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.

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.

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.

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 …

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 …

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.

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) …

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.

Twins fire Class AAA Rochester manager Tom Nieto  —  DETROIT — The Twins have fired Class AAA Rochester manager Tom Nieto and hitting coach Floyd Rayford, Twins minor league director Jim Rantz confirmed today.  —  The news was first reported by Jim Mandelaro, of the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle.

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.