Carlos Gonzalez is making quite an impression on his manager Jim Tracy. "What is it that we've seen that he can't do very well?" Tracy asked. "He's as graceful a player as I've ever seen on the baseball field." On Sunday, Gonzalez homered twice and drove in four runs and helped the Colorado Rockies beat Los Angeles 10-5 for their first series win over the Dodgers...

Cole Hamels wouldn't mind another trip to his hometown this season. That, of course, would mean a Phillies-Padres playoff series. "It'd be special," Hamels said after shutting down the Padres on four singles in eight innings to lead Philadelphia to a 5-0 victory Sunday that completed a three-game sweep of the bumbling NL West leaders.

Although Jeremy Guthrie graciously accepted his teammates' postgame high-fives and back slaps, the right-hander knew he didn't deserve all the credit for the last-place Baltimore Orioles' third straight dominant win over the Angels. Guthrie realizes Los Angeles is mired in an offensive slump that made his good stuff look even better.

Brian McCann stood at second base, convinced he had just hit a game-winning homer. His teammates gathered along the first-base line, ready to celebrate. After 86 seconds, umpire crew chief Tim McClelland popped out of the Florida dugout, looked toward McCann and twirled his right index finger -- the universal signal for a home run.

Gio Gonzalez provided quite a follow-up to Dallas Braden, going to a near extreme to copy his Oakland teammate while pitching the Athletics to a series-clinching victory over AL West-leading Texas. A day after Braden threw a shutout, Gonzalez limited the Rangers to two runs over six innings Sunday to win his third straight start, an 8-2 victory that cut Oakland's division deficit to 7 1/2...

Ivan Nova attracted headlines for all the right reasons this time. He set aside any worries he had about a Major League Baseball investigation and earned his first career win, Marcus Thames hit another homer and the New York Yankees beat the Chicago White Sox 2-1 on Sunday. It was an impressive outing for Nova (1-0), who allowed one run and five hits with seven strikeouts and one walk in 5 2-3...

There still might be something for Trevor Hoffman to savor this year. In a season that hasn't gone the way he hoped, baseball's all-time saves leader earned No. 599 Sunday as the Milwaukee Brewers completed a three-game sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates with an 8-4 victory Sunday. "Round numbers are really what baseball looks at," Hoffman said.

Losing teams are bringing out the worst in the St. Louis Cardinals at a most inopportune time. Adam Wainwright struggled for five innings and the Cardinals lost again, falling to Washington 4-2 Sunday and dropping five games behind Cincinnati in the NL Central. The Cardinals are 2-5 -- against last-place teams Pittsburgh and Washington -- on their 10-game road trip.

A tough-hop throwing error helped the Cincinnati Reds get some serious separation from the rest of the NL Central. Kosuke Fukudome's homer tied it in the top of the eighth, but his throw skipped away in the bottom half of the inning and helped Cincinnati rally for a 7-5 victory Sunday that completed the Reds' season-long domination of the Chicago Cubs.

Detroit's Rick Porcello stole the show on the day the Toronto Blue Jays honored former pitching great Dave Stieb. Porcello pitched three-hit ball for seven innings, Ryan Raburn hit two home runs and the Tigers beat the Blue Jays 10-4 Sunday. Porcello (7-11) won consecutive starts for the first time this season.

R.A. Dickey flustered the Houston Astros with knuckleballs and foiled them with his bat, leading the New York Mets to a 5-1 victory Sunday. Josh Thole homered and Dickey keyed a second-inning rally with a two-run single that helped the Mets end Bud Norris' four-game winning streak. New York took two of three from the Astros and hasn't lost a series at home to Houston since 2002.

Julio Lugo has left the Baltimore Orioles' game against the Angels after a pickoff attempt hit him in the batting helmet, briefly leaving him on the ground and motionless. Lugo drew a leadoff walk Sunday from Los Angeles' Jered Weaver, who then attempted to pick him off first base Sunday. Fill-in first baseman Juan Rivera missed the throw, which hit Lugo in the back of the helmet as he...

The Chicago White Sox gave The Big Hurt a big honor on Sunday, retiring Frank Thomas' number before their game against the New York Yankees. Thomas fought back tears during an emotional ceremony that included fireworks and several of his former teammates. He thanked the organization and the city, saying "you can only dream of something like this" as his voice cracked.

The Indians say Matt LaPorta strained his left hip and is day to day after leaving the fourth inning of Cleveland's game against the Kansas City Royals on Sunday. LaPorta hit a routine fly ball to left and held his left hip as he jogged to first base on the final out of the inning. Indians trainer Lonnie Soloff went out to check on the first baseman, who walked off the field and was replaced at...

Blue Jays right-hander Brandon Morrow will be shut down for the season following his next start. General manager Alex Anthopoulos said there is nothing physically wrong with Morrow, who beat Detroit Saturday to win his career-high fifth straight decision. The Blue Jays have not announced who will take Morrow's place in the rotation after he makes his last start Friday at New York.

Bob Feller is back watching his beloved Cleveland Indians, a bounce in his step as he is treated for leukemia. The third-oldest living member of the Baseball Hall of Fame at age 91, Feller said Sunday that he's "feeling better than I have in weeks," following two days at Cleveland Clinic and a week of outpatient treatment.

Brandon Phillips was out of the starting lineup for the third straight game Sunday because of a bruised right hand. The Cincinnati Reds' All-Star second baseman was hit by a pitch Wednesday and hasn't played since. Manager Dusty Baker said he was available to pinch run during the final game of a series against the Chicago Cubs.

CC Sabathia has picked up the Yankees several times this season with dominant performances on the mound. This time, New York's bruising lineup did most of the work. Sabathia became the majors' first 18-game winner, Marcus Thames hit two of New York's four homers and the Yankees beat the Chicago White Sox 12-9 on Saturday night.

The Oakland Athletics needed this one, and Dallas Braden delivered. Braden threw a four-hitter for his second career shutout, Daric Barton homered and the A's trimmed Texas' imposing lead in the AL West with a 5-0 victory over the Rangers on Saturday night. Braden (9-9) improved to 5-7 since his perfect game against Tampa Bay on May 9, striking out one and issuing no walks in a 120-pitch...

Now the two biggest hits of Dan Johnson's career have come against the Boston Red Sox. Johnson hit a lead-off homer in the 10th inning that gave the Tampa Bay Rays a 3-2 victory Saturday night. He sent a 2-2 pitch from Scott Atchison (2-2) into the right-field stands for his second big homer against the Red Sox in three years.