NY Yankees 8, NY Mets 2  —  NEW YORK (AP) — Alex Rodriguez and Chien-Ming Wang have been unstoppable the past few weeks, two big reasons the New York Yankees look almost unbeatable right now.  —  Rodriguez hit his major league-leading 27th homer, Wang came within one out of a complete game …

Resilient Escobar takes down Dodgers  —  Righty shakes off first-inning homer to pick up eighth victory  —  LOS ANGELES — The first heater that left Kelvim Escobar's hand perfectly painted the inside corner of the plate, leaving leadoff hitter Rafael Furcal frozen with indecision.  No swing.

Carmona, Indians avoid sweep by Braves  —  CLEVELAND (AP) — Fausto Carmona's sharp sinker gave the Cleveland Indians a needed lift.  —  Carmona (8-2) pitched seven-plus innings to help the Indians avoid a three-game sweep with a 5-2 win over the Atlanta Braves on Sunday.

Orioles' losing streak reaches eight  —  BALTIMORE (AP) — It didn't take long for Arizona to unearth the not-so-secret method for beating the Baltimore Orioles: Hang in there against the starting pitcher, then hammer away at the bullpen.  —  The strategy worked to perfection this weekend during a three-game sweep.

Notes: Pitching tells Mets' tale  —  With starters struggling, club encounters prolonged slide  —  NEW YORK — As if the theory that pitching determines a team's level of success needs reinforcement, there is this set of Mets' pitching numbers to ponder.  —  From May 23-June 8 …

His role is invaluable  —  Okajima sets up for closing time  —  We write this over and over, but we can't write it enough.  How valuable is Hideki Okajima?  How much of a godsend has he been for the Red Sox?  —  You can grit your teeth and wrench your hands when you talk …

Interview - Billy Beane - VP & General Manager - Athletics  —  If there is a Rock Star status for General Managers in Major League Baseball, Billy Beane would surely own the title.  He's not often — if ever — referred to as "William" or "Mr. Beane", but rather gets that single-name moniker that makes you nod your head... "Billy".

Prospectus Q and A: Tom Allison by David Laurila  —  Tom Allison … David Laurila: This was your first time running a draft.  What was the experience like?  —  Tom Allison: By far, what made it such an outstanding experience was working with my staff.  We spent a scouting season scouring …

Chicago dogs  —  Chisox & Cubs playin' dead  —  All this Yankees-Mets boomeranging driving you insane, is it?  Had enough agita dealing with the ups and downs of our local nines?  It could be worse, Yankee and Met legions, a lot worse, as a matter of fact.  How do you think the fans in Chicago are liking this baseball season?

Padres hit five homers, rip Cubs 11-3  —  CHICAGO (AP) — This time, the big swings came at the plate.  —  Mike Cameron hit two homers and the San Diego Padres knocked a season-high five in all in an 11-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Sunday.  —  One day after a bench-clearing altercation …

Angelos has been slow to fire, but it's clear he's simmering  —  So far, Orioles owner Peter Angelos has exercised his right to remain silent about the status of embattled manager Sam Perlozzo, but it isn't hard to imagine what's going on in his head.  —  He has spent the past month waiting …

Dukes takes seat again; Gomes benefits most  —  DENVER - OF Elijah Dukes was not in the Devil Rays starting lineup for a fourth straight game Saturday and it's not clear when, or if, he will return.  —  Manager Joe Maddon likes the way the lineup looks without the troubled rookie …