Cubs all wet, win 2-0 after four-plus-hour rain delay  —  Leave it to the Cubs to have a rain delay that winds up on Deadspin.  —  As Tuesday night slipped into Wednesday morning at Wrigley Field, the Cubs remained stuck on the fifth inning of a game against the San Francisco Giants …

Mets avoid embarrassing offensive record but not another loss, falling to Athletics, 6-2  —  The seven hits snapped a streak of five straight games with four hits or less in a game.  That already tied a franchise record with the 2004 and 1963 Mets having those streaks.

Bids escalating for Cuban defector Castillo  —  As the pursuit of Cuban outfielder Rusney Castillo reaches its final days, several clubs told ESPN.com on Wednesday that they believe the Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Yankees and San Francisco Giants have emerged …

MLB Makes Significant Rule Changes For International Players  —  In what appears to be an attempt to crack down on an industry trend of early agreements well before July 2, Major League Baseball has changed its rules with regards to how teams can evaluate international amateur players.

WE CAN JUDGE “SHIELDS-MYERS” TRADE IN A DECADE OR SO  —  Tuesday night, Jonah Keri and I were talking about the big Royals-Rays trade.  By way of noting how hard these things are to evaluate, I mentioned that Wade Davis, sort of a throw-in, is (arguably) having a better season than James Shields, the big prize.

Bautista, Blue Jays outslug Brewers to split two-game series  —  MILWAUKEE — Jose Bautista's three-run homer capped a five-run sixth inning and the Toronto Blue Jays outslugged Milwaukee 9-5 Wednesday, snapping the Brewers' five-game winning streak.  —  Bautista hit a 1-2 pitch …

Lohse, Garza have return dates in sight  —  MILWAUKEE — Target dates were in sight Tuesday for the returns of Brewers starter Kyle Lohse and Matt Garza from injuries.  The team hopes to restore Lohse to the rotation next week in San Diego after he missed a start with a sore ankle …

Indians' Swisher having surgery on both knees, out for season  —  CLEVELAND — Nick Swisher's disappointing second season with the Indians is over.  —  Swisher underwent surgery on both knees Wednesday, procedures the first baseman/outfielder hopes will alleviate pain and prolong his career.

CarGo has surgery, might not be ready by spring  —  DENVER — Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez had the middle third of the left patella tendon repaired and a bursa sac removed in a surgery on Monday.  Head athletic trainer Keith Dugger cautioned that it won't be known for months if Gonzalez …

Veteran mentor is high on Cubs' shopping list  —  NEW YORK — By now, anybody who follows the Cubs has heard the front office's vow to aggressively pursue pitching over the next two winters to catch up to the quality of young Cubs hitters believed to be coming down the pipeline.

Phils president: GM Amaro ‘not on the hot seat’  —  PHILADELPHIA — The Phillies might have the third-highest payroll in baseball, but they are going to miss the postseason for the third consecutive year.  —  But Phillies president David Montgomery's support for general manager Ruben Amaro Jr …