Worth the wait  —  Sox's Dye, Iguchi key 19-inning victory  —  In baseball terminology, you "run into" a pitch from a nasty closer like the Boston Red Sox's Jonathan Papelbon.  But it was 10 innings after Jermaine Dye had done that, and now he was faced with something even tougher.

It's still Baker's team  —  Recent upswing and players' support could help the manager stick around in the 2nd half  —  MILWAUKEE — What funeral?  —  Sunday looked and sounded more like a revival for the Cubs and manager Dusty Baker after the team's third straight win, an 11-4 bashing of the Milwaukee Brewers.

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.

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:

Bush Can't Provide Power for Nationals  —  The former owner of the Texas Rangers came out to RFK Stadium last night to sit with his wife, Laura, watch a little baseball and, hopefully, see the Washington Nationals win, as had happened in both games he attended last season.

Sheets feeling good after rehab start  —  Righty throws three innings for Triple-A Nashville on Sunday  —  MILWAUKEE — It wasn't the prettiest outing but at this point, Ben Sheets will take any outing.  —  Sheets threw 65 pitches — 45 for strikes — in three innings, gave up three runs on three hits …

Sele outduels Schmidt as Dodgers win  —  Home team finishes first half on high note with close victory  —  LOS ANGELES — Another solid pitching performance by Aaron Sele propelled the Dodgers to a 3-1 win over the Giants, as the Dodgers closed out the first half of the season in front of 41,849.

Tempers are lost, followed by lead  —  NEW YORK — The Marlins have been the National League's hottest team since pitcher Scott Olsen got punched in the eye by a teammate and shoved against the wall by his manager during separate incidents in May.  —  They would like to think Olsen's latest altercation …

... 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 …

Gagne's back surgery goes well  —  Reliever able to walk briefly after Saturday operation  —  LOS ANGELES — There was finally some good news for Eric Gagne on Saturday.  His morning surgery to repair a herniated disk was successful, and the Dodgers pitcher was able to walk for a limited time Saturday afternoon.

Liriano wins 10th game of year  —  Left-hander shows the Majors why he should be an All-Star  —  ARLINGTON — The All-Star Game may not be taking place until Tuesday night, but those in attendance at Ameriquest Field for Saturday night's game saw one All-Star-caliber pitcher that won't be taking the mound in Pittsburgh.

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 …

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.

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 …

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.

U.S. posts Royal win in Futures Game  —  Prospects Gordon, Butler pace Americans' 11-hit attack  —  PITTSBURGH — The United States entered the XM Satellite Radio Futures Game with a roster that conjured up images of great offensive production.  Sporting nine former first-round picks among …

Not half bad  —  Midterm grades are in and MLB gets high marks  —  Here we are at the midway point and a cursory glance at the baseball landscape can only be described as a Bud Selig delight.  —  Competitive balance, tight pennant races and wild-card contenders everywhere.