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 …

Jamie McCourt wants Dodgers sale  —  LOS ANGELES — Attorneys for former Los Angeles Dodgers CEO Jamie McCourt have asked a judge to order the sale of the team in order to prevent a possible seizure of the club by Major League Baseball from her ex-husband.  —  Jamie McCourt filed court …

Carlos Peguero's sun hit in 9th gives Seattle 2-1 win  —  SEATTLE - Nine-time Gold Glover Torri Hunter lost Carlos Peguero's fly ball with two outs in the ninth inning in the sun, allowing Jack Cust to score and give the Seattle Mariners a 2-1 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday afternoon.

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 …

Quote: Murph on the play at first  —  In the ninth inning of today's game, Justin Turner made a diving stop and threw out Jayson Werth at first for the second out of the inning.  The play preserved the Mets' one-run lead.  Replays showed, however, that Daniel Murphy's foot came off the bag.

Orioles Put Regulars Lee and Roberts on Disabled List  —  BALTIMORE (Reuters) - The bench strength of the Baltimore Orioles will be put to the test after the American League East club placed regulars Derrek Lee and Brian Roberts on the disabled list on Thursday.

No surgery for Daisuke Matsuzaka  —  Plan is to rehab sprained elbow  —  Rehab, and not surgery, is expected to be enough to get Daisuke Matsuzaka [stats]'s sprained right elbow healthy again, a team source said yesterday, but it might be July before he will pitch for the Red Sox [team stats].

Morneau leads Twins as Minnesota sweeps Athletics  —  OAKLAND, Calif. — Justin Morneau homered and had three hits and Rene Rivera hit his first home run in nearly five years, and the suddenly resurgent Minnesota Twins beat the Oakland Athletics 11-1 on Thursday.

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.

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.

Posada at 1B, batting 7th for Yankees vs. O's  —  BALTIMORE — Jorge Posada is back in the New York Yankees lineup, but not at DH.  —  Manager Joe Girardi has Posada in the field for the initial time this year — at first base.  Posada is batting seventh, followed by Nick Swisher and Brett Gardner.

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 …

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 …

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.