Strasburg to pitch off mound soon  —  NEW YORK — Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg was in Washington on Tuesday to see an orthopedist.  It was a routine checkup on his right elbow, which was found to be sound.  —  The next step is to pitch off the mound, and general manager Mike Rizzo said that will happen “any day.”

Peavy Throws Shutout in Season Home Debut  —  CHICAGO (AP) — Jake Peavy pitched a three-hitter in his home debut this season, outdueling Justin Masterson and making Adam Dunn's sacrifice fly in the first inning stand up to lift the Chicago White Sox to a 1-0 victory over the Cleveland Indians on Wednesday night.

Source: Yankees considering Posada options  —  The New York Yankees will reconsider Jorge Posada's future with the team if his numbers don't improve by the All-Star break, according a baseball official with knowledge of the Yankees' thinking.  —  On Wednedsay, Yankees manager Joe Girardi left Posada …

Holliday and Berkman Leave Cards' Game  —  ST. LOUIS (AP) — St. Louis Cardinals cleanup hitter Matt Holliday was removed after two innings, complaining of tightness in his left quadriceps.  —  The Cardinals were minus all three starting outfielders after Lance Berkman was taken out as a precaution …

Niese goes seven strong as Mets beat Nationals in heavy rain  —  NEW YORK — Jonathon Niese pitched seven sharp innings, some of them in heavy rain, and Justin Turner added to his surprising tear with a two-run double that sent the New York Mets to a 3-0 victory over the light-hitting Washington Nationals on Wednesday night.

Blue Jays pay for error of their ways  —  Toronto— From Thursday's Globe and Mail  —  The Toronto Blue Jays returned home riding the high of a six-game win streak and the continuing home run assault of Jose Bautista, their all-star outfielder.  —  They were quickly jolted back to reality …

Pirates Beat Reds 5-0, End 6-Game Slide  —  CINCINNATI (AP) — Charlie Morton shut down Cincinnati's powerful lineup again, throwing a five-hitter for his second career shutout, and Pedro Alvarez hit a three-run homer Wednesday night, leading the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 5-0 victory that snapped their six-game losing streak.

Cody Ross' 3-run HR in 9th leads Giants past Dodgers  —  LOS ANGELES — Cody Ross hit a tiebreaking three-run homer in the ninth inning, and the San Francisco Giants rebounded from the Dodgers' three-run rally in the eighth for an 8-5 victory over Los Angeles on Wednesday night.

Vargas runs scoreless streak to 16 innings, M's beat Angels  —  SEATTLE — Jason Vargas went seven innings and denied Jered Weaver another chance at becoming the first pitcher in the majors to reach seven wins, and the Seattle Mariners beat the Los Angeles Angels 3-0 on Wednesday night.

Red Sox score late in rain-soaked win over Tigers  —  BOSTON — Jarrod Saltalamacchia doubled off the left field wall in the eighth inning, scoring Carl Crawford from first and giving the Boston Red Sox their fifth straight win, 1-0 over the Detroit Tigers on a rainy Wednesday night.

Diamondbacks edge Braves 5-4 in 11 innings  —  PHOENIX - Ryan Roberts scored from third base on Justin Upton's grounder with a drawn-in infield to give the Arizona Diamondbacks a 5-4 win in 11 innings over the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday night.  —  Roberts beat second baseman Dan Uggla's throw home …

Byrd Helps Cubs Beat Marlins 7-5  —  MIAMI (AP) — Marlon Byrd hit a tiebreaking solo homer in the eighth inning, and the Chicago Cubs broke a three-game losing streak by beating the Florida Marlins 7-5 on Wednesday night.  —  Reed Johnson hit his third career pinch-hit home run for the Cubs to make the score 5-all in the sixth.