Top News:
Associated Press:
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.
Discussion:
Athletics Nation, ESPN and CBSSports.com
RELATED:
Landon Haaf / WFAA-TV:
Rangers unravel in 12-1 loss to Oakland — If you keep pulling the thread, eventually the whole thing will unravel, so the saying goes. — The Rangers did quite a bit of pulling in the first two games of their brief homestand, and the whole thing unraveled in the series finale against division leading Oakland.
Discussion:
Lone Star Ball
Alyson Footer / MLB.com:
Renteria optimistic about closer options — CINCINNATI — When a team has only had six save opportunities through most of the first month of the season, it's fair to assume closer options aren't first and foremost on the mind of a manager guiding a struggling team.
Discussion:
Bleed Cubbie Blue
Canadian Press:
Montero leads off with 10th homer, D'Backs beat Rockies — PHOENIX — Miguel Montero hit a leadoff homer in the 10th inning after Martin Prado hit a two-run single in the ninth, helping the Arizona Diamondbacks end a four-game losing streak with a 5-4 win over the Colorado Rockies Wednesday night.
Discussion:
Purple Row and AZ Snake Pit
RELATED:
MLB.com:
Brewers continuing to deal with key injuries — ST. LOUIS — Brewers manager Ron Roenicke had a quick answer Tuesday afternoon when it was suggested that his starting lineup resembled something from Spring Training. — “Sometimes I made it like that in Spring Training and we went out and scored 10 runs,” Roenicke said.
Discussion:
MLB Daily Dish and Brew Crew Ball
RELATED:
Associated Press:
Craig has 4 hits, Cards beat Brewers 9-3
Craig has 4 hits, Cards beat Brewers 9-3
Discussion:
HardballTalk and Viva El Birdos
Jon Paul Morosi / Fox Sports:
Brewers are for real, not an April fluke, thanks to pitching
Brewers are for real, not an April fluke, thanks to pitching
Discussion:
Brew Crew Ball and FanGraphs Baseball
Associated Press:
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.
Discussion:
McCovey Chronicles
RELATED:
Carroll Rogers / Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
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.
Discussion:
HardballTalk
Tyler Kepner / New York Times:
Mets and Yankees Have Identical Records, if Not Identical Expectations — The Mets and the Yankees arrived at the soggy end of April on Wednesday with identical 15-11 records. Twice in the last decade they have finished the season with the same mark: in 2006, when both made the playoffs, and in 2008, when both missed.
Discussion:
Metsblog, NY Daily News, Newsday, New York Post and ESPN
Todd Dewey / Las Vegas Review-Journal:
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 …
Discussion:
New Jersey Online, ESPN and Metsblog
Steve Adams / MLB Trade Rumors:
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 …
Discussion:
Baseball Prospectus and Bless You Boys
Jon Heyman / CBSSports.com:
(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 …
Discussion:
MLB Daily Dish, Pinstripe Alley and MLB Trade Rumors
Lee Enterprises / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
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.
Discussion:
Halos Heaven and HardballTalk
Aaron Gleeman / HardballTalk:
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.
Discussion:
John Shea
Mike Vorkunov / New Jersey Online:
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.
Discussion:
Metsblog
RELATED:
Meredith Perri / Metsblog:
Game Recap: Mets 6 - Phillies 1
Game Recap: Mets 6 - Phillies 1
Discussion:
Amazin' Avenue, The Good Phight and Phillies Nation