Billingsley wins 3rd straight for Dodgers  —  LOS ANGELES—Chad Billingsley won his third straight start since coming off the disabled list, batterymate A.J. Ellis hit two solo homers and had an RBI single, leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 6-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Friday night.

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.

Kendrick Falters in Starting Role  —  PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Just when it seemed Kyle Kendrick had found a home in the bullpen, he is back in the Phillies' rotation.  —  Results weren't the same.  —  Justin Upton hit his 100th career homer, Ian Kennedy threw six effective innings …

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 …

Scioscia Protests 1st Inning Call in Angels' Loss  —  CHICAGO (AP) — Mike Scioscia contends that a first-inning call by the umpires changed the course of the Los Angeles Angels' extra-inning loss to the Chicago White Sox.  —  Alex Rios hit his second homer of the game …

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.

Final Score: Padres 3 Mets 1  —  The Mets (52-55) lost to the Padres by the score of 3-1 tonight in San Diego.  —  The Least You Should Know: … Michael Baron: Thole did a poor job of blocking the play at the plate on Carlos Quentin in the eighth inning, and that really put a damper on an otherwise good start by Dickey.

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.

Brennaman goes bald for a cause; raises $50K for Reds Community Fund  —  CINCINNATI - Hall of Fame Reds broadcaster Marty Brennaman helped raise more than $50,000 for the Reds Community Fund thanks to his willingness to have his head shaved Friday.  —  “I think people really respect the fact that …

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 …

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.

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.