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.

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.

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.

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 …

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.

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 …

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.

Cubs blow three-run lead in eighth, rally to beat Mets  —  NEW YORK — Aramis Ramirez hit a two-run single with two outs in the ninth inning, rallying the Chicago Cubs past the New York Mets 5-4 after blowing a three-run lead in the eighth Saturday.  —  Jason Bay of Trail, B.C. …

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.