Pence's HR keys 8th-inning rally, SF beats Rockies  —  SAN FRANCISCO—Hunter Pence hit a three-run homer during a five-run rally in the eighth inning that lifted the San Francisco Giants over the Colorado Rockies 9-6 on Sunday.  —  Buster Posey's sacrifice fly in the eighth tied it.

Capuano takes no-hit bid into seventh, Dodgers beat Marlins  —  MIAMI — Chris Capuano held Miami hitless until the seventh inning and Hanley Ramirez drove in three runs against his former team, leading the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Marlins 5-0 Sunday.  —  Capuano (11-8) shut …

Q&A: Doug Fister, Cat-and-Mouse Simplicity  —  Doug Fister believes in keeping things simple.  The Detroit Tigers right-hander isn't big on statistics, nor does he rely much on scouting reports.  What he does do is play cat-and-mouse with opposing hitters: He changes speeds and pounds the bottom of the strike zone.

Barmes' Slam, Walker's 5 Hits Lead Pirates Over SD  —  PITTSBURGH (AP) — Clint Barmes' first career grand slam keyed a nine-run fourth inning and Neil Walker went 5 for 5 as the Pittsburgh Pirates rallied past the San Diego Padres 11-5 on Sunday.  —  Walker homered and doubled …

Villarreal to undergo exam for elbow weakness  —  ARLINGTON — Brayan Villarreal went to the mound Sunday for the second time in less than 24 hours in an effort to put Saturday night's loss out of his memory.  Turns out he has bigger worries on his mind, the way his elbow is feeling.

BERKMAN FACING DIFFICULT DECISION ABOUT HIS FUTURE  —  • Cardinals Insider > Joe Strauss  PHILADELPHIA  • His family's Houston residence boasts spurs on a rustic den wall, a signed Major Applewhite Longhorn helmet in a display case and a map of Stephen Austin's Texas hanging within …

Montero homers twice off Weaver, Mariners beat Angels  —  ANAHEIM, Calif. — Jesus Montero homered twice off major league ERA leader Jered Weaver, and Jason Vargas outpitched his former Long Beach State teammate to give the Seattle Mariners a 4-1 win Sunday over the Los Angeles Angels.

Hart homers, Brewers stop skid with win over Astros  —  HOUSTON — Yovani Gallardo handled Houston once again and Corey Hart homered as the Milwaukee Brewers broke an 11-game road skid, beating the Astros 5-3 on Sunday.  —  Milwaukee won on the road for the first time since July 8 at Houston in its last game before the All-Star break.

Pierre helps Phillies top Cardinals in 11  —  PHILADELPHIA—Juan Pierre beat out a run-scoring infield single in the 11th inning, lifting the Philadelphia Phillies to an 8-7 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday.  —  Jimmy Rollins reached off Barret Browning (0-2) on a fielder's choice.

Yankees' Sabathia targets minimum stay on DL … TORONTO — CC Sabathia already has set the date of his return.  —  “August 24,” he said.  “That's the day I'm pitching.”  —  The Yankees ace didn't say “maybe,” or “hopefully” or “if all goes well.”  —  Sabathia said he is sure that whatever …

Reds-Cubs Preview  —  While Jay Bruce will return to the Cincinnati Reds lineup, Scott Rolen might not be ready to do the same and Joey Votto certainly isn't.  —  A day after learning Votto will be out longer than expected, Cincinnati hopes Bruce begins getting back on track in the finale …

NY Mets are going nowhere this season, should think about shutting down Johan Santana  —  So it's come to this: the Mets and their fans just need to hope none of their key hitters gets hurt while keeping an eye on next season.  —  Johan Santana is not helping the Mets this season …