Coco's grab ensures 12th straight  —  Crisp makes lead-saving diving catch; Schilling wins 10th  —  BOSTON — When you're on a winning streak like the Red Sox are enjoying right now, it's a lot easier to take a leap of faith.  —  With the Red Sox clinging to a 3-2 lead …

Anderson's heroics can't stop sweep  —  Second baseman homers twice as Nats fall to Jays  —  TORONTO — First, the good news.  The Nationals scored four runs on Thursday, their second-largest offensive output in the last 10 games.  —  The bad news: Nationals ace John Patterson was again forced from the mound with arm problems.

Barrett: Brewers' Lee belongs at Wrigley  —  Michael Barrett is a catcher, but he made a strong pitch Wednesday for Cubs general manager Jim Hendry to pursue Milwaukee Brewers left fielder Carlos Lee.  —  Lee's power explosions at Wrigley Field remind Barrett of how his former Montreal Expos …

Deaf to Boos, Rodriguez Finally Hears the Cheers  —  Alex Rodriguez must have heard the boos when he failed to reach base in the 1st and 10th innings, and again in the 11th when he made an error.  Or did he?  After yesterday's game, Rodriguez said his hearing was going bad, likening himself to a swimmer with clogged ears.

Palmeiro speaks … The man whose finger-wagging image may forever be the lasting snapshot of baseball's so-called steroid era hasn't paid much attention to the sport's most recent drug scandal.  —  Rafael Palmeiro spends his mornings working out, his days playing baseball with his two sons …

Hermida helps surge  —  Maybe it's just a coincidence, but the Marlins' recent hot spell started when outfielder Jeremy Hermida returned from the disabled list.  Since then, Florida has won 23 of 33 games, eight of 11 series and is hitting.  271, nearly 20 points higher than the team hit without him.

Pirates demote Perez to minors  —  Pirates demote Perez to minors  —  PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh Pirates opening-day starter Oliver Perez was demoted to Triple-A Indianapolis on Thursday, the club's latest move to try to turn around the hard-throwing pitcher once viewed as their staff ace.

Canseco back in baseball — with independent Surf Dawgs  —  Canseco back in baseball — with independent Surf Dawgs  —  SAN DIEGO (AP) — Jose Canseco returned to baseball Thursday when he agreed to a contract with the independent San Diego Surf Dawgs, planning to be their designated hitter and — get this — pitch.

Kasten prioritizes 'long term'  —  Incoming Washington Nationals president Stan Kasten hinted yesterday the team will be active in acquiring young talent at the July 31 trade deadline, and reiterated his commitment to rebuilding the team's depleted farm system.

Go 2 Guy: Mariners destined to win AL West  —  The 2006 American League West champions should forget the preseason predictions written here, those that said the Mariners would finish 73-89 and Ichiro Suzuki would not hit .300.  —  Steve Pool gets to revise his forecast, so I will too …

They've Rebuilt the Farm  —  Dodgers' minor league system has gone from one of baseball's worst to among the best  —  In the batting cages at Dodgertown, wrapped in catcher's gear, staring through horizontal bars, pelted by hard and undeveloped sliders, Russell Martin still knew.

Rock the game clock  —  As game times are ticking back from three-plus hours, the Rockies are displaying better defense; players hope staying fresher will help them contend  —  Seattle - To understand the Rockies' standing in the NL, think DSL.  —  For years, Colorado was a dial-up franchise in a high-speed world.

Analysis: Pirates' failure far-reaching at season's midpoint  —  Maybe this explains why members of the Pirates' upper management never cite specific goals for the team going into a season.  —  Even the most modest objectives can come back to bite them.  —  In the spring, owner Kevin …