Girardi eager to see what Montero can offer  —  Slugging prospect likely to join Yankees on Thursday  —  BOSTON — Jesus Montero could break into the big leagues with a crash course on the Yankees' rivalry with the Red Sox, as the power-hitting catcher is expected to headline New York's …

Father Time and the Philadelphia Phillies  —  The 2011 Phillies are great, but an aging lineup makes their future look bleak  —  There's never been a better time to be a Philadelphia Phillies fan.  Granted, the bar has been set pretty low.  —  The Phillies, after all, are the losingest franchise in major league history.

Shields scatters four hits over eight as Rays beat Rangers  —  ARLINGTON, Texas — James Shields pitched eight shutout innings, Johnny Damon homered and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the AL West-leading Texas Rangers 4-1 on Wednesday night.  —  Shields (13-10) allowed four hits …

Bumgarner strikes out 11 as Giants end three-game skid  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Madison Bumgarner matched his career high with 11 strikeouts, Jeff Keppinger and Pablo Sandoval hit consecutive homers in the fourth inning, and the San Francisco Giants beat the Chicago Cubs 4-0 on Wednesday to snap a three-game skid and avoid a sweep.

Rios' frustration boils over in sixth inning  —  CHICAGO — Alex Rios took a called third strike from Joe Nathan to end Wednesday's 7-6 loss to the Twins, after singling home Juan Pierre in the eighth.  —  But his best connection may have come after a called third strike from starter Scott Diamond …

Jose Reyes tries to avoid talk of batting race with Ryan Braun, scores go-ahead run in Mets' 3-2 win  —  The constant texts from friends, with their real-time updates about Ryan Braun's at-bats, make it impossible for Jose Reyes to forget that he is striving for the first batting title in Mets history.

Pedro Strop is player to be named  —  Pedro Strop, a hard-throwing right-hander who has appeared in 25 games for the Texas Rangers in the past three seasons, is the player to be named later in Wednesday's deal that sent Michael Gonzalez to the Texas Rangers, according to an industry source.

Carp's 2-Run Double in 8th Beats Angels, 2-1  —  SEATTLE (AP) — This time of the season with all that's at stake for the Los Angeles Angels, their 2-1 loss to the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday night stings more than usual.  —  Mike Carp hit a two-run double with two outs in the eighth inning …

Derek Lowe hits HR, earns win as Braves beat Nats 3-1  —  ATLANTA - Two milestone home runs - Chipper Jones' 450th and Derek Lowe's first - gave Atlanta the early lead and Lowe combined with three relievers on a three-hitter as the Braves beat the Washington Nationals 3-1 on Wednesday night.

32 players from D-backs' 2001 World Series team scheduled to return to Chase Field for World Championship Reunion Weekend Sept. 9-11  —  World Championship team to be celebrated during pregame ceremony on Sept. 10  —  PHOENIX - The Arizona Diamondbacks announced today that former Managing …

Cordero expresses desire to retire with Reds  —  CINCINNATI — There could be a doozy of a decision looming for the Reds this winter, and it carries large financial ramifications.  Will they bring back closer Francisco Cordero?  —  Cordero is in the final guaranteed year of his four-year …

D-Backs Top Rockies 4-2 for Ninth Straight Win  —  PHOENIX (AP) — Miguel Montero hit a three-run homer for the second straight game and the Arizona Diamondbacks won their ninth in a row by beating the Colorado Rockies 4-2 on Wednesday night.  —  Josh Collmenter (9-8) limited the Rockies …

Happ pitches seven strong innings as Astros blank Pirates  —  HOUSTON — J.A. Happ allowed three hits and struck out six over seven innings and the Houston Astros beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 2-0 on Wednesday night for a sweep of the three-game series.  —  Despite having the worst record in baseball …

SPORTS BASEBALL  —  Jays GM scouting Japanese phenom Darvish  —  Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish was being scouted this week by the Blue Jays, among other teams.  —  Report an error  —  BALTIMORE -  —  While the bullpen burned in Baltimore, general manager Alex Anthopoulos was in Japan looking for talent for next season.

Braun takes tumble on inside-the-park bid  —  Credited with RBI triple, homer would've given Brewers lead  —  MILWAUKEE — Ryan Braun was about 75 feet shy of his first career inside-the-park home run when gravity took over.  His tumble cost the Brewers a go-ahead run …