Miller hits first two career homers as Mariners top Astros  —  HOUSTON — Rookie Brad Miller hit his first two major league homers and drove in five runs, and the Seattle Mariners overcame rookie Brandon Barnes' cycle for the Astros in a 10-7 win over Houston on Friday night.

Final Score: Phillies 13 Mets 8  —  The Least You Should Know:  —  Jeremy Hefner was rocked for 8 runs on 10 hits and was knocked out of the game with no outs in the the third.  The defense did him no favors, but he wasn't fooling the Phillies at all.  —  Burke and Edgin combined …

Yankees' Alex Rodriguez could end up pariah in baseball like Lance Armstrong in cycling  —  The Daily News reported Sunday that Rodriguez and his lawyers have had internal discussions about pursuing a plea deal to reduce the looming suspension, possibly hoping to save Rodriguez from Armstrong's fate.

Dodgers' Yasiel Puig faces $12-million lawsuit filed by man in Cuba  —  Dodgers rookie Yasiel Puig is being sued by a man who alleges the outfielder made false accusations against him.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times / July 14, 2013)  —  WASHINGTON - Yasiel Puig is being sued …

Chad Gaudin Delivers as Giants Beat Diamondbacks  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Chad Gaudin struck out eight in seven scoreless innings to build on his impressive monthlong stretch, All-Star Buster Posey hit an RBI double, and the San Francisco Giants beat the first-place Arizona Diamondbacks 2-0 on Friday night.

Rockies fall to Cubs as Chicago's Jeff Samardzija shackles offense  —  A drought of Dust Bowl proportions has enveloped the Rockies.  —  Returning from the all-star break to open a critical 10-game homestand loaded with expectations, the Rockies' bats were nearly silent Friday night.

Westbrook's Pitching, Hitting Lead Cardinals  —  ST. LOUIS — Jake Westbrook pitched 6 1-3 innings of two-run ball and contributed three hits, All-Star Matt Carpenter continued his strong season with three hits and three RBIs, and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the San Diego Padres 9-6 on Friday night.

Francisco and Gomez go deep as Brewers blank Marlins  —  MILWAUKEE — Juan Francisco and Carlos Gomez each hit home runs and Kyle Lohse blanked Miami for six innings as the Milwaukee Brewers started the second half of the season with a 2-0 victory over the Marlins on Friday night.

Phillips Drives in 3, Reds Beat Pirates 5-3  —  CINCINNATI — Brandon Phillips drove in three runs with a bases-loaded double on Friday night, and Mike Leake got the better of left-hander Francisco Liriano for the third time this season, leading the Cincinnati Reds to a 5-3 victory …

Why the Red Sox are interested in Bud Norris (and starters like him)  —  Bud Norris is 6-8 with a 3.63 ERA for the Astros.  (AP)  —  While the Red Sox kept tabs on the Cubs' Matt Garza market, his profile was an imperfect fit for what the team wanted and what the team was willing to give up.

Trade Deadline looming, Morneau, Perkins want to stay  —  MINNEAPOLIS — With the All-Star Game in the rearview mirror, the July 31 Trade Deadline looms for the Twins, who are expected to be sellers after losing 12 of 15 entering the break.  —  First baseman Justin Morneau and closer Glen Perkins …

Plenty of prospects could be moved by Deadline  —  Here's a look at who contending teams could offer to swing a trade to get help now  —  As play resumes in Major League Baseball following the All-Star break, there were 16 teams at or above .500.  All of them, if not more, are at least somewhat in contention for a postseason spot.