Cardinals hit a pothole in loss to Reds  —  In the past two weeks, with the rotation rolling and the lineup responding, the Cardinals, more and more the team they intend to be, have put distance between themselves and the team they were.  —  That caught up to them Wednesday.

Winker, Suarez homer as Reds blow by Cards 6-0  —  Jesse Winker hit the second pitch of the game down the right-field line for a home run and Eugenio Suarez broke the contest open with a grand slam in the fifth inning as the visiting Cincinnati Reds blasted the Cardinals 6-0 Wednesday night before a crowd of 40,124 at Busch Stadium.

Cincinnati Reds put another dent in St. Louis Cardinals' playoff hopes  —  ST. LOUIS — Rookie Tyler Mahle maneuvered his way through five scoreless innings Wednesday night to pick up his first big league win as the Cincinnati Reds damaged the St. Louis Cardinals' playoff hopes with a 6-0 decision at Busch Stadium.

Gyorko ready to be used in a pinch as his hamstring heals  —  What Jedd Gyorko can do and how effectively he can do it as he recovers from a hamstring strain will be determined on the job.  —  The Cardinals activated Gyorko from the disabled list Wednesday after the infielder completed …

Detroit Tigers pitcher Buck Farmer says he didn't mean to bean umpire  —  CLEVELAND - Brad Ausmus was watching the baseball game.  —  He had just been ejected Wednesday afternoon against the Cleveland Indians for arguing balls and strikes and was sitting in his office inside the visitor's clubhouse …

As Indians stack wins in record streak, a new label emerges: America's Team  —  They have become America's team, those lovable Cleveland Indians.  —  They win 21 games in a row, the most by any team in American League history, and we want the streak to keep going.

We now know what David Ortiz will be doing for Red Sox  —  David Ortiz is officially back with the Red Sox.  —  Appearing at an event to announce his partnership with Eastern Bank Tuesday afternoon, Ortiz told WEEI.com that he and the Red Sox have agreed upon a role for the retired slugger.

Diamondbacks looking to support J.D. Martinez's hot-hitting … CONNECT  —  J.D. Martinez's blast banged off the bottom of the video board on Tuesday night, traveling an estimated 447 feet.  It gave him 22 home runs in 45 games with the Diamondbacks and nine in 10 games this month.

Diamondbacks' Paul Goldschmidt reaches 1,000 hits in win over Rockies … CONNECT  —  Paul Goldschmidt appeared insulted.  Someone had dared to ask him a question about a personal accomplishment.  The question, to be precise, was whether he cared to reflect on his 1,000th hit …

Darvish, Bellinger combine to lead Dodgers past Giants 4-1  —  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Yu Darvish declined to say what exactly he did to get his pitching mechanics back in rhythm.  The right-hander would only acknowledge that he quit focusing on so many things and kept his approach simple.

After peaks (91-36) and valleys (1-16), what's next for the Dodgers?  —  SAN FRANCISCO - Dave Roberts played nine seasons in the minors before establishing himself in the big leagues when he was nearly 30, launching an itinerant 10-year career that preceded a five-year coaching stint …

White Sox score 2 in 9th, beat Royals 5-3, take series  —  KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Though Veterans Jose Abreu and Avisail Garcia came through in the ninth inning, there is no doubt the Chicago White Sox are looking more to the future.  —  Abreu and Garcia drove in runs in the ninth …

Orioles on deck: What to watch Wednesday at Blue Jays  —  The Orioles lose to the Bue Jays, 3-2.  (Denise Sanders, Baltimore Sun video)  —  Orioles lose opener in Toronto 4-3 — their fifth straight loss and third straight by two runs or less.  —  Orioles (71-74) vs. Blue Jays (68-77)