Piniella to step down after Sunday's game  —  CHICAGO — Family comes first, and Lou Piniella is headed home to take care of his mother.  —  When Piniella announced on July 20 that he was retiring at the end of this season, he fully intended to finish the year with the Cubs.

Red Sox 5, Blue Jays 0  —  Clay Buchholz lowers AL-best ERA to 2.26 in 5-0 win  —  BOSTON - Clay Buchholz has grown from a frustrated pitcher into one of baseball's best in just two years.  —  The Red Sox [team stats] right-hander pitched six innings of five-hit ball to lower his AL-best ERA …

Scully to return to Dodgers booth in 2011  —  LOS ANGELES — Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully will return for a 62nd season at the microphone in 2011, the Dodgers announced on Sunday.  —  “I'm just honored and humbled to continue my association with the Dodgers, which has been a major part of my life …

Sports of The Times: An Old Baseball Town, Cincinnati Is Coming Back to Life  —  Sometimes, Joey Votto stops for a bite to eat in downtown Cincinnati, a few blocks from the ballpark by the river.  He feels the hunger in a baseball town with long memories.  —  Votto, going on 27 …

Oswalt sharp for 7 innings, Phillies beat Nats  —  PHILADELPHIA—Roy Oswalt struck out eight in seven sharp innings and led the Philadelphia Phillies to a 6-0 win over the Washington Nationals on a rainy Sunday.  —  Oswalt (9-13) has won three straight starts for the first time this season …

Even if he's traded, Johnny Damon wants to return to Tigers  —  Detroit — Johnny Damon said he wants to play for the Tigers next season, even if he is traded to a contender before the season ends.  —  He has read reports he has been placed on waivers by the Tigers along with third baseman Brandon Inge.

Could one of 2 Rays be a future Athletic?  —  (08-21) 20:46 PDT — With more than $20 million expected to come off the A's payroll for next year, including Ben Sheets' $10 million and Eric Chavez's $12 million, there's little doubt the team will go after a big bat or two on the free-agent market this winter.

Baker's seven shutout innings leads Twins over LA  —  MINNEAPOLIS—Scott Baker pitched seven shutout innings, Michael Cuddyer had a bases-loaded double, and the Minnesota Twins beat the Los Angeles Angels 4-0 Sunday night.  —  Danny Valencia homered for the Twins, who took two of three from Los Angeles.

Chacin's strong outing helps Rockies snap skid in the desert  —  PHOENIX — If, after back-to-back losses to the lowly Diamondbacks, it was time for the Rockies to look to the future on Sunday, they had to like what they saw of Jhoulys Chacin.  —  Chacin, whose 5-9 record going into the game …

Cody Ross awarded to Giants  —  MIAMI—Fading from the playoff race, the Florida Marlins began their latest paring of payroll Sunday when starting outfielder Cody Ross was awarded to the San Francisco Giants on a waiver claim.  —  Ross will give the Giants more depth for the final weeks of the playoff race.

Lowell still likely to retire after 2010  —  After the Red Sox' 5-0 win on Sunday, Mike Lowell was asked about whether anything had changed about his expectation that the 2010 season will be his last (a prospect that he first suggested in April).  Lowell suggested that he still anticipated this season as his final one.

Persistent Padres not going away  —  Friars leaving impression that first place is where they belong  —  MILWAUKEE — There is a persistent, relentless quality to the work of a winning baseball team.  The Padres, with the best record in the National League, qualify as persistent, as relentless, and above all else, as winning.

Padres' Stairs sets record for most pinch-hit homers  —  Matt Stairs hit his 21st homer as a pinch-hitter Saturday, the most in the history of Major League Baseball.  —  The Fredericton native connected on a two-run shot in the eighth inning of the San Diego Padres' 6-5 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers …