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.

Pitcher's Treatment Draws Scrutiny  —  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.

Mets place Ike Davis on 15-day DL with bum ankle as Terry Collins calls loss of first baseman ‘huge’  —  DENVER - There is no way to frame, sugercoat, gloss over or interpret the Mets' loss of Ike Davis in any terms but the starkest: It stinks.  Perhaps we should paraphrase broadcasting great Ron Burgundy …

Everything messed up for John Lackey  —  Right-hander back in major rut  —  + Recent Articles + Recent Blog Entries + Email + Bio  —  TORONTO — This is not an easy time to be John Lackey.  Last night against the Blue Jays, he submitted his fourth horrible start in seven tries, allowing nine runs on nine hits in 62⁄3 innings.

Hosmer sure looks like the real deal  —  NEW YORK  —  The warning signs are right there for Eric Hosmer in the Royals' clubhouse, living, breathing proof of how the game tortures even the most talented.  —  Alex Gordon, the second overall pick of the 2005 draft, was labeled the next George Brett …

Angels' Morales Needs More Surgery, Out for Season  —  ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Angels first baseman Kendrys Morales won't play this season after deciding to undergo another surgery on his left ankle, leaving a huge hole in the middle of Los Angeles' lineup for the second straight season.

A big relief for bullpen  —  Night off lone bright spot  —  + Recent Articles + Recent Blog Entries + Email  —  “It's exciting,” Francona said.  “He's not going to be short on energy.  Yeah, it's OK.  I think we were kind of looking for a place to play him.”

Torres, Huff help Giants rally past Diamondbacks again for win  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Andres Torres delivered the go-ahead RBI double, Aubrey Huff hit a tying home run and the San Francisco Giants rallied from three runs down for a 4-3 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday night.

As always, teams pursue pitching  —  Drafting, developing young hurlers is key to success for many  —  It is, as it ever was, all about pitching.  —  Yes, the Indians lead the American League in quality starts, as the Athletics led the Majors last year.  Now, the Phillies lead the Majors …

Q&A: Felix Hernandez  —  We are pleased to welcome David Laurila to the FanGraphs staff.  He's an accomplished journalist who was accepted into the Baseball Writer's Association of America in December, and has become one of the premier interviewers of those in and around the game.

Garza Goes 5 to Beat Cards  —  CHICAGO (AP) — Matt Garza got his first win at Wrigley Field as the Chicago Cubs delivered their biggest offensive output of the season Wednesday night to beat the St. Louis Cardinals 11-4.  —  Chicago scored six runs in the third after a 53-minute rain delay …

Which Pitchers are Really Getting Squeezed?  —  Earlier in the week we took a look at which pitchers have been squeezed the most based on total pitches called balls within the PitchFX established strike zone.  While it appeared that pitchers like C.J. Wilson (TEX) and Jon Niese (NYM) …

End of the road  —  High times over as Celtics, aging Big 3 fall  —  MIAMI — It was fun while it lasted.  —  They made the NBA relevant in our town once again, bringing back the pride and mystique of the golden days of Russell and Red.  They reintroduced NBA America to the Celtics-Lakers rivalry …

Pirates should sign McCutchen to long deal  —  The Pittsburgh Pirates haven't finished over .500 in 18 years.  The 1992 season was the year the Pirates won 96 games.  Andy Van Slyke, their center fielder, won a Gold Glove, Silver Slugger and was in the All Star game.