John Lackey, Red Sox insist they weren't throwing at Francisco Cervelli, but didn't mind hitting him  —  BOSTON - The Red Sox insist they were not trying to hit Yankees catcher Francisco Cervelli with the first pitch of the seventh inning, a play that brought both teams out of their dugouts and bullpens.

Mets' Jason Bay could move to center field in 2012, team up with Daniel Murphy, Lucas Duda in OF  —  Imperfect circumstances call for creative solutions, and in recent weeks the Mets have kicked around many ideas for 2012.  In that spirit, a well-placed front office source said it is …

Soriano hits long homer as Cubs top Giants 5-2  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Alfonso Soriano drove in two runs and hit one of the longest homers at AT&T Park, leading the Chicago Cubs to a 5-2 win over the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday night.  —  Geovany Soto added a two-run double and Darwin Barney …

Indians demote 1B LaPorta  —  CLEVELAND (AP)—Manager Manny Acta said the Cleveland Indians' demotion of first baseman Matt LaPorta(notes) to the minors Tuesday is a case of roster numbers.  —  LaPorta's mediocre production numbers didn't help.  —  Batting .238 with 11 homers and 44 RBIs in 97 games …

Sources: Phillies acquire Bowker from Pirates  —  CINCINNATI - The Phillies will add a left-handed bat to their roster before the midnight Wednesday deadline for gaining postseason eligibility.  —  According to sources, the team has acquired John Bowker from the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Titanic HR puts S.F. in deep trouble  —  Power display at AT&T - by softball hitters, Soriano  —  It probably sounded good at the time.  A group of softball legends would come to AT&T Park and stage a power-hitting show at dusk, putting everyone in a festive mood for the Cubs-Giants game to follow.

Strasburg will return to Nats for Tuesday's start  —  ATLANTA — Washington manager Davey Johnson on Tuesday confirmed plans for Stephen Strasburg to make his first 2011 start for the Nationals on Sept. 6.  —  Strasburg will start for Double-A Harrisburg on Thursday.

Ryan Adams' RBI hit caps comeback, Orioles top Jays 6-5  —  BALTIMORE - Ryan Adams capped a two-run, 10th-inning rally with an RBI single and the Baltimore Orioles beat the Toronto Blue Jays 6-5 on Tuesday night.  —  Matt Wieters led off the Baltimore 10th by drawing a walk off Brian Tallet …

Berkman on trade: ‘That ship has sailed’  —  MILWAUKEE — Cardinals right fielder Lance Berkman has informed general manager John Mozeliak that he would not consider returning to the club as a free agent this winter if he is traded this week to the Texas Rangers.

Orioles' MacPhail could start GM exodus with resignation  —  BALTIMORE - Andy MacPhail, president of baseball operations, has reached a decision on his future in the Baltimore Orioles organization, but plans to wait until season's end before announcing his intentions.

Jackson pitches seven solid innings, Cards win over Brewers  —  MILWAUKEE — Edwin Jackson pitched seven solid innings and singled home the go-ahead run to help the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Milwaukee Brewers 2-1 on Tuesday night.  —  Despite the win, the Cardinals still are 9 1/2 games behind …

Santiago homers in bottom of 10th, Tigers beat Royals  —  DETROIT — Ramon Santiago hit a solo homer in the bottom of the 10th inning to give the Detroit Tigers a 2-1 win over the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night.  —  Santiago, who entered the game in the eighth as a pinch-runner …

Ozzie may walk if no extension by Opening Day  —  CHICAGO — Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said Tuesday that he is prepared to walk on the final year of his contract in 2012 if the team doesn't have a extension in place for him before Opening Day in April.

Drew and Youkilis hit it off in the minors  —  Stars start rehab with Pawtucket  —  ROCHESTER, N.Y. - Kevin Youkilis and J.D. Drew found themselves in a familiar situation last night: Playing for the Red Sox against a New York rival in the heat of a pennant race.  —  But there was a twist to this tale.

What will C.J. be worth?  —  Last winter, the free agent pitcher headlines were dominated by the courting of Cliff Lee.  Everyone seemed to be following his contract negotiations with the Phillies, Rangers and Yankees.  Sure there were other semi-big players on the market, but he was the one to sign.