Ex-Phillie Wolf's terrific outing lifts LA  —  Loney, Blake homer as Dodgers end Philadelphia skid  —  PHILADELPHIA — The Dodgers received a template for what it will take to win without the suspended Manny Ramirez, and it couldn't have come more perfectly wrapped than Wednesday night's 9-2 victory over the Phillies.

Gritty Palmer goes distance for Angels  —  Rookie delivers first complete game; Napoli, Hunter homer  —  ANAHEIM — Darren Oliver emerged from the showers to find the guy at the next locker surrounded by the media again.  —  “Matty Palmer — you're the man!”  Oliver bellowed.

While the Yanks were up in Toronto...  The New Stadium played host to my sister's (and many others') NYU graduation.  As you can see from the above photos, when Yankees' COO Lonn Trost equated the Legends seats to homes early this week by asking, rhetorically, “If you purchased a house …

Rose: A-Rod shouldn't get cheated out of Hall  —  Disgraced hit king Pete Rose said Wednesday that he believes steroid cheat Alex Rodriguez should be voted into the Hall of Fame.  —  “I'm willing to give a guy a second chance,” said Rose, who has been waiting for one of his own since …

Ump touches Ordonez; Leyland angered  —  Schrieber puts hand on Tiger's back during third-strike dispute  —  Tigers manager Jim Leyland was ejected from Wednesday's game against the Twins after home plate umpire Paul Schrieber put his hand on Magglio Ordonez's back in a seeming attempt …

Figgy returns, Niese optioned  —  Jon Niese lasted two turns in the rotation.  The rookie lefthander was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo after Wednesday's start, and Nelson Figueroa has been summoned after the excessive bullpen work.  It may not be a leap to suggest that Tim Redding will be activated and start Monday in Los Angeles.

As Usual, Lots of Medical News From the Yankees  —  The Yankees are relying on several players older than 30, and not surprisingly, many are breaking down.  Hideki Matsui did not start because of tightness in his right hamstring, and Derek Jeter got another day to rest his pulled oblique muscle.

PostGame: Braves 8, Mets 7  —  The Braves beat the Mets today, 8-7, in a 12-inning game at Citi Field.  The Mets fell to 18-15 on the season with the loss.  —  For a full recap and boxscore, go here.  —  The least you should know:  — Jonathon Niese did not look good …

Astros pound out 24 hits in 15-11 win over Rockies  —  As the fury and punishment mounted Wednesday, the grumbling grew louder.  Fans mocked manager Clint Hurdle during pitching changes at Coors Field.  It was hard to tell if they were genuinely disappointed with the leadership, the effort …

Showdown: Upton edges out Cueto  —  D-backs right fielder gets better of Reds right-hander  —  Sometimes, it's isn't just balls and strikes that help make a Showdown winner.  —  Take Wednesday night's three-at-bat battle at Chase Field between Reds right-hander Johnny Cueto and D-backs right fielder Justin Upton.

Crede's slam in 13th lifts Twins; Willis returns  —  MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Joe Crede thrust both arms in the air once the ball was safely in the seats, as much a sign of relief as celebration while he began his game-ending trot around the bases.  —  It took 13 innings, four hours and 48 minutes …

Jays down with Downs as full-time closer  —  B.J. Ryan has lost his job as the Blue Jays closer.  —  Ryan, who is rehabbing at class-A Dunedin after being placed on the disabled list April 23 with a strained trapezius, has been replaced by left-hander Scott Downs as the Jays closer.

Angels not concerned about Bobby Abreu's power outage  —  Abreu has no homers in 116 at-bats, but Manager Mike Scioscia says the home runs will come eventually.  —  The Angels did not expect Bobby Abreu to hit 35 home runs this season.  Though he averaged 22 homers over the last nine years …

Hot-hitting Gamel earns promotion  —  Infielder having big year at Nashville  —  By Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel  —  It was a blueprint that worked for Prince Fielder, and the Milwaukee Brewers hope it will do likewise for Mat Gamel.  —  The Brewers summoned Gamel …

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