Pudge's pro attitude as backup helps Nats  —  NEW YORK — The Nationals are grateful they are not going through a catching controversy like the Yankees experienced with catcher Jorge Posada recently.  —  Last month, Nationals catcher Ivan Rodriguez took the news well after manager Jim Riggleman told …

Jake Peavy basks after redemptive start  —  CHICAGO — It was hard to tell who had a better night at U.S. Cellular Field on Wednesday, Jake Peavy or his doctor.  —  It appeared to be a draw as Peavy and surgeon Antony Romeo hugged following Peavy's dominating shutout over the best-hitting team …

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.

Holliday, Berkman suffer injuries vs. Astros  —  Left fielder's left quad tightens up; right fielder hurts right wrist  —  ST. LOUIS — The Cardinals lost both of their starting corner outfielders to injuries during Wednesday's 5-1 win over the Astros.  —  Left fielder Matt Holliday departed …

Gee flirts with no-hitter; Mets blank Nationals 1-0  —  NEW YORK (AP) — Dillon Gee shut down Washington once again, tossing hitless ball until pitcher Livan Hernandez grounded a clean single with two outs in the sixth inning, to lead the New York Mets over the Nationals 1-0 Thursday.

Aubrey Huff willing to play 3rd  —  (05-18) 04:00 PDT Los Angeles — It's so crazy, it just might work.  Why not move Aubrey Huff to third base and recall Brandon Belt to play first?  —  The idea supposedly came up as a way to ignite the offense, and might gain more traction following …

Slowed by Injuries, and Weather, the Mets Push Through to Victory  —  Before thousands of empty green seats, with black storm clouds practically tripping over the light stanchions at Citi Field, the Mets left-hander Jon Niese threw his first pitch at 7:11 p.m. Wednesday, even though it might have made more sense to take the night off.

Bernie: Cards' success breeds jealousy  —  What's the deal with the Cardinals and grumpy old broadcasters?  First we heard from Houston's Milo Hamilton, yelling something about Lance Berkman's physical conditioning.  And then the Cincinnati curmudgeon, Marty Brennaman …

Cubs almost twins  —  Series features teams with much in common  —  The Cubs and Red Sox are baseball cousins.  Along with RBI, ERA, and OPS, the Cubs and Red Sox share DNA.  Stephen King once told us that a Cubs-Red Sox World Series would be a sign of the apocalypse.

Another Yankee Contract Set to Expire  —  After Nearly 4,000 games in the Radio Booth, John Sterling's Contract Ends This Season; a Few Words for His Critics  —  For months, the Yankees have struggled to deal with a delicate matter: the inevitable winding down of two of the team's cornerstone players, Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada.

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.

Jamie McCourt is expected to ask judge to order sale of the Dodgers  —  Her position is that her ex-husband, Frank, has endangered the value of shared asset, two people familiar with divorce case say.  If granted, request could spare MLB from decision on seizing club.

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 …

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.