Baseball roundup

Friday's highlights

Cubs top Reds, bag sixth in row

Tony Campana drove in two runs with an inside-the-park homer, and the Chicago Cubs beat the Cincinnati Reds 4-3 Friday for their sixth consecutive victory.

It was the first professional homer for Campana, who also singled, doubled and made a nice catch in center field. Campana became the first Cubs player to hit an inside-the-park shot at Wrigley Field for his first major league homer.

Ryan Dempster (9-8) struggled with his control, matching his season high with six walks, but he held the Reds to two runs and four hits in six innings. Carlos Marmol got three outs for his 22nd save in 28 chances.

Ramon Hernandez homered for Cincinnati, which has lost three of four since a three-game sweep of the San Francisco Giants. Brandon Phillips and rookie Yonder Alonso each had two hits.

In the news

A-Rod bolsters infield drills

Alex Rodriguez has increased the intensity of his infield drills.

The Yankees third baseman took grounders on the infield dirt for the first time since having right knee surgery July 14. He also doubled his swing total in tee and soft toss sessions during the second day of work at the Yankees' minor-league complex.

Baltimore: The Orioles activated infielder Cesar Izturis from the 60-day disabled list and placed rookie left-hander Zach Britton on the 15-day DL with a shoulder strain.

Cleveland: The Indians put infielder Jack Hannahan on the paternity list and recalled outfielder Shelley Duncan from Class AAA Columbus

Florida: Second baseman Omar Infante broke his right middle finger diving for a grounder during Thursday's 7-4 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals, and it's uncertain how long he will be sidelined.

Kansas City: The Royals have optioned Yamaico Navarro to Class AAA Omaha.

Los Angeles: The Dodgers and Major League Baseball have agreed on a bankruptcy financing plan for the team.

A court filing in Delaware outlines a plan for the league to provide unsecured financing of up to $150 million.

New York Mets: First baseman Ike Davis will scale back his rehabilitation from a bone bruise in his left ankle and almost certainly will miss the rest of the season.

Oakland: Shortstop Cliff Pennington is back in the starting lineup after missing two games because of Bell's Palsy, a condition that can cause partial facial paralysis.

San Diego: The Padres activated Joe Thatcher from the 60-day DL, giving the team two left-handers in the bullpen.

What they're writing

Young Rays show there's hope

The season swirls around the drain, and still, he will not give up on it.

There is a priest standing by, and a mortician and an undertaker, and still, he believes.

That's the thing about Joe Maddon. He is not going to give up on his Rays season until the doctors call out the time of death. Maybe not even then.

On a day such as Thursday, perhaps you can understand why.

This was one of the good days. It took 12 innings, three comebacks and 20 players, but the Rays won a 7-6 decision to further stave off fourth place. For a team with a faint pulse, in a season that has been lost, it was a fun way to spend an afternoon.

Also, there was this to consider: A game such as this whispers nice things about the future.

Because of Desmond Jennings.

Because of Robinson Chirinos (maybe).

Because of Brandon Gomes (maybe).