Rob Manfred vote short on 1st ballot  —  BALTIMORE — Rob Manfred fell one vote short of the required three-quarters majority on the first ballot Thursday to become the new baseball commissioner, a person familiar with the balloting told The Associated Press.

Pirates Acquire John Axford  —  The Pirates have officially acquired righty John Axford from the Indians, the clubs have announced.  Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first reported the transaction (via Twitter).  Axford, 31, joined Cleveland on a one-year, $4.5MM free agent contract after being non-tendered by the Cardinals.

Terry Collins likely to return as manager as Mets fall to Nationals, 3-2  —  It was not a disaster, but the Mets and Collins know that eventually they are going to have to find a way to compete with the best in the National League East.  The Mets' offense was too late and too little.

ROCKIES' CARLOS GONZALEZ IS LIKELY DONE FOR THE SEASON AFTER PLAYING IN JUST 70 GAMES  —  The Denver Post  —  Carlos Gonzalez (5) of the Colorado Rockies runs for third base before making a bad slide and hurting himself against the Washington Nationals at Coors Field.

Mets Sign No. 13 International Prospect Kenny Hernandez  —  The Mets have signed Kenny Hernandez, the No. 13 international prospect, for $1 million.  Hernandez became eligible to sign yesterday, his 16th birthday.  —  At 6 feet, 160 pounds, Hernandez has a simple, low-maintenance swing …

Fiers Fans 14 in Brewers 6-2 Win Over Cubs  —  CHICAGO — Mike Fiers struck out a career-high 14 through six innings of three-hit ball, Khris Davis and Mark Reynolds homered, and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Chicago Cubs 6-2 on Thursday to widen their first-place lead in the NL Central.

Braun out of lineup with lingering thumb issue  —  CHICAGO — Little has changed since Ryan Braun first spoke in depth in early April about the nerve issue in his right hand that has bothered him since last season.  It still flares up on occasion, forcing him out of the lineup as it did Thursday for the first time in a month.

Pedro: Clemens, Bonds deserve HOF nod  —  BOSTON — Former Red Sox pitcher and future Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez believes Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds should be in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.  —  Martinez, who has always been outspoken about players accused of using performance-enhancing drugs …

Diamondbacks catcher Miguel Montero: “Best I've ever seen” of Trevor Bauer  —  Though he and Trevor Bauer were infamously unable to get on the same page during their time as teammates two years ago, Diamondbacks catcher Miguel Montero seemed genuinely happy to see how well Bauer threw on Wednesday afternoon.

Ernesto Frieri Accepts Assignment To Triple-A  —  Here are the day's minor moves ...  - After clearing waivers, righty Ernesto Frieri has accepted an assignment to the Pirates' Triple-A affiliate, Chris Cotillo of MLBDailyDish.com reports on Twitter.  After starting the season as the Angels' closer …