Adrian Beltre, Josh Hamilton help Rangers edge Red Sox in slugfest  —  BOSTON — Adrian Beltre had a tiebreaking sacrifice fly in the ninth inning after Texas blew a late four-run lead and the Rangers beat the Boston Red Sox 10-9 Wednesday.  —  Josh Hamilton homered among his three hits …

Emerging star Melky and Giants agree to pick up contract talks after the year  —  The San Francisco Giants made a brief try to extend sudden outfield star Melky Cabrera with a new contract a few weeks ago, but the sides have agreed to put finances aside until after season, when he is due to become a free agent, sources said.

Braun ends slump with RBI double, Brewers top Reds  —  MILWAUKEE—Ryan Braun snapped an 0-for-18 slump with an RBI double in the eighth, lifting the Milwaukee Brewers to a three-game sweep with a 3-2 win Wednesday over the Cincinnati Reds.  —  Jonathan Broxton (1-1) started the eighth with the Reds leading 2-1.

David Ortiz comes to the defense of Josh Beckett  —  Josh Beckett  —  David Ortiz was angry.  —  He was watching television in one of the days following Josh Beckett's Fenway Park start, in which the starter was forced to leave early due to a back spasm.

Reyes extends hit streak to 25, Marlins double Mets  —  NEW YORK — Jose Reyes extended his hitting streak to a career-high 25 games with an infield single that set up Miami's big inning, and the Marlins extended the New York Mets' home losing skid to a month with a 4-2 win Tuesday night.

Torrealba placed on release waivers  —  The Rangers have put catcher Yorvit Torrealba on release waivers.  If he's not claimed, he will be given his unconditional release.  The Rangers were unable to trade him.  Torrealba was designated for assignment when the Rangers acquired catcher Geovany Soto from the Cubs last week.

A long interview with Mark Newman  —  On Tuesday, Mike Ashmore and I talked to Yankees Senior Vice President of Baseball Operations Mark Newman for about 25 minutes.  We touched on a variety of subjects, and you can read the results here.  Enjoy.  —  JN: We talked earlier about this team having a really outstanding season.

Pedroia unhappy about call, ejected inning later  —  Dustin Pedroia disagreed with first-base umpire Paul Nauert's check-swing call on Tuesday night.  (Michael Dwyer/AP)  —  BOSTON — First-base umpire Paul Nauert showed plenty of patience, but Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia couldn't leave the issue alone.

Indians Top Twins 6-2, End 11-Game Losing Streak  —  CLEVELAND (AP) — Justin Masterson pitched seven strong innings and Shin-Soo Choo went 4 for 4 to lift Cleveland over Minnesota 6-2 Wednesday, ending the Indians' 11-game losing streak.  —  The Indians avoided tying the 1931 franchise record for consecutive losses.

After brief shutdown, Bauer returns to hill  —  PITTSBURGH — Pitching prospect Trevor Bauer made his first start in 14 days on Monday, tossing six shutout innings for Triple-A Reno.  —  The organization had decided to shut down Bauer for a couple of weeks in order to give him a breather during his first full professional season.

Fiers Perfect Through 6, Brewers Beat Reds 3-1  —  MILWAUKEE (AP) — Brewers rookie Mike Fiers took a perfect game into the seventh inning and Aramis Ramirez hit a two-run homer off Johnny Cueto to lead Milwaukee over the Cincinnati Reds 3-1 on Tuesday night.

J.A. Happ lasts four innings in debut as Jays fall to Rays  —  James Shields threw eight strong innings, Evan Longoria drove in a run in his return from an injury, and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Toronto Blue Jays 4-1 on Tuesday night.  —  Shields (10-7) allowed one run and two hits.

Orioles Beat Mariners 8-7 in 14 Innings  —  BALTIMORE (AP) — Adam Jones singled home the winning run in the 14th inning, and the Baltimore Orioles beat the Seattle Mariners 8-7 Tuesday night after rallying from a five-run deficit.  —  It was the fourth straight victory for the Orioles …