With heavy heart Girardi stays in Yanks dugout following father's death  —  The Yankees' team bus was on the Henry Hudson Parkway last Saturday when Joe Girardi's phone rang.  After deteriorating from Alzheimer's disease since the 1990s, his father had died in Illinois.

Brad Ausmus to interview for Red Sox manager job  —  The Red Sox will interview Brad Ausmus next week for the team's manager position, the Globe's Nick Cafardo has confirmed.  —  Ausmus, a special assistant to the general manager for the San Diego Padres, turned down a chance to interview for the Astros' manager position.

Nationals despised for sitting Strasburg  —  Bob Nightengale: Baseball executives say the Washington Nationals' playoff run is not a feel-good story.  —  Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo turned a lot of heads when he said the club will be back to win a couple more NL East titles.

Giants beat Reds 6-4, win NLDS on Posey's slam  —  CINCINNATI (AP) — Buster Posey hit the third grand slam in Giants' postseason history, and San Francisco completed its startling comeback by holding off the Cincinnati Reds 6-4 Thursday in the decisive Game 5 of the NL division series.

A's set to remove tarp from third deck  —  OAKLAND, Calif. — Oakland Athletics owner Lew Wolff says the team will remove the tarps covering more than 11,000 seats from part of the upper deck at the Coliseum if the team advances to the AL championship series.

Scott hopes to return to Rays for healthy 2013 season  —  ST. PETERSBURG — Luke Scott's signing prior to the 2012 season appeared to bring the Rays a much-needed thumper for an anemic offense.  —  Yes, the veteran slugger was coming off right-shoulder surgery and had not fully recovered …

Tigers Go Ahead 1-0 on A's With Jackson RBI Single  —  OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Max Scherzer struck out five Oakland batters and Austin Jackson hit an RBI single as the Detroit Tigers took a 1-0 lead against the Athletics after three innings in Game 4 of their AL division series Wednesday night.

Inbox: Hamilton, free-agent frenzy and the future  —  Rangers beat reporter T.R. Sullivan answers fans' questions  —  Given Josh Hamilton's situation and past history, it would seem that other teams will be reluctant to pursue him, especially if the Rangers aren't willing to step up immediately and sign him right now.

PIN PLACED IN PEDROIA'S FINGER FOR FOUR WEEKS  —  Surgery to repair a torn ligament in Dustin Pedroia's right pinky was successful Wednesday, with Dr. Donald Sheridan placing a pin in the injured finger.  The pin will remain in Pedroia's finger for four weeks, with the second baseman having …

Tigers move past loss quickly to gear up for Game 5  —  OAKLAND — The sounds of celebration in the visiting clubhouse at The Coliseum, the popping of corks and the spraying of champagne were replaced by silence.  —  There were no cheers, no bear hugs and absolutely nobody was smiling.

Rockies to interview Runnells for managerial job  —  DENVER — The Rockies will interview Tom Runnells for their vacant manager's job on Thursday, the club said Wednesday.  —  Runnells, 57, has been with the Rockies' organization since 2004, and was the Major League bench coach from May 2009 through …