Kevin Youkilis leads White Sox to sweep of Rangers  —  CHICAGO — After they improved to eight games over .500 with a three-game sweep of the two-time defending American League champions, manager Robin Ventura carefully answered whether his White Sox are a very good team or a great team.

Lynn pitches Cardinals past Rockies 6-2  —  ST. LOUIS—Rookie right-hander Lance Lynn tossed six shutout innings and Matt Holliday and Carlos Beltran drove in a pair of runs apiece, leading the St. Louis Cardinals to a 6-2 win over the Colorado Rockies on Thursday.

Mills, Astros players react to Lee trade  —  PITTSBURGH — While the Astros were killing time in the clubhouse before taking batting practice on Thursday, some of the players were watching former teammate Carlos Lee go 2-for-4 in his debut with the Marlins, who traded for him on Wednesday.

Stiff back sends Haren to first career DL stint  —  ANAHEIM — Angels starter Dan Haren was placed on the 15-day disabled list Thursday, retroactive to Wednesday, with lower back stiffness.  —  Right-handed pitcher Kevin Jepsen has been recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake to take Haren's place.

In Japan, Yankees' Kuroda Was Molded by Pain  —  As a boy, he sneaked away from an abusive high school coach to gulp water from a polluted river.  He saw some of his teammates, desperate with thirst, drink from a puddle, and he heard of others who would do so from a toilet.

Sources: Royals willing to move Broxton  —  The Kansas City Royals have signaled to teams that they are willing to move closer Jonathan Broxton, major league sources told FOXSports.com.  —  The Royals entered Thursday with deficit of 7-1/2 games in the American League Central and .4 percent chance …

Pedroia headed to disabled list  —  This time, Dustin Pedroia is going on the disabled list.  —  The second baseman resisted the idea in May when he tore the adductor muscle at the base of his right thumb.  He missed six games and hasn't been the same since, hitting .210 with a .282 on-base percentage and one home run in 105 at-bats.

Nats' Rizzo: 'We're always looking long term'  —  Mike Rizzo's Washington Nationals lead the National League East by 4 1/2 games, and he says he doesn't feel pressure to make a big move at this month's non-waiver trade deadline.  —  “We're always looking to upgrade, if there's an upgrade …

Dodgers Get to Miley, Beat D-Backs 4-1  —  PHOENIX (AP) — Scott Van Slyke and Elian Herrera hit solo home runs, and the Los Angeles Dodgers sent Arizona to its sixth straight loss with a 4-1 win over the Diamondbacks on Thursday night.  —  Diamondbacks starter Wade Miley allowed four runs …

Braves Hit 4 Homers, Beat Cubs 7-3  —  ATLANTA (AP) — Jason Heyward and Brian McCann each hit a two-run homer in the first inning, helping Mike Minor and the Atlanta Braves beat the Chicago Cubs 7-3 on Thursday night.  —  Freddie Freeman and Juan Francisco also connected for Atlanta, which salvaged a split of the four-game series.

Storen pleased after first rehab outing  —  Tracy plays third base, reports improvement in groin  —  WOODBRIDGE, Va. — Nationals pitcher Drew Storen's first live game action of the season passed briefly but effectively Thursday, as the right-hander began a rehabilitation assignment with the High Class A Potomac Nationals.

Headley market heating up; Dodgers, Bucs, O's, D-Backs, Indians among likely suitors  —  The Chase Headley market remains hot, with the Dodgers, Pirates, Indians, Orioles, Diamondbacks and at least two other teams believed to have some level of interest in San Diego's switch-hitting third baseman.

Heavy workload catches up to Jonny Venters and his elbow  —  Jonny Venters' left arm may have finally succumbed to the strain of his heavy workloads, as the Braves placed the setup man on the disabled list with an elbow impingement.  —  David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution notes …