Desmond, Werth come up big in ninth, Nats beat Braves in 11  —  ATLANTA — Ian Desmond hit a tiebreaking, two-run double in the 11th inning, Jayson Werth followed with a two-run homer and the Washington Nationals beat the Atlanta Braves 7-3 on Wednesday night.

Disputed Surgery Used in Colon's Comeback  —  BOCA RATON, Fla. — A year ago, Bartolo Colon, once one of major league baseball's more durable starting pitchers, looked close to the end of the line: he had struggled with injuries after 2005, and elbow surgery had kept him out of baseball for the entire 2010 season.

Ex-clubhouse head indicted for taking Mets gear  —  NEW YORK - Former New York Mets clubhouse manager Charlie Samuels was indicted on charges that he criminally possessed nearly $2.3 million worth of game-used Mets memorabilia — including signed jerseys, bats and baseballs …

Yanks: No plan to discuss CC's opt-out clause  —  In keeping with the New York Yankees policy in recent years, the team has no plans to talk with CC Sabathia before the end of the season about the opt-out clause in his contract, general manager Brian Cashman said on Wednesday afternoon.

Kuroda Pitches Dodgers Past Pirates, 2-0  —  PITTSBURGH (AP) — Hiroki Kuroda allowed just three hits over seven innings and the Los Angeles Dodgers edged the Pittsburgh Pirates 2-0 on Wednesday night.  —  Kuroda (4-3) struck out eight and walked three as the Dodgers won back-to-back games for the first time in three weeks.

Chris Tillman, Adam Jones lead Orioles past Mariners 4-2  —  BALTIMORE - Chris Tillman pitched six innings of three-hit ball, Adam Jones went 4 for 4 with two RBIs, and the Baltimore Orioles beat Felix Hernandez and the Seattle Mariners 4-2 on Wednesday night.

Padres offence explodes in win over Brewers  —  MILWAUKEE - Cameron Maybin drove in the go-ahead runs and Ryan Ludwick homered in an eight-run eighth inning after the San Diego Padres had already squandered one big lead in a 13-6 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday.

Yankees Head Athletic Trainer Gene Monahan to Retire at Conclusion of 2011 Season  —  The New York Yankees announced today that Head Athletic Trainer Gene Monahan, who is the longest-tenured employee in the Yankees organization, will retire at the conclusion of the 2011 season after 49 years of continuous service.

WAKE WON'T RULE OUT PLAYING FOR ANOTHER TEAM  —  TORONTO — Tim Wakefield, who will become the oldest player in Red Sox history to participate in a game with the next pitch he throws, talked Tuesday night about the chance he might play for another organization.  —  “It depends on the situation.

A great story about Joe Torre, Pedro Guerrero and fraternization  —  Joe Torre caused a little bit of a stir earlier this week when ESPN's Buster Olney reported that MLB's new enforcer was looking to limit fraternization between members of opposing teams.  —  Torre's new initiative brought a smile to my face for a couple of reasons.

Stephen Strasburg ‘close’ to throwing off a mound, feeling ‘great’  —  Stephen Strasburg is “close” to reaching a significant milestone in his recovery from Tommy John surgery by throwing off a mound again, Nationals pitching coach Steve McCatty said this afternoon.

Sizemore to have MRI on right knee  —  CLEVELAND — Indians center fielder Grady Sizemore was not in the lineup and away from the ballpark on Wednesday afternoon.  —  Sizemore left Progressive Field a few hours prior to Wednesday's game against the Rays to undergo an MRI exam on his right knee.

Cabrera snubs the option of an off-day  —  MINNEAPOLIS — The Tigers offense currently has more balance right now than it arguably has at any point this season.  But that doesn't mean that they can go a game without their slugger in the cleanup spot.  —  Manager Jim Leyland openly pondered whether …

Stark: Positive signs in Pittsburgh  —  At 18-18, Pirates have a .500 record this late in a season for the first time since 2004  —  Let history reflect that on a perfect Monday evening in the second week of May, the Pittsburgh Pirates did something that hadn't been witnessed in seven stinking years.