Cardinals Beat Diamondbacks 3-1 Behind Lackey  —  PHOENIX — John Lackey pitched seven strong innings and the St. Louis Cardinals beat Arizona 3-1 on Wednesday night, their seventh straight win over the Diamondbacks.  —  The Cardinals scored four first-inning runs off Robbie Ray on Tuesday …

Escobar Hits 2 Homers, Twins Beat Rays 5-3  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Eduardo Escobar homered twice and Joe Mauer had a tiebreaking RBI single as Minnesota beat the Tampa Bay Rays 5-3 Wednesday night for the Twins' sixth consecutive win.  —  Minnesota has its longest winning streak away …

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.

Encarnacion Helps Price Celebrate 30th, Jays Top Texas 12-4  —  ARLINGTON, Texas — Edwin Encarnacion hit a grand slam to extend his hitting streak to 21 games, helping David Price get a win on his 30th birthday in Toronto's 12-4 victory against the Texas Rangers on Wednesday night.

Barnes Has 3 Hits to Lead Rockies to 6-3 Win Over Braves  —  ATLANTA — Brandon Barnes had three hits, including a two-run homer, and the Colorado Rockies extended Atlanta right-hander Shelby Miller's winless streak to 18 starts with a 6-3 victory over the Braves on Wednesday night.

Blue Jays' Jose Bautista ends Sportsnet boycott  —  The Jays' all-star right fielder says his conflict with Sportsnet is “resolved” and “we're moving on.”  —  Jose Bautista says his three-month boycott of Sportsnet is over.  “The issue's resolved and we're moving on,” the Blue Jays' right fielder said Wednesday.

Alex Rodriguez's former brother-in-law Constantine Scurtis files $100 million suit against the Yankees slugger  —  MIAMI − The photograph shows four well-dressed men around the table at Piccolo's steakhouse in Omaha in 2006, root beer floats with straws on each place mat.

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.

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.

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.

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.