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Orlando Hernandez has agreed to a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers. El Duque, part of World Series championships with three teams, is expected to join Triple-A Oklahoma City for workouts Sunday. He could start pitching soon after that.

Carol Slezak: Frank Thomas left town after the White Sox' 2005 World Series championship season in a world of hurt, upset that the Sox no longer wanted him. After 16 remarkable years on the South Side, Thomas was released -- ''dumped,'' he said at the time, via a phone message from general manager Ken Williams. So Thomas had no choice but to move on. But you can't erase 16 years of memories just like that.

Forgive the Yankees if they were more than a tad preoccupied with trying to finally beat the Red Sox Thursday night before shifting their focus to their home series this weekend against the Mets.

Phillies' bullpen mic'ed up for series

Tigers' comeback bid halted by Sox

Orlando Hernandez has agreed to a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers. El Duque, part of World Series championships with three teams, is expected to join Triple-A Oklahoma City for workouts Sunday. He could start pitching soon after that. Rangers general manager Jon Daniels says Hernandez, who hasn't pitched in the major leagues since 2007, is in great shape. Daniels called it a low-risk move that could provide experienced depth in the bullpen. Hernandez is 90-65 with a 4.

By JEFF WILSON ARLINGTON — A pitching staff that carried the Texas Rangers during a record May hasn’t been quite as stingy the past two weeks.An improved defense has faltered at times recently, too.But the two facets that have carried the Rangers to first place in the American League West shined Thursday night as one of the game’s most feared offenses continued an ordinary stretch.Kevin Millwood allowed only five hits over 7 2/3 innings, and Marlon Byrd plated the game’s only run with a second-inning sacrifice fly as the Rangers avoided a series sweep against Toronto.A busy group of fielders provided ample support — included a diving stop each for Ian Kinsler, Michael Young and, most spectacularly, Elvis Andrus — as the Rangers won the eighth 1-0 game in Rangers Ballpark history.'The pitching and defense has to show up every day,' manager Ron Washington said. 'We did what we had to do tonight to win a ballgame. Sometimes the opposition doesn&rsquo

Geoff Blum drove in the winning run for the second straight game, hitting an RBI single in the 13th inning that led the Houston Astros over the Chicago Cubs 2-1 Thursday. Blum singled down the right-field line off Jose Ascanio to score Hunter Pence. On Wednesday, Blum singled with the bases loaded in the ninth to lift Houston to another 2-1 victory over the Cubs. Derrek Lee homered for the Cubs with one out in the ninth.

After shooting an NBA playoff record 62.5% in a Game Three, the Orlando Magic only beat the Los Angeles Lakers by four points (108-104). Four. You would think...

Rajai Davis slapped a single to right to drive in the winning run in the ninth, and the Oakland Athletics rallied from a late three-run deficit for a 4-3 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Thursday. Adam Kennedy hit a tying two-run homer in the three-run eighth for the A's, who finally solved Minnesota starter Nick Blackburn before splitting the four-game series on a soft hit by Davis.