MVP voters prefer run producers  —  Deductive reasoning will get you only so far with baseball writers.  I know.  I am one.  —  I have voted for baseball's top awards since 1984.  I can't say I've always seen the winners coming.  —  Juan Gonzalez over Alex Rodriguez for the American League MVP in 1996?

Crisp, Youkilis help BoSox snap six-game road skid  —  CBS SportsLine.com wire reports  —  BALTIMORE — Even when they're struggling, the Boston Red Sox can count on beating the Baltimore Orioles.  —  Coco Crisp drove in three runs, Kevin Youkilis had two RBI in the pivotal sixth inning …

Angels top White Sox on Figgins' single  —  Halos move within 4 1/2 games of Oakland in AL West  —  ANAHEIM — Chone Figgins singled home the winning run in the bottom of the 11th inning to give the Angels a 4-3 victory over the White Sox on Tuesday.  —  Figgins' second walk-off hit …

Coins flipped in case of ties  —  Home-field advantage decided for one-game playoffs  —  Twenty-two coin flips later, the only ones flipping for joy were the Los Angeles Dodgers.  —  According to results of a series of coin flips conducted by conference call Tuesday to determine sites …

Dodgers don't lose ground in NL West  —  Hamulack gives up game-winning run in the 11th inning  —  CHICAGO — The Cubs, playing like the last-place team they are, bumbled their way through six errors in a rain-slicked mess of a game with the Dodgers on Tuesday night.  —  And they won.

Gordon Wins Minor League Player Of The Year  —  WICHITA, Kan.—Kansas City Royals fans have salivated over the thought of watching Alex Gordon, the No. 2 overall pick in 2005, play at Kauffman Stadium.  They've dreamed of how he'll turn around the organization, become a mainstay at third base, lead the team to the playoffs.

Tavarez is in tip-top form  —  Pitcher salutes fans this time  —  Long before he — yes — tipped his cap to the fans saluting his performance in yesterday's 9-3 Red Sox win over the Kansas City Royals, Julian Tavarez could be seen frequently making a gesture of another sort …

Mets Crisis of the Week: They Can't Hit Lefties  —  One of the more entertaining things about a highly entertaining Mets season has been the constant manufacture of crises.  Be it the rotation, the bullpen, the outfield, David Wright's power stroke, or the gravitational pull of Mr. Met's enormous head …

Mark Teahen Steps Up  —  Mark Teahen was a marvelous young prospect who was already at Triple-A.  — Billy Beane  —  Athletics Nation (9/20/2004)  —  Tuesday night, when the Royals announced Mark Teahen would undergo shoulder surgery, ending his season, it marked the end of one of the more amazing seasons I can remember.

Starters' troubles dried out the pen  —  MIAMI - Past sins could be coming back to haunt the Phillies.  —  Their bullpen is 3-5 with one save, four blown saves, and a 5.94 ERA in its last 11 games, having allowed 24 earned runs in 361/3 innings.  —  The Phillies are 5-6 in that stretch …

Harold Reynolds Interview - First Since ESPN Firing  —  Today on Baseball Beat with Charley Steiner, Harold Reynolds made his first radio or TV appearance since being fired by ESPN.  He discussed the situation, his wife and family, getting his name back, and the upcoming mediation with ESPN.

KDKA out as Pirates flagship station  —  PITTSBURGH (AP) — The first radio station to broadcast a major league baseball game is losing the rights to Pittsburgh Pirates games after 51 years.  —  KDKA will cease to be the Pirates' flagship station in 2007 as the team's radio rights shift …