Harper, Williams ejected vs. Yankees  —  Bryce Harper and Matt Williams were both ejected in the bottom of the third inning against the New York Yankees on Wednesday night in a bizarre sequence sparked by a called first strike.  —  Home plate umpire Marvin Hudson called a strike …

Brent Strom, second man to have Tommy John surgery, now makes pitch to Astros aces  —  Brent Strom has a good memory.  Strom, the former Met lefty who is now the Astros pitching coach, is detailing his first game in the majors, a start at Shea against the Expos and he can still see Tommie Agee racing …

Hal Steinbrenner says Yankees will pay Alex Rodriguez's HR bonus if that's how arbitrator rules  —  The Yankees have made it clear they don't want to pay Alex Rodriguez a $6 million bonus for tying Willie Mays with his 660th career home run, but they will if an arbitrator decides they must …

Bartolo Colon, Mets roughed up by Cardinals in 9-0 loss  —  CARDINALS 9, METS 0  —  The Mets lost their lead Wednesday night, and over the past two nights it looks like they are losing their edge.  Bartolo Colon, the senior member of the Mets' elite rotation, was blistered for the second straight start …

Mauer's Homer Lifts Twins to 4-3 Win Over Pirates in 13  —  PITTSBURGH — Joe Mauer hit his first home run of the season, a solo shot off Antonio Bastardo in the 13th inning to help the Minnesota Twins to a 4-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday night.

Bullpen unable to stem the tide as Jays blow another lead in loss to Angels  —  Gimpy-kneed Michael Saunders was lounging in front of his locker surrounded by several of his Toronto Blue Jays teammates, killing time on Wednesday before the game against the Los Angeles Angels.

Castellanos' 3-Run Triple Lifts Tigers Over Brewers 5-2  —  DETROIT — Nick Castellanos hit a bases-loaded triple with two out in the eighth inning to lift the Detroit Tigers to a 5-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday night.  —  The Tigers avoided a sweep in the three-game series thanks to a rally in their final at-bat.

Rockies Option Drew Stubbs, Recall Brandon Barnes  —  The Rockies have optioned struggling outfielder Drew Stubbs to Triple-A, Nick Groke of the Denver Post reports (Twitter links).  Taking his place on the active roster is Brandon Barnes.  —  Stubbs, 30, avoided arbitration with a $5.825MM contract …

Minor Moves: Baker, Pimentel, Francis  —  Here are the day's minor moves:  — It appears that the Mariners have released veteran backstop John Baker, according to Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune (via Twitter).  Obviously, Seattle just added an additional catcher to its organization with the acquisition of Welington Castillo.

San Diego's handling of Triple-A skipper Murphy highly unusual  —  FOX Sports  —  Are the Padres considering firing Bud Black and replacing him with Pat Murphy (right)?  —  Pat Murphy is the Padres' Triple-A manager.  The Brewers want to hire him as a major-league coach.