Jerry Remy takes leave to recover from cancer surgery  —  NESN announced Wednesday that Red Sox color commentator Jerry Remy is taking an indefinite leave of absence to fully recover from the effects of cancer surgery.  —  “I want to focus on completing my recovery so that I can return …

Pavano strong again as Indians beat Red Sox  —  BOSTON (AP) — Carl Pavano endured four injury-plagued years in which he gave the New York Yankees very little for their $39.95 million.  —  So far he's been a big bargain for the Cleveland Indians.  —  Pavano pitched his third strong game in three weeks …

Phils lose despite Park's stellar effort  —  Righty tosses six scoreless innings; Feliz's error costly  —  NEW YORK — Chan Ho Park might have saved his job in the Phillies' rotation Wednesday night at Citi Field.  —  He also might have proved to himself that aggressiveness and confidence go a long way.

Perez DL'd, Niese To Start Friday  —  Oliver Perez will be placed on the 15-day disabled list with patella tendinitis, according to Omar Minaya, who talked with reporters following the game.  —  Taking Perez's spot on the 25-man roster will be Jonathan Niese, who will make his first start of 2009 on Friday.

Reds lose as Arroyo's night ends early  —  Starter lifted after giving up slam; Bruce, Phillips homer  —  CINCINNATI — The Reds have more road wins than any team in the Majors.  At home, they look about as comfortable as someone sitting on the crunchy plastic that might cover grandma's sofa.

When drafting pitchers, beware  —  Tom Boswell offers some stark numbers about the draft:  —  Since the MLB draft began in 1965, there have been 246 hitters who were chosen in the top 10 overall picks and 199 pitchers.  So 55 percent were hitters.  On 25-man squad, if 14 are players and 11 pitchers, then hitters are 56 percent.

Twins recall Tolbert, option Casilla  —  Infielder slotted in the No. 2 spot in lineup against Orioles  —  BALTIMORE — It's a bit of an old phrase, but Twins infielder Matt Tolbert really is just glad to be back.  —  Tolbert made the Opening Day roster in 2008 and had gotten off …

Astros call up Arias, designate Smith for assignment  —  The Astros have called up pitcher Alberto Arias and designated infielder Jason Smith for assignment.  —  Arias provides support for a bullpen that leads the National League having pitched 96 1/3 innings through 27 games.

Pena powers Rays with homer in the 10th to beat Yankees  —  NEW YORK (AP) — Carlos Pena homered leading off the 10th inning, and the Tampa Bay Rays survived a sudden downpour and Mark Teixeira's late, tying double to beat the New York Yankees 4-3 on Wednesday night.

Rockies cruise past Giants 11-1  —  Like some harmonic convergence, all the planets lined up for the Rockies on Wednesday night at Coors Field.  The cosmic result was a peaceful, easy, 11-1 romp over the Giants.  —  In earning his second victory of the season, Ubaldo Jimenez pitched as if he were back in the World Baseball Classic.

New Home, New Atmosphere  —  Atmosphere is hard to define.  You can't write it on a budget and install it into a new ballpark.  It has to develop on its own, based largely on the events on the field.  And the Yankees are just 6-5 at home so far, with lots of bad weather and some brutal losses.

Nix gets starting nod at shortstop  —  White Sox manager Guillen opts to sit Ramirez  —  CHICAGO — A spot in Ozzie Guillen's doghouse has not officially been reserved for Alexei Ramirez.  Not yet.  —  But for the next few days, there also won't be an opening in the White Sox starting lineup …

Anderson's first 3 RBI carries Braves over Marlins  —  MIAMI (AP) — Twice Garret Anderson put the Atlanta Braves ahead, and the second time they stayed there.  —  Anderson's first three RBI this season helped the Braves end a four-game losing streak Wednesday by beating Florida 8-6.

Halladay improves to 6-1 as Blue Jays crush Angels for 20th win  —  ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Roy Halladay became baseball's second six-game winner and the Toronto Blue Jays routed the Los Angeles Angels 13-1 on Wednesday night.  —  Halladay (6-1) joined Kansas City's Zack Greinke atop the victory list …

The NL West Race Is Over  —  Congratulations to the Los Angeles Dodgers for clinching the first playoff spot of the 2009 season.  —  Okay, fine, it's only May 6th.  The Dogers have another 134 games to play.  Things could go wrong.  The whole team might get the swine flu.