Travis d'Arnaud leading Mets' power surge  —  If last night's shot deep into the left field seats off Ervin Santana wasn't proof enough, consider this little tidbit: On the golf course d'Arnaud says he hits his driver 370 yards off the tee.  —  You didn't really need to see it to know the ball was gone.

Angels, fans giving big push for Richards in Final Vote  —  Righty overwhelmed, humbled by support; balloting ends today, 1 p.m. PT  —  ANAHEIM — Garrett Richards had never had his name used as a hashtag.  —  But then the 26-year-old right-hander was named an American League Final Vote candidate Sunday …

Hernandez Cruises, Phillies Beat Brewers 4-1  —  MILWAUKEE — Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley homered to support Roberto Hernandez's solid start, and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Milwaukee Brewers 4-1 on Wednesday night for their third straight win over the NL Central leaders.

Giants Spoil Hammel's Debut, Beat A's 5-2  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Hunter Pence homered and drove in two runs, Matt Cain tossed six strong innings and the San Francisco Giants spoiled Jason Hammel's debut for Oakland with a 5-2 victory over the Athletics on Wednesday night.

Swing away: The untold story of the first Home Run Derby  —  By the summer of 1985, the baseball-loving people of Minnesota had completely fallen for their Twins, even though the franchise rarely gave them a compelling reason.  The team hadn't finished a season with a winning record since 1979 …

THE A.J. PIERZYNSKI PROBLEM WAS WORSE THAN ANYBODY COULD HAVE IMAGINED  —  It had a really good chance of being bad when it started.  —  By the end, it was worse than anybody could have expected.  —  When the Red Sox designated A.J. Pierzynski for assignment Wednesday …

Yadier Molina Out Eight To Twelve Weeks With Torn Thumb Ligament  —  Catcher Yadier Molina of the Cardinals has suffered a torn thumb ligament, tweets Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  He is expected to miss eight to twelve weeks, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (via Twitter).

Ryan Braun back for Brewers  —  MILWAUKEE — Ryan Braun has returned the Brewers starting lineup and lower down in the batting order.  —  Braun, who has been bothered by a bad back, was slotted into the fifth spot for Thursday afternoon's game against the Philadelphia Phillies after sitting out the previous two contests.

Lind to miss six to eight weeks with foot fracture  —  ANAHEIM — The Blue Jays' injury situation went from bad to worse on Wednesday afternoon, when it was revealed that first baseman Adam Lind has a non-displaced fracture in his right foot.  —  Lind said the doctors expect him to be out for the next six to eight weeks.

The Mystery of the Vanishing Screwball  —  Hector Santiago of the Los Angeles Angels was sitting at a restaurant table in Glendale, Ariz., in March, holding an orange in his left hand.  He formed a circle with his thumb and forefinger, then spread his remaining fingers around the fruit with half an inch between each one.

BP mishap leaves Beltran with facial fractures  —  CLEVELAND — Yankees outfielder Carlos Beltran sustained two small facial fractures in a batting-practice mishap on Wednesday afternoon, but the club is hopeful that the veteran switch-hitter will avoid a trip to the disabled list.

Brewers Sign No. 5 International Prospect Gilbert Lara  —  The Brewers have signed 16-year-old Dominican infielder Gilbert Lara, the No. 5 international prospect for July 2, for $3.1 million.  —  At 6-foot-3, 205 pounds, Lara is a strong, physical righthanded hitter who has an unorthodox approach …