Giants win protest, game to be resumed Thursday  —  UPDATE: The Giants have won their protest of Tuesday's 2-0 loss to the Cubs — a game that was called after 4 1/2 innings.  The game will be resumed as a suspended game, beginning at 4:05 p.m. (Chicago time) Thursday.

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 …

Hamilton Drives in 3 Runs, Angels Beat Red Sox 8-3  —  BOSTON — Josh Hamilton broke out of a slump with two hits and three RBIs, Howie Kendrick drove in two runs, and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Boston Red Sox 8-3 to increase their AL West lead on Wednesday night.

Cruz Hits 33rd HR, Orioles Sweep White Sox  —  CHICAGO — Nelson Cruz took the major league lead with his 33rd home run and the surging Baltimore Orioles completed a three-game sweep of the Chicago White Sox with a 4-3 win Wednesday night.  —  Adam Jones and Steve Pearce also homered for the Orioles …

Nationals' win streak hits 9 on another walk-off  —  WASHINGTON — The Washington Nationals won their ninth straight game when pinch hitter Anthony Rendon singled home Bryce Harper in the ninth inning Wednesday night for a 3-2 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

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.

Angels enjoying returns on trade for Freese, Salas  —  BOSTON — The Angels caught some heat on Nov. 22, 2013, when they sent center fielder Peter Bourjos and prospect outfielder Randal Grichuk to the Cardinals in exchange for third baseman David Freese and reliever Fernando Salas.

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.

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 …

Game recap: Mets 8 — Athletics 5  —  Result: The Mets jumped out to an early lead and held on for an 8-5 win Wednesday afternoon.  —  Need to Know: Lucas Duda blasted a three-run home run to cap a five-run third inning against Jeff Samardzija.  Duda's 23 homers are tied for fourth in the National League.

Kershaw moved up in rotation shuffle  —  LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles Dodgers altered their pitching rotation Wednesday to give Zack Greinke two extra days of rest as he tries to pitch through discomfort in his right elbow.  Clayton Kershaw, who was originally scheduled to start Friday …

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.

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.