Giants designate Rowand, Tejada … SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Outfielder Aaron Rowand and infielder Miguel Tejada have been designated for assignment by the San Francisco Giants, a major shake-up for the stumbling defending World Series champions.  —  The Giants made the moves Wednesday …

Father Time and the Philadelphia Phillies  —  The 2011 Phillies are great, but an aging lineup makes their future look bleak  —  There's never been a better time to be a Philadelphia Phillies fan.  Granted, the bar has been set pretty low.  —  The Phillies, after all, are the losingest franchise in major league history.

Shields scatters four hits over eight as Rays beat Rangers  —  ARLINGTON, Texas — James Shields pitched eight shutout innings, Johnny Damon homered and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the AL West-leading Texas Rangers 4-1 on Wednesday night.  —  Shields (13-10) allowed four hits …

Pedro Strop is player to be named  —  Pedro Strop, a hard-throwing right-hander who has appeared in 25 games for the Texas Rangers in the past three seasons, is the player to be named later in Wednesday's deal that sent Michael Gonzalez to the Texas Rangers, according to an industry source.

Twins Hold On for 7-6 Win Over White Sox  —  CHICAGO (AP) — Jason Kubel and Luke Hughes homered during Minnesota's six-run first inning, and the Twins beat the White Sox 7-6 on Wednesday to snap Chicago's five-game winning streak.  —  Kubel and Hughes each hit a two-run shot off Jake Peavy …

Red Sox Beat Yankees 9-5 Behind Beckett, 3 Homers  —  BOSTON (AP) — Jacoby Ellsbury hit a tie-breaking two-run homer in the sixth inning, Josh Beckett improved to 4-0 against the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox came from behind for a 9-5 win on Wednesday night.

Happ pitches seven strong innings as Astros blank Pirates  —  HOUSTON — J.A. Happ allowed three hits and struck out six over seven innings and the Houston Astros beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 2-0 on Wednesday night for a sweep of the three-game series.  —  Despite having the worst record in baseball …

Derek Lowe hits HR, earns win as Braves beat Nats 3-1  —  ATLANTA - Two milestone home runs - Chipper Jones' 450th and Derek Lowe's first - gave Atlanta the early lead and Lowe combined with three relievers on a three-hitter as the Braves beat the Washington Nationals 3-1 on Wednesday night.

Such a tease: Albert Pujols taunts, denies Brewers fan a souvenir  —  No matter if he's killing the Milwaukee Brewers with another home run, or flashing his Gold Glove at first base, St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols(notes) hasn't made a lot of friends at Miller Park over the past decade.

D-Backs Top Rockies 4-2 for Ninth Straight Win  —  PHOENIX (AP) — Miguel Montero hit a three-run homer for the second straight game and the Arizona Diamondbacks won their ninth in a row by beating the Colorado Rockies 4-2 on Wednesday night.  —  Josh Collmenter (9-8) limited the Rockies …

Dodgers beat Padres, 4-2, for eighth win in nine games  —  Their record improves to 65-70, the first time the team has been within five games of .500 mark since June 12.  Rod Barajas leads offense with a two-run homer; starter Ted Lilly struggles but gets win.

Franco to Piazza for first pitch before game on Sept. 11  —  “John Franco will throw out the ceremonial first pitch to Mike Piazza during the September 11 remembrance ceremony before the Mets host the Cubs at Citi Field,” the team just announced.  —  The team says they will mark …

John Lackey, Red Sox insist they weren't throwing at Francisco Cervelli, but didn't mind hitting him  —  BOSTON - The Red Sox insist they were not trying to hit Yankees catcher Francisco Cervelli with the first pitch of the seventh inning, a play that brought both teams out of their dugouts and bullpens.

Busy Braves get Wilson from Seattle  —  ATLANTA — General manager Frank Wren fulfilled his desire to upgrade the depth of his middle infield on Wednesday night, when he acquired veteran infielder Jack Wilson from the Mariners for a player to be named.  —  Wren made the announcement …

Alvarez shines as Blue Jays beat Orioles 13-0  —  BALTIMORE—Henderson Alvarez allowed three hits in eight innings to become the youngest Toronto starter to win a game since 1979, Jose Bautista led a four-homer attack with his 39th of the season, and the Blue Jays beat the Baltimore Orioles 13-0 Wednesday night.