Nishioka batting third for Twins in Target Field debut  —  Tsuyoshi Nishioka is batting third for the Twins today, and playing shortstop, for his Target Field debut.  —  Instead of moving Ben Revere and Alexi Casilla out of the top two spots in the lineup, Manager Ron Gardenhire has decided to slot Nishioka behind them.

Final: Red Sox 3, Rays 0  —  Game over: Red Sox 3, Rays 0  —  It will be overshadowed by the Stanley Cup Final, but Josh Beckett was sensational tonight in tossing one-hitter.  His performance was certainly right there with recently great starts by Detroit's Justin Verlander, the Angels' Jered Weaver and Tampa Bay's James Shields.

Soriano advised to rest before resuming rehab  —  NEW YORK — Yankees right-hander Rafael Soriano is getting closer to continuing a throwing program, but he has been advised to rest until next week.  —  Manager Joe Girardi said that Soriano threw on Tuesday and seemed better …

Gee, 3 Mets Relievers Shut Out Braves, 4-0  —  ATLANTA (AP) — Dillon Gee combined with three relievers for a two-hit shutout, Angel Pagan hit a two-run homer and the surging New York Mets beat the Atlanta Braves 4-0 on Wednesday night.  —  Gee gave up one hit in four innings …

Gorzelanny likely to return to Nats on Sunday  —  WASHINGTON — The Nationals optioned right-hander Yunesky Maya to Triple-A Syracuse on Wednesday, a day after his fourth start in place of Tom Gorzelanny.  The Nationals will likely activate Gorzelanny from the 15-day disabled list Sunday for his start.

Pirates' Snyder and wife in Banksville road rage  —  A Good Samaritan helped subdue a man who police said attacked the wife of injured Pirates catcher Chris Snyder at a Banksville gas station Wednesday afternoon even as the man struggled, bit him and threw a shoe in his direction.

Angels cut ties with Scott Kazmir  —  Once-promising left-hander acquired in a trade with Tampa Bay in 2009 could not overcome control problems on the mound.  Club will eat the remainder of his $14.5-million contract for this season.  —  Reporting from Seattle — The Scott Kazmir error came …

Bumgarner Strong, Giants Beat D-Backs Again 5-2  —  PHOENIX (AP) — Madison Bumgarner went six innings and got enough run support for a change, helping him pitch the San Francisco Giants past the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-2 Wednesday night.  —  Bill Hall singled home the go-ahead run in the sixth …

Paul, Walker Propel Pirates to 7-3 Win Over Astros  —  HOUSTON (AP) — Pinch-hitter Xavier Paul doubled, then stayed in the game and hit a two-run homer and single Wednesday night as the Pittsburgh Pirates moved over .500 with a 7-3 win over the Houston Astros.

Ricky Romero solid, Jays hit 3 homers to top Orioles 4-1  —  TORONTO - Ricky Romero allowed three hits in eight innings, Adam Lind, Yunel Escobar and Juan Rivera each hit home runs, and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Baltimore Orioles 4-1 on Wednesday night.

Slumping Indians beat Tigers with solid pitching, Cabrera's hits  —  DETROIT — Orlando Cabrera had three hits, including a go-ahead double in the fifth inning, and the Cleveland Indians beat the Detroit Tigers 6-4 on Wednesday night.  —  Cleveland (36-30) pulled back ahead of Detroit …

Unlucky Break Hands Angels 3-1 Loss to Seattle  —  SEATTLE (AP) — Torii Hunter has a pretty good idea of what he'd like to do with Seattle's Carlos Peguero after another lucky break went the way of Seattle's young slugger.  —  “This dude has a lot of luck. ...  I need to take him to the casino.

Hernandez Throws 3-Hitter, Morse Homers Twice  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Livan Hernandez pitched a three-hitter, Michael Morse homered twice and doubled, and the Washington Nationals routed the St. Louis Cardinals 10-0 Wednesday night for their fifth straight win.

Simple stats to evaluate teams, players  —  Most Major League Baseball teams have their own statistical systems that blend complex formulas, algorithms, sabermetrics and old-school statistics.  Several clubs are also in the process of inventing complex GPS-driven fielding statistics …

Prince Fielder would consider Cubs in free agency  —  Despite a rivalry with the Cubs that has at times seemed personal, Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder said Tuesday he hasn't ruled out the Cubs as a possible destination if he reaches free agency this fall.