Brad Mills Pulls ‘Waxahachie Swap’ Tuesday Night  —  Tuesday night in Denver, Astros manager Brad Mills made one of the most unusual moves a manager will occasionally make, sending his relief pitcher to right field for one batter, then bringing him back to the mound.

Sources: Giants claim Padres' Heath Bell off waivers  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Four people with knowledge of the situation say the San Francisco Giants have claimed San Diego closer Heath Bell off waivers.  —  They spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Wednesday …

Why Did Joe Girardi Play for One Run in a Two-Run Game?  —  In the bottom of the ninth inning of Tuesday night's game against the A's at Yankee Stadium, the Yankees trailed 6-3 entering the frame.  Jorge Posada led off with a solo home run off of A's closer Andrew Bailey, closing the deficit to 6-4.

Mets beat Phillies, snap losing streak  —  PHILADELPHIA — Mike Pelfrey threw six effective innings, Nick Evans and David Wright homered and the New York Mets snapped a five-game losing streak with a 7-4 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday.  —  The Mets avoided a sweep with their sixth win in 23 games.

The case for bringing back Ivan Rodriguez  —  As his two-year, $6 million contract is coming to an end, Ivan Rodriguez wants to play for the Nationals next season.  Rodriguez has maintained all year he wants to finish out his career in Washington, and he reiterated that desire last week.

Pirates' Ryan Ludwick goes on DL with back spasms  —  PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Pirates left fielder Ryan Ludwick has gone on the 15-day disabled list with muscle spasms in the middle of his back.  —  Ludwick sat out Tuesday's 11-4 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers then underwent an MRI on Wednesday morning …

Kevin Kouzmanoff comes home with Rockies, starts today's game  —  His name has bounced around the Rockies' front office for years.  And now, Kevin Kouzmanoff's name is on a plate above a locker in the Rockies' clubhouse.  —  “It's a good place to be,” said Kouzmanoff, who will start at third base today and bat sixth in the lineup.

Kershaw wins 16th, Dodgers rip Cardinals 13-2  —  ST. LOUIS (AP)—Up eight runs after three innings, Clayton Kershaw(notes) went right after the hitters.  —  The 23-year-old lefty won his National League-leading 16th game and Rod Barajas(notes) homered twice in the Los Angeles Dodgers' 13-2 victory …

LoMo tweets: ‘Boogeyman is back’  —  Outfielder set to return for doubleheader  —  MIAMI — Logan Morrison will be back in a Marlins uniform when the club plays a doubleheader Wednesday against the Reds.  —  The 23-year-old outfielder tweeted at 6:23 p.m Tuesday night.: “6pm flight to FLL.

TYA Interview With Marc Carig  —  Marc Carig is the beat writer covering the Yankees for the Newark Star-Ledger, as well as a columnist for Baseball Prospectus.  He also interacts with fans and other writers through his twitter account @Ledger_Yankees, and is one of the most accessible and engaging beat guys you will come across.

And down the stretch they come  —  The Red Sox and Yankees are virtually tied for first place in the American League East.  Let's take a look at which team may have the edge down the stretch in terms of the schedule:  —  RED SOX (78-50)  —  Games remaining: 34  —  Home/road: 19/15

Cards attendance down almost 3,000 a game  —  The Cardinals have the fourth highest attendance decline in the major leagues at nearly 171,000, or 2,843 a game, before Tuesday night's game here.  The troubled Los Angeles franchise leads with a dropoff of more than half a million fans from this time last year.

Blackburn expected to pitch again this season  —  MINNEAPOLIS — Twins right-hander Nick Blackburn saw a specialist on Tuesday to examine the results of an MRI taken on his injured right forearm, and received good news, according to Twins trainer Rick McWane.

Kansas City rises up on the road to stop Jays  —  TORONTO— From Wednesday's Globe and Mail  —  Maybe it was the unsettling trade news from earlier in the day, but Brandon Morrow was certainly off his game Tuesday night against the Kansas City Royals.  —  The Royals arrived at Rogers Centre …