Plenty of sock  —  Ortiz homers again as Red Sox escape some deep trouble  —  CHICAGO — Morning having broken long before David Ortiz was prepared for it, the Red Sox slugger showed up for work yesterday and told his boss that he dreamed he'd overslept and that Terry Francona was mad at him.

Posada Takes Seat After Family Has Scare on Flight to Tampa  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., July 9 — Jorge Posada was among the last Yankees to arrive in the clubhouse on Sunday, showing up about 90 minutes before the game against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.  —  Manager Joe Torre understood.

Cubs turn to Rusch in a pinch  —  Chicago (33-54) at Milwaukee (44-45), 1:05 p.m. CT  —  The Cubs won't have Mark Prior to close out the first half of the season.  —  Prior was a late scratch from his scheduled start on Sunday because of a strained left oblique muscle.

Wood will miss rest of season  —  MILWAUKEE — Pitcher Kerry Wood's career suffered another serious jolt Saturday when it was revealed he has a partially torn right rotator cuff.  —  An MRI arthrogram taken Friday at Northwestern Memorial Hospital showed why Wood has been complaining …

Take your pick: Both struggling  —  Platooning outfielders Mench, Wilkerson are in a funk at same time  —  ARLINGTON - The informal platoon that has Brad Wilkerson and Kevin Mench essentially sharing a spot in the lineup doesn't seem to be working for either one.

Indians ink infielder Smit  —  Australian signs Minor League contract for 2007  —  CLEVELAND — For the second time in three days, the Indians have tapped into the international pool of player talent.  —  The Indians on Sunday signed Jason Smit, a 16-year-old infielder from Australia …

... Low-grade team / The Pirates' owners aren't playing ball  —  A lot has been written and much has been said about the abysmal play of the Pittsburgh Pirates.  And it's not the usual fleeting barroom talk about the latest slump or the breaks of the game.  —  Fans are venting a simmering anger …

Notes: Red Sox show strong interest in Abreu  —  The Red Sox inquired about Phillies right fielder Bobby Abreu, but the talks apparently failed to progress — even though a rival GM describes the Sox's interest in Abreu as "very strong."  —  Here's why Abreu could make sense for the Sox:

Santana strong in stifling Athletics  —  Right-hander wins his 10th game of the season for Angels  —  OAKLAND — The Angels finished the first half with a 4-2 win over the A's on Sunday to take the four-game series in front of 26,603.  —  Kendry Morales tripled in a pair and Jose Molina homered …

Report: Mets sign Pena's son, 16, for $750,000 … The New York Mets on Saturday signed Dominican prospect Francisco Pena, the son of former major-league catcher Tony Pena, a source told ESPNdeportes.com.  —  The Mets, who paid Pena a bonus of $750,000, are not planning to make the move public until next week.

Endearing & enduring: The 1969 Seattle Pilots  —  Tommy Davis laughed heartily when asked for his prime recollection of the Seattle Pilots.  —  "Bunch of mutts, man," he said.  "Bunch of mutts."  —  Then Davis, a two-time batting champion and one of the Pilots' few players with stature …

Capuano added to NL All-Star roster  —  Brewers lefty replaces Mets' Glavine for Tuesday's game  —  MILWAUKEE — Chris Capuano was standing in the bullpen at Miller Park before Sunday's game, going through his normal throwing routine with pitching coach Mike Maddux.

Izturis trade now unlikely  —  His smooth transition to third base has the Dodgers thinking twice about dealing him this season.  —  LOS ANGELES - From the moment the Dodgers signed Rafael Furcal as a free agent in December, it seemed obvious what role Cesar Izturis would fill when he returned from Tommy John surgery.

The Breakup  —  In this exclusive excerpt from his new book, Feeding the Monster, Seth Mnookin explores the fascinating, curious, and combative relationship between Red Sox CEO Larry Lucchino and the young man he hired to build a championship team, general manager Theo Epstein.