Cole Hamels likely to pitch vs. Dodgers next week  —  Cole Hamels could be just days away from making his 2014 debut, Phillies assistant general manager Scott Proefrock said.  —  Proefrock said Wednesday afternoon before the Phillies-Braves game at Citizens Bank Park that Hamels …

Jeremy Jeffress Elects Free Agency  —  Blue Jays right-hander Jeremy Jeffress has rejected an outright assignment and elected free agency, reports Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter).  Additionally, Jeffress is expected to sign with a new club within 24 to 48 hours, according to Passan.

Through hitting system, Mets aim to build winner  —  Players are evaluated, rewarded based upon adherence to club's metric  —  NEW YORK — About a week before Mets camp drew to a close in Florida, staffers gathered the team's hitters into a meeting room and laid out the organization's offensive philosophy …

Bradley Leads Red Sox Past White Sox in 14 Innings  —  CHICAGO — The Boston Red Sox used patience and 15 walks to rally and force extra innings.  —  When Jackie Bradley Jr. came to the plate to face a position player with two men on base, he felt it was time to be aggressive.

Dillon Gee dominates as Mets complete sweep of Diamondbacks with 5-2 win  —  Gee threw seven shutout innings, scattering three hits and striking out three for the Mets, who moved above .500 for the first time this season.  —  PHOENIX — All it took was seven scoreless innings for Dillon Gee to get his first win of 2014.

Aviles, Bourn speak on importance of Robinson  —  DETROIT — Baseball celebrated Jackie Robinson Day on Tuesday, but the Indians were unable to participate when extremely cold temperatures and snow forced a postponement of Cleveland's game with the Tigers.  The tribute in Detroit carried over to Wednesday's tilt at Comerica Park.

Will Duke star Jabari Parker go pro?  He reveals his decision exclusively to SI.com … Duke's freshman forward Jabari Parker sits down with Sports Illustrated's Jeff Benedict to make his decision whether to stay in school or declare for the NBA draft.  —  After losing in the NCAA tournament, I needed to clear my mind.

Cashner Solid in Padres' 4-2 Win Over Rockies  —  SAN DIEGO — Andrew Cashner pitched into the eighth inning and Chris Denorfia drove in two runs to lift the San Diego Padres to a 4-2 win over the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday night.  —  Cashner (2-1) wasn't nearly as sharp …

Blue Jays, Twins set for day-night doubleheader  —  The Sports Network  —  The Toronto Blue Jays and Minnesota Twins are set for a day-night doubleheader Thursday at Target Field.  —  Wednesday's middle test of this three-game series was postponed due to inclement weather.

MLB: Puig's journey from Cuba  —  With Puig was Yunior Despaigne, then 24.  A former national-level Cuban boxer and a friend of Puig's from their teens, Despaigne had spent the previous year recruiting Puig to defect, under the direction of a Cuban-born resident of Miami named Raul Pacheco.

Rangers rally for two in 9th to beat Mariners  —  ARLINGTON, Texas — Leonys Martin had a game-winning RBI single in the ninth inning as the Texas Rangers scored two unearned runs in a two-out rally against Fernando Rodney, beating the Seattle Mariners 3-2 on Wednesday night in a game that started as a battle of aces.

No comeback for Tiger first base coach Omar Vizquel: Cleveland Indians chatter  —  OMAR_VIZQUEL__IAN_KINSLER__4_2_ WALKOFF_SINGLE_VS._KC_.JPG  —  Detroit first base coach Omar Vizquel congratulates Ian Kinsler on April 2 at Comerica Park after Kinsler's game-winning hit against Kansas City in the 10th inning.