Sandy Alderson applauds ‘passionate’ Fred Wilpon; Angel Pagan expected to return to face Phillies  —  CHICAGO - After the Mets reacted Tuesday afternoon to Fred Wilpon's critical comments in The New Yorker magazine, and after the team fell, 11-1, to the Cubs, Sandy Alderson arrived in town and offered his take on the controversy.

Teixeira Has Winning Hit in 9th for Yankees  —  NEW YORK (AP) — Curtis Granderson had a tying RBI single in the ninth inning then stole second before Mark Teixeira singled him home to give CC Sabathia and the New York Yankees a 5-4 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday night.

Royals pitching great, broadcaster Splittorff dies  —  KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Paul Splittorff, the winningest pitcher in Kansas City Royals history and a popular broadcaster for the team, died Wednesday after a battle with oral cancer and melanoma, the club announced.

Bixler gets start in left field  —  MILWAUKEE — Brian Bixler was inserted into the starting lineup as the Nationals' left fielder on Tuesday night, the first time he has started in left during his Major League career.  —  Bixler, recalled from Triple-A Syracuse on April 23 …

Dodgers expected to bring up De La Rosa  —  Club hopes top pitching prospect can help beleaguered bullpen  —  LOS ANGELES — Rubby De La Rosa, the organization's top pitching prospect, is expected to be promoted to the Dodgers this week as a reliever because of the club's bullpen crisis.

Red Sox in no-win situation with Dice-K  —  is back in Japan, and if Boston Red Sox brass were slipped a dose of truth serum, they'd love for him never to return.  It's one thing to deal with a headache.  It's another to pay $103 million for it.  —  With his right elbow pained …

Quentin Hits 3 HRs, White Sox Outlast Rangers 8-6  —  ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Carlos Quentin hit three home runs and the Chicago White Sox beat the Texas Rangers 8-6 on Tuesday night in a game delayed nearly three hours by heavy rain and hail that sent the crowd hustling for cover all throughout the ballpark.

A's manager Bob Geren under spotlight now  —  The A's finally won a game Tuesday night, beating the Angels 6-1 to snap a six-game skid.  The aftermath of the first victory in a week provided relief for manager Bob Geren amid public criticisms from his closer.  —  Ex-closer, that is.

Games of the Day  —  Boston fans get a lunch-time treat as the Red Sox and Indians play the rubber game of their series at noon, with Jon Lester facing Mitch Talbot.  Despite his 6-1 record, Lester is in a bit of a slump, as he allowed 14 runs in his last three starts.  The Red Sox scored 28 runs in those games, however.

Nolasco, Marlins stop streaking Giants in 5-1 win  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Ricky Nolasco pitched scoreless ball into the ninth inning and the Florida Marlins quieted the streaking San Francisco Giants with a 5-1 victory Tuesday night.  —  Gaby Sanchez had a three-run double and Mike Stanton hit …

Avila's 2nd HR in 8th Gives Tigers 7-6 Win vs Rays  —  DETROIT (AP) — Alex Avila's second homer of the game gave the Detroit Tigers the lead in the eighth inning and they held on for a 7-6 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday night.  —  Miguel Cabrera hit a three-run homer in the fifth …

Adam Dunn on hitting slump: ‘This is ridiculous’  —  ARLINGTON, Texas — June is around the corner, and Adam Dunn still is fighting his way through a prolonged slump.  —  Dunn, who had three hits in his last nine games before Tuesday and was 0-for-30 against left-handers this season …

Nats' LaRoche has major shoulder issues  —  Nationals first baseman Adam LaRoche is in the DC area rehabbing his left shoulder.  He is hoping that he can avoid surgery, but that may be hard to do.  —  Not only does he have a large tear in his labrum, LaRoche also has a small tear in his rotator cuff.

Jay Bruce's 3-run double in 9th leads Reds over Phillies  —  PHILADELPHIA — Jay Bruce hit a tiebreaking, three-run double in the ninth inning and the Cincinnati Reds beat the Philadelphia Phillies 6-3 Tuesday night to snap a six-game losing streak.  —  The Reds had lost eight straight …

Jair Jurrjens shines as Braves beat Pirates 2-0  —  PITTSBURGH — Jair Jurrjens pitched six-hit ball into the eighth inning to lead the Atlanta Braves to a 2-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night.  —  Jurrjens (6-1) struck out four and walked one in 7 2-3 innings while dropping his ERA to 1.56.

Pujols: drought was overblown  —  “MY JOB IS TO HELP THIS TEAM WIN.  IT'S NOT TO GO UP THERE THINKING ABOUT HITTING THE BALL OUT OF THE BALLPARK.”  —  SAN DIEGO  • The day after snapping the longest home run drought of his 11-year career, Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols voiced frustration …