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.

Angels Beat Yankees With 9th-Inning Rally  —  ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Pinch-hitter Maicer Izturis drove home pinch-runner Jeremy Moore with a bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the ninth inning, and the Los Angeles Angels rallied to beat the New York Yankees 2-1 Friday night for their fifth win in six games.

Wang looks to secure up to US$1.5 million in incentives  —  Taipei, Sept. 9 (CNA) After his latest start Friday, Washington Nationals pitcher Chien-Ming Wang is moving closer to securing up to US$1.5 million in the reward incentives by staying in the rotation till the end of this regular season.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

Carpenter clarifies  —  Chris Carpenter felt he needed to make a point this afternoon.  —  Shortly after the clubhouse opened, Chris Carpenter called a couple of reporters over to his locker to clarify his explanation of the events from Wednesday night.  It had been reported (including on MLB.com) …

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.