A defiant Alex Rodriguez lets loose: ‘I refuse to quit’  —  CHARLESTON, S.C. — New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez tilts his head, starts to speak and breaks into a clumsy smile.  —  He deliberates whether to share his feelings, and when he finally speaks, it's almost in a whisper …

Yankees hit Gibson hard in win over Twins  —  MINNEAPOLIS — Vernon Wells drove in three runs, and the New York Yankees pounded rookie Kyle Gibson and the Minnesota Twins 9-5 on Thursday to finish a four-game sweep.  —  Travis Hafner had three hits and scored twice, and Ichiro Suzuki …

Union truly wants PEDs out of game  —  As a whole, baseball's players have a huge stake in outcome of Biogenesis case  —  Alex Rodriguez and Ryan Braun are among the big names tied to baseball's Biogenesis investigation.  —  In sports and real life, scandals unfold at their own distinct pace.

Mets Designate Brandon Lyon For Assignment  —  The Mets have designated right-handed reliever Brandon Lyon for assignment, according to the team's official Twitter feed.  New York will recall fellow righty Greg Burke to take Lyon's roster spot, the team further tweets.

Hamels Outpitches Cole, Phillies Beat Pirates  —  PITTSBURGH — Major league loss leader Cole Hamels pitched seven strong innings, Carlos Ruiz hit a tiebreaking single and the Philadelphia Phillies beat Gerrit Cole and the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-4 Thursday.  —  Hamels (3-11) gave up one earned run …

Adam Dunn's HR in 9th propels White Sox past Orioles  —  CHICAGO — Adam Dunn hit a one-out home run in the bottom of the ninth inning off Tommy Hunter to give the Chicago White Sox a 3-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday.  —  Chicago starter Jose Quintana had a career-high 11 strikeouts …

Dan Straily allows 1 hit over 7 innings as Athletics edge Cubs  —  OAKLAND, Calif. — Derek Norris scored on a passed ball with two outs in the seventh inning and the Oakland Athletics beat the Chicago Cubs 1-0 on Thursday.  —  Dan Straily (5-2) gave up a hit over seven innings after being recalled …

Rehabbing Crawford expected back for Friday's game  —  DENVER — Rehabbing Dodgers outfielder Carl Crawford went 1-for-3 with a walk and strikeout as designated hitter Wednesday night to conclude his four-game rehab stint with Class A Rancho Cucamonga.  —  Manager Don Mattingly …

Yankees captain Derek Jeter says he's close to being able to play rehab games  —  While there seems to be little left for Jeter to do before returning to the diamond for a game, he wisely avoided confirming a return date.  —  Derek Jeter, seen here during a break from his Tampa rehab …

Game 82: Diamondbacks vs. Mets at 1:10 PM  —  The Good: The Mets are 28-33 all-time on July 4th.  The Mets are 11-7 in their last 18 games.  —  The Bad: The Mets are 3-1-1 in their last five series.  New York is 14-20 in day games, including 6-13 at home this year.