Zimmerman begins recovery from surgery  —  Nationals expect star third baseman to return by mid-June  —  PHILADELPHIA — The tear in the stomach muscle of Ryan Zimmerman, repaired Tuesday by Dr. Bill Meyers, was less extensive than expected, leaving the Nationals fully expecting their star third baseman back by mid-June.

Francisco Liriano throws no-hitter for Twins  —  Francisco Liriano pitched the major leagues' first no-hitter of the season, throwing his first career complete game in the Minnesota Twins' 1-0 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night.  —  Liriano (2-4) walked six and struck out two …

Dodgers lack funds to meet payroll  —  Sources say the team can meet the first of two payrolls in May, but not the second, which would give Major League Baseball the option to seize the Dodgers from owner Frank McCourt.  —  The Dodgers currently do not have enough cash to meet payroll through this month …

Cabrera's late RBI helps Indians beat A's for seventh straight  —  OAKLAND, Calif. — Orlando Cabrera hit a tiebreaking RBI single in the ninth in his lone at-bat, Fausto Carmona won for the third time in four starts and the Cleveland Indians beat the Oakland Athletics 4-1 on Tuesday night for their seventh straight victory.

Roberts out of lineup after root canal  —  KANSAS CITY — Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts underwent a root canal on Tuesday, keeping him out of the lineup for the series opener in Kansas City.  —  “Hopefully, I'll be playing [Wednesday],” Roberts said.  —  Roberts was in some discomfort on Sunday, but played through it.

Source: Giants have discussed trading for Reyes  —  With limited internal options available, the Giants are considering addressing their problems at shortstop via trade, and Jose Reyes of the Mets has been discussed as a possible solution, a major-league source told CSNBayArea.com on Tuesday.

Ethier's streak at 29, Cubs beat Dodgers 4-1  —  LOS ANGELES—Geovany Soto hit a tiebreaking two-run double in the ninth inning, and the Chicago Cubs beat the Dodgers 4-1 on Tuesday night after Los Angeles' Andre Ethier extended his hitting streak to 29 games.

Tigers top pitchers fail in 7th straight loss, 5-3 to Yankees  —  DETROIT — When a team is in a slump, strange things start to happen.  —  On Monday night, the Detroit Tigers lost because their ace felt too good.  —  Justin Verlander, hitting 100 mph, allowed three runs in the first two innings …

Sox come up aces again  —  Lester, bats produce in another win  —  Another game, another ace.  —  And, for the Red Sox [team stats], another victory.  —  For the third consecutive game, the Sox faced an elite starting pitcher.  This time, it was the Los Angeles Angels' Dan Haren …

Study: Cloudy skies help hitters  —  WASHINGTON — A sunny, summer day is great for baseball, if you're a pitcher.  For hitters, a little cloud cover helps.  —  It turns out that batting averages go up when the sun ducks behind a cloud, according to a new study that looked at thousands …

Astros' Big Inning Beats Reds 10-4  —  CINCINNATI (AP) — Left-hander J.A. Happ singled home a run during Houston's six-run fourth inning — its biggest of the season — and the Astros beat the Reds 10-4 on Tuesday night, leaving Cincinnati with its first losing record in nearly a year.

Rays' Upton hits game-winning homer in ninth  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.—B.J. Upton kept Jo-Jo Reyes from getting his first win in three years.  —  Upton hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning, giving the Tampa Bay Rays a 3-2 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday night.

Razzing from Marlins bench upsets Cardinals Kyle Lohse  —  Cardinals starter Kyle Lohse was not about to come out of Monday's game after being hit on his right shin by a one-hopper off the bat of Mike Stanton in the third inning.  —  Not after what he heard.