Wright field: Astros' reliever pitches, plays outfield, pitches again  —  I couldn't tell if I was watching another Little League World Series game or a Major League Baseball game last night.  —  To be honest, I was wondering that well before Houston Astros skipper Brad Mills(notes) …

Why Did Joe Girardi Play for One Run in a Two-Run Game?  —  In the bottom of the ninth inning of Tuesday night's game against the A's at Yankee Stadium, the Yankees trailed 6-3 entering the frame.  Jorge Posada led off with a solo home run off of A's closer Andrew Bailey, closing the deficit to 6-4.

Bourjos' RBI single in ninth drives Angels past White Sox  —  ANAHEIM, Calif. — Peter Bourjos drove a single through a drawn-in infield with the bases loaded in the ninth inning, and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Chicago White Sox 5-4 on Tuesday night for their fifth straight victory.

Kershaw wins 16th, Dodgers rip Cardinals 13-2  —  ST. LOUIS (AP)—Up eight runs after three innings, Clayton Kershaw(notes) went right after the hitters.  —  The 23-year-old lefty won his National League-leading 16th game and Rod Barajas(notes) homered twice in the Los Angeles Dodgers' 13-2 victory …

Pirates' Ryan Ludwick goes on DL with back spasms  —  PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Pirates left fielder Ryan Ludwick has gone on the 15-day disabled list with muscle spasms in the middle of his back.  —  Ludwick sat out Tuesday's 11-4 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers then underwent an MRI on Wednesday morning …

The case for bringing back Ivan Rodriguez  —  As his two-year, $6 million contract is coming to an end, Ivan Rodriguez wants to play for the Nationals next season.  Rodriguez has maintained all year he wants to finish out his career in Washington, and he reiterated that desire last week.

Reds rally past Marlins 8-6 behind Yonder Alonso  —  MIAMI - Yonder Alonso homered and drove in four runs, including a tiebreaking double in the ninth inning that sent the Cincinnati Reds to an 8-6 victory over the fading Florida Marlins on Tuesday night.  —  Dave Sappelt tied the game at 6 …

Kansas City rises up on the road to stop Jays  —  TORONTO— From Wednesday's Globe and Mail  —  Maybe it was the unsettling trade news from earlier in the day, but Brandon Morrow was certainly off his game Tuesday night against the Kansas City Royals.  —  The Royals arrived at Rogers Centre …

Blackburn expected to pitch again this season  —  MINNEAPOLIS — Twins right-hander Nick Blackburn saw a specialist on Tuesday to examine the results of an MRI taken on his injured right forearm, and received good news, according to Twins trainer Rick McWane.

Gonzalez delivers go-ahead single as Padres win  —  SAN FRANCISCO—Alberto Gonzalez hit a go-ahead single in the ninth inning, Kyle Blanks had a two-run homer and the San Diego Padres beat the San Francisco Giants 7-5 on Tuesday night for their season-best fifth straight victory.

And down the stretch they come  —  The Red Sox and Yankees are virtually tied for first place in the American League East.  Let's take a look at which team may have the edge down the stretch in terms of the schedule:  —  RED SOX (78-50)  —  Games remaining: 34  —  Home/road: 19/15

Cards attendance down almost 3,000 a game  —  The Cardinals have the fourth highest attendance decline in the major leagues at nearly 171,000, or 2,843 a game, before Tuesday night's game here.  The troubled Los Angeles franchise leads with a dropoff of more than half a million fans from this time last year.

Craig Kimbrel ties rookie save mark, Braves top Cubs 5-4  —  CHICAGO - Craig Kimbrel tied a major league rookie record with his 40th save, Jason Heyward hit his first career grand slam, and the Atlanta Braves hung on to win their sixth straight, beating the Chicago Cubs 5-4 on Tuesday night.