A-Rod back in Yankees' starting lineup  —  NEW YORK—Alex Rodriguez was back in the New York Yankees' starting lineup Sunday, batting cleanup and playing third base in their series finale against the Toronto Blue Jays.  —  Rodriguez hasn't played since Aug. 20, though his left calf was bothering him before that.

Red Sox: Time to look ahead  —  The Red Sox are done now, too far behind to catch up.  If you're like our man Bud, you're probably still holding out a ray of hope, even after the double-dip defeat Saturday.  —  If you're like our man Tony T., who gave up on April 12, you turned out to be right.

This is a sorry showing, indeed  —  There's a scene in “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” in which the bank-robbing title characters sit on a saloon balcony, kicking around possible career changes after a life of crime.  —  “We'll join the Army,” says Butch, happy with his idea.

Seventh-inning rally does trick for Phillies  —  Halladay overcomes four Brewers homers to notch victory  —  PHILADELPHIA — On a night that Roy Halladay set a dubious personal mark, the Phillies' offense picked up their ace not once, not twice, but three times.

Plenty to review after this season  —  Time still remains for August's listless Cardinals team to emerge as September's phoenix, making an irritated fan base forget the 4-13 skid that ushered the club into this weekend's grudge match against the Cincinnati Reds.

Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Matt Garza angry that Baltimore Orioles' Luke Scott used Bible to criticize him  —  BALTIMORE — RHP Matt Garza didn't really care what Orioles DH Luke Scott had to say about him.  But he did not care much for how Scott did so, invoking biblical proverbs.

Missed chances lead to ninth straight loss  —  Padres watch Rockies erupt after trailing by one run late  —  SAN DIEGO — It was in a blissful stretch from April to June when these Padres, looking and playing like they could do no wrong, celebrated eight walk-off victories in their first 37 games at PETCO Park.

Thome, Tolbert power Twins past Rangers  —  Fill-in third baseman drives in five; slugger swats two homers  —  MINNEAPOLIS — The Twins have certainly seen their share of injuries plague the club's lineup in recent days and weeks.  —  Yet just when it seems that those injuries might wind …

Zambrano, Castro lead Cubs over Mets 5-3  —  was yelling and pumping his arms, looking as if he might go into another full-fledged meltdown.  —  Instead, he kept his composure.  He also kept a good run going.  —  Zambrano passed Kerry Wood  —  on the Cubs' strikeouts list, Starlin Castro

Gaston tells Jays to play for pride  —  Manager Cito Gaston called his first meeting of the year before Saturday's game to let his team know they weren't going to mail in the results for the final month.  Pride of the Jays.  —  His team had looked flat on Friday in support of Brandon Morrow …

Jurrjens outshines JJ as Braves edge Fish  —  Seven scoreless innings backed by Gonzalez's two RBIs  —  MIAMI — When Jair Jurrjens allowed the Rockies to erase a significant portion of a nine-run, third-inning deficit and then claim a thrilling win at Coors Field on Aug. 25, he claimed that he didn't lose concentration.

Marlins tab Mendez for Game 1 of twin bill  —  MIAMI — Armed with 350 games of Minor League experience, Adalberto Mendez is on the verge of pitching in his first Major League game.  —  The Marlins selected the contract of the 28-year-old on Saturday from Triple-A New Orleans.