacle after the Yankees' 9-4 loss to the Minnesota Twins.

A's Rich Harden baffles Blue Jays in 2-0 win  —  Rich Harden was still in warm-up mode when Friday night's game began, or so it seemed when he made an error on Yunel Escobar's comebacker and then walked the next two batters to load the bases.  —  A bad situation to be in right out of the gates …

Dodgers' Andre Ethier held out of lineup against Rockies  —  The right fielder had the ingrown portion of a toenail removed Friday and sat out the opening of a three-game series at Colorado.  —  Andre Ethier, shown during a game in July, missed Friday's game due to a toe infection but is expected to play Saturday.

Royals use eight-run sixth to beat Wakefield, Red Sox  —  KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Alex Gordon and Eric Hosmer each drove in two runs in an eight-run sixth inning to help the Kansas City Royals rally to beat the Boston Red Sox 9-4 on Saturday night, depriving Tim Wakefield of his 200th victory.

Walker Gets 3 Hits, Pirates Beat Reds 5-3  —  PITTSBURGH (AP) — Charlie Morton gave a sheepish smile, and he fumbled through a stock answer.  —  Asked what his secret is against the Cincinnati Reds this season, Morton was keeping his lips sealed.  —  For the first time in four starts …

Tigers rout Indians 10-1 in Inge's return  —  DETROIT—Brandon Inge homered in his return to the Tigers lineup and Detroit went on to rout the Cleveland Indians 10-1 on Saturday night.  —  Inge was designated for assignment in July, a move that many expected to end his 11-year career.

Uggla, Beachy help Braves beat Diamondbacks  —  ATLANTA — Dan Uggla homered twice and drove in three runs, Brandon Beachy gave up only one run in six innings and the Atlanta Braves continued to feast on the top teams in the NL West by beating the Arizona Diamondbacks 8-1 on Saturday night.

Altuve's inside-the-park HR helps Astros win  —  HOUSTON (AP)—Rookie Jose Altuve(notes) and J.D. Martinez(notes) are giving the Houston Astros a good look at their future.  —  Altuve hit an inside-the-park drive for his first major league home run, a leadoff shot that sent the Astros over the San Francisco Giants 7-5 Saturday night.

Oswalt Throws Eight Shutout Innings for Phils  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Roy Oswalt pitched eight-hit ball for eight innings, Wilson Valdez and Jimmy Rollins each drove in two runs and Hunter Pence homered to lead the Philadelphia Phillies to a 5-0 victory over the Washington Nationals on Saturday night.

Cole thrilled to join up-and-coming Pirates  —  Club introduces first-overall pick in ceremony at PNC Park  —  PITTSBURGH — Gerrit Cole had his moment in the spotlight on Saturday as he was introduced by the Pirates during a formal news conference at PNC Park.