No ignoring Blue Jays this summer  —  TORONTO  —  They are the only major league team based outside the United States.  They are going on two decades without a postseason berth.  In the rugged American League East, their rotation includes one rookie (Drew Hutchison) and two others who might as well be …

Catcher bolsters Roger Clemens' claim on B12 needles  —  WASHINGTON - Roger Clemens' former catcher with the Toronto Blue Jays testified Wednesday that he had seen vitamin B12 “shots lined up ready to go” for players, a claim also made by Clemens and for which he was charged with obstructing Congress.

Liriano Pitches Twins Past A's 4-0 for Rare Sweep  —  MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Francisco Liriano's return to the Minnesota rotation was a rousing success, with six shutout innings by the vexing left-hander Wednesday to lead the Twins to a 4-0 victory over the Oakland Athletics, their eighth straight loss.

Braun's HR Propels Brewers' 2-1 Win Over Dodgers  —  LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ryan Braun hit a two-run homer in the first inning, getting back at Dodgers fans who booed his every move and leading the Milwaukee Brewers to a 2-1 victory over Los Angeles on Tuesday night.

Todd Frazier gives man Heimlich Maneuver at Pittsburgh restaurant  —  PITTSBURGH - Todd Frazier has played the hero on the baseball field.  He hit a walkoff home run in a 2-1 win over Atlanta a week ago.  —  Monday, he played a hero in real life.  —  Frazier and teammate Ryan Ludwick …

Quintana, Ventura ejected in fourth inning  —  Left-hander throws behind Zobrist after Pierzynski was hit  —  ST. PETERSBURG — White Sox left-hander Jose Quintana and manager Robin Ventura were ejected during the fourth inning of Wednesday's series finale against the Rays at Tropicana Field …

McCourt management of Dodgers under grand jury investigation  —  A federal grand jury is investigating possible criminal financial misconduct of the Dodgers and related entities during the ownership of Frank and Jamie McCourt, a person familiar with the matter told The Times.

Robber hits Pittsburgh hotel room of Cincinnati Reds pitcher  —  Pittsburgh police are investigating a robbery late Tuesday in the Downtown hotel room of Cincinnati Reds pitcher Aroldis Chapman at the Omni William Penn.  —  Mr. Chapman was not present at the time because the Reds and Pirates …

Top 10 Future Scouting Directors  —  No Baseball America feature is complete without a Top 10 Prospects list, so while gathering information about the job of scouting director, we also asked people where the next generation of scouting directors might come from.

Tigers place RHP Fister on disabled list again  —  The Detroit Tigers placed right-hander Doug Fister on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday with a left side strain.  —  The move is retroactive to Tuesday.  —  Fister is 0-3 with a 3.15 ERA in six starts this season for the Tigers.

Firm that represented Frank McCourt in bankruptcy goes bankrupt  —  Former Dodgers owner Frank McCourt during an interview in his office.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times / May 29, 2012)  —  Irony is one of our most overused words, but come on ...  News has come from back east …

Dear Terry Francona, Please Stop Emailing Photos Of Yourself Half-Naked In A Towel To My Girlfriend  —  A reader, whom we'll call Rob, emailed us Monday night with the photo you see above.  The photo came with this message: … Francona didn't need the luck, as Rob would soon learn.

To Cheat or Not to Cheat … The 1994 Fort Myers Miracle, a Class A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins, included four pitchers of similar attributes.  They each threw righthanded, with average velocity, and were either 23 or 24 years old and had been drafted out of four-year colleges in no higher than the fourth round.

Red Sox top Tigers 6-3 to finally climb above .500  —  BOSTON - David Ortiz [stats] homered and hit two doubles, and the Boston Red Sox [team stats] moved above .500 for the first time this season, tagging Justin Verlander for 10 hits in a 6-3 win over the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday night.