Touch 'Em All: Pirates collapse reaches 10 in row

The Pirates have gone from being the "feel good" story of the 2011 season to something verging on a national joke.

In first place in the NL Central as recently as July 26, they have lost 10 straight and just completed the worst homestand in their 125-year history.

No Pirates team ever had gone winless at home in a stand of at least seven games until the Bucs fell to San Diego, 7-3, on Sunday.

Since the disputed call at the plate in Atlanta ended a 19-inning marathon on July 26, the Pirates have not won a game. Yeah, it was a bad call and all that; but don't you have to be a little mentally tougher than oh and ten?

Jered Weaver dropped his appeal of a six-game suspension assessed after last Sunday's nasty duel with Detroit.

The nine scoreless innings the Angels ace threw on Friday night made him the first pitcher since Cincinnati's Tom Browning in 1990 to have two no-decisions of at least nine scoreless innings in the same season.

Jose Reyes, the NL batting leader, left the Mets' game Sunday because of an unspecified injury to his left hamstring, the same spot that landed him on the disabled list last month.

Nationals flame thrower Stephen Strasburg returned to the mound for the first time in a year Sunday, firing 12/3 innings for single-A Hagerstown in his first rehab appearance since having Tommy John surgery last fall. The righthander recorded four strikeouts and the gun clocked him in the high 90s.

David Ortiz, 35, entered Sunday's game with 21 homers and 71 RBIs in the last year of his contract with Boston. On Saturday he told ESPNDeportes.com he's upset the Sox have not yet made an offer.