Yankees pitcher Tanaka to meet with team's head physician  —  CLEVELAND — Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka, who is on the 15-day disabled list with inflammation in his right elbow, was expected to meet with a team doctor Thursday night in Seattle.  —  New York manager Joe Girardi said Tanaka …

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.

Sale, Rizzo, Aybar Added to All-Star Rosters  —  NEW YORK — Chicago White Sox pitcher Chris Sale and Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo were voted by fans onto the rosters for Tuesday's All-Star game, and Los Angeles Angels shortstop Erick Aybar will replace Kansas City outfielder Alex Gordon.

Mike Trout, Angles plate 15 in romp over Rangers  —  ARLINGTON, Texas — All-Star center fielder Mike Trout had a three-run homer among his four hits for the fast-starting Los Angeles Angels in a 15-6 victory over the free-falling Texas Rangers on Thursday night.  —  The first four Angels batters in the game had hits and scored.

Pearce homers as Orioles edge Nationals, widen AL East lead  —  BALTIMORE — Steve Pearce homered and scored twice to help Wei-Yin Chen earn his ninth victory, and the Baltimore Orioles beat the Washington Nationals 4-3 on Thursday night for their eighth win in 10 games.

Giants could be interested in deal for Zobrist  —  SAN FRANCISCO — The already active speculation about the Giants' interest in Tampa Bay handyman Ben Zobrist has increased.  —  Giants special assignment scout Pat Burrell recently was seen at Tropicana Field, where other San Francisco scouts …

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).

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 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.

How the Unseen Post-Draft Process Works  —  Joshua Kusnick is an MLBPA-certified agent who periodically writes about his experiences representing professional players.  You can reach him via email at JoshuaKusnick@aol.com and on Twitter @JoshuaKusnick.  —  The draft is behind us, and short-season ball has begun.

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 …

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.

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.

Athletics Beat Giants 6-1 to Win Bay Bridge Series  —  SAN FRANCISCO — All-Star Scott Kazmir struck out nine in seven scoreless innings to help the Oakland Athletics win the annual Bay Bridge series by beating the San Francisco Giants 6-1 on Thursday.  —  Josh Donaldson hit a two-run homer …