Phillies hit Mets with late punch in NL showdown
On Tuesday, the Mets announced the start of a promotion encouraging fans to vote for the 10 greatest moments at Shea Stadium.

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Correia seeking to get back on track
Correia seeking to get back on track In their struggle to stay afloat in the National League West, the Giants are 1-9 when Kevin Correia starts a game. Whether that statistic bothers him, he’s not letting on. Sure of his ability, Correia thinks the pendulum will swing his direction sooner rather than later.

Giants recall C Holm, option C Alfonzo (PA SportsTicker)
The San Francisco Giants on Wednesday recalled Steve Holm from Class AAA Fresno and optioned fellow catcher Eliezer Alfonzo to their Pacific Coast League affiliate.

Giants Team Report (Yahoo! Sports)

If Rich Aurilia is being showcased, he did a good job of it Wednesday night.

As the July 31 trade deadline approaches, Aurilia could be the next Giant to be traded following the Sunday deal of Ray Durham to the Brewers. Aurilia plays both corner infield positions and is still hitting, including in the clutch.

His two-run double in the eighth inning highlighted a key three-run rally, and the Giants went on to beat the Nationals 6-4. It was a long at-bat, as Aurilia fouled off three two-strike pitches before his big hit. Aurilia scored on Omar Vizquel’s double.

Aurilia, 36, is batting .275. His best month was June, when he hit .359 with 14 RBIs.

It’s no secret the Giants are shopping their veterans.

Vizquel had three hits Wednesday, a rare offensive…

Zito makes impact with Junior Giants
Zito makes impact with Junior Giants Looking to give back, southpaw Barry Zito paired up with the Giants Community Fund and the Good Tidings Foundation to construct two ballfields for the Stockton Junior Giants League, which the left-hander helped dedicate on Wednesday.

Changes on tap for finale with Nats
Changes on tap for finale with Nats A day game following a night game typically means lineup changes, and that’ll certainly be the case Thursday as the Giants conclude their three-game series against the Washington Nationals.

Aurilia rescues Giants late
Aurilia rescues Giants late Rich Aurilia’s two-run double highlighted a three-run surge in Wednesday night’s eighth inning that lifted the Giants to a 6-4 victory over the Washington Nationals.

Giants recall Holm from Fresno
Holm recalled from Fresno Steve Holm, who opened the season as the Giants‘ backup catcher, regained that role Wednesday when he was recalled from Triple-A Fresno.

Schierholtz joins Olympic roster
Schierholtz joins Olympic roster Nate Schierholtz’s best efforts to join the Giants have proven futile so far. So being a late addition to the Team USA roster that’s headed for next month’s Olympics didn’t bother him a bit. Schierholtz was among four fresh additions to the 24-man team that was finalized on Wednesday.

Giants recall C Holm, option C Alfonzo (PA SportsTicker)
The San Francisco Giants on Wednesday recalled Steve Holm from Class AAA Fresno and optioned fellow catcher Eliezer Alfonzo to their Pacific Coast League affiliate.

Braves’ Jones, Hudson leave game with injuries
Atlanta slugger Chipper Jones and ace Tim Hudson left Wednesday night’s game against Florida with injuries, a pair of blows to the Braves‘ already slim playoff hopes.

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Braves’ Jones, Hudson leave game with injuries
Atlanta slugger Chipper Jones and ace Tim Hudson left Wednesday night’s game against Florida with injuries, a pair of blows to the Braves‘ already slim playoff hopes.

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Bloggin’ baseball: Brewers fans excited about Sabathia
Sports Weekly continues its season-long series of Q&As with bloggers who cover teams in the news. This week, we check in on the Milwaukee Brewers, who, after having acquired pitcher C.C. Sabathia from the Cleveland Indians, are chasing the NL-Central first-place Chicago Cubs.

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Red Sox top Mariners 6-3 in 12th, complete the sweep
Mike Lowell hit a two-run single off Sean Green in the 12th inning, and the Red Sox took advantage of two outfield errors to beat the lowly Mariners 6-3 on Wednesday and complete Boston’s first series sweep at Seattle in 15 years.

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Giants recall backup catcher Holm

The San Francisco Giants recalled catcher Steve Holm from Triple-A Fresno on Tuesday to be Bengie Molina’s backup.

Ramirez’s bum knee might be OK for weekend Yankees series
Manny Ramirez missed the victory for the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday with what his manager said was a sore knee.

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Cubs activate OF Soriano from DL
The Chicago Cubs activated All-Star outfielder Alfonso Soriano before their game against Arizona on Wednesday night, batting him leadoff in the final game of the series.

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Tough to watch what’s going on in National League West
Larry King, TV personality and baseball aficionado, tries watching National League West games as a Los Angeles Dodgers season-ticket holder, but sometimes he slams his eyelids in angst, unable to fathom what he’s seeing.

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Fresh faces making it tough for MLB’s bargain shoppers
Baseball general managers are doing double-takes at the caller ID on their phones these days.

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Injuries, then diminished returns keeping teams wary
With players spending more days on the disabled list in recent years than at any point in history, injury analysis has become one of the hottest areas of study.

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Braves’ Jones, Hudson leave game with injuries
Atlanta slugger Chipper Jones and ace Tim Hudson left Wednesday night’s game against Florida with injuries, a pair of blows to the Braves‘ already slim playoff hopes.

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Giants Team Report (Yahoo! Sports)

While talk swirls around the Bay Area about the Giants‘ likely purge of veteran players, one player who fits that description rarely hears his name mentioned.

Catcher Bengie Molina has become a team stalwart in just his second season in San Francisco. He proved his offensive worth again Tuesday, when he hit two homers in the Giants‘ 6-3 win over the Nationals. And his defensive worth is well-known, thanks to two AL Gold Glove awards earlier this decade with the Angels, plus a strong regard for his handling of the pitching staff.

So while the Giants have already sent second baseman Ray Durham packing, and they could be looking to move infielder Rich Aurilia and outfielders Dave Roberts and Randy Winn, Molina doesn’t figure to go anywhere.

Molina, who turned 34…

Giants activate Roberts

The San Francisco Giants activated outfielder Dave Roberts from the 60-day disabled list on Tuesday, and recalled him from a rehab assignment at Triple-A Fresno.

Giants Team Report (Yahoo! Sports)

While talk swirls around the Bay Area about the Giants‘ likely purge of veteran players, one player who fits that description rarely hears his name mentioned.

Catcher Bengie Molina has become a team stalwart in just his second season in San Francisco. He proved his offensive worth again Tuesday, when he hit two homers in the Giants‘ 6-3 win over the Nationals. And his defensive worth is well-known, thanks to two AL Gold Glove awards earlier this decade with the Angels, plus a strong regard for his handling of the pitching staff.

So while the Giants have already sent second baseman Ray Durham packing, and they could be looking to move infielder Rich Aurilia and outfielders Dave Roberts and Randy Winn, Molina doesn’t figure to go anywhere.

Molina, who turned 34…

Giants recall backup catcher Holm (AP)
The San Francisco Giants recalled catcher Steve Holm from Triple-A Fresno on Tuesday to be Bengie Molina’s backup. Current backup Eliezer Alfonzo was told after Tuesday night’s game with Washington that he would be optioned back to Fresno. He was batting .091 with one RBI in five games for the Giants since they called him up July 1, nine days after he completed a 50-game suspension for testing…

Diamondbacks acquire reliever Rauch from Nationals
The Arizona Diamondbacks made a major move to shore up their ailing bullpen on Tuesday, acquiring reliever Jon Rauch from the …

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Mid-season report: Giants surpass expectations in a bad division

Beginning the post-Barry Bonds Era in such Bad News Bears fashion, you half expected to see a Chico’s Bail Bonds sponsorship logo emblazoned on the back of the their jerseys, as the Giants stumbled out of the …

Giants activate Roberts

The San Francisco Giants activated outfielder Dave Roberts from the 60-day disabled list on Tuesday, and recalled him from a rehab assignment at Triple-A Fresno.

Giants say Vizquel headed to bench
Giants say Vizquel headed to bench Barring an unforeseen reversal in philosophy, Giants shortstop Omar Vizquel will become a substitute for the rest of the season. Vizquel said Tuesday that general manager Brian Sabean and manager Bruce Bochy met with him to inform him of his diminished role.

Fresh faces making it tough for MLB’s bargain shoppers
Baseball general managers are doing double-takes at the caller ID on their phones these days.

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Copeland, Sandoval upstage Ortiz
Copeland, Sandoval upstage Ortiz

Scientists say breakthrough urine test for HGH developed
A team of scientists from the USA and Italy say they have developed a urine test that detects human growth hormone. The finding …

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Abreu sends surging Yanks to 9th straight home win
Bobby Abreu hit a go-ahead homer in the sixth inning and drove in three runs, leading the surging Yankees past the Minnesota …

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A-Rod aims to broaden his brand recognition
Alex Rodriguez signed another big-league contract, joining the William Morris Agency in an attempt to extend his brand beyond the baseball diamond.

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Molina, Zito lead Giants to victory

Bengie Molina hit a two-run homer and a solo drive, Barry Zito won his second straight decision, and the Giants beat the Washington Nationals 6-3 Tuesday night.

Sunny day: Yankees rescind stadium ban on sunscreen
Go ahead, Yankees fans. Slather on that SPF 45: sunscreen is now legal in Yankee Stadium.The baseball team has lifted a ban on plastic containers of sunscreen at their ballpark after deciding “not to be as stringent,” team spokesman Jason Zillo said Tuesday.

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Phils rally for six in 9th, top Mets to take over NL East lead
So Taguchi and Jimmy Rollins had two-run doubles in a six-run ninth, and the Philadelphia Phillies rallied against the New York Mets‘ makeshift bullpen for an 8-6 victory Tuesday night, taking over first place in the NL East.

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Mid-season report: Giants surpass expectations in a bad division

Beginning the post-Barry Bonds Era in such Bad News Bears fashion, you half expected to see a Chico’s Bail Bonds sponsorship logo emblazoned on the back of the their jerseys, as the Giants stumbled out of the …

Wagner has muscle spasms; Martinez throws in pen
Tests on Mets closer Billy Wagner’s left shoulder showed he has muscle spasms around the joint, and his availability for New York’s first-place matchup with the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday night will likely be a midgame decision.

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Mid-season report: Giants surpass expectations in a bad division

Beginning the post-Barry Bonds Era in such Bad News Bears fashion, you half expected to see a Chico’s Bail Bonds sponsorship logo emblazoned on the back of the their jerseys, as the Giants stumbled out of the …