Masterson beats former team again as Indians down Red Sox  —  BOSTON - Justin Masterson struck out nine and again beat his former team, Carlos Santana hit a go-ahead home run and the Cleveland Indians topped the Boston Red Sox 7-3 Thursday night.  —  The loss dropped Boston into a tie with the Yankees for the AL East lead.

Tim Stauffer, Padres blank Dodgers 3-0  —  SAN DIEGO - Tim Stauffer shut down the Dodgers for 6 1-3 innings, Jason Bartlett homered and the San Diego Padres averted a three-game sweep by beating Los Angeles 3-0 Wednesday night.  —  Bartlett, who had three hits, broke a scoreless tie …

Cubs' 7-6 Win Completes 4-Game Sweep of Pirates  —  PITTSBURGH (AP) — Carlos Pena hit one of Chicago's three home runs and walked with the bases loaded during a three-run eighth-inning rally as the Cubs won their season-high fifth straight, a 7-6 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday night.

Padres should trade Bell in August  —  Three options remain for the Padres with closer Heath Bell, none of them appealing:  —  1) Sign Bell to a contract extension, which the team has declined to do even though Bell has said he is willing to accept a steep discount.

Blue Jays call up Brett Lawrie  —  Canadian infielder Brett Lawrie will soon make his long-awaited debut with the Toronto Blue Jays.  —  The team selected his contract from Triple-A Las Vegas shortly after the Jays dropped a 7-6, 12-inning decision to the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday afternoon.

Jays relievers cough up late leads, Rays win in extras  —  The Sports Network  —  St. Petersburg, FL (Sports Network) - Robinson Chirinos singled home the game-winning run with two outs in the bottom of the 12th inning to lift Tampa Bay over Toronto, 7-6, in the rubber match of a three-game set.

MLB investigating Alex Rodriguez's reported involvement in high-stakes, illegal poker games  —  Major League Baseball wants A-Rod to show his cards about whether he played in illegal poker games, officials said Wednesday.  —  MLB investigators and the FBI are looking into a supermarket tabloid report …

Rob Dibble will not shut up about Stephen Strasburg and the Nationals  —  Fired as the Nationals' television analyst in the middle of last season after saying Stephen Strasburg should “stop crying” and “suck it up” to play through what proved to be a torn elbow ligament that required Tommy John surgery …

Ogando helps Rangers end 3-game losing streak  —  DETROIT—Alexi Ogando shut down Detroit once again and the Texas Rangers ended a three-game losing skid by topping the Tigers 5-2 Thursday in a matchup of AL division leaders.  —  Ogando (11-5) allowed two runs in 6 1-3 innings, walking none and striking out seven.

Ozzie candid about future with White Sox  —  CHICAGO — During the first day of SoxFest '11 in late January, the White Sox picked up the 2012 contract option for Ozzie Guillen.  —  Yes, the organization was all-in with its outspoken but successful manager for next year before the present season even began.

Postgame notes: “Five days to be better, and I will be better”  —  A.J. Burnett should have won tonight.  Shoot, anyone should have won tonight.  He had a 13-1 lead before he walked to the mound in the third inning, but he still couldn't last long enough to get a decision.

Angels remove struggling Pineiro from rotation  —  ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Los Angeles Angels pulled struggling pitcher Joel Pineiro from their starting rotation before Thursday's game with the Minnesota Twins.  —  Angels manager Mike Scioscia said Pineiro will work out of the bullpen …

Cards' Molina suspended five games  —  Since the incident happened in Milwaukee, I thought Brewers fans may be interested in this news release from Major League Baseball:  —  St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina has been suspended for five games and fined an undisclosed amount …