Verlander sharp against old team, Astros top Tigers 5-1  —  Verlander (7-1) struck out nine in his second start at Comerica Park since his 2017 trade from Detroit to Houston.  —  Author: The Associated Press, NOAH TRISTER  —  DETROIT — Justin Verlander allowed two hits in seven impressive innings …

Mets fall as Font spot start fails  —  WASHINGTON — Patrick Corbin dominated, and Wilmer Font was bad.  That's a formula for a short and hard loss, which is exactly what happened as the Mets fell 5-1 to the Nationals on Wednesday night.  —  The Washington left-hander got 11 strikeouts …

Real or not?  Mike Soroka the best rookie over first quarter of season  —  Everything about Braves right-hander Mike Soroka is a little funky.  —  He's Canadian, for starters.  That's a rarity.  There are only eight Canadians who have played in the majors this season …

Diamondbacks capitalize on Chris Archer insight, roll to win despite in-game injuries  —  The Diamondbacks rolled to an 11-1 win over the Pirates Wednesday, and they got their bats going early against Pittsburgh starter Chris Archer.  —  “I think the key with Archer is when he's not commanding the baseball …

7 Rays pitchers combine to hand Miami 7th straight loss, 1-0  —  Seven pitchers combined on a seven-hitter for Tampa Bay, and the Rays shut out the Miami Marlins for the second straight game, 1-0 on Wednesday night.  —  The Marlins (10-31) lost their seventh consecutive game and are on pace for 122 losses.

Yanks' Andujar to have season-ending surgery  —  NEW YORK — Yankees third baseman Miguel Andujar will have season-ending surgery to repair a small labrum tear in his right shoulder.  —  New York announced the decision Wednesday night during the second game of a doubleheader against the Baltimore Orioles that the Yankees swept.

Cincinnati Reds complete comeback against Chicago Cubs with Yasiel Puig walk-off single  —  Standing at the plate with the bases loaded in the 10th inning Wednesday, one out, and facing a five-man infield, Yasiel Puig's teammates knew Puig was exactly where he wanted to be.

Dodgers' Kenta Maeda carves up Padres behind dominant performance  —  The stuff has rarely wavered.  Since Kenta Maeda joined the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2016, he has relied primarily on a fastball that he throws from between 90 and 93 mph, a slider ranging from 82 to 85 mph and a split-fingered change-up he throws between 83 to 86 mph.

Torres' three homers lift Yankees over Orioles in doubleheader sweep  —  THE BRONX (AP) — Gleyber Torres hit three home runs during a doubleheader sweep, including a solo shot in the nightcap, and Domingo Germán became the majors' first eight-game winner in the New York Yankees' 3-1 victory …

Calhoun's back for the Rangers.  And he didn't hesitate to flash that sweet swing again  —  Willie Calhoun ignored the call at midnight.  —  Calhoun figured his mom would be on the other end, just wanting to chat.  But his phone rang a second time early Wednesday morning, and he didn't ignore it this time.

Giants beat Toronto in Shaun Anderson's MLB debut  —  In an interesting riff on pitching future vs. pitching past, Shaun Anderson made his big-league debut Wednesday afternoon against Edwin Jackson, who was starting for his major league-record 14th team.  —  The young guy's team won.

The biggest busts of the 2009 MLB draft  —  The MLB draft is a time of hope and promise, and after it's all over, a scout sits with his staff and marvels over the players the team just picked.  Well, sometimes the prospects don't work out as planned, as is the case for most of these 22 …

Rockies Expected To Promote Brendan Rodgers  —  The Rockies are expected to promote top prospect Brendan Rodgers, according to Thomas Harding of MLB.com.  Corresponding moves remain to be seen, but a recent injury to shortstop Trevor Story is said to have played a role in the decision.

So just how far did that Tuesday homer by Rays' Avisail Garcia go?  —  The team seems pretty sure it was more than the MLB Statcast estimation of 471 feet; Morton set for Sunday start vs. Yankees.  —  MIAMI — Avisail Garcia seemed to get every bit of the Caleb Smith pitch he launched …