Ruben Amaro, Jr. calls out Ryan Howard for own mistakes  —  STAY CONNECTED WITH SB NATION FOLLOW @SBNATION  —  Sometimes a general manager makes a mistake, and with Ryan Howard, Amaro, Jr. made a doozy when he extended a very limited player.  —   SHARE -

Dodgers, Giants make offers for Nolasco  —  LA willing to take on whole contract; SF would send two prospects to Miami  —  ST. LOUIS — At least two offers are on the table for Marlins right-hander Ricky Nolasco.  —  According to a league source familiar with the talks …

Red Sox Beat Angels 6-2 for 5th Win in a Row  —  ANAHEIM, Calif. — Shane Victorino scored the go-ahead run in the seventh inning on a dropped fly ball by right fielder Josh Hamilton and David Ortiz had a pinch-hit two-run homer to help the Boston Red Sox beat Los Angeles 6-2 on Friday.

Milone carries shutout into ninth A's beat Royals  —  KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Tommy Milone carried a shutout into the ninth inning and Grant Balfour held on for the save, securing the Oakland Athletics' 6-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Friday night.  —  Milone (8-7) was in complete control …

Harang, Mariners Beat Reds 4-2  —  CINCINNATI — Aaron Harang pitched six innings in the ballpark where he still holds the strikeout record, and Nick Franklin and Michael Saunders homered on Friday night, leading the Seattle Mariners to a 4-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.

Wells has big hit in ninth as Yankees beat Orioles  —  NEW YORK — Vernon Wells singled in the winning run with one out in the ninth inning, helping a marvelous Ivan Nova and the New York Yankees beat the Baltimore Orioles 3-2 Friday night for their season high-tying fifth straight win.

Hellickson Wins 4th Straight Start for Rays  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Jeremy Hellickson won his fourth consecutive start, Jose Molina had a two-run homer during a five-run second inning, and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Chicago White Sox 8-3 on Friday night.

Nationals use 10 hits to power victory over Padres  —  WASHINGTON — Wilson Ramos drove in three runs, Gio Gonzalez won his third straight start and the Washington Nationals defeated the San Diego Padres 8-5 Friday night.  —  Jayson Werth had three hits and Denard Span added a two-run double for Washington, which has won two straight.

Jake Westbrook works 7 strong in Cards' victory over Marlins  —  ST. LOUIS — Jake Westbrook worked seven strong innings and Allen Craig had two RBIs for a lineup that spoiled Jacob Turner's homecoming early on in the St. Louis Cardinals' 4-1 victory over the Miami Marlins on Friday night.

Final Score: Mets 12 Brewers 5  —  The Least You Should Know...  Zack Wheeler started for the Mets and he battled his way through five innings, allowing three runs - one earned - and threw 99 pitches to 24 batters.  —  Greg Burke allowed two runs in 1 2/3 innings, but the Mets got scoreless relief work …

Dodgers Sign Ian Stewart  —  The Dodgers have signed third baseman Ian Stewart, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.  Since being jettisoned by the Cubs, Stewart was most recently rumored to be in discussions with the Yankees, who USA Today's Bob Nightengale says (Twitter link) …

A-Rod: Yanks won't get independence  —  While Alex Rodriguez gives fans holiday ‘treat,’ he's far from own portrayal as noble  —  MINNEAPOLIS — On July 4, 1939, Lou Gehrig, a 35-year-old man dying of an insidious disease that would one day bear his name, stood before a bank of microphones set …