Pirates take chance on Bell in second round  —  Add another bat and two pitchers in rounds 3-5  —  PITTSBURGH — Before the 2011 First-Year Player Draft began, Josh Bell sent a letter to the Major League Scouting Bureau advising teams not to draft him, because the Jesuit High School slugger …

Harper's arrogance is just what baseball needs  —  Baseball's greatest villain is an 18-year-old minor leaguer with a heinous mustache, an equally off-putting mullet and the scent of someone who emptied a bottle of Eau du Arrogance all over himself.  —  And you know what?  He's exactly what the sport needs.

Red Sox closer Papelbon banned for 3 games  —  NEW YORK — Boston Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon has been suspended for three games and fined an undisclosed amount in the aftermath of Saturday's ejection by plate umpire Tony Randazzo.  —  MLB announced it was banning Papelbon on Tuesday because of …

Rockies OF Fowler goes on DL with abdominal strain  —  DENVER—The Colorado Rockies have placed slumping outfielder Dexter Fowler on the 15-day disabled list due to a left abdominal strain.  —  To take his place, the team purchased the contract of outfielder Charlie Blackmon from Triple-A Colorado Springs.

Indians' right-hander Carrasco dominant in win over Twins  —  CLEVELAND — Carlos Carrasco took a shutout into the ninth inning and the Cleveland Indians pushed across an unearned run to defeat the Minnesota Twins 1-0 Tuesday night.  —  Carrasco (5-3) gave up three hits …

Agent: Ramirez won't give up no-trade clause  —  Although the Chicago Cubs may consider a youth movement if their struggles continue, the agent for Aramis Ramirez says the veteran third baseman isn't inclined to drop his no-trade clause.  —  Ramirez is in the final year of a five-year, $75 million contract.

Vernon Wells activated from DL  —  ANAHEIM, Calif. — The struggling Los Angeles Angels activated outfielder Vernon Wells from the 15-day disabled list before Tuesday night's game with the Tampa Bay Rays, hoping four weeks off can ignite Wells' bat and lift them from their offensive doldrums.

Teixeira hit by pitch on knee, exits game  —  NEW YORK — Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira left Tuesday's game against the Red Sox after being hit on the right knee by a first-inning Jon Lester pitch.  —  Teixeira fell to the ground in obvious pain after the drilling, lying on his back at home plate for several moments.

Orioles use homers, pitching to beat skidding Athletics  —  BALTIMORE — J.J. Hardy, Luke Scott and Adam Jones hit solo homers, Chris Jakubauskas pitched five shutout innings and the Baltimore Orioles beat Oakland 4-0 Tuesday night to stretch the Athletics' losing streak to a season-high eight games.

A pair of rookies help Dodgers beat Phillies  —  PHILADELPHIA—Rubby De La Rosa pitched five effective innings in his first career start and Dee Gordon had three hits in his first start, helping the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Philadelphia Phillies 6-2 Tuesday night.

Pirates come back to beat Diamondbacks 8-5  —  PITTSBURGH - Lyle Overbay hit a three-run double to cap a five-run eighth inning and the Pittsburgh Pirates rallied for an 8-5 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday night.  —  Arizona was in position for its seventh consecutive road win …

Jeter would ‘love’ to reach 3K hits while at home  —  NEW YORK — Derek Jeter said he would “love” to reach 3,000 hits on the New York Yankees current 10-game homestand.  Jeter is 14 hits shy of becoming the first Yankee to reach the mark.  —  “I would love to do it here,” …

D-backs' Vasquez, Gibson handed suspensions  —  Major League Baseball handed down suspensions to D-backs pitcher Esmerling Vasquez and manager Kirk Gibson for their involvement in Sunday's intentional throwing incidents between the Nationals and the D-backs, the league announced Tuesday afternoon.

Player Q&A: Jose Reyes talks focus, Wright & Tejada  —  Last week, MetsBlog's Rich Coutinho talked with Reyes for a one-on-one conversation about keeping focus on the field; missing David Wright; staying healthy; and the development of Ruben Tejada; which you can read here: