Verlander Takes No-Hit Bid Into 9th, Tigers Beat Angels 5-0  —  DETROIT — Justin Verlander lost a bid for his third no-hitter when Chris Iannetta lined a leadoff double in the ninth inning that landed barely fair on the left-field line, and the Detroit Tigers beat the Los Angeles Angels 5-0 Wednesday night.

Astros Top Last Year's Win Total, Beat Yankees 6-2  —  NEW YORK — Evan Gattis hit two home runs, Collin McHugh excelled once again and the Houston Astros exceeded last season's win total, beating the New York Yankees 6-2 Wednesday.  —  The AL West leaders improved to 71-57, a year after going 70-92.

Colon Tosses 7 Scoreless Innings, Mets Beat Phillies 9-4  —  PHILADELPHIA — Bartolo Colon tossed five-hit ball and struck out eight in seven sharp innings, Michael Cuddyer hit a long homer and the NL East-leading New York Mets beat the Philadelphia Phillies 9-4 on Wednesday night.

McCutchen's 4 RBIs Lead Pirates to 7-2 Win  —  MIAMI — Andrew McCutchen homered and drove in four runs to help the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 7-2 victory over the Miami Marlins on Wednesday night.  —  Jeff Locke (7-8) pitched seven innings, allowing two runs and five hits for the Pirates, who have won four of five.

Is managing next for HOF shortstops Barry Larkin, Cal Ripken?  —  FOX Sports  —  The next trend in hiring managers could be a doozy.  —  Hall of Fame shortstops, anyone?  —  Barry Larkin appears to stand a better chance of becoming the next manager of the Cincinnati Reds than Cal Ripken does …

After loss and injury, is Javier Baez finally ready for the Cubs?  —  Javier Baez walks onto the field during an Iowa Cubs home game at Principal Park in Des Moines.  Ackerman + Gruber for ESPN

Free Agent Stock Watch: Gerardo Parra  —  As MLBTR's Charlie Wilmoth noted in his recent look at Alex Gordon, the Royals outfielder joins Jason Heyward as a top-of-the-market corner outfielder who derives significant value from defense while also delivering sturdy production at the plate.

Plans for more protective netting already in works in Philly  —  FOX Sports  —  A fan is carried away after being hit a by a line-drive foul ball during a game at Wrigley Field.  —  At least one major-league team plans to extend protective netting for fans.

Shane Greene To Undergo Season-Ending Surgery  —  4:07pm: Head trainer Kevin Rand said that Greene will begin throwing in two months and is expected to be ready for Spring Training, per Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter link).  —  3:50pm: Tigers right-hander Shane Greene …

Yankees Activate Michael Pineda, Designate Chris Capuano  —  The Yankees have designated lefty Chris Capuano yet again, as Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets.  His roster spot was needed for the activation of righty Michael Pineda.  (New York also optioned Nick Rumbelow and activated Nick Goody …

Olivera not expected to join Braves before Tuesday  —  They know that Hector Olivera's pending arrival is highly anticipated by Braves fans who haven't had a whole lot to get excited about in recent weeks.  —  But Braves officials are being careful not to bring the Cuban infielder up from Triple …

Mets pitcher Dwight Gooden becomes the youngest 20-game winner in MLB history in 1985  —  The youngest 20-game winner in the history of modern baseball was walking down the corridor toward the Met clubhouse.  He was being trailed by television crews, buffetted by questions.

Don Orsillo will not return on Red Sox telecasts next season  —  Don Orsillo, the affable and popular play-by-play voice on NESN's Red Sox telecasts since 2001, will not return next year, according to multiple industry sources.  —  His contract expires at the end of the season and he will not be offered a new one by NESN.