So Here's the Deal, New York  —  He seems a decent enough, industrious enough man, this Alex Rodriguez.  —  After an 11-game trip that concluded 3,000 miles from home, his teammates trudged to a waiting jet last Sunday night.  Rodriguez, who'd had two hits and 14 strikeouts in his previous 20 at-bats …

Mock's surgery successful  —  WASHINGTON—Right-hander Garrett Mock, one of two pitchers the Nationals acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks in an Aug. 7 trade for veteran Livan Hernandez, had surgery to repair a tear in the patella tendon of his left knee yesterday and will need four to five months to rehabilitate the injury.

Sox fail to extend wild-card lead  —  After losing 2 of 3 to K.C., White Sox bracing for Boston  —  KANSAS CITY, Mo. — After losing two of three games to the team with the worst record in the majors, the White Sox know better than to take a depleted Boston team lightly when they visit Fenway Park …

Notes: Broxton a strong asset for LA  —  Rookie reliever has allowed just two runs in his last 18 outings  —  LOS ANGELES — While Andre Ethier garners most of the national attention as the Dodgers' top Rookie of the Year candidate, overshadowed is the solid play of reliever Jonathan Broxton.

Ojeda catches on with Rangers  —  ARLINGTON - There was a time this season when Miguel Ojeda was unhappy with baseball.  The veteran catcher played 25 games with Colorado before he was sent down to the minors.  —  "Sometimes you get tired of moving around," Ojeda said.

Nagging injury delays Street's return  —  A's notebook  —  OAKLAND — A's closer Huston Street was eligible to come off the disabled list Sunday.  —  As Street said, "That's not going to happen."  —  Street's strained right groin wasn't supposed to sideline him longer than his allotted time on the DL …

Notes: Rottino starts, gets hit  —  Racine native's single sets up three-run rally in eighth  —  cgardner@journalsentinel.com  —  Racine native Vinny Rottino made his first major-league start on Sunday, hitting seventh in the Milwaukee Brewers order and playing at third base in their 10-3 loss to the Florida Marlins.

Zambrano exits with back stiffness  —  Allows four earned runs in 1 1/3, leaves after trainer visit  —  CHICAGO — Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano had to leave Monday's game after 1 1/3 innings because of stiffness in his lower back.  —  It was the shortest outing of Zambrano's career.

A White Sox Fan Discusses Hawk Harrelson  —  If you haven't noticed, the Toaster's Catfish Stew has added a new writer, Phillip Michaels.  I've really enjoyed his new voice here.  Considering how many A's blogs there are it can't be easy to come up with a unique spin on the team …

Cabrera in good company  —  Miguel Cabrera has never heard of Mel Ott or Ted Williams.  That comes as no great surprise, because a lot of major leaguers are in the dark when it comes to the history of their sport.  —  But Cabrera might want to start digging into his sport's past as he continues …

Pirates Notebook: Chance to catch Cubs a humble prize  —  By Dejan Kovacevic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette  —  ST. LOUIS — For the first time since, oh, the third week of April, the Pirates will have cause to look at those Central Division standings today.  —  They are 1 1/2 games behind …

Moneyball, Part 2: The Cliché Comes To Life  —  Moneyball is a raincloud, and A's bloggers are Eeyore.  The book follows you where ever you go.  It's difficult to come up with an interesting angle on the A's that hasn't been covered by Moneyball, or by the seven hundred billion gazillion essays …

Gload making the most of bit part  —  KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Ross Gload didn't get his first hit until April 25 and once went 11 games this season without playing.  —  That didn't discourage Gload, who has become a valuable part of the White Sox's roster.  —  Gload has raised his batting average …