Red Sox stumble a bit vs. Rays as win streak ends  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine sent relief pitcher Andrew Miller out to try and perform what he termed a “Houdini act” in the sixth inning Wednesday night.  —  The Rays had runners on first and third with no outs …

Marlins, behind Stanton, continue to bloom in May  —  ATLANTA — Are these really the same guys who went 8-14 in April?  —  Although it took a little bit of everything — two diving catches, a steal of home, and another Giancarlo Stanton home run — the Marlins mad dash through …

Cards' Beltran sits again, hoping to avoid DL  —  SAN FRANCISCO — St. Louis Cardinals slugger Carlos Beltran was out of the lineup Wednesday night for a third straight game with a sore right knee, though he and manager Mike Matheny believe he will avoid a stint on the disabled list.

Rockies defeat Diamondbacks as Fowler leads rejuvenated offense  —  They stand in the box and see green everywhere.  The left fielder and center fielder are so far apart they text message rather than call for popups.  The hitter's eye in center field is dark, coated in ivy that makes the ball seem brighter and, in some cases, bigger.

LaRoche, Gonzalez Lead Nationals Past Pirates 7-4  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Adam LaRoche broke open a tight game with a three-run double for his 1,000th career hit after homering for No. 999, and Gio Gonzalez took over the NL strikeout lead from teammate Stephen Strasburg by fanning 10 …

Pujols, Wells Homer to Lead Angels Over White Sox  —  ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Albert Pujols welcomed his new hitting coach to town with a go-ahead three-run homer and Vernon Wells added a two-run shot to lead the Los Angeles Angels to a 7-2 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday night.

Indians pound Mariners' Hernandez in 9-3 win  —  CLEVELAND—Ubaldo Jimenez overcame a shaky start to get the win and the Cleveland Indians pounded out a season-best five doubles to beat the Seattle Mariners 9-3 Wednesday night.  —  Jimenez (4-3) gave up five hits and three runs over six innings.

More sliders, more success for Logan  —  The recent injuries to Mariano Rivera and David Robertson have caused something of a stir at the back end of the Yankees bullpen.  Rafael Soriano, once the nominal “seventh-inning guy,” has taken hold of the closer's role, meaning that the Yankees …

Last-place Padres beat NL West-leading Dodgers  —  SAN DIEGO (AP) - Chase Headley homered, doubled and drove in three runs, and the last-place San Diego Padres rallied to beat the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers 4-2 Wednesday night, helping left-hander Clayton Richard snap his personal five-game losing streak.

Twins rally past sloppy Tigers  —  DETROIT (AP) - Jamey Carroll hit a two-run double in the sixth inning to give Minnesota the lead, and the Twins outlasted the sloppy Detroit Tigers 11-7 on Wednesday night.  —  Detroit made four errors in the first three innings.