Dehydration, being "stressed out" sent Ortiz to hospital  —  SEATTLE (AP) — Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz said stress and nearly a week of sleeplessness caused dehydration and eventually the irregular heartbeat that landed him in a Boston hospital last weekend.

Cubs aren't counting out Pie for call-up  —  ST. LOUIS — The Cubs have made no decision on whether to call up top prospect Felix Pie on Friday, but all signs point to the 21-year-old making his major-league debut during the next homestand.  —  Pie has raised his average to .282 with 13 home runs and 55 RBIs at Triple-A Iowa.

Schilling leads Sox against Mariners  —  Boston (71-56) at Seattle (58-69), 10:05 p.m. ET  —  The Red Sox, fresh off taking two out of three in Anaheim, continue their nine-game West Coast swing at Safeco Field when they begin a three-game series against the Mariners on Friday night.

Padres tab Thompson to start opener  —  San Diego (65-62) at Colorado (59-67), Friday, 6:05 p.m. PT  —  After a 10-game homestand that started so low and ended so high, the Padres hope to find a good balance before heading into the home stretch.  —  "Over the last few weeks …

Shoulder woes put Kazmir on DL … BALTIMORE - All-Star pitcher Scott Kazmir's season has been interrupted again by shoulder problems and possibly could be over.  —  The Rays placed Kazmir on the disabled list after Friday's game for what they said were precautionary reasons and don't know when he will next pitch.

Band strikes out with Pirates fans  —  A four-run rally in the sixth for a big Pirates win, clear skies and a glorious fireworks display.  —  What could go wrong?  —  Thirty-two thousand fans found out Thursday night at PNC Park when a post-game entertainment extravaganza disintegrated into boos …

Series features best of league's pinch-hitters  —  MIAMI GARDENS — Dolphin Stadium is the ideal site for a pinch-hitting clinic this weekend.  —  The Brewers (.287) and Marlins (.282) are the top two pinch-hitting teams in the majors this season.  The Marlins have three players among …

Pavano says he's ready to return  —  ANAHEIM, Calif. - Carl Pavano, on the disabled list for more than a year, declared himself ready to pitch for the Yankees after his latest rehab start Friday night.  "Yes, I'm ready," he told The Columbus Dispatch.  "I felt good."

Escobar dislocates right shoulder  —  Nationals center fielder injured sliding back into first base  —  ATLANTA — Nationals center fielder Alex Escobar left Friday's game against the Braves in the top of the ninth inning after dislocating his right shoulder diving back into first base.

Why your MLB team won't win it all  —  Unless a powerhouse emerges at Williamsport, the 2006 baseball season seems incapable of producing a great team.  —  Lower your hand, Yankees fan.  The team you just clouted in Boston has more holes than your uncle's T-shirt.  —  The Mets crowd should pipe down, too.

Angels' rookie delivers blow in ninth  —  Napoli knocks sacrifice fly with bases loaded for win  —  ANAHEIM — Mike Napoli hit a game-winning sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth inning on Friday that gave the Angels a 6-5 victory over the Yankees.  —  Napoli lifted a fly to left …

Little League to enforce pitch count  —  Rules seen as way to protect young arms  —  SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — Beaverton, Ore., manager Jeff Keller has accompanied his players to the trainer's room many times this week at the Little League World Series.  The sight, he recalled, has been unsettling.

Hicks: Rangers have underachieved  —  Owner says that Showalter is safe as the team's manager  —  ARLINGTON — Tom Hicks would have preferred a different kind of conversation on the day of his return to Ameriquest Field after a week of vacation in Argentina.

Wright's Power Has Dimmed, Even if His Energy Has Not  —  David Wright's smile and personality help him appeal to non-baseball audiences.  He appeared as a guest of David Letterman in July.  —  David Wright cracked a pitch deep, deep, deep toward right field Thursday night.

Crosby on DL for the second time this season  —  ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Oakland Athletics shortstop Bobby Crosby was put on the disabled list Friday after playing just four games since returning from the same lower back strain.  —  The move was retroactive to Tuesday …