Nationals Improve to .500 by Beating Mariners 2-1  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — John Lannan and the Washington Nationals found yet another novel way to keep their winning ways going, beating the Seattle Mariners 2-1 Wednesday night with a pair of unearned runs off Erik Bedard.

Brewers lose to Rays 6-3, Roenicke calls foul on Milwaukee's tough interleague schedule  —  MILWAUKEE — After dropping two of three games in a road trip to Boston, the Milwaukee Brewers did the same thing at home against Tampa Bay.  —  A trip to New York to take on the Yankees looms next week.

Cliff Lee dominates, Phillies beat Cardinals 4-0  —  ST. LOUIS - Cliff Lee threw a six-hitter for his second straight shutout and the Philadelphia Phillies got homers from Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard in the fourth inning of a 4-0 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday night.

Braves complete sweep of Blue Jays  —  Brandon Beachy had a career-high 11 strikeouts in his return from the disabled list, Dan Uggla and Brian McCann hit two-run homers, and the Atlanta Braves completed a sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays with a 5-1 victory Wednesday.

Cubs' Kasper signs five-year extension  —  Broadcaster Len Kasper has signed a five-year extension to remain as the Cubs' TV play-by-play man through 2016.  —  The 40-year-old Kasper was in the final year of his current deal, but there was little doubt he'd be staying around for a long time.

Kennedy gets eighth win, lifts Diamondbacks over Royals  —  KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Ian Kennedy pitched six strong innings and Xavier Nady hit an RBI double, helping the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Kansas City Royals 3-2 Wednesday night.  —  Kennedy (8-2) allowed one run on eight hits …

Trumbo drives in go-ahead run and Angels beat Marlins  —  MIAMI — Mark Trumbo hit a two-out RBI single in the 10th inning, and an uncharacteristic succession of clutch hits helped the Los Angeles Angels beat the Florida Marlins 6-5 Wednesday night.  —  The Angels went 5 for 14 with runners …

Hafner's 2-run HR lifts Indians over Rockies 4-3  —  CLEVELAND—Josh Tomlin came through with another quality outing and designated hitter Travis Hafner hit a two-run homer in his last start for a while, leading Cleveland to a 4-3 win over the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday night before the Indians leave for three NL cities.

Vanderbilt Ousts Carolina From C.W.S. With 5-1 Win  —  OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Now comes the really hard part for Vanderbilt.  —  The Commodores extended their first appearance at the College World Series with a 5-1 victory over North Carolina on Wednesday night.

NEW BOOK ANNOUNCEMENT: The Definitive History of the Montreal Expos  —  I'm thrilled to announce that I've agreed to terms with Random House Canada to write my next book: The Definitive History of the Montreal Expos.  The book is tentatively slated for release in the spring of 2014 …

Lyon to have season-ending surgery  —  ARLINGTON — Astros relief pitcher Brandon Lyon is expected to miss the rest of the season after it was announced Wednesday he will undergo shoulder surgery next week in Pensacola, Fla., a procedure that will be performed by noted orthopedist James Andrews.

O'Dowd may seek pitching help at Deadline  —  CLEVELAND — Rockies general manager Dan O'Dowd is in the early stages of determining if the Rockies will seek help via trade, but he acknowledged that losing No. 2 starter Jorge De La Rosa last month to a season-ending elbow injury has created a void.

Video: Marine Colonel Jokes About Killing Roy Halladay  —  Since it's Marine Week in St. Louis - a chance for the military to show its might and stage a giant PR event near one of the most impoverished cities in America, East St. Louis - several hundred military folk were at last night's Phillies …

Frank McCourt's lawyer: Don't force us to sue  —  The commissioner of baseball ought to sit down and negotiate with Frank McCourt instead of forcing the Dodgers owner to file a lawsuit, the attorney for McCourt said Tuesday.  —  Bob Sacks, the attorney, also said McCourt would not surrender control …

Homer Happy Tigers Beat Dodgers 7-5 to Avoid Sweep  —  LOS ANGELES (AP) — Casper Wells opened the game with one of four home runs by Detroit and defensive replacement Austin Jackson made an over-the-shoulder catch on Dioner Navarro's bases-loaded drive for the final out, sending the Tigers past the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-5 Wednesday.