Werth’s bat backs Happ’s first shutout
Werth’s bat backs Happ’s first shutout Jayson Werth and the Phillies‘ offense provided more than enough support for starter J.A. Happ as they defeated the Blue Jays, 10-0, at Rogers Centre on Saturday.

Phils activate Lidge from DL

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - With closer Brad Lidge back from the 15-day disabled list, the Phillies‘ tired bullpen recovers an important member, although it will continue to miss Scott Eyre and Clay Condrey.

Blue Jays shut down struggling Phillies

Ricky Romero held Philadelphia hitless for six innings and Aaron Hill hit a two-run double in host Toronto’s 6-1 victory on Friday night.

Andy Sonnanstine, Rays Take Series From Phillies; Rotation Spot Saved?

In possibly the most important start of his career, personally, Andy Sonnanstine ’s teammates had his back.

Milton Bradley back in Cubs‘ lineup after Friday’s outburst
Milton Bradley was in the Chicago Cubs‘ lineup Saturday, a day after he was sent home by manager Lou Piniella following an angry …

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Wakefield outduels Vazquez as Bosox blank Braves 1-0
Tim Wakefield pitched six scoreless innings to win a duel with Javier Vazquez, and the Boston Red Sox blanked the punchless Atlanta …

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Mariners‘ Beltre to have shoulder surgery, could miss up to six weeks
Seattle Mariners third baseman Adrian Beltre will undergo surgery to have bone spurs removed from his troublesome left shoulder …

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Phillies Notes: Bastardo likely to miss start

’s shoulder injury, but expect the pitcher to miss at least one start. Bastardo, 23, exited Thursday’s loss in the fourth inning with a strained left shoulder.

Yankees rout Mets as A-Rod passes Reggie on career home run list
Alex Rodriguez hit his 564th home run to pass Reggie Jackson on the career home run list, and CC Sabathia pitched the Yankees …

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Hamels ejected for arguing after leaving game (AP)
Phillies left-hander Cole Hamels was ejected from Friday's game against the Blue Jays for arguing balls and strikes with plate umpire Mark Carlson. The ejection came after Hamels was removed for right-hander Chan Ho Park with two on and two outs in the fifth and the Phillies trailing 4-0. With manager Charlie Manuel and the rest of the Phillies infield at the mound, Carlson walked out to break…

Beckham’s game-winner in ninth lifts White Sox over Cubs
Gordon Beckham singled in the winning run with two outs in the ninth, and Scott Podsednik homered while tying a career high with …

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Tejada sparks Astros, helps snap Tigers‘ seven-game winning streak
Miguel Tejada had a double and drove in two runs to lead the Houston Astros to a 5-4 victory over Detroit on Friday night, snapping …

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Andy Sonnanstine, Rays Take Series From Phillies; Rotation Spot Saved?

In possibly the most important start of his career, personally, Andy Sonnanstine ’s teammates had his back.

Ramirez hitless again in Albuquerque

Manny Ramirez grounded out and walked Wednesday, making him hitless in three at-bats during his two games in Albuquerque with the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ top farm club.

Bastardo to see doctor about strained shoulder (AP)
Phillies left-hander Antonio Bastardo will return to Philadelphia this weekend and visit a doctor on Monday after leaving his last start in the fourth inning because of a strained shoulder. Pitching against Tampa Bay on Thursday, the rookie gave up six runs in the first two innings after being given a 4-0 lead.

Fan falls from Busch Stadium upper deck prior to Cards-Twins game
A 34-year-old man fell headfirst from the upper deck at Busch Stadium on to the concourse below before the St. Louis Cardinals …

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Look left when assigning blame for Philly’s dreary home start (Yahoo! Sports)
The WFC Philadelphia Phillies are leading the NL East in one of the weirder ways imaginable.

Hamels ejected for arguing after leaving game (AP)
Phillies left-hander Cole Hamels was ejected from Friday's game against the Blue Jays for arguing balls and strikes with plate umpire Mark Carlson. The ejection came after Hamels was removed for right-hander Chan Ho Park with two on and two outs in the fifth and the Phillies trailing 4-0. With manager Charlie Manuel and the rest of the Phillies infield at the mound, Carlson walked out to break…

Injured Hamilton wants to play in All-Star game
Texas outfielder Josh Hamilton, recovering from abdominal surgery, will play in the All-Star game if elected.

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Inside the Phillies: The reasons behind the Phillies‘ swoon

At the Phillies Phestival, shortstop Jimmy Rollins talks with Denise Nolan of Levittown.

Off-duty officer shoots two in lot after Angels game
An off-duty police officer shot and wounded two men who had assaulted him in the crowded Angel Stadium parking lot after Wednesday …

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Aybar leads Rays past Phillies (AP)

Tampa Bay's Andy Sonnanstine settled after taking Philadelphia's best shot, doing everything he could to prove he deserves to remain in the Rays' pitching rotation. Willy Aybar homered and drove in three runs as a replacement for an injured Evan Longoria, and Sonanstine regrouped after giving up four first-inning runs Thursday night to beat the Phillies 10-4 in the decisive game of a…

Struggling Rollins not to start at least 2 games
Struggling Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins will be out of the starting lineup at least two games.

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Byrd takes Conte’s supplements without apology (Yahoo! Sports)
Rangers outfielder Marlon Byrd is the only MLB player using a program devised by BALCO founder Victor Conte.

Span’s big day leads Twins over Brewers
The Minnesota Twins probably wouldn’t mind hanging around Milwaukee for a few more games. As interleague rivalries go, this one …

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Haste wastes Phils’ shot at victory

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — At the plate, Jayson Werth is never in a rush. Werth leads all National League hitters — and ranks second in the majors — with 4.42 pitches per plate appearance and has seen more pitches than any player in the league.

Cubs‘ catcher Soto tested positive for marijuana at WBC
Chicago Cubs catcher Geovany Soto says he is embarrassed after testing positive for marijuana at this year’s World Baseball Classic.

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Pirates send slumping Snell (2-8) to minors
Ian Snell, the Pittsburgh Pirates‘ No. 2 starter, has been demoted to the minors after winning only once in his last 12 starts.

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Lidge close to return after rehab stint
Lidge close to return after rehab stint Brad Lidge, on the 15-day disabled list since June 9 with a sprained right knee, threw seven of his 12 pitches for strikes, walked one batter and didn’t allow a hit for Class A Clearwater on Tuesday.

Byrd takes Conte’s supplements without apology (Yahoo! Sports)
Rangers outfielder Marlon Byrd is the only MLB player using a program devised by BALCO founder Victor Conte.

Yankees‘ Sabathia says he’s OK for Friday’s start
New York Yankees ace CC Sabathia threw in the bullpen before Wednesday’s game against the Atlanta Braves and said he’ll be ready to start the opener of a weekend series against the New York Mets.

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Closers: Phils’ Lidge on the mend, Marlins‘ Lindstom on DL
The Philadelphia Phillies are getting their closer back. The Florida Marlins just lost theirs.

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Rays even Series rematch with Phillies
Matt Garza shut down Philadelphia’s offense and ex-Phillies slugger Pat Burrell homered for the first time in over two months to help Tampa Bay beat his former team 7-1 on Wednesday night.

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Baseball Today (AP)

Voters step to ballot box, make smart All-Star choices
With just more than a week remaining in All-Star balloting, are the fans getting it right? USA TODAY’s Paul White takes a look at the leaders and the deserving choices:

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Detroit legend Trammell makes last visit to Tiger Stadium
Alan Trammell planned to visit Tiger Stadium this week. The Chicago Cubs bench coach and Tigers legend visited the corner of Michigan and Trumbull before Tuesday night’s game, getting one last look at the only major-league home field he ever knew.

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Howard back in lineup (AP)
Phillies slugger Ryan Howard is in the starting lineup as the designated hitter for Tuesday night's game at Tampa Bay after being hospitalized over the weekend with acute sinusitis. Howard missed Sunday's 2-1 loss to Baltimore, ending his consecutive games streak at 343. It was the longest active streak in the majors.

Pineiro, Cardinals dominate Mets with two-hitter
Joel Pineiro pitched a career-best two-hitter to end a five-start losing streak, dominating the New York Mets again and leading the St. Louis Cardinals to a rain-delayed 3-0 victory Tuesday night.

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Reds‘ Votto finds strength to battle mental health stigma in locker room
Joey Votto said Tuesday he thought he was going to die, following the death of his father last August. It took guts for the Cincinnati Reds first baseman to say that.

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Phillies‘ pitching staff needs bailout

The Phillies may be in first place now, but they won’t be much longer if the starting pitchers don’t start going deeper into games.

Phillies win opener of Series rematch (AP)

Forget a change of scenery, plus an added incentive to play well in a rematch of the teams from last year's World Series. Six runs in the first inning helped the Philadelphia Phillies relax and get back on track Tuesday night. “We got some big hits early. We got some runs and we got a lead and was able to hold it,” manager Charlie Manuel said after the world champions got seven RBIs…

Ailing Mets put OF Carlos Beltran on disabled list
Carlos Beltran is going on the disabled list because of a bone bruise on his right knee, an enormous blow to a struggling New York Mets team already decimated by key injuries.

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A’s end five-game skid to Giants in Bay Bridge Series
Bobby Crosby drove in three runs, rookie Trevor Cahill won his third straight decision and the Oakland Athletics ended a five-game losing streak in the Bay Bridge Series with a 5-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Monday night.

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