How to get Hunter Pence production for a third of the price  —  There was a lot of head-scratching on Tuesday afternoon when the Phillies traded away Hunter Pence for a package of players headlined by Giants catching prospect Tommy Joseph.  In a recent column, esteemed baseball scribe Jayson Stark relays …

Posey homers and Giants beat Rockies 16-4  —  DENVER—Ryan Vogelsong pitched into the seventh inning, Buster Posey homered among his four hits and the San Francisco Giants broke out of an offensive slump to beat the Colorado Rockies 16-4 on Friday.  —  Brett Pill also went deep and Angel Pagan …

Rios Homers Twice, White Sox Beat Angels in 10  —  CHICAGO (AP) — Alex Rios hit his second homer of the game, connecting for a two-run shot in the 10th inning Friday night that lifted the Chicago White Sox over the Los Angeles Angels 8-6.  —  Rios also hit a solo homer as the White Sox won their third in a row.

Carroll's Single in 10th Lifts Twins Over Red Sox  —  BOSTON (AP) — Jamey Carroll had four hits, including a go-ahead single in the 10th inning that sent the Minnesota Twins over the Boston Red Sox 6-5 Friday night.  —  Carroll and Justin Morneau each went 4 for 4 — Morneau doubled twice and Carroll also doubled.

Indians Designate Johnny Damon For Assignment  —  The Indians announced that they designated Johnny Damon for assignment.  The move creates 25-man roster space for outfielder Ezequiel Carrera, who has been recalled from Triple-A Columbus.  —  Damon signed a minor league deal with the Indians …

Sabathia Dominates Mariners Again as Yanks Win 6-3  —  NEW YORK (AP) — CC Sabathia pitched a three-hitter and struck out 10, dominating the Mariners as usual while leading the New York Yankees to a 6-3 victory Friday night that stopped Seattle's seven-game winning streak.

Latos Pitches and Hits Reds Past Pirates 3-0  —  CINCINNATI (AP) — Mat Latos pitched shutout ball into the eighth inning and hit a two-run homer Friday night as the NL Central-leading Cincinnati Reds opened a three-game series against their closest pursuers with a 3-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Christian Friedrich likely out for year with stress fracture in back  —  A despondent Christian Friedrich walked to his locker Friday night, crushed by the reality that is season is likely over.  The left-hander said an MRI Friday revealed a stress fracture in the lower back on the right side of the spine …

Hudson, Braves Stay Hot, Beat Reeling Astros 4-1  —  ATLANTA (AP) — Tim Hudson gave up only four hits and no earned runs in 7 1-3 innings to remain unbeaten in his career against Houston, and the Braves stayed hot with a 4-1 win Friday night that left the Astros with their worst 32-game stretch in franchise history.

JOSE CANSECO SIGNS WITH RIO GRANDE VALLEY  —  HARLINGEN, Texas (AP) - Jose Canseco has signed with the Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings of the North American Baseball League on Friday, and is expected to play Saturday night against McAllen.  —  The 48-year-old Canseco hit 462 home runs in 18 seasons in the majors and was the 1988 AL MVP.

Nationals Acquire Kurt Suzuki  —  The Athletics traded catcher Kurt Suzuki and cash considerations to the Nationals for catcher David Freitas, the teams announced.  It sounds like the A's are picking up most of Suzuki's 2012 salary and a bit of next year's salary, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports (on Twitter).

Rockies stop skid with win over Cardinals  —  DENVER — Tyler Colvin hit a tiebreaking double and rookie Josh Rutledge homered in his fourth straight game, lifting the Colorado Rockies over the St. Louis Cardinals 8-2 Thursday night to avert a three-game sweep.