Wang would like to return to Nationals  —  WASHINGTON — Right-hander Chien-Ming Wang is a free agent after this season, and said through an interpreter that he would like to return to the Nationals next season.  —  Wang said he feels loyalty toward the team because it took care of him when he had shoulder problems the last two years.

Lackey exits after three frames with bruised calf  —  ST. PETERSBURG — John Lackey exited Friday night's game vs. the Rays after the third inning with a left calf bruise and is listed as day to day.  —  With two outs and the bases loaded in the third, the 32-year-old was hit in the left calf on a hard line drive by John Jaso.

Howard Homers as Phillies Top Brew, 5-3  —  MILWAUKEE (AP) — Ryan Howard homered in his return to the lineup and Roy Halladay continued the Phillies' pitching dominance in Milwaukee, leading Philadelphia to a 5-3 victory over the Brewers on Friday night.  —  The NL East's top team won …

Jeremy Guthrie earns win Orioles beat Blue Jays 2-0  —  TORONTO - Jeremy Guthrie pitched three-hit ball for seven innings, Vladimir Guerrero and Nick Markakis each drove in a run and the Baltimore Orioles beat the Toronto Blue Jays 2-0 Friday night, their third straight win.

Source: Cubs to draw 3 million  —  The Chicago Cubs will draw 3 million fans for the eighth straight season, according to a team source, yet the team will lower prices on bleacher seats in 2012.  —  The Cubs have sold just over 2.8 million tickets, which is about 500 fewer per game than in 2010.

MVP debate will have no clear winner  —  I understand why some sabermetricians freak out over the MVP voting every year, howling for the mainstream media to get a clue.  —  But you know what?  —  Those analysts need to get over it.  —  Ignoramuses in the MSM, including yours truly …

Tigers rally to beat Twins 8-4  —  DETROIT—Alex Avila hit a three-run homer in the second inning and Ramon Santiago added a two-run shot in the fourth to help the Detroit Tigers rally for their seventh straight victory, 8-4 over the Minnesota Twins on Friday night.

Youkilis getting left hip examined  —  Kevin Youkilis returned to Boston to get his left hip examined.  No word on his return.  —  Erik Bedard also is back in Boston.  He now has a lat strain to go along with a sore knee.  But Terry Francona didn't feel it was a major issue.

Neither the Red Sox nor the Yankees will win World Series … Here in the northeast corner of America, where the Hub of the Universe and the City That Doesn't Sleep stare at one another from a distance of 200 miles, the popular notion is that the Red Sox and Yankees are among the frontrunners to win the 2011 World Series.

Yankees' Swisher out with elbow soreness  —  ANAHEIM, Calif. — Concerned with how sharp the pain in his left elbow is when he throws, New York Yankees right fielder Nick Swisher didn't start Friday night against the Los Angeles Angels and instead went for an examination.

Miguel Tejada wants to play in 2012  —  Former MVP shortstop Miguel Tejada, who was recently released by the San Francisco Giants, said he hopes to keep playing baseball in 2012.  —  “I will not retire,” Tejada told ESPNdeportes.com Friday.  “I didn't have a good time in San Francisco, but there are always highs and lows in life.”