Chavez Pitches A's to Sweep of Rangers in 12-1 Win  —  ARLINGTON, Texas — Jesse Chavez allowed one hit in seven scoreless innings, Eric Sogard matched his season total with three RBIs on Wednesday night and the Oakland Athletics completed a three-game sweep with a 12-1 rout of the sloppy Texas Rangers.

Craig has 4 hits, Cards beat Brewers 9-3  —  ST. LOUIS (AP) After failing to hold three-run leads in two straight games, Allen Craig and the St. Louis Cardinals put their series final against Milwaukee out of reach.  —  Craig homered on a four-hit day that included three RBIs …

Hudson Leads Giants in 3-2 Win Over Padres  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Tim Hudson and Sergio Romo combined on a five-hitter and the San Francisco Giants beat the San Diego Padres 3-2 on Wednesday night.  —  Hudson (4-1) struck out six and didn't walk a batter for the fourth time in five starts this season.

Mets center fielder has come long way  —  Growing up in the Dominican Republic, New York Mets center fielder Juan Lagares created his own version of baseball.  —  Lagares, who joined the 51s on Monday to continue his major league rehabilitation stint for a pulled right hamstring …

Back strain to cost Pineda three to four weeks  —  NEW YORK — The Yankees will be without Michael Pineda for longer than anticipated, as the right-hander ended his simulated game on Tuesday after just one inning when he felt tightness under his pitching arm.

(USATSI)  —  The Tigers, Yankees, Rangers, Red Sox and Rockies are believed among teams showing strong interest in free-agent closer Joel Hanrahan, who is likely to sign before holding another open showcase.  —  Hanrahan is believed to have received multiple offers, with at least …

Braves plan to activate Floyd this weekend  —  MIAMI —  Gavin Floyd completed his minor league rehabilitation assignment Tuesday night with Triple-A Gwinnett, and barring something unforeseen, the Braves will activate him from the disabled list sometime this weekend.

Mets bop Phillies 6-1 behind Jon Niese after 88 minute rain delay  —  Mets starting pitcher Jonathon Niese works in the first inning of the game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.  (John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports)  —  PHILADELPHIA — On the mound, Jon Niese paced around to keep warm.

Eric Byrnes is coming out of retirement to raise money for the Pat Tillman Foundation  —  Eric Byrnes hasn't played in the majors since 2010 and has spent the past several years doing lots of television work, but now the 38-year-old is coming out of retirement.  Sort of.

Slumping Bourjos faces tough task  —  • By Derrick Goold dgoold@post-dispatch.com 314-340-8285  —  Cardinals manager Mike Matheny had a blunt description of the task facing center fielder Peter Bourjos as he tries to get more from his swing with what could be a stretch of fewer at-bats.

Tigers To Promote Robbie Ray  —  The Tigers have announced that left-handed starter Robbie Ray will be recalled and make his Major League debut against the Astros next Tuesday.  —  The 23-year-old Ray ranked 91st on MLB.com's list of Top 100 prospects prior to the season and was the centerpiece …

Swollen disk sidelines Royals' Bruce Chen for one start, possibly two  —  The Royals scratched Bruce Chen from his start on Wednesday, but his return to the mound on Saturday is also in doubt.  —  An MRI on Chen's balky back, a condition initially described as tightness in his left glute muscle …

Victorino Gets 4 Hits, Red Sox Beat Rays 7-4  —  BOSTON — Shane Victorino had four hits and his first two RBIs of the season, John Lackey pitched eight strong innings and the Boston Red Sox beat the slumping Tampa Bay Rays 7-4 on a chilly Tuesday night.  —  Victorino, activated …