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 …

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.

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.

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.

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 …

Cleveland's Winning Ways Change Prospect Plans  —  There is little argument that the Indians have been the biggest surprise on a team level this year.  In many ways, whether one thinks this is real doesn't matter, as having the best record in baseball in early May already changes the team's 2011 outlook significantly.

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 …

Braves get journeyman outfielder from O's  —  The Braves acquired veteran minor-league outfielder Jeff Fiorentino from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for an undisclosed amount of cash.  He'll go to Double-A Mississippi initially and be ready if needed at Triple-A Gwinnett.

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 …

Johnson homers in 8th to lift Padres over Pirates  —  SAN DIEGO—Rob Johnson hit a solo homer in the eighth inning and Heath Bell tied Trevor Hoffman's club record with his 41st consecutive save to lead the San Diego Padres to a 6-5 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night.

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.

Bullpen woes again as Texas loses 4-3  —  SEATTLE—Already on a bit of a slide, Ron Washington was asked his thoughts on the performance of his pitching staff entering Tuesday night's series opener in Seattle.  —  “My pitching is what it is and as long as they're healthy, they're human.