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Miguel Cabrera homers in fourth-straight game

Cabrera's .391 batting average and .701 slugging percentage lead all major-league players, and his .467 on-base percentage ranks second to Joey Votto. He's been hitless just twice in his last 34 games. He's the early favorite for 2013 AL MVP.

Josh Willingham connects for two homers in loss

Willingham has hit .212/.368/.453 with eight home runs and 23 RBI in 171 plate appearances. His multi-homer performance was his first since July 24.

Salvador Perez has three hits in return

Mark Trumbo extends hitting streak to eight games

Trumbo's line has climbed to .284/.339/.532 in 209 plate appearances, and he's one of two Angels with a slugging percentage over .500 this season.

Mike Trout first to 10/10 this season

Trout is 8 for 13 with two home runs, six runs scored, six RBI and two stolen bases in his past three games. He's hitting .302/.378/.582 in 217 plate appearances.

Jose Valverde perfect in earning fifth save

Valverde has been a stabilizing force at the back end of the bullpen since joining the team in late April.

Rick Porcello struggles against Twins

Porcello had been on a roll in his last four starts, but the poor outing Thursday raised his ERA to 6.28. It was also the first time in five starts that he struck out fewer than five batters. He next faces the Pirates at home Tuesday.

Scott Diamond falls out short of quality start

Diamond hasn't had a quality start in any of his last three games. His next chance is against the Brewers in Milwaukee Tuesday.

Ervin Santana allows four home runs in loss

Home runs were a problem for Santana with the Angels last season, when he allowed 39 in 30 starts. He had allowed six homers in eight starts heading into Thursday. The poor performance gives Santana a 3.14 ERA going into a matchup against the Cardinals Tuesday.

Ernesto Frieri removed from save opportunity

It was Frieri's third-straight appearance allowing at least one earned run, though he eraned saves in each of his previous two games.

Robert Coello earns first career save

Coello has not allowed an earned run in 7 1/3 innings this season.

Joe Blanton earns first win

Blanton's rotation spot will be in jeopardy when Tommy Hanson returns, but Thursday's start was a good way to staunch the bleeding after allowing 23 hits in nine innings over his previous two starts. He'll face the Dodgers Tuesday with a 6.19 ERA.

David Ortiz homers vs. Indians

Will Middlebrooks listed as day-to-day

Octavio Dotel throws bullpen session

It was Dotel's first session on the mound since being shut down after experiencing a setback last week. He hasn't pitched for the Tigers since April 19.

Christian Garcia feels '100 percent'

Ryan Dempster gets rocked again

Darren Oliver could land on DL

"I'm sure we'll talk about it at some point," Oliver said.

Oliver has not pitched since May 18 and has allowed three runs -- two earned -- in his last two innings. He has a 3.18 ERA in 17 appearances.

Drew Stubbs has three extra-base hits

Stubbs's third three-hit game of the season bumped his batting average to .255. His triple was his first of the year.

Phillies bring up Michael Martinez

Zach McAllister rides to fourth win

McAllister hasn't allowed more than three earned runs in a start this season and has a 2.89 ERA in 56 innings over nine starts. He'll take on the Reds in Cincinnati Tuesday.

Manny Machado has three doubles

Nick Markakis extends hitting streak with home run

Adam Jones homers vs. Blue Jays

P.J. Walters to start for Twins this weekend

Walters is 4-2 with a 3.31 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 46:16 K:BB ratio in 54 1/3 innings at Triple-A this season.

Chris Davis hits sixth home run of May

J.P. Arencibia has four RBI vs. O's

A grand day for Edwin Encarnacion

Encarnacion finished 1 for 4 with a walk, two runs scored and four RBI. He is hitting .382 with three home runs and 13 RBI in his last nine games. He has a .250/.333/.500 line in 176 at-bats.

Kevin Gausman has debut spoiled by Blue Jays

He allowed an RBI double to J.P. Arencibia and a sacrifice fly in the fourth. He then gave up a two-run home run to Arencibia in the fifth. The right-hander was charged with four runs and seven hits over five innings as he took the loss. He struck out five and walked two on 89 pitches.

Gausman, who went 2-4 with a 3.11 ERA at Double-A, is scheduled to start Tuesday at Washington.

Brandon Morrow roughed up again

Morrow has allowed 11 runs and struck out six over his last 12 innings. He is scheduled to make his next start Tuesday at home against Atlanta. He is 2-1 with a 4.88 ERA in five starts at home.

Kevin Jepsen 'close' to returning

"He's close," manager Mike Scioscia told MLB.com

Scioscia also said Jepsen will make another rehab appearance this week. The reliever has allowed four earned runs in 3 2/3 innings this season.

Freddy Galvis taking over hot corner

"He's going to be an everyday guy in the big leagues," manager Charlie Manuel told The Inquirer. "It's just a matter of time."

Galvis is hitting .226 with three home runs and 24 RBI in 69 at-bats. He has gone 4 for 16 with a home run and two RBI in his last four games as a starter.

Pedro Florimon exits game with sprained finger

Florimon has made nine-straight starts at shortstop. He was replaced by Eduardo Escobar.

Will Middlebrooks exits with back spasms

Aaron Miller moves from mound to outfield

Chase Utley lands on DL

Tommy Hanson's return 'could be weeks away'

The timetable may be speculation by the reporter but is notable, as the door was slightly open for Hanson to return this weekend. He is 2-1 with a 3.86 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 17 strikeouts in 28 innings over five starts this season.

Neil Walker in 1-for-16 slump

Walker has watched his line slip to .228/.338/.298 during the slump. He'll try to turn things around when the Pirates face the Brewers this weekend.

Trevor Plouffe feeling 'a lot better' Thursday

"No headaches or anything," Plouffe told the Pioneer Press. "I pretty much feel normal. As far as any timelines, it's still one step at a time."

Plouffe was scheduled to undergo a full-impact test Thursday to determine whether his injury was a concussion.

Anthony Rizzo hitless in last four games

Rizzo's line has fallen to .256/.320/.489 with the slump, but he does have 10 home runs on the year. He'll try to stop his skid this weekend against the Reds.

Shane Victorino making progress

Lyle Overbay hoping to stick around

Starling Marte holding steady above .300

Marte reached on an infield single in the first inning and promptly stole second, his 11th steal of the season. He came around to score on a single by Andrew McCutchen, the first of two runs he would score in the first two innings.

He finished 2 for 3 with a walk, two runs scored and a stolen base, as the Pirates won, 4-2. He is hitting .310 on the season.   

Jered Weaver to return next week if bullpen session goes well

Weaver struck out nine while allowing one run in a start during extended spring training Wednesday. He's made just two starts for the Angels this season, allowing six earned runs in 11 innings.

Andrew McCutchen racking up multi-hit games

McCutchen went 3 for 4 with two runs driven in and one run scored, in a 4-2 win. All three of his hits were singles, but he added a pair of stolen bases, giving him 12 on the season on 13 attempts.

McCutchen has batting .462 over the last six days, raising his batting average from .260 to .291. 

Jason Grilli perfect for save No. 19

Grilli induced a fly ball out on the first batter he faced, and then set down the next two on strikes to preserve a 4-2 win. Grilli needed just 14 pitches to end his outing and lower his ERA to 1.25.

Grilli has a league-leading 19 saves in 19 appearances, to go along with his sterling ERA. He has struck out 34 batters and walked just five in 21 2/3 innings. 

Taylor Teagarden to begin live BP

Rain shortens Jeanmar Gomez's solid start

Gomez held the Cubs to just one run on three hits, but his outing ended after just 56 pitches, thanks to a one hour, 47-minute rain delay. The Pirates won, 4-2.

Gomez struck out two batters and walked none, while racking up nine groundball outs and just one fly ball in 3 2/3 innings. Gomez has a 2.75 ERA in 36 innings, and is expected to make his next start Tuesday against the Tigers. 

Velocity down for Brett Myers in rehab start

Myers is 0-3 with an 8.02 ERA, 1.59 WHIP and 12 strikeouts in 21 1/3 innings this season.

Wilson Betemit will resume baseball activities next week

Edwin Jackson roughed up again

Jackson surrendered six hits in the outing in just three innings, and ran into trouble in each of his first two innings. He allowed two runs on three hits and a walk in the first inning, and then gave up two more runs on three more hits in the second.

Jackson settled down in the third inning with a pair of strikeouts, but the rain opened up and he had no chance to continue his outing. He finished with four runs allowed on six hits in three innings of work, with three strikeouts and one walk, while taking the loss in a 4-2 final.

Jackson's ERA rose to 6.11 in the start, while his record dropped to 1-7. Jackson is set to take the mound Tuesday against the White Sox. 

Salvador Perez's hip is only bothersome when running

"It doesn’t bother him to catch, block balls in the dirt, throw or hit," Yost told the Star. "It does bother him to run a little bit."

Perez has hit .308/.324/.413 with one home run in 148 plate appearances, going 13 for 31 in his last nine games.

Christian Garcia to join Double-A Harrisburg this weekend

Zack Wheeler will make 2-3 starts before MLB debut

Boston signs Rafael Perez to minor-league deal

Nick Tepesch should be good to go for Sunday

Tepesch has made eight starts for the Rangers this season, going 3-4 with a 3.98 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 31 strikeouts in 43 innings.

Adam Eaton expected to seek second opinion

Austin Jackson not likely to return when first eligible

"I want it right," Tigers manager Jim Leyland told MLive.com. "We talked about that today: 'Get it right.' I don't want him to come back 85 percent and try to play and then do it again. Try to get it as close to 100 percent as you can. You might not get it to 100 percent. Who knows."

Jackson strained his left hamstring nearly two weeks ago and last week seemed to be on track to make it back when first eligible. He has .272/.333/.371 with two home runs and five stolen bases in 16 plate appearances this season.

Jesus Montero officially optioned to minors

Oswaldo Arcia expected to start Friday

Arcia delivered a pinch-hit home run Wednesday against the Braves, but he is mired in a 3-for-26 slump (.115) in his last 10 games (seven starts).

Mark Teixeira could begin rehab stint Tuesday

Darin Mastroianni to miss six more weeks post-surgery

Adam Jones to return to center field Friday

Jones is batting .300 (24 for 80) with two home runs, five doubles, seven stolen bases, 10 RBI and 11 runs in 19 May games.

Alex Burnett taken off 40-man roster

Jake Arrieta headed back to Triple-A rotation

Brett Cecil could be a sneaky backup closer add

In four seasons, he compiled a 4.79 ERA and 1.42 WHIP, with a K/9 of 6.5. In 2013, however, working exclusively out of the bullpen, Cecil has been golden, sporting a 2.35 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and 9.4 K/9. 

Cecil is throwing his fastball above his career rate (93 m.p.h. vs 90.5) and has lowered his walk rate significantly. While Casey Janssen has been great as the team's closer, he is coming back from shoulder surgery and admitted this week that his arm isn't exactly back to where it should be. 

There's no indication that Janssen won't pitch the entire season, nor is there any guarantee that Cecil would get any save opportunities ahead of Steve Delabar or Esmil Rogers. But he has been dominant as a reliever and seems to be thriving in this new role. at the very least, AL-only owners may want to consider Cecil just for the low ratios and K potential he offers as a middle reliever. Anything else would just be gravy on top. 

Jesus Montero worth a hold in deep leagues

This was coming on the heels of an encouraging 2012 in which he hit .260 with 15 home runs and 20 doubles. And all of that came off a minor-league career which saw the 23-year-old hit .308, with four 17-plus home run campaigns over five seasons. 

Montero can hit, but he has proven to be a pretty bad catcher. So he'll learn first base down on the farm, a process that may not take too long considering this is not a foreign idea to him. We know Montero can hit -- his 2013 line was doomed thanks to spotty playing time and repeated failures and stresses behind the plate. With the burden of having to call games and handle a staff now gone, Montero has been freed to simply take grounders and regain his offensive potential. 

Granted, Montero doesn't even have a spot at DH or first base open for him once he does come around. But injuries (and slumps) can change things on a daily basis. If you absolutely need a replacement, we offered up some suggestions on Fantasy Baseball Today. I am holding Montero in 14-team-and-deeper Roto formats. I may even trade for him or scoop him off the discard pile in some leagues. Montero can hit, and it shouldn't be too long (mid-July?) until he pops back up with a far sunnier outlook. 

Hiroki Kuroda doing OK day after getting hurt

Salvador Perez rejoins Royals' lineup

Louis Coleman recalled for first time in 2013

Royals demote struggling reliever

Herrera, however, has been struggling since mid-April. He is 1-4 with a 6.60 ERA and eight home runs allowed in his last 13 appearances (15 innings).

Patrick Corbin's hot start turns heads

"It's impressive," D-backs Opening Day starter Ian Kennedy told MLB.com Thursday. "You're talking about a guy that people said might barely make the team in the fifth spot. He pitches well in Spring Training, but it's Spring Training. Then the season starts and he's doing pretty good now. He's on a roll now. I'm impressed."

Corbin is coming off his best start of the season, a complete-game three-hitter in a win over the Rockies that pushed him into the NL lead in wins. He also ranks second in ERA, eighth in WHIP (0.98) and has a miniscule .196 batting average allowed. 

White Sox place Angel Sanchez on waivers

Sanchez played in one game for Chicago this season before being placed on the disabled list with a strained lower back.

Colby Lewis ready for Triple-A rehab start

Josh Johnson expected to make three rehab starts

Chris Carpenter continues to progress

"It was a positive step," general manager John Mozeliak told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "We're still approaching this one day at a time."

Carpenter told reporters he felt good after the workout, and is expected to face live hitters next week barring any setbacks. 

Ramon Ortiz expected to be designated for assignment

Ortiz is 1-2 with a 4.08 ERA through four outings (three starts). He lasted just 2 1/3 innings in his latest start Tuesday against the Rays.

Shin-Soo Choo's free agency a hot topic

"I get asked the question a lot: 'Choo, where do you want to go and where do you want to play?'" Choo said to MLB.com Thursday.

Thanks to a hot start, Choo looks likely to be one of the top free agents in the league next offseason, and with Scott Boras representing him, he will likely get a big pay day. Choo is hitting .300 with a .984 on-base plus slugging percentage through the first 45 games of the season, while serving as the team's leadoff man. For their part, the Reds would like to extend Choo, but general manager Walt Jocketty realizes that might not be the best option.

"I hate to even address it," Jocketty told MLB.com. "We got him with the idea we would get him for the year and then try to develop [Billy] Hamilton to play next year. If we're in a position where we think we can sign Choo, it's a big bonus for us. Would we love to? Absolutely. But we have to really look and see where our financial revenues and financial projections of future revenues are. It's still a little early to do that."

Chad Jenkins to start Sunday

Yankees not close to promoting Chien-Ming Wang

Wang can opt out of his contract June 1, if he isn't promoted to the majors by then. It's expected Wang will exercise the clause in his contract.

Cesar Cabral must be activated by June 15

He must be activated by June 15 or put on waivers, according to ESPN.

Joba Chamberlain might be week away from returning

Kevin Youkilis might be back next week

Ivan Nova could be back after Tampa Bay series

As far as Nova returning to the rotation, general manager Brian Cashman said, "We'll just wait and see," according to the New York Daily News.

Phillies recall Michael Stutes

Stutes posted a 6.35 ERA in six games for the Phillies earlier in the season. 

Pedro Florimon earns spot in everyday lineup

Florimon has totaled five multi-hit games in 15 May starts. He's batting .250 (13 for 52) with two doubles, two home runs, five stolen bases, nine runs, 10 RBI and 12 strikeouts in that span.

David Huff placed on waivers

Scott Barnes added back to Indians' bullpen

Yankees' execs happy with Michael Pineda's progress

The plan is for Pineda to make one more extended spring appearance before a 30-day rehab assignment. The Yankees will then decide to add Pineda to the major-league roster or option him to Triple-A for more refinement.

Mark Melancon ready to step up if needed

"It's so much fun to be out there, closing out the game," Melancon said. "It's my favorite thing."

Melancon has been lights-out as a set up man this season, allowing just one run in his last 17 appearances, and the team clearly feels comfortable with him as a possible backup in case Jason Grilli falters.

"I love the fact that Mark's been battle tested," Hurdle said. "He's had some good opportunities, including some that have not worked out well. He's dealt with adversity. Those have become strengths for him. He is in a good place, personally and professionally. He's taking care of today and what opportunities he has today. Who knows what the rest of this season will provide?"

Melancon had 20 saves in 2011 for the Astros, but just one in each of the last two seasons. 

Shane Victorino misses a third straight game

Albert Pujols heating up, still not quite right

On the season, Pujols has been a massive disappointment, hitting .253 with a .743 OPS (both career lows, by far). Pujols had a truncated spring training as he recovered from offseason knee surgery and has done battle with plantar fasciitis since April, so the dip in numbers is somewhat understandable. The logical question now is: what do I do with him?

The best answer is "hold." In a worst-case scenario, Pujols goes on the DL for a few weeks to heal his foot and rest his knee. But he's almost guaranteed to return with a chip on his shoulder and something to prove. In a best-case scenario, Pujols simply goes back to being the Fantasy stud that he is, after playing through the injuries. Either way, all roads should eventually lead to Pujols improving, so selling him may lead to little more than regret. 

Franklin Morales makes another rehab start

Since restarting his rehab assignment May 8, Morales has made two starts for Portland and two starts for Pawtucket. He is 0-1 with a 7.71 ERA in two starts for Pawtucket and 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in two starts for Portland.

Marlins don't plan to demote Ozuna

"If [Ozuna] wants to make the decision difficult for us, have at it," 'President of Baseball Operations  Larry Beinfest told the Sun-Sentinel Thursday. "If you're productive and doing the job, I don't see any reason why people can't stay. Now, people are going to say, 'Well, he's going to be Super Two.' Sure, we look at all that. I'm not going to say we don't because it matters. The other 29 teams do as well. If a player is doing it, he's going to make the decision tough for you.

Ozuna is currently playing right field, the position that injured slugger Giancarlo Stanton will fill when he gets healthy. With top prospect Christian Yelich pushing for a promotion from Double-A Jacksonville, the Marlins will have a crowded outfield on their hands sometime in June. According to two scouts, the Marlins' best defensive alignment in the outfield would include Ozuna in center field, a position he has yet to man in the majors after 38 games in the minors. 

David Ross doubles in rehab game

Jarrod Saltalamacchia quietly raising Fantasy value

Saltalamacchia's average hasn't been this high since his rookie year, when he hit .266. But you don't add him for his average -- you chase his power. Last year, Saltalamacchia hit 25 home runs in 405 at-bats, which followed a 16-homer season (over 358 at-bats) in 2011. His five this year put him on pace for about 20 home runs, but for Points league players, Saltalamacchia could also be a nice source of doubles, with 10 so far (good for sixth among catchers). 

His ugly April may have turned some owners off to adding him, but Saltalamacchia's strong May should open some eyes. Owned in 39 percent of leagues, he could make for a nice power source in deeper one-catcher formats. 

Manager pushing Leonys Martin to be better

"Martin is a very good baseball player and he certainly has the ceiling to get better," Washington said. "How good? I think we'll just have to wait and see."

Martin continues to split playing time in center field with Craig Gentry as he learns how to adjust to a 162-game schedule. However, his playing time has been on the rise lately because his offensive production has taken off. Martin has started eight of the last 10 games through Wednesday and has hit safely in seven straight (.381).

Still, Washington feels Martin has plenty of room to improve offensively.

"I think he's still trying to find that," Washington said. "The thing is he's getting comfortable and getting his confidence together, and that's the key."

Demotion still not an option for Ike Davis

Davis is batting just .147 with a .482 on-base plus slugging percentage through the season's first 42 games, and rumbles about a possible demotion are growing louder by the day. He is 1 for his last 38 to drop him to last among qualified hitters in batting average. 

Tigers keep hot-hitting Brayan Pena in lineup

Pena has been on a roll offensively, hitting safely in four straight games and six of seven. He's batting .423 (11 for 26) with one double, two home runs and seven RBI in his last seven games.

'No other options' keep Fernando Rodney in closer's role

"There's no other options," Maddon said, per The Tampa Tribune.

DJ LeMahieu is a nice deep league add

LeMahieu has never hit below .314 in any of his five minor league campaigns (he has a .321 career minor league BA). In 306 major league at-bats, he has a .294 average. I wouldn't expect much in the way of power or speed from LeMahieu, but 20 doubles the rest of the way (assuming he gets regular at-bats) wouldn't be out of the question, and you can pretty much bank on the average to be there. 

In NL-only, he's a must-add. But I would consider adding him in formats as shallow as 15-team Roto leagues (at MI or UT), based on his promise in batting average. 

Carlos Santana has weak May batting average

Santana had just his third multi-hit game in May Wednesday. He's batting .200 (14 for 70) with three home runs, four doubles, six RBI, 12 runs and 13 walks in 20 May games.

Asdrubal Cabrera racking up doubles in May

Cabrera is batting .273 (21 for 77) with a .506 slugging percentage, a triple, two home runs, 10 RBI and 11 runs in 20 May games.

Michael Brantley beginning to pile up RBI

Brantley is having a productive May, batting .338 (25 for 74) with a home run, a double, 10 runs and 15 RBI in 21 games (18 starts).

Zack Wheeler discusses return

"Honestly, nothing was working real well for me today," he said to the New York Post. "Taking 10 days off and missing a start this late in the season and coming back as sharp as you were is tough."

Wheeler hit 100 mph on the radar gun, but reportedly saw his velocity dip as the start went on. He allowed two home runs among his five hits, surrendering three runs in five innings of work.

Wheeler expects to be fine for his next turn in the rotation. 

Paul Konerko ends long HR drought

Konerko isn't having a very productive May, batting .212 (14 for 66) with one home run, two doubles, three RBI, seven runs, seven walks and 10 strikeouts.

Rangers give Mark Teahen minor-league deal

Teahen had been playing for Arizona's Triple-A team prior to his release. Teahen hit .211 with three doubles and five RBI in 22 games for Reno.

Rangers release veteran Derek Lowe

Tanner Scheppers not changing approach

"That’s part of the game," Scheppers said, per The Dallas Morning News. "Some guys hang over the plate, and it just happens. As a pitcher, you have to go inside. You can’t stick in one spot."

No structural damage for Adam Eaton

Eaton will stop throwing for two to three weeks to strengthen his left elbow before resuming his throwing program. He has been diagnosed with irritation of his left UCL, but there is no structural damage at this point. 

The team has yet to establish a concrete timeline for his possible return after this latest setback. 

Ross Wolf might not get another start

"We’ll make a decision on that as we move forward," Washington said, per The Dallas Morning News.

Yankees manager wants to settle on three outfielders

"At some point you will probably get to where you will try and put out the same lineup every day," Girardi said. 

Girardi has a simple message for his outfielders.

"Just go out and play, that’s all you can do," Girardi said. "As we have seen there are so many things that can happen in this game that we might need to play all four of them."

Hiroki Kuroda expected to make next start

"I would be shocked if he couldn’t make his next start,’’ Girardi said, per the New York Post.

Kuroda also seems confident he will be back on the hill Tuesday.

"It will depend on how it feels [Thursday], but for me I will make the next start,’’ Kuroda said.

Results finally starting to appear for Josh Hamilton

Hamilton will tell you, however, nothing in his approach has changed. 

"The ball is finding holes," Hamilton said, per the Los Angeles Times. "It's irritating for me to try to explain. Before … the results weren't there. So when the results finally get there, it's like something different happened. But it really hasn't. That's irritating."

Orioles' prospect out 6-8 weeks after surgery

The 2012 second-round pick was injured during conditioning drills. It adds further insult to an already disappointing year for the right-handed pitcher. Kline is 1-2 with a 5.86 ERA and .289 opponents' batting average in seven starts for Class A Delmarva. Kline entered the season as the Orioles' eighth-best prospect, according to MLB.com.

James Shields upbeat despite lack of wins

Still, Shields is hardly discouraged by his lack of wins.

"We are going to get some wins," Shields said, per MLB.com. "I feel that is my job here is to get wins. It's just not happening right now. These guys are going to pick me up. These guys are great. They are grinding every day. We are going through a little struggle right now. Our heads are high, and we are staying positive. It's a long season. By no means are we out of it. We are going to keep putting in a good effort and grind it out."

Curtis Granderson working on 'feel' at the plate

Granderson was batting just .174 entering Wednesday's game.

"It’s just a matter of getting comfortable and getting timing right and getting in a rhythm and going from there," Granderson said, per The Journal News. "It’s one of those baseball things. You can’t really pinpoint it exactly. It’s just going to end up happening one day. Could be one swing. Could be one at-bat. Could be one day."

Granderson certainly was encouraged by his performance Wednesday.

"It’s a result-oriented game, so you always want to see that stuff," Granderson said. "At the same time, the feel is the most important thing. Whenever you do get the feel, then you’re in a better situation to get the results that you want. That’s what I’m still working on right now, just getting that feel."

Brewers' 2012 first-rounder already on the move

Haniger, who is considered the Brewers' 10th-best prospect by MLB.com, also had more walks (25) than strikeouts (24), while adding seven stolen bases. 

Hiroyuki Nakajima optioned after activation

Chad Jenkins being passed over for start

Sean Nolin to start for Blue Jays Friday

Nolin, who missed the first month of the season with a groin injury, is 2-0 with a 1.17 ERA and a .250 opponents' batting average in three starts for New Hampshire. He has 16 strikeouts in 15 1/3 innings. The left-hander was 10-0 with a 2.04 ERA and .218 opponents' batting average in 20 starts (18 outings) between Class A and Double-A last season. He struck out 108 batters in 101 1/3 innings.

J.D. Martinez 'feeling good' at the plate

"I'm feeling good," he said, per MLB.com. "I feel like I've been hitting the ball hard, not just (Wednesday) but the last couple of series. I feel like I'm going up there with my plan and approach and I'm not changing it within my at-bat and constantly changing plans like I feel like I have in the past."

Mike Zunino to continue to toil at Tacoma

Following a torrid start, Zunino has cooled off considerably for Tacoma, seeing his batting average plummet to .220. The News Tribune said Zunino is no longer seeing a steady diet of fastballs inside the strike zone and has struggled with breaking and offspeed pitches, as well elevated fastballs with two strikes. It signals Zunino isn't ready to play regularly at the major-league level yet.

Kelly Shoppach moves into starting role

Shoppach, who has started the last three games at catcher, is batting .229 through 23 games. In fact, he's batting .163 (7 for 43) in his last 13 games.

Mariners to promote Jesus Sucre

Sucre, who has been backing up prospect Mike Zunino at Tacoma, is batting .302 with one double and five RBI in 14 games.

Sucre is expected to back up catcher Kelly Shoppach for the Mariners.

Report: Jesus Montero being demoted

Montero is batting .208 with three home runs and nine RBI in 29 games. He hasn't started since Sunday, with Kelly Shoppach taking over behind the plate.

Miguel Cabrera gets assist on latest home run

"It's one of those freak things that happens," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said, per MLive.com. "You see it now and then. You don't see it that often."

Cabrera has hit safely in eight straight games and all but one of 19 May games. His slash line in May is .418/.489/.848/1.337. He also has seven doubles, nine home runs, 10 walks, 16 runs and 24 RBI.

Kevin Gausman needs to 'harness' adrenaline

"It's kind of my job every night, to try to get those pitchers in the mindset to where they can have the most success, especially with a young guy coming up," Wieters said. "Just make him feel like, don't worry about the results at the end of the game. Just go about your business and go pitch by pitch, and that's the best way to get through the game. And then you can sit down and think about it after the game's over."

Wieters also provided a scouting report on Gausman, who is one of the top pitching prospects in baseball.

"He's a kid who's got great stuff," Wieters said. "He's able to mix in his offspeed stuff, which, for a young guy to have secondary pitches he can throw for strikes is big for him. On top of that, being able to locate his fastball is going to be key. He'll have adrenaline going, but the big thing is just being able to harness it. And once you get through that first inning, it's just back to settling down and pitching."

Red Sox won't negotiate with Jacoby Ellsbury until offseason

"It’s just, in this case, we agreed before the season that we would defer (contract negotiations) until the end of the season," Cherington said. "That’s our expectation right now. You never say never. Things can change. But our expectation is we pick up the conversation after the season.”

Joe Mahoney to begin rehab assignment Sunday

Logan Morrison to move rehab to Double-A Monday

David Price unlikely to be activated May 31

While Price hasn't had any setbacks, it doesn't appear he will come off the disabled list when eligible May 31.

"He's probably at the backside of three starts, I would say, at least," Maddon said Wednesday. "We're going to be real careful with this one."

Maddon added Price is likely to get one minor-league rehab start before returning.

Jeremy Hellickson happy with fastball command

"My fastball command was probably the best it's been," he said, per the Tampa Bay Times. "I think if I can command that, everything else is a little bit better."

Evan Longoria puts worry behind him

"I felt pretty bad after the first week of the season, like 10 games in. I was kind of scared," Longoria said, per the Tampa Bay Times. "Because in spring training, you probably don't play three-four games in a row at the most toward the end of spring. Once we got like a week, 10 days into the season, I was feeling like, man, my legs were tired. And thoughts started to creep in about how you're going to do it for 162 days."

The Rays made the decision to use Longoria as the DH in an April 10 game against Texas and the slugger said he has felt better ever since. The Rays continue to use Longoria at DH every now and then, and it seems to be the formula to ease the 27-year-old's mind and keep him fresh. Longoria extended his career-best hitting streak to 16 games Wednesday against the Blue Jays.

"I haven't felt that fatigue," he said. "I feel like my legs are getting stronger and feeling better as the season goes on. And with that worry behind me, I can be focused on other things."

Stealing third a strong indication of David Ortiz's health

"Just felt like it was a chance to gain 90 feet if we have a hard-hit basehit," manager John Farrell said, per the Boston Herald. "We felt like it was an opportunity to move up. I don't know if we'll make a habit of it."

It was still an encouraging sign about Ortiz's health. The slugger began the season on the disabled list because of lingering problems with his Achilles.

"I've been running well lately. I've been feeling better," Ortiz said. "If I feel well I'm going to run. I mean not steal bases, but try to take advantage of whatever's happening, whenever a guy hits the ball or whatever. ... Momentum in the game, it happens. And I don’t have a zero in that category anymore."

Tyler Skaggs finally rounding into form

The left-hander struck out a season-high 10 in 7 2/3 innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits. 

"I just felt like I had everything working -- fastball, changeup, curve -- and my catcher Ed Easley was calling a great game," Skaggs said, per MLB.com. "By far, it was easily my best start of the year. I didn't feel great in the bullpen [before the game] but got out there, started bearing down and got going."

Skaggs is 4-5 with a 5.23 ERA in nine starts. However, he's won his last two starts and has posted 2.66 ERA in his last three outings. He's managed 54 strikeouts in 51 2/3 innings this season.

"I feel like my mechanics are getting better, hitting that groove, throwing the ball well," Skaggs said. "But I wouldn't say I'm at the peak yet. I've still got things to work out, but I feel pretty good, and the numbers are starting to show that."

Albert Almora 'super excited' to start season

"I just went in there like any other game," Almora said, per MLB.com. "It's the same game, just a different atmosphere. I saw some pitches I liked. I saw good pitches and they happened to find the hole. Everything went good."

The 2012 first-round pick (sixth overall) is "super excited" to start playing in games after being sidelined since mid-March. Almora is considered a top 40 prospect by Baseball America (No. 33) and MLB.com (No. 39).

"To be honest, I worked my butt off," he said. "I worked all morning and whatever I could do baseball-wise, I did it. I just didn't stop. They told me not to rush it, and that was the best advice that anyone's ever given me. But you still, as a baseball player, you want to get out there as soon as possible to help your team hard. It was super-hard to control my emotions."

Jose Molina battles through injury

Molina has multiple hits in three of his last four games to raise his batting average to .235. 

Brett Myers struggles with control in rehab start

Myers struggled, allowing three runs in 4 1/3 innings on two hits and four walks. He struck out two, while throwing 74 pitches. He is expected to make at least one more rehab start before potentially being activated from the disabled list. 

Padres send Burch Smith down

Smith had an 18.41 ERA in three starts, after failing to get out of the second inning for the second time Wednesday against the Cardinals. 

Giancarlo Stanton begins swinging

Jedd Gyorko continues to heat up

Gyorko had a solo homer off Cardinals starting pitcher Tyler Lyons in the seventh inning for the first Padres' run. He added a single and a run scored in the ninth inning of a 5-3 loss. He finished with an RBI and two runs scored, while raising his batting average to .284.

Gyorko is hitting .424 with two home runs and four RBI over the last nine games. 

Yadier Molina strings together four singles

Molina hit four singles to left field, one of which accounted for an RBI. He raised his batting average 14 points, to .333, after going 1 for 11 in his previous three games.

Molina is batting .360 in May with six RBI, but he has no home runs in 20 games. 

Burch Smith struggles again

He surrendered three runs in the first inning on three hits and three walks, then gave up singles to the first two hitters in the second before being pulled. One of those runners would score, leaving Smith with four earned runs on five hits and three walks in one inning.

This is the second time in three starts Smith has been unable to get out of the second inning. He threw 42 pitches as his ERA rose to 18.41. Smith took the loss in the 5-3 defeat.

Smith is not assured another turn in the rotation with how poorly he has pitched, although he is scheduled to start Tuesday against the Mariners. 

Tyler Lyons silences Padres in major-league debut

He held the Padres to a run on a Jedd Gyorko solo home run in the seventh inning, while scattering four hits and a walk. He struck out four and needed just 81 pitches to finish his seven innings of a 5-3 win.

Lyons' win was the 11th by a Cardinals' rookie pitcher this season. He is expected to make his second start Tuesday against the Royals in Kansas City. 

Jason Castro gets three hits

Castro went 3 for 4 with an RBI double and a run scored in a 3-1 victory. He is hitting .252 with two multi-hit games in his last four.

J.D. Martinez powers Astros to win

Martinez went 2 for 4 with a two-run home run in the first-inning for his second multi-hit game in as many nights. He finished with two RBI and a run scored.

He is batting .255 since being recalled from Triple-A at the beginning of May, with two home runs and seven RBI in 13 games. 

Delmon Young still going deep

Young opened the scoring with a solo home run to left center in the fourth inning, providing the winning run in a 3-0 final. He ended up going 2 for 4 with two runs scored and one driven in.

Young is hitting just .233 on the season, but has raised his average 41 points in the last 24 hours. 

Jose Valverde throws in non-save situation

Valverde went 1-2-3 with a strikeout and his ERA is at 0.90. He's gone 4 for 5 in save situations thus far for Detroit.

Ubaldo Jimenez hit hard by Tigers

Jimenez (3-3) took the loss as he allowed six earned runs on seven hits and three walks. He threw 96 pitches, 58 for strikes, and struck out three. His ERA is 6.04.

He had given up two or fewer runs in four-straight outings, winning three of them, before Wednesday. He does have 47 Ks over 44 2/3 innings. He'll look to bounce back Monday at Cincinnati.

Justin Verlander wins despite rough outing, rain delay

Delmon Young provides power again

Young opened the scoring with a solo home run to left center in the fourth inning, providing the winning run in a 3-0 final. He went 2 for 4 with two runs scored and an RBI.

Young is hitting .233 but has raised his average 41 points in the last 24 hours. 

Josh Phegley making noise at Triple-A

Still, Chicago is OK with what they have at the major league level right now. 

"When you make a switch at an integral position like that, you have to look at sort of the potential of the unintended consequences," general manager Rich Hahn told MLB.com Wednesday. "It's not just an offensive change. There's also a very important defensive component. We are on a good roll right now from what our pitchers are doing. Nor is it reasonable to say, 'All right, Josh is hitting (.333) in Triple-A so come up here and do the same thing in his major-league debut and then take over this pitching staff and let's go. That being said, I do think that Josh is showing himself capable of potentially being an impact catcher at the major-league level."

Donnie Veal optioned to Triple-A

Veal has made 14 appearances for the White Sox with a 8.59 ERA. He had a scoreless performance over 2/3 of an inning with a walk Wednesday. 

John Danks confirmed for Friday

Andrew Bailey back on mound for Boston

Bailey, who was making his first appearance since returning from the disabled list, gave up a run on Paul Konerko's solo homer. He threw 11 pitches and struck out one.

The Red Sox do not want to use Bailey, who has a 2.03 ERA, on back-to-back nights this early in his return from a biceps injury. 

Hector Santiago Ks 9 in defeat

Santiago struck out nine but wasn't efficient, throwing 107 pitches over six innings. 

He gave up two runs on three hits and four walks. His ERA is 2.81. Santiago hasn't won a game since May 2 at Texas. He has 42 strikeouts over 41 2/3 innings. 

Bryce Harper provides big boost in win

Harper went the other way with a solo home run in the sixth inning to open the scoring. He added a double in the 10th and came around to score the winning run in a 2-1 game.

Harper went 2 for 5 with an RBI and two runs scored. He struck out once. He's hitting .288 with 12 home runs, 23 RBI and a .994 on-base plus slugging percentage. 

Clay Buchholz improves to 7-0

The win ended a streak of three-straight no-decisions. Buchholz's next start is Monday against Philadelphia. 

Curtis Granderson back in a big way

With manager Joe Girardi starting him in the leadoff spot, Granderson immediately got things going with a single off Jason Hammel. He followed with his first extra-base hit of the year, a double.

Granderson then really started to sizzle with a solo homer off Hammel in the fifth inning. He walked in his last plate appearance. Granderson went 3 for 3 with a walk and a run scored with his first HR of the year and improved his average to .269.

Carlos Gonzalez carries the offense in win

Gonzalez had a solo home run in the first inning and added an RBI triple in the third. He then scored on a wild pitch for the Rockies' final run. He went 2 for 4 with two RBI and two runs scored.

Gonzalez is hitting .302 with a .977 on-base plus slugging percentage. 

Matt Wieters has three-run homer

The switch-hitter went 2 for 4 with the three RBI. He's batting .230. Wieters has three homers and eight RBI over his last nine games. He 26 RBI this season.  

Chris Davis homers among four hits

The performance raises Davis' average to .329, which ranks among the top 10 in the AL. His 43 RBI are second. He's also ninth in walks (24) and leading in slugging percentage (.690). 

Davis has homers in three of his last five games, has multiple hits in four of his last six and has 10 RBI over his last 10. 

Mark Melancon gets rare save

Melancon, who entered the game with 16 holds, earned his first save despite allowing the winning run to reach base with one out. But two pop flies to second base to end the threat and the game.

Melancon allowed a hit and struck out one batter, who reached based on a wild pitch. He needed 22 pitches to finish the save.

Melancon has an 0.72 ERA in 25 appearances, with 26 strikeouts and a walk in 25 innings.

Nick Markakis homers Wednesday

The No. 3 hitter, who sometimes leads off, went 1 for 4 and is batting .292. Markakis has hit in nine of his last 10 games and has five multiple-hit games over that span with six RBI. He has 23 RBI and 26 runs scored on the season. 

Ronny Cedeno still out for Houston

He is day-to-day and isn't a regular for the Astros when healthy. He's batting .281 over 57 at-bats. 

Cliff Lee dominates Marlins in complete game

Lee worked out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the second inning behind a double play and pop fly. He held the Marlins to three hits, walked two and struck out five. Lee (5-2) got the win in the 3-0 victory.

Lee next faces the Red Sox Tuesday in Boston.

Jose Veras on a roll

He had a 1-2-3 ninth to secure a 3-1 win. He threw 13 pitches and his ERA is 3.32. 

Veras has saves in four-straight appearances and hasn't allowed a hit or run in seven-consecutive outings. 

James Shields getting little support

But Shields (2-5) continued to receive little run support in the 3-1 loss. He has allowed two or fewer runs in five-straight outings but is 1-3 over that stretch. Shields, who has a 2.47 ERA, leads the American League in innings pitched and complete games.

His next start is Monday against the Cardinals in interleague action. 

Jeff Samardzija gets no support in loss

Samardzija allowed the run and two hits in the first but settled down to hold the Pirates to a hit in his final six innings. But the Cubs' offense was held to four hits in the 1-0 loss.

Samardzija (2-6) struck out eight and walked one. He has a 3.25 ERA, but the Cubs are averaging 2.8 runs per game in his 10 starts.

His next start is Monday against the White Sox. 

Jordan Lyles shuts down Royals

Lyles (2-1) has had back-to-back solid outings to lower his ERA to 5.40. He's allowed two runs over his last two starts spanning 11 innings with seven Ks. His next start is Tuesday against Colorado. 

Francisco Liriano has best start yet

Liriano held the Cubs scoreless over seven innings on 91 pitches, 59 for strikes. He struck out nine, a season-high, and his best total since Sept. 15, 2012. He walked one, a season-low, and allowed two hits.

Liriano pitched out of a jam in the top of the third with bases loaded and no outs. But he retired the next three batters  and it was the only time the Cubs reached second base against Liriano.

He has a 1.00 ERA in 18 innings, with 25 strikeouts and six walks since returning from a broken arm. Liriano will try to keep his strong start going Monday, when he faces the Tigers in Detroit. 

Kevin Slowey's injury not considered serious

"I felt it the first couple of warm-ups and made the call," said Slowey. "Our doc already got his hands on me and felt it's not severe. It's not something he's worried about. Hopefully, it's more of a cramp than a strain."

Slowey is considered day-to-day but will likely receive further examination Thursday with the team off. 

Shawn Camp hid toe injury

Camp had a 7.56 ERA and three blown saves before the injury, and it appears as if he might require a lengthy stay on the DL. He has been told to stay off his foot until the pain and swelling subsides. 

Phillippe Aummont sent back down

Aumont had a 4.15 ERA in 16 appearances for the Phillies. He struck out 15 in 13 innings, while walking 10 and allowing 17 hits.  

Brandon Belt makes late appearance

The Giants are off Thursday, so Belt could be back in the lineup Friday against the Rockies. 

Pablo Sandoval appears despite illness

Sandoval is expected to be fine, especially with an off-day Thursday. 

Carlos Quentin has cortisone shot

Clayton Richard working on arm slot

"Lots of ground-ball outs yesterday, and he held his velocity into the seventh inning," manager Bud Black told MLB.com. "Our reports from the Triple-A staff and from [assistant general manager] A.J. Hinch, who was there, was that the arm slot looked a bit higher than what we saw through April and the early part of May. So that's a good thing."

The fact that Richard is not dealing with a structural issue gives the team the opportunity to work on some issues at Triple-A Tucson before activating him. Richard is 0-1 with a 2.25 ERA in 12 innings on his rehab assignment, after having an 8.54 ERA in six major-league starts.

Richard is expected to join the team Wednesday in San Diego, but it is not clear whether he is set to be activated from the DL. 

Loss follows Hiroki Kuroda's injury

Kuroda (6-3), who has a 2.67 ERA, was losing 3-1 when he left in the third.

Jason Hammel with best outing to date

Hammel (6-2) allowed two earned runs on six hits and two walks, while striking out six, to get the win Wednesday. He threw 109 pitches and was removed with two outs in the seventh inning with the only Yankees' player to do anything against him coming up. Curtis Granderson was 3 for 3 with a homer for the Yankees with Hammel in the game, so manager Buck Showalter removed him just before Granderson's fourth at-bat.

Hammel, who's ERA is 5.37, will make his next scheduled start Monday at Washington.

Jeff Karstens' plans possibly changing

Karstens last pitched Saturday in Altoona, throwing 60 pitches as he recovers from right shoulder inflammation. 

Michael Cuddyer expected back Friday

Cuddyer is recovering from an inflamed disk in his neck but should be in the starting lineup Friday against the Giants. 

Mark Trumbo has three-hit night

Trumbo doubled and singled twice as he went 3 for 4 with a run scored. He's batting .280. 

The 27-year-old Trumbo has hit in seven-straight games with five doubles, a homer and two RBI over that span. He has 10 homers, 29 RBI and 25 runs scored on the year. 

Erick Aybar has RBI single

Aybar, who is hitting .260, had an RBI single in the third inning and added a walk. He was also thrown out attempting to steal second.

Brandon Maurer roughed up in Anaheim

C.J. Wilson Ks 10 in eight innings

Tom Wilhelmsen gets some work

Wilhelmsen walked a batter in an otherwise perfect inning. He threw 12 pitches, five for strikes, and his ERA 0.45. Wilhelmsen blew his first save Monday at Cleveland but has allowed one earned run over 20 innings with 15 Ks. He has 11 saves. 

DJ LeMahieu looking at increased playing time

LeMahieu has started four of seven games since being called up May 16, and he is hitting .412 with two extra-base hits and two RBI in 17 at-bats. He will likely be the full-time starter at second base with Rutledge gone. 

Josh Rutledge heading down to Triple-A

Rutledge is batting .242 with a .655 OPS. He has yet to play in Triple-A after making the jump from Double-A last season. DJ LeMahieu is expected to take Rutledge's place in the starting lineup. 

Rutledge has five home runs and 13 RBI in 43 games. 

Fernando Salas to see specialist Thursday

Rafael Soriano settles down

Soriano needed 17 pitches for a perfect 10th inning, a night after he blew a save chance. He retired all three batters he faced on fly balls for his 13th save of the season.

Soriano has 13 saves in 16 opportunities with a 3.00 ERA in 21 innings. 

Bud Norris expects to make next start

Norris left each of his last two starts with lower-back spasms, but both times his removal was considered precautionary. He received a massage treatment Wednesday.

Rex Brothers fills in for ninth

Brothers lowered his ERA to 0.42, with 21 strikeouts in 21 1/3 innings. He has a 1.13 WHIP and six holds working mostly in middle relief. 

Kevin Slowey leaves with lat injury

He was replaced by Wade LeBlanc. Slowey held the Phillies to a run on six hits in five innings. He threw 69 pitches, 50 for strikes, while striking out six and walking none.

Slowey is scheduled to start Tuesday against the Rays, but that depends on the seriousness of the injury. He is listed as day-to-day.

Slowey lowered his ERA to 3.30 but left the game down 1-0.  

James McDonald throws bullpen session

"So far so good," manager Clint Hurdle told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Wednesday. "There were no repercussions from (Tuesday). He didn't feel anything."

McDonald is set to begin his rehab assignment Monday for Double-A Altoona. He has not pitched since April 30 due to a shoulder injury. 

Hiroki Kuroda suffers bruised right calf

When asked if the injury had anything to do with his back, Kuroda said it did not. He is day-to-day and questionable for his next scheduled start Monday in New York against the Mets. 

Kuroda had his worst outing of the season before leaving Wednesday. He had not allowed a home run in his previous two starts and had allowed one over his last four outings, but surrendered two Wednesday. In fact, entering the start he'd given up three homers all year over 58 2/3 innings. 

Kuroda also allowed the first stolen base against him this season when Nate McLouth took second. Kuroda was 6-2 with a 1.99 ERA entering Wednesday. 

Jeanmar Gomez the likely odd man out

"We won't have to worry about that for another 10 days," Hurdle said. "We all believe that starting is Charlie's niche right now."

Gomez has a 2.78 ERA and has allowed six runs in 18 2/3 innings in four starts. 

Andre Ethier unhappy with manager's criticism

"I take offense to that," Ethier said.

Specifically, Ethier was unhappy that Mattingly did not say anything to him personally about the perceived issue with his work ethic.

"But other than that, it's one where I feel like every day I show up and I'm trying to figure out ways to compete," Ethier said. "I work hard. Whether I'm going good or going bad, I work just as hard, both sides. Obviously, when things are going bad, I'm trying even harder to figure out how to make things go right."

Ethier is batting .264 with a .758 on-base percentage, both career lows. 

Jake Westbrook's rehab hits a snag

Westbrook is dealing with inflammation in his elbow and had been limited to long toss before Wednesday. The next step is not known after this setback. 

Cameron Maybin to begin rehab assignment Friday

Logan Forsythe nearing a return

Padres manager Bud Black told MLB.com that Forsythe will begin his rehab assignment Friday in Arizona, playing in extended spring training games. Forsythe has been out since spring training with plantar fasciitis in his right foot. 

Hiroki Kuroda injured in poor outing

Kuroda was hit in the calf by a line drive but remained in the game. Following Davis' single, Kuroda appeared to touch his back in discomfort. His next start is supposed to be Monday at the Mets. 

Kuroda allowed two homers in his two innings. Preston Claiborne's first pitch to Matt Wieters after Kuroda departed was a three-run homer to complete the starter's line. Kuroda allowed five runs on eight hits and no walks with no strikeouts.

The 38-year-old had been New York's best starter entering Wednesday with a 1.99 ERA and 6-2 record over his first nine outings. 

Alex Gordon has 10-game hit streak

Gordon, following his first at-bat Wednesday, is 19 for 36 (.528) over his streak, with four doubles and two RBI. 

Adam Dunn playing through back issue

Dunn, who said his problem is more related to fielding, was the DH Wednesday against Boston. 

"It takes so long to get loose," Dunn said. "I have to probably go two or three batters before I normally do just to go and get loose again. Other than that, it’s pretty much the same."

Chicago is off Thursday before opening a three-game series against Miami Friday. 

"Laying down, that hurts it worse and sitting down makes it stiff," Dunn said. "So, I’m sure I’ll be walking around doing some stuff. Again, I never had any back problems. I don’t consider this a back problem really. But I don’t know. I guess it just has to run its course."

Dunn hit his 11th home run of the year Monday. With two on, Dunn sent a first-inning fastball from Jon Lester to right field. Dunn finished 1 for 3 with a walk. Dunn is hitting .172/.268/.428 in 145 at-bats.

John Lannan making progress

Lannan has been on the disabled list since April 18 with a strained quadriceps tendon and has been limited to bullpen sessions.

Roy Halladay begins rehab program

Halladay is expected to be out until at least late August. 

Chase Utley might end up on DL

Utley iwill have an MRI Thursday when the team returns to Philadelphia. Utley suffered the injury during batting practice Tuesday.

"It definitely scared me a little bit," he said Wednesday. "My first swing I took in BP, I felt something. My second swing, I felt it again. My third swing, I felt it again. After the fourth swing, I realized something wasn't right. That's when I told Charlie [Manuel] I have some pain in my side. He told me to go see [head athletic trainer] Scott [Sheridan]. He took me out of the game."

If Utley has a strained oblique, that could require a DL trip, and the team should know Thursday. He said he felt OK Wednesday, but not much better than he did the day before. Utley has missed 256 games over the last three seasons.

"You want to be careful with these things, because they could linger and get worse if you try to play through it," Utley said. "I think we caught it early enough, but it's hard to know until we have some imaging on it."

Curtis Granderson has first extra-base hit

Granderson's second hit was his first extra-base hit of the season, a double, since returning from the disabled list. 

Earlier Wednesday, Granderson and Joe Girardi discussed his struggles at the plate and said he was on the verge of getting hot. It appears they were correct. 

Madison Bumgarner excellent in no-decision

Bumgarner went seven innings, allowing four hits and two walks. The run came on a solo home run by Bryce Harper that opened the scoring in the sixth inning. Bumgarner struck out five on 115 pitches but earned a no-decision.

Bumgarner's ERA dropped to 2.89 as he bounced back from his worst start of the season. Bumgarner (4-2) will go for his fifth win Tuesday against the Athletics. 

Jose Bautista single-handedly beats Rays

Casey Janssen allows Tampa to tie game

Janssen has allowed three earned runs on five hits and a walk in his last two appearances to raise his ERA to 2.40 from 0.69. 

Marcus Stroman becomes option for Friday

The other options appear to be Chad Jenkins and prospect Sean Nolin, which have been previously reported. 

Stroman's next scheduled start is Friday after making an appearance with Double-A New Hampshire. He struck out six over five scoreless innings in that outing. 

"Stroman, Nolin, you got those guys that we're high on," manager John Gibbons said Wednesday. "Those are guys we're going to count on down the road."

Carlos Quentin remains sidelined

Quentin has played in two games over the last week.  

Ryan Dempster changes routine

Dempster flew to Boston to get a full night of sleep in advance of his start Thursday against the Indians. He skipped his normal bullpen session Tuesday and made throws from flat ground. 

"Talking with him as far as how his arm felt coming out of his last start, he didn't feel like there was any changes or lingering effect from the pitches he did throw," Sox manager John Farrell said.

Gio Gonzalez effective in no-decision

Gonzalez held the Giants to a run in 7 1/3 innings. He walked Angel Pagan with one out in the eighth inning then was pulled for reliever Drew Storen. He allowed four hits and two walks, while striking out five. He threw a season-high 116 pitches.

Gonzalez, who has lowered his ERA to 3.66 with four quality starts in a row, will next start Tuesday against the Orioles. 

Franklin Morales without rotation spot

Morales has allowed six runs over 12 innings through four minor league rehab appearances. Boston is stretching him out to start but doesn't have an opening in the rotation. 

"The fact is, he’s getting up and down multiple times with the innings pitched and coming out of each start with no issues," manager John Farrell said. "Everything is moving according to what our initial thoughts were with him. Once we get through tomorrow, we’ll re-evaluate that and see what the needs are here and certainly where he fits in."

Fernando Rodney blows another save

Rodney walked Adam Lind with one out in the inning and was pulled by manager Joe Maddon. Joel Peralta finished the inning to send the game into extra innings. 

Rodney has allowed runs in three of his last four appearances and has blown three of his four saves over his last nine outings. His ERA is 5.40. 

Zack Wheeler solid in return

Wheeler pitched five innings against the Iowa Cubs, allowing three earned runs on five hits and two walks. He hit a batter and struck out two, while being held to 67 pitches. 

Jeremy Hellickson victim of blown save

Hellickson surrendered the two runs on four hits and a walk over eight innings. James Loney's RBI single in the top of the ninth put Hellickson in line for the win. But Rodney allowed a home run to Jose Bautista. Hellickson gave up a homer and RBI single to Bautista. 

Hellickson struck out four and pitched much better than his last outing when he won despite allowing eight runs in 7 2/3 innings. 

Hellickson (2-2) makes his next start Tuesday against Miami in an interleague series. 

Jorge De La Rose wins fourth straight

De La Rosa (6-3) has won four in a row and has a 3.40 ERA in 10 starts, while averaging a little more than 5.5 innings per start. His next start is Tuesday against the Astros. 

Rockies get to Trevor Cahill early

Cahill allowed a two-out homer and two doubles in a two-run first inning. He also gave up two runs in the third and finished allowing the four runs on seven hits in six innings.

Cahill did not walk a batter and struck out one, his lowest total of the season. Cahill is 3-5 with a 2.81 ERA. Before Wednesday, he had allowed fewer than four earned runs in seven-straight starts.

Cahill is scheduled to make his next start Monday against the Rangers. 

Mark Buehrle keeps Blue Jays in game

Buehrle and Hellickson were deadlocked 2-2 when Buehrle left the game after 109 pitches and seven innings. Buehrle allowed four hits and two walks with six strikeouts. Both Rays' runs came on RBI singles in the third inning. 

Buehrle (1-3), who has a 5.90 ERA, hasn't had a win since April 15 against the White Sox but has been solid in two of his last three outings. Buehrle's next start is Monday against Atlanta. 

Freddy Garcia starting Saturday in Toronto

Garcia took a no-decision against the Yankees Monday as he left the game at 2-2 after six innings. Garcia is 0-2 with a 4.84 ERA after four starts with eight strikeouts over 22 1/3 innings. 

Mike Adams will need rehab

"He's throwing fine," Dubee told the Philadelphia Inquirer. "But he needs to see some hitters."

Adams is set to go to extended spring training in Clearwater, Fla., to face hitters in batting practice Friday then in a rehab game Monday. Assuming everything goes well in his recovery from a back strain, he is likely to be activated no sooner than Tuesday. 

Manny Parra moving up to Triple-A

Parra has made three starts at Double-A Pensacola, pitching five combined scoreless innings. Parra has been out since the end of April.

Eduardo Nunez takes BP

Nunez, who has been out since early May, is likely at least a week from activation. 

Matt Harvey disappointed with no-decision

"It was one of those days. I didn't execute," he told ESPN.com. "I didn't do a good job. I've got to be a lot better than that. Nine hits is unacceptable for me. Obviously, I wasn't happy giving up any runs. Today we needed a big win, and I wasn't able to do that." 

Harvey's first mistake was falling behind Reds' first baseman Joey Votto in the third inning. Votto homered on a 3-0 pitch to give the Reds their first lead. Despite the mistake, Harvey did not apologize for challenging the National League's leader in batting average and OPS.

"I'm not going to give in to anybody, regardless," Harvey said. "That's not really who I am. I'm not afraid to throw to anybody. I just didn't make my pitch. I need to be better."

Harvey struck out six and walked three; his ERA rose to 1.93, dropping him to fifth in the National League.

Kevin Youkilis 'getting closer'

"I can't tell you," manager Joe Girardi said. "I think you have to give him a few days in a row before you evaluate to make sure that his back is healed and it doesn’t come back. The last two days have been pretty good, so he’s getting closer."

Joba Chamberlain throws in extended spring training

"Felt good," manager Joe Girardi said. "We'll see how he feels tomorrow." 

Chamberlain will make at least two rehab outings and won't come off the DL until next week at the earliest. 

Andy Pettitte has rehab mapped out

"We have it mapped or semi-mapped out," Girardi said. "I don’t know if it will be the first day, but it will be shortly after that."

Pettitte will complete long toss following playing catch. That will be followed by a bullpen session and then a simulated game. Pettitte will do his work with the Yankees and not at the minor-league complex. 

Yankees being patient with Ivan Nova

"We’re able to be patient because we want to make sure he’s healthy when he comes back," manager Joe Girardi said. "Then you get in the problem of, he pitches a game and then you’ve got to put him back on the DL. We don’t want to do that."

David Freese remains sidelined

Freese, who is day-to-day, was spiked in Sunday's game. 

Sean Marshall unavailable with shoulder inflammation

"A little bit," he told the Cincinnati Enquirer . "I'm getting a little better understanding of when it feels good and when it needs a little more rest. Today, when I was warming up as normally do to get my shoulder loose, I felt little bit of crankiness. I threw some balls and felt a little bit of crankiness."

Marshall does not seem to think this will also require a trip to the DL, but they are being extra careful with him.

"We're erring on the side of caution," Marshall said. "I told them I was little sore. We have some very capable arms come out of the bullpen a time or two season so far. I needed this extra day of rest. I'll be back to the way I’ve been feeling."

Nick Punto stays hot with two hits

Ryan Braun hits ninth home run

Alex Avila sitting amid struggles at plate

That said, Tigers skipper Jim Leyland backed the slumping Avila as the team's everyday catcher. They are not yet ready to annoint Brayan Pena into that role. 

"I don't want to indicate that Alex isn't our catcher," said Leyland. "He is our catcher."

Avila hasn't hit higher than .227 all season and his average hasn't been above .200 since April 11 except for one day. He's hitting just .155 since April 11 with two homers and eight RBI over 84 at-bats. Avila is hitting .053 against lefties but just .198 against righties. 

"I did this with Pudge (Rodriguez) toward the end," said Leyland. "I played him, then sat him out, played him, then sat him out. He didn't particularly like it, but it actually worked pretty good. I'm not saying I'm trying that with Alex, but I have to do something. We'll get through it together, but right now you have to go with your gut. There's no magic formula. I've talked to him, but if one nice conversation could solve all the problems, it would have been solved a while back. But I don't have the answer. The kid is struggling — and as the manager, you feel sorry for him. Trust me."

Carl Crawford knocks in two, steals a base

Ramon Hernandez gets on the home run board

Scott Van Slyke doubles twice against Milwaukee

Matt Kemp fills up box score against Milwaukee

Hyun-jin Ryu shuts down Brewers

Kyle Lohse not concerned about elbow

"He could go out and pitch," manager Ron Roenicke said. "But because he didn't have a spring training, we would rather try to get rid of this, so we're going to bump him a start."

Lohse is expected to return to the mound at some point in the team's series in Minnesota next week, which runs from Monday through Thursday. The elbow is not expected to require a disabled list trip.

Lohse is 1-5 with a 3.79 ERA since joining the team.  

Rick Ankiel stays hot in Mets uniform

Daniel Murphy notches three hits against Reds

Matt Harvey dinged up against Cincinnati

Aroldis Chapman locks down 10th save

Timeline coming clear for Jeff Francis

Francis will accompany the team on it's road trip to San Francisco this weekend, where he will do long toss Friday and another bullpen session Saturday. Assuming all goes well, he should go on a rehab assignment, though it is not clear if he will be sent to the minors or extended spring training for his next step. 

Still reasons to worry about Adam LaRoche

With a batting average that still stands at just .219, LaRoche could still improve, yet he may actually be overowned right now.

Owners in 70 percent of our leagues are rostering LaRoche, and while he should be due for more hits in general and more doubles in particular, when the dust settles, he could easily remain outside the top 25 first basemen. LaRoche has been limited to three doubles in part because of apparent bad luck (1 for 31 on flyballs in play), but he is also striking out far too often. Even as he has heated up in May, LaRoche has 20 strikeouts in 65 at-bats this month.

Power binges come and go, but unless LaRoche starts making contact more often, the Nationals' first baseman may not help much beyond home runs and walks.

Brandon Phillips knocks in two against Mets

Adrian Beltre puts end to HR drought

Vidal Nuno to start Saturday against Rays

Adam Eaton set for MRI Wednesday

Eaton was shut down from his rehab assignment after experiencing discomfort in his left elbow Monday at Triple-A Round Rock.

"Everything was going really well," Eaton said. "Made a couple of strong throws in Visalia and then got to Round Rock, and the first one there, I felt a little discomfort. Then I felt it again, and I just knew this isn't right. Against my better judgment -- because I usually try to play through stuff like that -- I told the trainer, and they got me right out of the game."

Eaton had treatment on the elbow Tuesday but said it did not seem to have much of a positive impact. Eaton was expected to join the team by the end of the month, but this setback complicates his possible return. 

Wilson Betemit goes to the doctor

Betemit still has not been cleared for baseball activities, though he has increased his exercises of late. 

Zack Cozart has big game against Mets

Joey Votto mashes seventh homer in big game

Jered Weaver strikes out nine in extended spring start

Manager Mike Scioscia said Tuesday it was possible Weaver could be ready to come off the 15-day disabled list after making his extended spring start Wednesday.

Brett Gardner gets some rest

The 29-year-old Gardner went 1 for 4 with a double and a run scored in Tuesday's loss. He's performed fairly well in May with a .261 average, nine runs scored, four RBI and seven stolen bases over 19 games. 

Mat Latos takes no decision against Mets

Latos struck out four and walked one but eight hits were too many for him to weather. His ERA rose to 3.17 as a result.

David Murphy has four HRs in last 17 games

Murphy is batting .314 (16 for 51) with three doubles, four home runs and 11 RBI in his last 17 games (14 starts).

Derek Norris finally has multi-hit game in May

Coming into Wednesday's game, Norris was batting .135 (7 for 52) with one home run, two doubles, four RBI, five runs and seven walks in 16 May games.

Matt Dominguez sitting with quad tightness

The 23-year-old Dominguez is hitting .245 over 43 games this season and he's been one of the better defensive third baseman in baseball. 

Joe Nathan secures 14th save

Don't forget about John Danks

Even with the majors' most coveted matchup on hand, it's too risky to start Danks in most leagues right now, but with a 16 percent ownership rate, he is being overlooked in many deeper mixed leagues. A healthy Danks is a good bet to provide a sub-4.00 ERA. a WHIP below 1.30 and a decent strikeout rate. It's not exciting, but those stats can come in handy in a 15-team mixed league.

Though you probably won't use him right away, pick up Danks now in those formats, and you may enjoy some nice production in the not-too-distant future.

Early home runs send Jarrod Parker to loss

The right-hander was charged with six hits and one walk, while strking out five. He actually lowered his ERA from 6.04 to 5.76. Parker has allowed three or more runs in five of his last six starts.

Parker (2-6) is slated to return to action Tuesday against the Giants. Parker is 0-1 with a 7.88 ERA in two career starts against San Francisco.

Adam Jones dealing with sore groin

The Orioles and Jones still believe the injury is not serious, they just want to keep him off his feet as much as possible. Manager Buck Showalter wanted to err on the safe side with the Orioles headed to the turf in Toronto in the upcoming series. 

Ross Wolf wins in first major-league start

The right-hander retired the first nine hitters and gave up one run with three strikeouts and two walks in five innings. If Wolf remains in the rotation, then he could start during Monday's doubleheader at Arizona.

Nolan Reimold has hamstring tear

Reimold is remaining in Baltimore to rehab the injury and will see a local physical therapist. He will not be able to return once his original 15 days on the disabled list are up. 

Mike Adams throws bullpen session

Nick Swisher coming back Friday

Swisher was placed on the paternity list Tuesday and missed the game against the Tigers. He is batting .274 on the season for the Indians with six homers and 16 RBI. 

Oswaldo Arcia delivers pinch-hit home run

Arcia, who didn't start once during the Atlanta series, is batting .115 (3 for 26) with one double, one home run and two RBI in his last 10 games (seven starts).

Cubs recall Rafael Dolis

Jonathan Schoop may have stress fracture in back

Schoop saw a spine specialist and was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his lower back. Unless the second opinion disagrees, he's looking at 6-8 weeks of rest. 

Salvador Perez still sitting out

The Royals have not discussed a possible disabled list stint for Perez as of yet. He is day to day for now and manager Ned Yost believes he'll start Thursday against the Angels, the Kansas City Star reports. 

Twins hope demotion is right move for Vance Worley

"We're looking for performance here," Gardenhire said, per the Pioneer Press. "We got him in a trade. We need performance. You've seen what's happened here in a row with our starters. We needed him to step up, and it didn't work out."

Gardenhire hopes the demotion will get the right-hander on track.

"He needs to go down and get going," Gardenhire said. "I think we're just searching for the guy that we got in the trade. He's got the stuff. Now he's got to put it out on the field."

Cubs place Shawn Camp on disabled list

Ramiro Pena homers in win over Minnesota

Alexi Ogando scheduled for bullpen

Ogando said Monday that he's only throwing at around 40 percent until the Rangers allow him to amp it up. He's making slow progress and doesn't have a timetable to return. 

Colby Lewis hoping to start rehab Saturday

Lewis was pulled from a previous rehab assignment due to triceps inflammation. He's over that now and is nearing the continuation of that rehab for his original elbow injury. 

Aaron Hicks connects for fourth May home run

Hicks homered and had a career-high three hits against Atlanta. It was just the second multi-hit game of his career, with the other coming May 13 when he hit two home runs against the White Sox. Hicks is batting .206 (13 for 63) with one triple, two doubles, four home runs and eight RBI in 18 May games.

Jason Heyward manages another two-hit game

B.J. Upton hits fourth home run

CC Sabathia getting an extra day of rest

Justin Morneau averaging RBI per game in May

Evan Gattis mashes grand slam against Minnesota

Another chance for Kyle Gibson?

Like Al Melchior said on Wednesday's Fantasy Baseball Today, Gibson doesn't have much left to prove in the minors. He's no Kevin Gausman or even Zack Wheeler, but in leagues where the next big thing is inevitably the next hot claim, perhaps now is the time to make a move for him.

Is there hope for Vance Worley?

The key to Worley's success the previous two years had been a high called strikes rate, but only 18 percent of his pitches were strikes looking as compared to 22 percent in both 2011 and 2012. According to BrooksBaseball.net, he's been getting less horizontal movement on both his four-seamer and his sinker, and accordingly, batters have been swinging at those offerings more often.

Worley hasn't gotten wild or lost velocity; he just hasn't been deceptive. He's probably never going to dominate hitters, but if he can work out his issues in the minors, Worley can still be a pitcher who is viable in standard mixed leagues.

Derek Lowe clears waivers

Carlos Gomez regressing to mean

How far he'll fall remains to be seen since he's clearly still progressing as a player, but judging from his lack of plate discipline, I'd say he profiles as about a .280 hitter. With his combination of power and speed, that's enough to keep him a regular starter in most Fantasy leagues, but he could have some rough patches ahead.

During these times when he tests your patience, just remember your enthusiasm when he was carrying your Fantasy team in early May. It's not like he's a different player now. He's just streaking a different way.

Ryan Madson taking break on rehab assignment

Madson, who tossed a scoreless innings and recorded a save for Inland Empire May 13, believes he is close to returning, but acknowledges he might have been overly aggressive in his comeback attempt. Madson will still join Salt Lake for a rehab assignment, but no date has been set for when he will take the hill.

Matt Kemp tops most-traded list

Al Melchior and Scott White agreed on Wednesday’s episode of Fantasy Baseball Today that they’d give up Kemp in a deal for Ryan Braun, but wouldn’t for guys like Joe Mauer and David Price.

Paul Maholm picks up win with sharp start against Minnesota

David Ross might be back this weekend

“David Ross, we’re hopeful he will be in Portland (Thursday) to get some at-bats," Farrell said. "We’ll just have to go through the normal protocol with MLB when it comes to concussions. So there’s some lengthy paperwork as you might expect to get that taken care of. But we’re hopeful that he’ll be back for us during the Cleveland series (May 23-26)."

Last call for Kenley Jansen

That's what he said in between segments on Wednesday's Fantasy Baseball Today -- referring, of course, to Kenley Jansen -- and I can't disagree.

If Mattingly is declaring an open competition for the role, which is how I read it, then Jansen shouldn't have much trouble delivering the decisive blow to Brandon League. His meltdowns over the weekend have created some suspense, but in the end, he'll prove to be the more effective reliever.

And if his performance as a closer last year counts for anything, he might end up being a top-five reliever the rest of the way.

Cardinals place Fernando Salas on disabled list

Mike Leake not out of the woods yet

Two numbers in Leake's stat line look a little out of place, though. Specifically, he has stranded 79 percent of his baserunners, while his previous career high was 76 percent, and he has allowed only five home runs over 55 1/3 innings. For someone with a career 1.2 HR/9 ratio, that smells of good fortune.

Look no further than Leake's game log to see why he's having more success than usual. His career HR/9 jumps to 1.4 for home starts, and he didn't fare especially well at Great American Ball Park in outings against the Braves and Nationals. Leake did do well against the Cubs and power-poor Phillies, and he's had largely favorable matchups and venues on the road.

The sledding gets tougher for Leake in the next few weeks, so not only is he a sell-high candidate in deeper mixed leagues, but the door could re-open for Cingrani in the near future.

Vance Worley sent packing to minors after loss

Worley struggled from the get-go Wednesday. He allowed the first three runners to reach base and surprisingly escaped the first inning having allowed just one run. He tossed a scoreless second inning before the Braves added two more runs in the third inning, including one on Ramiro Pena's home run. But Worley fell apart in the fourth inning. Justin Upton led off with a home run and six batters later Evan Gattis parked his first career grand slam.

Worley allowed eight runs on 10 hits and two walks in 3 2/3 innings. He struck out three, as his ERA jumped from 6.20 to 7.21. The Twins have yet to name Worley's replacement. His next turn through the rotation would have been Monday at Milwaukee.

Still high on Jose Fernandez

It's not like Fernandez was pitching poorly. He had allowed just one run in five innings. But as colleague Al Melchior pointed out on Wednesday's Fantasy Baseball Today podcast, there were some extenuating circumstances. The Marlins sent in a pinch hitter for Fernandez with the tying run at third base in the bottom of the fifth inning. Most likely, if the bases were empty, they would have allowed Fernandez to pitch an extra inning.

Either way, I'm more encouraged by Fernandez's workload last time out than discouraged by his workload in this one. At least now we know the Marlins are willing to him push 100 pitches. If 85 pitches was a hard cutoff, he'd have a hard time making a signifiant Fantasy contribution.

Wily Peralta roughed up by Dodgers

Adam Jones at DH again to rest sore legs

Jones added he's fine to play center field, but he appreciates manager Buck Showalter being careful with him. Jones is batting .289 (22 for 76) with two home runs, four doubles and 10 RBI in 18 May games.

Ben Revere making contact again

Owners won't likely expect Revere to maintain an average much over .300 going forward, and his recent exploits have been fueled by an unsustainably high BABIP. However, he has struck out only four times in 41 at-bats this month, which is more typical for Revere than the 16 percent strikeout-per-at bat rate he put up last month.

Revere is still batting just .260 for the season, as his numbers are weighed down by his poor April. Forget the year-to-date stats and look for Revere to help with batting average, steals and runs in most mixed Rotisserie leagues over the remainder of the season. 

Erick Aybar doesn't miss a game

Jake Odorizzi pushed back to Monday

Odorizzi made his season debut Monday against the Blue Jays, allowing three runs on five hits and one walk in five innings. He struck out six.

Alex Cobb moved up to Sunday

Cobb won for the second time in May Tuesday against the Blue Jays, allowing one run on three hits and two walks in 6 1/3 innings. Cobb has posted a 3.00 ERA and .207 opponents' batting average in four May starts. He also has struck out 27 batters in 24 innings this month.

Setback for Adam Eaton a major concern

That's not the prognosis for the Diamondbacks' Adam Eaton just yet -- in fact, he's hopeful he can get back to playing in a few days -- but with these latest reports of him feeling something in his elbow, it's what I'm expecting. And as mentioned on the latest Fantasy Baseball Today podcast, it wouldn't be out of left field. On a rehab assignment between the California and Pacific Coast leagues, where he was practically a .400 hitter during his minor-league career, he was struggling .200. Check out the numbers for Kelly Johnson, Mike Aviles, Kyle Blanks and Carl Crawford in the weeks leading up to their Tommy John surgeries. They couldn't buy a hit either.

If I've been stashing Eaton all this time, I'm obviously waiting around for the final word, but I'm also preparing to go without him the rest of the way.

Shane Victorino improving, not ready to play

"Shane is not in the lineup again tonight, but he’s gaining mobility," Farrell said. "The soreness that he felt the other night after he came out of the game continues to subside, so he’s moving in the right direction, and hopefully, he’s back in our lineup soon. My view is it’s always going to be a game or two, and hopefully, that will be the case."

Ian Kinsler aims to be back June 2

Leury Garcia fine 'for now' with utility role

"Now the opportunity is here, I have to take advantage of it," Garcia said. "I never thought about being a utility player in the minor leagues. When they asked me to do it, I decided to take my chances and see what happens. For now it's fine."

Josh Reddick might be back next week

Reddick could be reinstated from the disabled list next week. Reddick, who was hitting .152 before going on the disabled list, believes his hitting woes could be strongly connected to his wrist discomfort.

Dan Straily the man again

"The best pitching performance we've seen out of him to date," manager Bob Melvin said. "I think he just gained confidence as the game went along."

"I think this can be a jumping off point for him," reliever Sean Doolittle said. "That was pretty impressive."

It's not like Straily was doubting himself after a series of rocky starts since returning from the minors. He only backs up what the numbers say. "The last few times out, I walked people, hit people, hurt myself. I wasn't getting hit hard. I was hurting myself. The whole goal today was go out and fill up the strike zone."

Like I said on Wednesday's Fantasy Baseball Today, this is the real Dan Straily. He isn't the first high-upside hurler to have a rocky transition to the majors. He also wouldn't be the first to take off once he found his groove. With Brett Anderson potentially out another two months, I'm willing to ride the wave.

Andre Ethier going nowhere fast

There has been a little power in Ethier's recent run, which has included four extra-base hits, but that alone shouldn't be enough to raise expectations for a significant rebound. Ethier has hit 30 home runs just once in his career, and that is now four season ago. While he is hitting flyballs at his highest rate since then, he's not hitting many of them particularly deep.

Ethier is just going through a stretch where he is getting a few additional base hits on balls in play, and eventually his luck will taper off. Then owners will be left with an outfielder who provides a decent batting average and on-base percentage but little else of use outside of deeper leagues. If the Dodgers get desperate to recall Yasiel Puig in an attempt to revive their moribund offense, Ethier would be the most likely outfielder to lose playing time, so there's that to consider as well.

Confidence key to Dan Straily's success

"I was really myself out there," Straily said, per the San Francisco Chronicle. "It felt different. I had confidence to start the game. I was not going to let 'hurting myself' be what happened in the ballgame. The last few times out, I walked people, hit people. I wasn't getting hit hard. I was hurting myself. Tonight, my goal was to fill up the strike zone."

Straily didn't issue a walk and allowed just two hits, and afterward said he's never been more confident in his big-league career.

"Any time you're a young player and not having the type of success you would like to have, yeah, you want to have one of these games where you go out and believe," manager Bob Melvin said. "It would've been nice to give him three, four, five runs for a little breathing room. But who knows? Maybe that's what he needed, an outing where he had to be borderline perfect."

Orioles acquired minor-league infielder from A's

Horton hit .224 with one triple, two doubles, two home runs and eight RBI in 16 games for Triple-A Sacramento.

Brandon Belt out with back soreness

Yes, you should pick up Kevin Gausman

He was the fourth overall pick in last year's draft, so you know his talent is off the charts, and unlike Trevor Bauer, whose quick ascension to the majors last year was marred by terrible control, Gausman knows how to locate his high-90s fastball, issuing 1.0 walks per nine innings in his eight starts at Double-A Bowie this year.

Most likely, it's not just a one-and-done scenario either. The Orioles have struggled to fill the fifth spot in their rotation since Wei-Yin Chen went on the DL with an oblique injury, and even after Chen returns, Gausman will likely stick over Freddy Garcia, provided he meets his end of the bargain.

No one can say for sure if Gausman will live up to his potential right away, but the chances of him emerging as an out-of-nowhere ace make him well worth the gamble in all leagues. He now ranks 62nd at starting pitcher for me (and 44th for Al).

Evan Gattis has to get more at-bats

Making his first start at catcher since Brian McCann returned from the DL May 6, Gattis hit a grand slam Wednesday against the Twins -- this coming on the heels of a pinch-hit go-ahead home run in the bottom of the ninth Tuesday, which itself came on the heels of a pinch-hit go-ahead home run in the bottom the eighth Saturday.

Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez has said he'll look for ways to get Gattis' bat in the lineup, and with this most recent surge, I'm guessing he'll be even more invested in the idea going forward, giving occasional days off to each of the Braves' starting outfielders, as well as Freddie Freeman. Gattis won't play every day, but in leagues that require the use of two catchers, he'll remain valuable all year.

Rafael Betancourt will avoid DL

Pablo Sandoval out of Wednesday's lineup with illness

Sandoval is expected to return soon. Joaquin Arias gets the spot start at third base.

Ramon Ortiz expected to start Sunday

Chad Jenkins not yet named Friday's starter

Matt Joyce expects to return Friday

Mike Pelfrey might pitch before Sunday's start

"We wouldn't want to do that with him, but we've talked about different scenarios," Gardenhire said of Pelfrey starting Friday, per MLB.com. "Maybe sling him in the middle before somebody else starts. But we'll talk about that and straighten that out as we go along here."

Troy Tulowitzki out of Wednesday lineup

The Rockies have said on record they want to go easy on Tulowitzki's legs. As such, it seems reasonable to expect they will have Tulowitzki sit most, if not all day games after night games, as Wednesday's tilt is.

Jason Hammel trying to fix pitching woes

"It's not mechanical at all," Hammel said, per MASNsports.com. "You try to mess with things that are pretty sound, you'll get yourself in even more trouble."

Hammel, who will be on the mound Wednesday against the Yankees, said in a recent side session he worked on his fastball command and keeping his pitches down in the strike zone to induce more groundball outs.

"This last (side session), all I did was throw fastballs, because that is what I've been struggling with, the fastball. Sometimes you have to go back to basics," he said. "It is not necessarily the (lack of) sink, but my pitches are up in the zone. Two-seamer has been good at times, but the misses overall with all pitches have just been too hittable up in the zone and badly executed. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with my pitches, but they've just been too hittable right now."

Martin Perez unlikely to be recalled for doubleheader

Perez, who began the season on the disabled list after fracturing his left wrist in spring training, is in line to be considered to start during Monday's doubleheader against the Diamondbacks. However, manager Ron Washington said Wednesday the team hasn't discussed Perez as an option, according to The Dallas Morning News.

Washington added the team wants to be certain Perez has built up his stamina to pitch a full game without limitations. Tuesday was the first time he surpassed 70 pitches in a start this season.

"He just started throwing and had a good game (Tuesday) night," Washington said. "We’re not going to take one game and all of the sudden he’s ready to pitch. We’ll make that determination when we feel we need to make that determination."

Matt Joyce held out of lineup Wednesday

Jose Molina returns to lineup Wednesday

'Fatigued' Mitch Moreland gets time to rest

Coupled with Thursday's day off, it will give Moreland two days of rest. Washington said Moreland will be back in the lineup Friday against the Mariners.

Moreland has been one of the majors' hottest hitters since late May. He's batting .352 with a .694 slugging percentage, 1.088 OPS, eight home runs, 11 doubles and 20 RBI in his last 29 games.

Adam Eaton leaves rehab assignment due to elbow soreness

Eaton began his rehab assignment Monday and hasn't played in 2013 due to the injury. He was expected to be back by mid-June, but this setback could throw a wrench into those plans.

Nick Masset amping up throwing program

Masste had shoulder surgery in September and suffered a setback prior to the season. He still hasn't thrown off a mound and the club has not made any announcements about a rehab assignment or a return date.

Chase Utley slated for rib MRI

Utley is expected to miss Wednesday's game as a result of the injury, the same one that forced him out of Tuesday's lineup. He said he felt pain and a burning sensation during batting practice. His timetable will become clear following the MRI.

Chris Carpenter shooting for late June return to rotation

The Cardinals initially thought a nerve condition in Carpenter's shoulder would cause him to miss the season. Progress in a throwing program allowed Carpenter to speculate on returning in the bullpen. Now, with Jaime Garcia out for the year following shoulder surgery, Carpenter is going to try and join the rotation.

The club has stated nothing is a sure thing, but Carpenter's status is a far sight better now than it was in February, when all bets were on his retirement.

Twins want to give Trevor Plouffe a 'bit of a break'

Plouffe is expected to get a few days off before taking a concussion test. 

"He took a good shot in the head. That's what this rule is for, to protect the player," manager Ron Gardenhire said. "Give him a little bit of a break here and do what's right. He was a little woozy and that's why there was concern."

Jaime Garcia to undergo season-ending surgery

Garcia first suffered the shoulder problem May 17 against Milwaukee. He is expected to miss the remainder of the season. Tyler Lyons will take his spot in the rotation for now, but expect that to be in flux with Jake Westbrook's return on the horizon.

Jed Lowrie only available in emergency situation

Lowrie is considered day to day after X-rays came back negative Tuesday.

Dodgers discussed calling up Joc Pederson

Pederson, a left-handed outfielder, is hitting .327/.400/.554 in Double-A. However, the Dodgers' personnel issues aren't in the outfield. Matt Kemp is struggling but not the type of player the Dodgers will nor should give up on. Andre Ethier and Carl Crawford are both having above-average seasons at the plate. As such, it's difficult to imagine these discussions going anywhere at this point, unless the Dodgers have a major injury or two in the outfield.

Chris Sale should only miss one start

Dodgers discussed calling up Yasiel Puig

The Dodgers have struggled this season and Puig's talent has made him a much-discussed commodity outside the front office as well. However, it doesn't appear as if there's a place to play him -- Carl Crawford and Andre Ethier have both been above-average hitters this year and the club is not going to give up on Matt Kemp as he works through his slump. At this point, it seems unlikely the club will call up Puig unless there's a major injury in the outfield.

Mike Fiers to get spot start

Fiers will get the nod with starter Kyle Lohse out due to elbow irritation. Fiers has a 5.93 ERA in eight appearances; he allowed six runs on nine hits over five innings against Arizona in his only start of the year.

Kyle Lohse will miss a start with elbow irritation

It's unclear if Lohse's injury will require a disabled list trip at this time. Mike Fiers will take the start Saturday against Pittsburgh in his place.

Tim Byrdak throws another bullpen session

Byrdak underwent surgery last September. He's still likely a month or two away from returning to the Mets.

Justin Upton out of Braves lineup

Upton has started 44 of 45 games for Atlanta. He gets a rest day with Wednesday's day game coming after a night game.

Andrelton Simmons out of the lineup

Simmons has played in every game since April 8 and has started all but three. Ramiro Pena gets the start at shortstop for Atlanta.

Rangers option reliever Cory Burns to Triple-A

Jimmy Paredes nets three hits, three RBI

Paredes is batting .268 (11 for 41) with one home run, four doubles and seven RBI in his last 14 games.

Andre Ethier out of the lineup against Milwaukee

Ethier will get the rest with a day game after a night game. Scott Van Slyke gets the start against Brewers righty Wily Peralta.

John Jaso collects two hits in return

Jaso has four multi-hit games in May, but he's batting .243 (9 for 37) with one double, one RBI and six walks in 15 games this month.

Jed Lowrie gets day to rest foot injury

Todd Frazier out of Reds lineup

Frazier is hitting just .217 in May but appears to be breaking out of the slump, as he has six hits in his last eight games. He'll get a chance to stay fresh Wednesday as Jack Hannahan gets a start at third base.

Aramis Ramirez out of the lineup

The Brewers continue to take it easy on Ramirez and his balky knee. Ramirez may start playing more consecutive games soon, but it seems safe to assume he'll sit every day game after a night game for the near future.

Josh Hamilton's slugging percentage on the rise

Hamilton is batting .277 (13 for 47) with a .638 slugging percentage, .984 OPS, one triple, three doubles, five RBI and nine runs in his last 13 games. Hamilton's slugging percentage has risen from .287 to .381 in that span.

Jonathan Lucroy gets three much-needed hits

Lucroy finished with a run and an RBI. All three hits were singles. Lucroy had been in a terrible slump since his OPS peaked at .768 on April 20. From then until Tuesday night, he was hitting an atrocious .169/.241/.225 without a home run.

Howie Kendrick locked in at plate

Kendrick is batting .500 (14 for 28) with a .517 on-base percentage, .821 slugging percentage, 1.339 OPS, two home runs, three doubles and eight RBI during his hitting streak.

Carlos Beltran knocks in two

Beltran finished 2 for 5 with two singles and a run scored as well. Beltran is hitting .296/.329/.516 on the season.

Albert Pujols picks up two more RBI

Ben Revere continues red-hot May

Revere doubled once and singled twice. Revere has been on fire in May, as he is 16 for 41 (.390) with a .908 OPS. However, his cold April has his overall line at just .260/.302/.398.

Alex Gordon continues impressive May run

Gordon has 10 multi-hit games in May, which has helped result in a .400 average (30 for 75) in 18 games. He also has a .432 on-base percentage, .587 slugging percentage, 1.019 OPS, three home runs, five doubles, 12 runs and 12 RBI this month.

Aaron Hicks to remain low in batting order

Hicks is batting .125 (2 for 16) with one double and two RBI in five games batting seventh. His best numbers come from the eighth spot in the lineup, where Hicks is batting .197 (14 for 71) with a .310 on-base percentage, three home runs and 10 RBI in 23 games.

Jason Heyward scores twice against Twins

Heyward doubled as well. He's now 5 for 19 with two doubles since returning from the disabled list. Although he hasn't homered since his return, a .263 average and .391 on-base percentage are a far sight better than the respective .121 and .261 marks he carried into his DL stint.

Andy Dirks becoming steady offensive contributor

Dirks is batting .302 (19 for 63) with a .556 slugging percentage, one triple, two doubles, two stolen bases, four walks, 10 RBI and 11 runs in his last 16 games. His average has gone from .200 to .252 in that span.

Miguel Cabrera having ridiculous May

Cabrera is batting .464 (13 for 28) with a 1.107 slugging percentage, three doubles, five home runs and nine RBI during his hitting streak. For the month of May, Cabrera is batting .413 with a .813 slugging percentage, 1.296 OPS, six doubles, eight home runs and 21 RBI in 18 games.

Freddie Freeman knocks in two

Freeman's RBI single in the 10th inning won it for Atlanta. He also doubled in a run and scored a run. His line is up to .293/.365/.407.

Curtis Granderson 'ready to take off'?

"The swing is getting there," Granderson said, per the New York Post. "No matter what, you’re going to run through tough at-bats. No matter what you do in extended spring training or in the minors, there’s nothing that can replicate what you find here. Physically, I’m ready."

Yankees manager Joe Girardi is confident Granderson is about to hit his stride.

"He’s starting to drive some balls," Girardi said. "I think he’s getting closer and about ready to take off."

Rafael Montero on radar for promotion

Montero, who was recently promoted to Triple-A Las Vegas from Double-A Binghamton, is 4-4 with a 3.38 ERA and 0.96 WHIP in nine starts. He also has struck out 59 batters and walked just seven in 53 1/3 innings.

Mets GM expects Travis d'Arnaud in majors this year

d'Arnaud is currently recovering from a fractured right foot and Alderson hopes he's playing in games again by July 1.

3 hits for Jedd Gyorko

Gyorko went 3 for 4 with a double and a run scored. The Padres managed just seven hits against St. Louis starter Adam Wainwright and reliever Carlos Martinez, and Gyorko's double was the only extra-base hit. Gyorko is hitting a robust .278/.347/.430.

Mets GM expecting Zack Wheeler promotion shortly?

DJ Lemahieu records 3 hits

Lemahieu doubled twice and knocked in two runs. He's 6 for 13 to open 2013 for the Rockies and is proving to be a solid backup to primary second baseman Josh Rutledge.

Erick Aybar might play Wednesday

"His knee got a little tight up almost where his quad is," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said, per MLB.com. "He should be available (Wednesday), but we didn't want to take any chances (Tuesday)."

Felix Doubront headed in 'the right direction'

Doubront opened the season with a 5.67 ERA and .302 opponents' batting average in his first five starts.

"He’s onto something with the adjustments he’s made," Red Sox manager John Farrell said, per The Boston Globe. "I thought (Tuesday against the White Sox) was another positive step for him."

Doubront is also pleased with the turnaround.

"Working every day. I’m seeing the results," Doubront said. "Everything is going in the right direction right now. Just looking forward to my next outing."

Red Sox consider dropping Jacoby Ellsbury in lineup

"We’re sticking with (Ellsbury) to hopefully give him the opportunity to come out of the situation that he’s in right now," Farrell said, per The Boston Herald. "But I can say this: Whether he’s hitting first or whether he’s hitting somewhere else in the lineup, there are still things that we need to address, that he needs to address, and those are ongoing."

Ellsbury hasn't had a multi-hit game in 15 starts and is batting .143 (9 for 63) in that span, dropping his average from .290 to .242.

"It’s inconsistent timing at the plate right now, whether it’s four ground balls to second base or whether it’s three line drives to third base," Farrell said. "This isn’t a matter of effort. It’s a matter of maybe being a little bit more free of mind and letting that natural ability take over."

Gregor Blanco snags 3 hits

Pablo Sandoval mashes eighth homer

Twins bring up slugger Chris Colabello

His slash line through 46 games is .358/.417/.659/1.076. He also had 12 home runs, 17 doubles and 39 RBI. Colabello played seven years of independent baseball before joining the Twins' organization in 2012.

"He's been hitting it, absolutely hitting it out there," manager Ron Gardenhire said. "We'll see what he's got (Wednesday against the Braves). A left-hander on the mound (Atlanta's Paul Maholm), a good time for a right-hander to be out there. That's what we brought him up here for, to be a right-handed bat. Go get 'em."

Darin Mastroianni moved to 60-day DL

Trevor Plouffe lands on 7-day DL

Eduardo Escobar replaced Plouffe in Tuesday's game. Although no official announcement has been made, Escobar and Jamey Carroll will likely share time at third base in Plouffe's absence.

It's an unfortunate turn of events for Plouffe, who was getting on track offensively in May. He's batting .292 with a .477 slugging percentage, two home runs, six doubles and 13 RBI in 17 May games.

Wilin Rosario supplies walk-off over Arizona

Rosario finished 2 for 4 with a run scored and the game-winning RBI. His line is up to a cool .284/.318/.511 -- he still isn't taking walks, but he's doing just about everything else.

Time to add Rex Brothers

Brothers, 25, is 1-0 with a 0.44 ERA and 1.13 WHIP this season, striking out 21 batters in 20 1/3 innings. He has one career save, but his high striekout rate (11.4 K/9 in 145 career appearances) and decent ratios should be enough to get him the job.

The Rockies have surprised Fantasy players already this season -- sending Tyler Colvin to the minors and releasing Chris Nelson, for example -- so it's not a sure thing that Matt Belisle or Wilton Lopez won't get the interim job, but Brothers has been stellar this season, pitches regularly in the eighth and ninth inning, and hasn't given up a run since April 6.

Nate Eovaldi set for rehab start

Eovlaldi has been on the 60-day disabled list since spring training due to shoulder inflammation. 

Rafael Betancourt could land on DL

Ryan Doumit collects RBI in return

Devin Mesoraco makes impact

Mesoraco hit a solo home run in the ninth inning, to add an insurance run, after walking in a run in the first inning. Mesoraco finished the game 1 for 3 with two RBI, one run scored and one walk. He is batting .234 in 77 at-bats. 

Scott Van Slyke makes pinch-hit appearance

Signs of life from Delmon Young

Young went 2 for 4 in the game with a solo home run to left-center. He added a sacrifice groundout that brought in another run in the seventh inning, in a 7-3 win. He scored once and drove in two, his first multi-RBI game of the season.

Young is batting just .214 with a .685 on-base plus slugging percentage in 18 games since returning from ankle surgery. 

Matt Cain Ks seven in no-decision

Daniel Descalso provides big punch

Infielder Daniel Descalso reached base in all four of his plate appearances in the game, as he went 3 for 3 with a walk. He drove in five runs, with a grand slam and then an RBI double, to lead the Cardinals to a 10-2 win.

Descalso raised his batting average to .228 on the season, while hitting his second home run. He has 12 RBI in 30 games. 

Rafael Soriano blows second straight save

Soriano entered the ninth inning of the game with a 2-1 lead and promptly allowed an infield single to let the tying run on base. He got the next two batters out and seemed to be on his way to the save, before allowing a game-tying triple to Gregor Blanco.

Soriano finished the inning without any more damage, but he blew his third save in 15 appearances. The Nationals would lose the game, 4-2, in 10 innings. Soriano has a 2.25 ERA in 20 innings of work. 

Edinson Volquez drops second straight

Bullpen spoils strong Stephen Strasburg start

Strasburg pitched seven strong inning in the game, the third time in his last four starts he has gone at least seven innings. He held the Giants to just one run on five hits and three walks while striking out seven batters. He had nine groundball outs to just four fly ball outs, and allowed only singles in the outing.

Unfortunately, his strong effort was wasted, as the Nationals' bullpen allowed three runs in 2 1/3 innings, in a 10-inning, 4-2 loss. Strasburg remains 2-5 on the season, with a 2.66 ERA.

Strasburg will try to get back on the winning side in his next outing, scheduled for Monday against the Rays. 

Evan Gattis comes up with another big homer

Gattis, who appeared for the fourth time in a row as a pinch-hitter, hit a solo home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to send the game into extra-innings. Atlanta would go on to win 5-4.

Despite losing his everyday role, Gattis has continued to impress his teammates, with his second pinch-hit homer in a week.

"It's awesome to see," said Braves starter Tim Hudson. "People around the league are scratching their heads, trying to figure out how to make sure he doesn't put the ball in the seats."

Gattis has nine home runs in 118 at-bats, with 23 runs driven in. Four of his home runs have provided the tying or go-ahead runs in the eighth inning or later. 

Ian Kennedy Ks six in no-decision

Brian McCann wakes up from funk

McCann went 3 for 4 in the game with two RBI, including a solo home run in the fourth inning after an hour-plus rain delay. McCann scored once, in a 5-4, 10-inning win.

McCann is now hitting .282 with four home runs and 12 RBI in 12 games since returning from offseason shoulder surgery. 

Jhoulys Chacin blows four-run lead vs. D-Backs

Darwin Barney continues to heat up

Barney had three singles and a double in the game, while driving in one run and scoring two. The Cubs would go on to lose the game, 5-4, despite his efforts. He is now batting .223 on the season, with a .695 on-base plus slugging percentage. 

Travis Snider wins it with pinch-hit slam

Snider went 1 for 2 with a run scored and four driven in, in a 5-4 win. Snider has two home runs on the season, both of which have come in the last five games. He is batting .278 with a .761 on-base plus slugging percentage. 

Wade Davis settles for no-decision

Andrew McCutchen shakes off injury

McCutchen went 0 for 4 in the game, snapping a streak of three multi-hit games. He accrued no other stats in a 5-4 win. He is batting .274 with a .798 on-base plus slugging percentage in 164 at-bats. 

Illness no issue for Zack Cozart

Cozart went 1 for 5 in the game with one strikeout, in a 4-0 win. Cozart's is batting just .206 on the season.  

Zack Greinke roughed up by former team

No signs of trouble in Ryan Howard's return

Howard went 3 for 5 with three runs driven in, before being replaced for a pinch hitter after his third single in the eighth inning.  

The cortisone injection Howard had in the knee appears to have helped, and he should be able to play through any lingering issue. He is batting .256 on the season, with 25 RBI. 

Jerome Williams goes eight shutout in win

Aaron Harang blown apart by Angels

Harang is next scheduled to start Monday against San Diego, the team he pitched for in 2011. That is, if he's not either injured or designated for assignment, which the Seattle Times suggests is a possibility. 

Mike Trout hits for cycle

Addison Reed makes quick work of Red Sox

Adam Wainwright remains tough

Wainwright allowed just one run on four hits in the outing, the fourth time in 10 outings that he has allowed one or fewer runs. He struck out six batters and walked just one in 7 1/3 innings, on 100 pitches.

Wainwright pushed his record to 6-3, while lowered his ERA to 2.38. He is scheduled to make his next start Monday against the Royals in Kansas City. 

Jose Quintana flirts with no-no

Matt Garza not concerned with velocity in return

"That’s not a big deal to me,” Garza told ESPN.com. "As long as I get outs, it works. I watched Jamie Moyer forever get outs at 81 mph. Velocity is nothing. I felt great. It sucks I couldn’t keep going."

It was easy for Garza to say that after averaging a healthy 93.4 miles per hour with his fastball, while not allowing a hit on either his four or two-seam offerings. He threw just 81 pitches in the game, and Garza obviously hopes the team will take the reigns off moving forward.

"You think they’re going to take me out without a fight?" Garza said. "The competitive part of me doesn’t want to leave what I started."

Garza held the Pirates to just one hit in five innings of work. 

Glen Perkins can't hang on to late lead

Craig Kimbrel earns rare win

Kimbrel set the Twins down without much drama, though he did hit Tyler Plouffe with a pitch with one out. He retired the next two batters easily, needing just 14 pitches to finish the inning. He struck out one batter and picked up a pair of groundball outs.

The Braves would go on to score in the bottom of the 10th, giving Kimbrel his first win of the season, 5-4. He now has a 2.45 ERA in 19 appearance, just two of which have not come in a save situation.  

Mike Pelfrey has start cut short due to rain

Jake Arrieta likely odd man out

The Orioles have reportedly decided to call up highly touted phenom Kevin Gausman from Double-A Bowie to start Thursday. Arrieta and T.J. McFarland were said to be the only two candidates for that start, but things changed for manager Buck Showalter, general manager Dan Duquette and the Orioles. 

The Orioles need to make room the roster and it appears Arrieta is the most likely candidate to be sent out with McFarland a Rule 5 player that needs to stay on the roster. 

Jim Henderson picks up ninth save

Henderson, who saved just his third game since the start of May, allowed one hit and one walk, but held the Dodgers scoreless in a 5-2 win. He struck out three batters on 21 pitches, to give himself nine saves in as many opportunities.

Henderson has an 0.95 ERA with 23 strikeouts in 19 innings of work.  

Corey Kluber Ks eight in losing effort

Jason Grilli allows one run, still earns save

Grilli struck out one batter en route to his 18th save of the season, giving him the most in the National League. The run was just the third he has allowed all season, and second in 9 2/3 innings in the month of May.

Grilli has a 1.31 ERA in 20 2/3 innings of work, with 11 hits, five walks and 32 strikeouts. 

Erick Aybar leaves with knee soreness

Max Scherzer bounces back vs. Indians

Jake Westbrook to throw off mound Wednesday

Tim Hudson better in no-decision

Hudson pitched through a rain delay in the third inning, and was limited to just five innings and 81 pitches as a result. He allowed just two runs on five hits in his five innings of work, while striking out five batters.

Hudson, who had allowed 11 runs in his previous 8 2/3 innings, lowered his ERA on the season to 4.98. He is winless in his last three starts, as the Braves would need 10 innings to win, 5-4.

Hudson is scheduled to make his next start Monday against the Blue Jays. 

Rafael Betancourt departs with tight groin

Trevor Plouffe leaves game after taking knee to head

Dodgers won't name permanent closer

Hiram Burgos struggles again

Burgos exited the game after just 3 1/3 innings, after allowing two runs on six hits and four walks.  He allowed three hits and two walks in the fourth inning before being pulled, with runners on the corners and one out. Fortunately, the bullpen bailed him out, as they did not allow either of his inherited runners to score. The Brewers would go on to win, 5-2, though Burgos earned a no-decision in the start. 

Burgos now has a 6.44 ERA in six starts, with a 1-2 record. He is scheduled to mke his next start Monday against the Twins. 

Scott Elbert could return in a week

Yoenis Cespedes provides only run on HR

Cespedes homered for the ninth time this season with two outs against Darvish to win it for the A's. He went 1 for 5 in the game with two strikeouts and is batting .211. 

Despite his low batting average, Cespedes has hit in seven of his last 10 games with three homers and four RBI over that span. He has 22 RBI on the year with 22 runs scored. 

Josh Beckett throws off flat ground

Grant Balfour goes 1-2-3 for save

Balfour earned his ninth save of the season as he struck out one in a perfect frame to protect Dan Straily's gem. He needed just 12 pitches, throwing seven for strikes. 

Balfour has earned saves in three straight and six of seven. He's 9 for 9 in save chances on the year with a solid 1.47 ERA. He's also struck out 20 over 18 1/3. 

Jose Fernandez solid despite early exit

Despite allowing just one run, Fernandez was pulled after throwing five innings and 79 pitches, matching his lowest total of the season. He allowed just a solo home run in the outing, but earned a no-decision in a 7-3 loss.

Fernandez allowed five hits and one walk, while striking out two batters. This was the first time since April 29 that he has not pitched at least six innings in a start. He lowered his ERA to 3.31 through his first nine career starts.

Fernandez is set to make his net start Monday, against the Rays. He has yet to face Tampa Bay in his career. 

Yu Darvish suffers 1-0 defeat

Darvish dropped his record to 7-2 on the year with a 2.84 ERA as he took the loss against Oakland's Dan Straily, who pitched seven shutout innings as the bullpen finished the job in the 1-0 game. 

The Texas ace allowed just one run on five hits and three walks over six innings. The lone run he allowed came on a third-inning solo homer by Yoenis Cespedes. Darvish struck out five. 

The 26-year-old won his seventh game his last time out despite giving up four runs. He hasn't had a double-digit strikeout game in a while, but still has 91 on the year over 66 2/3 innings to lead the American League. 

Darvish will look to get back on the winning track when he next takes the ball Monday during a doubleheader at Arizona. 

Hanley Ramirez starts running

Offense awakens for Tyler Cloyd's first win

Cloyd held the Marlins to just two runs in seven innings of work, as he allowed eight hits, just two of them for extra-bases. He struck out five and walked just two, while throwing 62 of 105 pitches for strikes.

Cloyd got plenty of run support, after earning a no decision in a 3-2 loss the last time out. The Phillies won, 7-3 Tuesday, giving Cloyd his first win of the season.

Cloyd is set to take on the Red Sox in Boston for his next start, scheduled for Monday. 

Dan Straily masterful over seven shutout innings

Straily shut out the Rangers' offense over seven innings on just two hits and no walks and the Oakland bullpen did the rest in the 1-0 win. Straily struck out five batters and threw just 88 pitches before he was removed. His ERA drops to 5.73 from 7.27. 

Straily had not gone seven full innings this season before Tuesday and the win runs his record to 2-2. It was his first win since his first start on April 5 at Houston. Straily will look to start a winning streak when he next gets the ball Monday against San Francisco in interleague action. 

Brayan Villarreal working on delivery

Defense lets Jonathon Niese down

Niese got the first two batters in the first inning out, but ran into trouble with a pair of two-out walks and a single that loaded the bases. He appeared to get out of the inning when Todd Frazier hit a groundball right at third baseman David Wright, however the ball went through the Gold Glove winner's legs, allowing two runs to score.

Three runs would ultimately come around to score in the first, all unearned, but that was all for Niese over six strong innings. He allowed five hits and three walks, while striking out a season-high seven batters. Unfortunately, those three runs would be enough to sink the Mets, in a 4-0 loss.

Niese took the loss, despite lowering his ERA to 4.80. He is 3-5 through his first 10 starts of the season. He is scheduled to make his next start Monday against the Yankees at home. 

Bud Norris aggravates back injury

Norris, who was originally expected to start Sunday before back spasms pushed him back, allowed just five hits and two walks over six sharp scoreless frames in the no-decision. He struck out two and had thrown just 88 pitches at the time of his departure. His ERA is at 3.86 on the year. 

The 28-year-old rebounded nicely from allowing seven runs over five innings his last time out at Detrot in a loss. He's otherwise been solid this year for a poor team. Now his next start is in jeopardy. That start is scheduled for Monday against Colorado, if he can make it. 

Felix Doubront decent in defeat

Jose Quintana was no-hitting the Red Sox until deep in the game and Boston lost 3-1. Doubront allowed two earned runs on five hits and two walks over six innings in the defeat. He struck out three and allowed a two-run homer to Jeff Keppinger in the fifth inning. Doubront's ERA is at 5.61. 

The 25-year-old has given up just two runs in each of his last two starts with 10 Ks over that span of 11 innings. Still, he's walking too many and hasn't earned a win since moving to 3-0 back on April 27. His next scheduled outing comes Sunday against Cleveland. 

Kevin Gausman to make MLB debut Thursday

Gausman was not expected to be ready for the majors yet, despite speculation that he could be a viable option. Perhaps his last start for Double-A Bowie made the difference. Gausman earned a win as he allowed one run on four hits and one walk with 10 strikeouts over six innings. 

For the season at Double-A, his first as a professional after being drafted last year, he's gone 2-4 with a 3.11 ERA with 49 Ks over 46 1/3 innings. That said, he's allowed two or fewer runs to score in five straight outings. 

Mike Leake wins second straight

Leake pitched into the seventh inning for the second time in a row, holding the Mets to just three hits. Two of them went for extra-bases, however he managed to limit the damage as both came with two outs in innings.

Leake struck out four batters and walked two in seven innings of work, while throwing 61 of 99 pitches for strikes. He lowered his ERA to 3.25 while earning his fourth win of the season, 4-0.

Leake is scheduled to make his next start Monday against the Indians. 

Danny Worth to work out at extended spring training

Wandy Rodriguez comes out on top

Rodriguez allowed three runs in the second inning, on four hits, but otherwise held the Cubs silent all game long.  He ultimately allowed just the three runs on six hits in six innings of work, while striking out five batters and walking none.

He needed just 87 pitches to finish his six innings of work. He exited the game down 3-0, but the Pirates rallied back in the bottom half of the sixth to put him in line for the win. Pittsburgh would hold on for a 5-4 victory, Rodriguez's fifth of the season. He lowered his ERA to 3.40.

Rodriguez is expected to make his next start Sunday, against the Brewers. He had his worst start of the season against the Brewers in April, but bounce back to limit them to one run in seven innings May 15. 

Octavio Dotel begins throwing

Matt Garza holds Pirates scoreless in debut

Garza held the Pirates scoreless over five innings in his first appearance since recovering from a lat injury and a stress reaction in his elbow last season. He allowed just one hit, a single, while walking three batters. He threw 48 of his 82 pitches for strikes, while striking out five batters.

Garza did not allow his first hit until one out in the fifth inning, and he was taken out after finish the fifth inning with 82 pitches, as he was expected to be limited to just 90 pitches in the game.

Unfortunately, the 3-0 lead Garza left the game with would not hold up, thanks to the struggles of the bullpen, which allowed five runs in just the sixth inning.

Garza is set to make his next start in Cincinnati on Sunday. 

Colby Rasmus goes deep in defeat

Desmond Jennings homers in win

Fernando Rodney pulls ninth save

On his first pitch in the eighth, Rodney induced a double play to end the inning. He remained on for the ninth in the 4-2 game and allowed a run to score on a wild pitch before recording the save on a strikeout. He went 1 2/3 innings with two strikeouts and one run allowed on a hit and a walk. 

Rodney, who now has nine saves on the season, has recorded two consecutive scoreless appearances since allowing three runs on four hits and a hit over 2/3 of an inning against Boston. His ERA is at 5.00. 

Alex Cobb earns fifth win

Ramon Ortiz doesn't last very long

Jed Lowrie leaves with foot contusion

He underwent X-rays which showed no break, but he's not expected to play Wednesday. He's considered day to day for the A's. 

Lowrie went 1 for 2 in the game before leaving and is batting .301 on the year. Lowrie has gone 5 for 12 in his last three games. He has 21 RBI on the year over 173 at-bats. 

Aroldis Chapman tries something new

"He was down in the bullpen getting loose and threw from the stretch and felt comfortable that way. So he just stayed with it," Reds pitching coach Bryan Price told MLB.com Tuesday.

Chapman had blown his previous two save opportunities before setting down the Mets on 11 pitches in a 4-3 win. 

Nate McLouth hits walk-off homer in 10th

McLouth's fourth HR of the season ended the game off Vidal Nuno. He went 2 for 5 as the leadoff hitter and is batting .282 on the year. McLouth has recorded two hits in three of his last four games. He's also stolen 13 bases this season. 

Sammy Solis makes first post-Tommy John appearance

Solis, 24, has not pitched since 2011, when he posted a 2.72 ERA at Potomac. He is a former second-round pick out of the University of San Diego. 

Chris Dickerson homers twice off Phil Hughes

Jim Johnson rebounds with victory

Johnson pitched a 1-2-3 inning on just eight pitches and the Orioles hit a walk-off homer in the bottom of the 10th. Johnson earned the win to improve to 2-4 on the year with a 4.03 ERA. 

Johnson's three blown saves have been well publicized, especially after he'd recorded a franchise record 35 consecutive saves just before the slump on the mound. 

Blue Jays keeping close eye on Casey Janssen

His health can fluctuate depending on the day, but he's thus far been sharp on the mound for the Blue Jays and manager John Gibbons. 

"We have to be conscious of it," Gibbons said. "It doesn't make it easy for us, you want to get him steady work, [relievers] all need steady work to really stay sharp; you have to pick your spots."

Cardinals hoping for Chris Carpenter in July

Carpenter is recovering from nerve problems in his shoulder and neck, and has come a long way in the course of the season's first two months.

"It's a 180-degee turn," Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said. "He was at a very low point in early February, and he's gone from there to where he really believes he can contribute. He likes his progress. He has confidence in the way he's throwing."

Carpenter is up to 80 pitches in his bullpen sessions, and is expected to throw again Thursday. He has yet to face live hitters, but that is expected to begin after his next bullpen session.

Despite his progress, the team has not put a firm date on his return, but a late June or early July date remains realistic. 

Chris Narveson making progress

"The finger felt good. Just kind of taking it day by day and see how it goes Friday against hitters," Narveson said. "You're just trying to prepare yourself and get your body ready to pitch again. I think you expect yourself to hit the ground running once you come back."

Narveson has been on the disabled list April 8 with the injury, but is clearly making progress. If all goes well with his batting practice session Friday, he could begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Nashville shortly after. 

Tom Gorzelanny close to return

Gorzelanny has been on the DL since May 11, but has been rehabbing. It is not clear whether he will need a minor-league rehab assignment. The team has not pushed his recovery hard, given the early point in the season in which the injury occurred.

"If this came up in August or September it'd be a different story, but we're just dealing with it now and I'll go back out and be ready to go," Gorzelanny told MLB.com Tuesday. "It went well. I feel good."

Mets working to improve Ruben Tejada's swing

Tejada is hitting just .213 on the season, and has struggled to square up the ball consistently;  12 of his last 15 outs have been flyballs, according to MLB.com. With Tejada's lack of power, that is not what the team wants out of him.

"There's some things you've got to do to work to your strengths, and Ruben's is hitting line drives," manager Terry Collins said. "Fly balls, they're great once in a while, when you hit one in the gap, but he's got to start being that line-drive guy that we know."

Tejada hit .289 with a .333 on-base percentage last season, a number that is down to .278 this year. He has hit .213 both in and out of the top spot in the order.

"If he was giving us the at-bats that we saw last year, he is the leadoff hitter," Collins said. "The guy that even with two strikes just battles the pitcher."

Matt Joyce leaves with hamstring tightness

Joyce went 2 for 3 with two singles before leaving the game and is batting .252. He's day to day for the Rays. Joyce has hits in four of his last five games with two homers and six RBI over that span. 

Miguel Gonzalez goes seven in return

Sean Nolin being considered for Friday start

Chad Jenkins is expected to get the start, but that apparently is not set in stone. Nolin was ranked by Baseball America before the year as the team's 19th-best prospect. He holds a 1.17 ERA and is striking out a batter per inning with Double-A New Hampshire this year. 

Alexi Ogando playing catch

"I don't know when they'll let me throw hard," the right-hander added. 

Ogando said he's feeling better and is making slow progress. There is no structural damage in his injured biceps, but the Rangers do not have a timetable for his return. 

Phil Hughes rebounds in no-decision

Hughes took a no-decision as he left the game tied at two runs apiece. He gave up two solo homers to Chris Dickerson for the only runs he allowed on five hits and two walks. Hughes threw 102 pitchecs and struck out five batters. His ERA is 5.51. 

The 26-year-old entered Tuesday having allowed 13 earned runs over his previous 6 1/3 innings, and has now allowed five homers in his last three starts. Still, he's 2-3 and he went eight shutout innings against Oakland the start before the two poor ones. 

Hughes is scheduled to make his next start Monday at the New York Mets. 

Jonathan Schoop seeing back specialist

Schoop is dealing with a lower back strain and saw specialist Lee Riley at Johns Hopkins. The No. 3 prospect for the Orioles, according to Baseball America, was hitting .268 with three homers and 18 RBI for Triple-A Norfolk before suffering the injury. 

Hector Santiago will make spot start Wednesday

Chris Sale scratched from Wednesday's start

Santiago Casilla to see a specialist

Joe Blanton to lose rotation spot?

Weaver is making what could be his last extended spring training appearance Wednesday on the same day that Blanton is scheduled to start next. 

Blanton is 0-7 on the year with an ugly 6.62 ERA after nine starts. His WHIP is 1.97 and he's struck out 35 over 50 1/3 innings. 

Jordan Walden expected next week

Walden made it through a few sessions of long toss Tuesday without pain, and said his shoulder is feeling better.

"[My shoulder] is strong right now," Walden said. "I played catch today and it was better than it has been almost all season."

Walden is expected to go through a bullpen session and at least one minor-league rehab assignment before he is activated. The Braves could really use the help in the bullpen, after placing two pitchers on the disabled list with season-ending elbow surgery in the last week. 

White Sox not ready to switch Gordon Beckham's position

Cubs not giving up on Josh Vitters

"[Vitters] is the priority, put it that way," Dale Sveum told MLB.com Tuesday. "Who knows about third baseman of the future, but he's a priority to develop as that guy. The guy was a first-round pick and the guy can swing the bat. We still have to develop him with the thought of him being our third baseman some day. He's got power, he can swing, he can hit a fastball. But there's a lot of development left in him."

Vitters is still more of a developmental prospect, stuck behind current third baseman Luis Valbuena, who is fourth on the team with an .811 onbase plus slugging percentage.

Tommy Hanson won't start Saturday

Hanson has been away from the team since early May following the death of his step brother. The Angels were hoping to get him back Saturday, but would like him to get some work at extended spring training first. 

Carlos Quentin held out Tuesday vs. St. Louis

Jered Weaver coming back early?

Ryan Howard ready to return

Howard had a cortisone injection in the knee and hopes that he will be able to play through any lingering issues moving forward. 

Chase Utley scratched with side discomfort

According to MLB.com, Utley will be re-evaluated Wednesday to determine the extent of the injury. 

Rangers add Neal Cotts to bullpen

Josh Sale ready for reinstatement

Jemile Weeks 'playable' at shortstop

Oakland skipper Bob Melvin is hearing from the Triple-A people that Weeks "is very playable" at shortstop.

Weeks could become an option at shortstop down the line. For now, he's hitting .285 at Triple-A over 165 at-bats with two homers, 16 RBI and eight stolen bases. 

Hiroyuki Nakajima adding to versatility

Manager Bob Melvin wants Nakajima to play as many positions as possible in order to make him more versatile at the major-league level in the future. His 20-day rehab assignment is up Wednesday and the A's will make a decision on him at that time. Nakajima is batting .250 at Triple-A with five RBI over 40 at-bats. 

Daniel Bard shut down from games at Double-A

Bard, who last saw game action May 15, is throwing only bullpens right now. Bard is getting the time off to deal with both mental and pitching struggles. He has a 6.39 ERA over 12 2/3 innings with Portland with 17 walks. 

DL not out of question for Shane Victorino

That said, manager John Farrell said the team is considering a disabled list stint for Victorino, who could use that time to get completely healthy. 

Chase Utley taken out of lineup

No reason has been given for Utley's absence. 

David Ross likely to see rehab action

It was thought previously that Ross may not need rehab games, though that appears not to be the case now. 

Alan Williams faces second minor-league suspension

Williams had a 3.00 ERA in 13 appearances for Double-A Huntsville this season. He is the 21st player suspended under baseball's minor-league program. 

Chris Stewart on the mend

Manager Joe Girardi said he expects Stewart back in the lineup over the weekend. In fact, Stewart could be used Tuesday in an emergency. 

Aaron Hill won't visit doctor until Monday

Yan Gomes confined to a reserve role

But if a best-case scenario for Gomes is a backup catcher role, the 25-year-old doesn't have much utility in Fantasy.

Granted, the Indians' starting catcher, Carlos Santana, often sees time at first base and DH, so Gomes would play more than the average backup catcher, but we're talking no more than two or three starts per week.

If you play in an AL-only league where each team starts two catchers, pick him up. Otherwise, leave him alone.