Nishioka batting third for Twins in Target Field debut  —  Tsuyoshi Nishioka is batting third for the Twins today, and playing shortstop, for his Target Field debut.  —  Instead of moving Ben Revere and Alexi Casilla out of the top two spots in the lineup, Manager Ron Gardenhire has decided to slot Nishioka behind them.

Final: Red Sox 3, Rays 0  —  Game over: Red Sox 3, Rays 0  —  It will be overshadowed by the Stanley Cup Final, but Josh Beckett was sensational tonight in tossing one-hitter.  His performance was certainly right there with recently great starts by Detroit's Justin Verlander, the Angels' Jered Weaver and Tampa Bay's James Shields.

Rangers catcher accuses Yanks of stealing signs  —  NEW YORK — Yankees outfielder Andruw Jones was accused by Texas Rangers catcher Yorvit Torrealba of stealing signs and giving pitch locations to hitters from second base during the fifth inning of Wednesday night's 12-4 New York win.

Soriano advised to rest before resuming rehab  —  NEW YORK — Yankees right-hander Rafael Soriano is getting closer to continuing a throwing program, but he has been advised to rest until next week.  —  Manager Joe Girardi said that Soriano threw on Tuesday and seemed better …

Gee, 3 Mets Relievers Shut Out Braves, 4-0  —  ATLANTA (AP) — Dillon Gee combined with three relievers for a two-hit shutout, Angel Pagan hit a two-run homer and the surging New York Mets beat the Atlanta Braves 4-0 on Wednesday night.  —  Gee gave up one hit in four innings …

Pirates' Snyder and wife in Banksville road rage  —  A Good Samaritan helped subdue a man who police said attacked the wife of injured Pirates catcher Chris Snyder at a Banksville gas station Wednesday afternoon even as the man struggled, bit him and threw a shoe in his direction.

Gorzelanny likely to return to Nats on Sunday  —  WASHINGTON — The Nationals optioned right-hander Yunesky Maya to Triple-A Syracuse on Wednesday, a day after his fourth start in place of Tom Gorzelanny.  The Nationals will likely activate Gorzelanny from the 15-day disabled list Sunday for his start.

Angels cut ties with Scott Kazmir  —  Once-promising left-hander acquired in a trade with Tampa Bay in 2009 could not overcome control problems on the mound.  Club will eat the remainder of his $14.5-million contract for this season.  —  Reporting from Seattle — The Scott Kazmir error came …

Bumgarner Strong, Giants Beat D-Backs Again 5-2  —  PHOENIX (AP) — Madison Bumgarner went six innings and got enough run support for a change, helping him pitch the San Francisco Giants past the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-2 Wednesday night.  —  Bill Hall singled home the go-ahead run in the sixth …

Paul, Walker Propel Pirates to 7-3 Win Over Astros  —  HOUSTON (AP) — Pinch-hitter Xavier Paul doubled, then stayed in the game and hit a two-run homer and single Wednesday night as the Pittsburgh Pirates moved over .500 with a 7-3 win over the Houston Astros.

Unlucky Break Hands Angels 3-1 Loss to Seattle  —  SEATTLE (AP) — Torii Hunter has a pretty good idea of what he'd like to do with Seattle's Carlos Peguero after another lucky break went the way of Seattle's young slugger.  —  “This dude has a lot of luck. ...  I need to take him to the casino.

Slumping Indians beat Tigers with solid pitching, Cabrera's hits  —  DETROIT — Orlando Cabrera had three hits, including a go-ahead double in the fifth inning, and the Cleveland Indians beat the Detroit Tigers 6-4 on Wednesday night.  —  Cleveland (36-30) pulled back ahead of Detroit …

Ricky Romero solid, Jays hit 3 homers to top Orioles 4-1  —  TORONTO - Ricky Romero allowed three hits in eight innings, Adam Lind, Yunel Escobar and Juan Rivera each hit home runs, and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Baltimore Orioles 4-1 on Wednesday night.

Simple stats to evaluate teams, players  —  Most Major League Baseball teams have their own statistical systems that blend complex formulas, algorithms, sabermetrics and old-school statistics.  Several clubs are also in the process of inventing complex GPS-driven fielding statistics …

Prince Fielder would consider Cubs in free agency  —  Despite a rivalry with the Cubs that has at times seemed personal, Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder said Tuesday he hasn't ruled out the Cubs as a possible destination if he reaches free agency this fall.