An ump told Adrian Beltre to move into the on-deck circle.  So Beltre moved the circle  —  ARLINGTON, Texas — Adrian Beltre was ejected from the Texas Rangers' game Wednesday while waiting on deck to bat in the eighth inning.  —  Beltre, who already had three hits in the game to increase …

Rockies Acquire Pat Neshek  —  The Rockies announced that they've acquired right-hander Pat Neshek from the Phillies in exchange for minor league infielder Jose Gomez and minor league right-handers J.D. Hammer and Alejandro Requena.  Lefty Tyler Anderson has been moved to the 60-day DL to clear a roster spot.

Stephen Strasburg heads to DL as Nats call up LHP Erick Fedde  —  WASHINGTON — Nationals All-Star pitcher Stephen Strasburg is headed to the 10-day disabled list.  —  Following his team's 8-5 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday night, manager Dusty Baker confirmed that Strasburg …

Hosmer's 5 hits, slam help Royals top Tigers, win 8th in row  —  DETROIT (AP) — Eric Hosmer matched his career high with five hits, including his first major league grand slam, and the Kansas City Royals extended their winning streak to a season-high eight games with a 16-2 rout of the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday night.

Braves send rookie SS Dansby Swanson to Triple-A  —  ATLANTA — The Atlanta Braves have optioned struggling shortstop Dansby Swanson to Triple-A Gwinnett.  —  Swanson was expected to be the figurehead of a rebuilding team.  He was the No. 1 overall pick by Arizona in 2015 and was regarded as one of the National League's top rookies.

Jake Arrieta: ‘We expect to remain in first place’  —  Cubs starter Jake Arrieta on Wednesday's victory and the team's goals for the rest of the season.  (Mark Gonzales/Chicago Tribune)  —  Chicago Tribune  —  After pitching 6 2/3 innings of two-hit ball Wednesday night to move …

Bryce Harper tossed after argument, says music got him ‘little fired up’  —  WASHINGTON — Bryce Harper was ejected from Wednesday night's game against the Milwaukee Brewers, then later cited his pregame music as a contributing factor.  —  “I think I need to change my playlist …

Steven Matz gets shelled, lasts only three innings as Mets fall to Padres, 6-3  —  Steven Matz's struggles continued with the Mets left-hander lasting just three innings Wednesday night, killing the Mets momentum early in a 6-3 loss to the Padres at Petco Park.

Astros can be selective, won't overpay for pitching, GM Jeff Luhnow says  —  PHILADELPHIA — As Houston Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow looks for ways to upgrade his pitching staff at Major League Baseball's non-waiver trade deadline, he reminds himself daily that he is operating from a position of strength.

Zimmer homers, drives in go-ahead run as Indians beat Angels … Bradley Zimmer homered and drove in the go-ahead run with a seventh-inning double and the  —  Cleveland Indians matched a season high with their sixth straight win, 10-4 over the  —  Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday night.

Detroit Tigers' Justin Wilson also drawing interest from New York Yankees  —  There are still nearly four full days until the trade deadline and even the Detroit Tigers would admit they don't yet know how the Justin Wilson sweepstakes are going to play out.  —  With any number …

Sale Away: Red Sox ace Ks 11 in 4-0 win over Mariners  —  SEATTLE (AP) — Chris Sale pitched seven innings of three-hit ball, top prospect Rafael Devers became the youngest Boston player to hit a home run in more than 50 years, and the Red Sox beat the Seattle Mariners 4-0 on Wednesday to salvage the final game of the series.

Daily Dose: Athletic Clubbed  —  The Oakland Athletics find themselves in the basement of the American League West Division, 13 games under .500 and 23 games back of the first-place Houston Astros.  They also sit 9 1/2 games back in the wild-card standings, but perhaps things could be a little different if they had a dependable closer.

Dear 1987, you're not going to believe what has happened to baseball  —  Say you had a time machine.  Say you set it to 1987.  Say you met a baseball fan from that year named Kelly.  What could you tell Kelly about baseball in 1987 that would most strain his or her belief?

Deadline predictions beyond Yu Darvish: Dark horse, biggest splash, more  —  With the July 31 trade deadline approaching, we asked a panel of our experts to make predictions about where six of the biggest names on the market would end up.  For all the rumors and speculation this time of year …