Youkilis returns for exam  —  Hip, hernia on list of maladies  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Only seven games after returning from the disabled list, Kevin Youkilis was out of the Red Sox' lineup last night, having returned to Boston to get a sore left hip examined.

Weaver's Angels Beat Yankees With 9th-Inning Rally  —  ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Although Jered Weaver left the New York Yankees in awe after eight shutdown innings, he didn't leave the mound with a victory.  —  Maicer Izturis made sure the Los Angeles Angels didn't completely waste another stellar start by their ace.

Kershaw, Dodgers rally to beat Lincecum, Giants  —  SAN FRANCISCO — NL Cy Young Award contender Clayton Kershaw outdueled two-time winner Tim Lincecum, pinch-hitter Jamey Carroll drove home the go-ahead run in the ninth and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the San Francisco Giants 2-1 on Friday night.

Overbay and Hudson lead D-backs to win over Padres  —  PHOENIX—Seldom-used first baseman Lyle Overbay singled in the tiebreaking run in the eighth inning and Daniel Hudson pitched his third complete game of the season, leading the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 3-2 win over the San Diego Padres on Friday night.

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.

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 …

MRI on elbow will clarify Swisher's injury  —  Yanks hope right fielder can return to lineup on Saturday  —  ANAHEIM — Yankees outfielder Nick Swisher said he felt “sharp pain” in his left elbow after making a throw on Thursday and had an MRI exam performed after the team arrived at Angel Stadium on Friday.

Cardinals beat Braves behind fourth straight rookie starter  —  ST. LOUIS — Nick Punto hit a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded in the 10th inning after Albert Pujols' two-run single tied it an inning earlier and the St. Louis Cardinals kept its faint post-season hopes alive with a 4-3 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Friday night.

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.

Mets confident they can sell stakes in team  —  The cash-strapped Mets are confident they will be able to sell several $20 million to $30 million stakes in the team by the end of the year, The Post has learned.  —  In a Sept. 8 conference call with lenders, Mets banker Steve Greenberg …

Francoeur's defense can't bail out Francis  —  SEATTLE—A stellar defensive night for Jeff Francoeur wasn't enough to bail out Kansas City starter Jeff Francis.  —  Francis (5-16) allowed five runs in 3 1-3 innings Friday night during a 7-3 loss to the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field.

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.

Ejections of CarGo, Tracy set tone for Rockies' 4-1 loss to Reds  —  Typically when a team has more ejections than runs, it loses.  —  Such was the case in an odd Friday night at Coors Field.  A paid crowd of 40,114 watched as evaluation gave way to frustration in the Rockies' 4-1 loss to the Cincinnati Reds.

Lonnie Chisenhall homers twice in Indians' 8-4 win  —  CHICAGO - Lonnie Chisenhall hit a pair of two-run homers and the Cleveland Indians beat the Chicago White Sox 8-4 on Friday night.  —  Chisenhall, Cleveland's rookie third baseman, set career highs with his two homers and four RBIs …