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 …

Blue Jays demote Adam Lind  —  The Toronto Blue Jays have sent struggling first baseman Adam Lind to the minors.  —  The Jays demoted Lind to triple-A Las Vegas and promoted catcher Yan Gomes.  —  Lind is batting just .186 with six doubles, three home runs and 11 RBI in 34 games.

McDonald: Big Papi's advice for Pujols  —  Career advice from a (formerly slumping) slugger to another still mired in one … BOSTON — Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz always pays attention to Albert Pujols — they're friends and fellow Dominican Republic natives, after all.

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 …

Garcia, Freese lead Cardinals past Giants  —  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Jaime Garcia matched his career high with nine strikeouts, David Freese hit a go-ahead solo home run in the seventh inning, and the St. Louis Cardinals gave manager Mike Matheny a victory against his old Giants team with a 4-1 win Wednesday night.

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 …

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 …

Ruiz leads Phillies past Cubs  —  CHICAGO—Carlos Ruiz hit a tiebreaking solo homer in the eighth inning and the Philadelphia Phillies used Hector Luna's first career grand slam to pull away for a 9-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday night.  —  Kyle Kendrick pitched six sparkling innings …

Cubs let down hard-luck starter Garza in loss to Phillies  —  CHICAGO — Matt Garza walked off the mound with his glove covering his face Wednesday night, leaving his legion of lip readers guessing once again.  —  The Cubs' most consistent starter over the last two seasons was removed …

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.