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 …

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.

Lackey proves cool in the heat  —  His sizzling stuff stifles Rangers  —  ARLINGTON, Texas - John Lackey was in his element last night.  —  Pitching in withering 100-degree heat, before a luxury suite full of family and friends, in a town where played collegiately, Lackey helped …

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.

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 …

Alex Rodriguez out with sprained thumb  —  NEW YORK — New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez was scratched from the lineup on Tuesday night with an injured left thumb.  —  The Yankees said X-rays on Rodriguez's thumb were negative, and he is day to day to with a sprain.

Critics fuel Big Papi's historic production  —  Dustin Pedroia(notes) struts around the Boston Red Sox clubhouse, 5-foot-nothing with a balding head and a sharp tongue that's his answer to Napoleon's gun.  From afar, David Ortiz(notes) steals a look at his teammate, one of the wonders of the modern baseball world, and marvels.

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.

St. Louis Cardinals' Matt Holliday is in joking mood day after moth flew into his ear  —  ST. LOUIS — The moth that forced Matt Holliday from the outfield is done causing mischief.  What remained of the offending bug was tucked inside a sandwich bag, perfect for TV cameras …

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

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.

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.

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 …