Utley begins rehab assignment  —  MINNEAPOLIS — Phillies second baseman Chase Utley began a rehab assignment Tuesday with Class A Clearwater.  —  “That's definitely good news,” Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said.  “Super.”  —  Position players have 20 days to rehab before they must …

Butler has go-ahead RBI as Royals beat Brewers 2-1  —  KANSAS CITY, Mo.—Billy Butler drove in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning Tuesday night, and the Royals got a superb start from Luis Mendoza to spoil Zack Greinke's return to Kansas City with a 2-1 win over the Milwaukee Brewers.

Cubs fire Rudy Jaramillo … CHICAGO — The first of what could be some significant changes over the next seven weeks went down Tuesday when the Chicago Cubs fired hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo.  —  Minor league hitting coordinator James Rowson, 35, was named interim hitting coach.

Sources: Vlad leaves Jays' minor league club  —  Vladimir Guerrero, working his way toward the majors after signing a minor league deal with the Toronto Blue Jays, has given the team an ultimatum, sources told ESPNdeportesLosAngeles.com.  —  “Vlad and the Blue Jays had a sort of deadline …

Roberts Returns to Help Orioles Beat Pirates 8-6  —  BALTIMORE (AP) — Brian Roberts returned from a 13-month layoff to get three hits and an RBI, and the Baltimore Orioles homered three times in an 8-6 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night.  —  Activated from the 60 …

Final Score: Mets 11 Rays 2  —  The New York Mets (33-29) defeated the Tampa Bay Rays (35-26) by the score of 11 to 2 tonight at Tropicana Field.  —  The Least You Should Know … To get a full boxscore of tonight's game, check out SNY.TV's In-Game Live.

Source: Three bidders for Padres left  —  The sale of the San Diego Padres is gaining momentum.  —  Three bidders remain, and Padres owner John Moores expects to select a buyer between Wednesday and Friday of next week, according to a source close to the sales process.

Pierzynski, Quintana Lead White Sox Over Cards 6-1  —  ST. LOUIS (AP) — A.J. Pierzynski hit a two-run homer, rookie left-hander Jose Quintana allowed one run over 5 1-3 innings and the streaking Chicago White Sox beat the St. Louis Cardinals 6-1 Tuesday night.

Dodgers sign Andre Ethier to 5-year deal through 2017  —  The Los Angeles Dodgers signed outfielder Andre Ethier to a five-year deal through 2017 on Tuesday, keeping him and Matt Kemp together in the middle of the lineup.  —  It's the team's first major move under a new ownership group …

Cueto, Votto Lead Reds Over Indians 7-1  —  CINCINNATI (AP) — Johnny Cueto allowed only one runner to reach second base during his second complete game of the season, and Joey Votto hit a two-run homer on Tuesday night, leading the Cincinnati Reds to a 7-1 victory over the Cleveland Indians in the opener of their intrastate series.

Rox hope Guthrie catches on with Nieves  —  DENVER — The Rockies have turned to veteran backup catcher Wil Nieves to help right-handed pitcher Jeremy Guthrie find his groove.  —  A solid pitcher with the Orioles the last five season, Guthrie, 33, has struggled this season with the Rockies.

Red Sox close to deal with Taiwanese shortstop  —  MIAMI — The Red Sox are close to a deal with one of the top international free agents, 16-year-old shortstop Tzu-Wei Lin of Taiwan.  —  The $2.05 million deal is not complete according to baseball sources.

Will slow start make Philly sellers?  —  Sell?  To hear Phillies general partner David Montgomery tell it, his team has not yet begun to fight.  —  I asked Montgomery on Monday if he would be willing to concede the season and trade veterans when the team already has sold more than 3 million tickets.

Dave Boswell dead at 67  —  BALTIMORE — Dave Boswell, who won 20 games for the Minnesota Twins in 1969 despite missing a couple of weeks after a fight with manager Billy Martin, has died.  He was 67.  —  He died in his home in Joppa, Md., on Monday, said the Baltimore Orioles, his last major league team.

Rodriguez matches Gehrig's mark with 23rd slam  —  ATLANTA (AP) — Alex Rodriguez has hit his 23rd career grand slam on Tuesday night, matching Yankees Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig for most in baseball history.  —  Rodriguez hit a full-count pitch from Atlanta's Jonny Venters in the eighth inning …