Edes: Beckett's postgame defiance says it all  —  His weak performance and postgame comments show he doesn't care, either … BOSTON — Josh Beckett has chosen sides.  —  On one side, everyone who cares so much about the Red Sox that they are even personally affected by the death of a public address announcer.

Ruiz, Mayberry Jr. power Phillies past Padres  —  PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Carlos Ruiz went 3-for-3 with a homer and three RBIs and John Mayberry Jr. homered and drove in three runs to lead the Philadelphia Phillies to a 7-3 win over the San Diego Padres on Friday night.

Orioles Rally Past Rays 4-3  —  BALTIMORE (AP) — Nick Johnson's first homer in two years gave Baltimore a seventh-inning lead, and the Orioles edged the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 Friday night in a duel for first place in the AL East.  —  Johnson's two-run drive off Joel Peralta (0-2) …

Nationals Get 2 HRs, Beat Reds 7-3  —  CINCINNATI (AP) — Roger Bernadina and Danny Espinosa each hit a two-run homer Friday night in one of Washington's biggest scoring splurges of the season, leading the light-hitting Nationals to a 7-3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.

Dobbs Drives in Winner as Marlins Beat Mets 6-5  —  MIAMI (AP) — Greg Dobbs' single with two outs in the ninth inning scored Emilio Bonifacio from second base with the winning run Friday, and the Miami Marlins rallied to end the New York Mets' five-game winning streak with a 6-5 victory.

In Heart of Mariners Lineup, a Reminder to the Yankees  —  The man Yankees fans regard as the Burglar of Seattle, better known as Jack Zduriencik, was not wearing a mask or a striped shirt when he arrived at Yankee Stadium, and he was not carrying Jesus Montero around in a white sack over his shoulder.

PADRES: Cabrera's promotion on hold following arrest  —  If the Padres plan to promote minor-league shortstop Everth Cabrera, they might have to put those plans temporarily on hold.  —  The team confirmed on Thursday night that Cabrera, their Triple-A shortstop, was arrested in mid-March.

Braves honored to part of La Russa's night  —  ST. LOUIS — Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez was overjoyed when he found out that the St. Louis Cardinals would be retiring the uniform of former manager Tony La Russa in a ceremony prior to Friday's opener at Busch Stadium.

Last-place Phillies: Buyers or sellers?  —  I don't care what Philadelphia Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. says — I'll believe his team is a seller when I see it.  —  But know this:  —  According to major league sources, at least one club — the Toronto Blue Jays …

Hamilton's deal possibly short, sweet  —  If you think outfielder Josh Hamilton will sign a contract that sufficiently protects the Texas Rangers from any injuries and relapses that he might suffer, think again.  —  Hamilton need not make concessions when he likely would receive a massive …

People and Entities Out-Walking Albert Pujols  —  Pardon me for hitting this point again and again, but it's by far the most fascinating part of Albert Pujols' season so far.  Anybody can go into a home run drought; the difference between a home run and a flyout is, what, the width of a cuticle?

Chris Marrero suffers setback; injury updates on Chien-Ming Wang and Mark DeRosa  —  Setbacks in both his shoulder and his hamstring have delayed first baseman Chris Marrero's recovery from the torn hamstring he suffered this winter, Manager Davey Johnson said.