Astros' Norris a good bet to be moved  —  HOUSTON  —  Meet Bud Norris.  He's a 28-year-old right-handed pitcher for the Houston Astros.  He loves to golf.  Born and raised in Marin County, Calif., educated at Cal Poly, Norris and his girlfriend are proud owners of an Alaskan Klee Kai named Bailey.

Yankees Impressed With First Look at Dodgers' Puig  —  NEW YORK — The New York Yankees got a first-hand look at Cuban rookie sensation Yasiel Puig of the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday and came away mightily impressed.  —  “He hits the ball hard, I can tell you that.

Ross sidelined by second concussion  —  BOSTON — For the second time this season, David Ross was placed on the seven-day concussion disabled list.  —  The move, which was announced after the first game of the Red Sox's doubleheader against the Rays, resulted from a foul tip hitting …

Johnson's three-run homer helps Braves beat Mets  —  ATLANTA — Chris Johnson homered for the first time in more than a month, Kris Medlen overcame a defensive blunder and the Atlanta Braves bounced back from a doubleheader sweep, beating the New York Mets 5-3 Wednesday night.

Bans likely, MLB starts interviewing players in Biogenesis probe  —  Major League Baseball has started interviewing big leaguers linked to the Miami PED investigation, and people who have spoken to MLB investigators are convinced there will be at least some suspensions handed down in the explosive case.

Astros sign No. 1 pick Mark Appel  —  Making official what was reported earlier this week, the Astros announced that they've come to an agreement with No. 1 overall pick Mark Appel.  —  Appel, who turned down $3.8 million from the Pirates last year as the No. 8 pick, is expected to receive around $6.35 million.

Manny ‘invigorated’ for return to US  —  Manny Ramirez wants to make another comeback to major league baseball.  —  Ramirez, 41, batted .352 this season with eight home runs and 43 RBI for the EDA Rhinos of the Chinese Professional Baseball League.  The Rhinos — based in Kaohsiung City …

Jeff Francis leaves Colorado Rockies to make room for Roy Oswalt  —  TORONTO — Jeff Francis' locker was cleared out Wednesday, and his time with the Rockies could be over.  —  Though a roster move will not be official until Thursday, Francis will not re-join the team in Washington.

Chris Davis' 2 HRs Help Orioles Blast Tigers 13-3  —  DETROIT — Chris Davis cleared the fences twice, giving him a major-league leading 26 homers, to help the Baltimore Orioles beat the Detroit Tigers 13-3 Wednesday.  —  Davis hit a two-run homer and Taylor Teagarden followed with a three-run home run in Baltimore's six-run fourth.

Mystery mass — not old pipes — blamed in Coliseum sewage mess  —  Plumbing backup hits Oakland Coliseum.  Chronicle photo by Lance Iverson  —  Sunday's big stink at the Oakland Coliseum was not the result of poor plumbing in an aging stadium, ballpark management says, but rather someone stuffing something down a pipe.