Betts homers 3 times as Red Sox beat Royals 5-4  —  BOSTON (AP) — Mookie Betts belted three solo homers and J.D. Martinez also went deep, powering the Boston Red Sox to a 5-4 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday.  —  It was the fourth three-homer game for the 25-year-old Betts …

Yankees' Jordan Montgomery could miss 6-8 weeks with forearm strain  —  HOUSTON - Yankees lefty Jordan Montgomery will be out of the rotation for six-to-eight weeks, having been diagnosed with a strained left flexor tendon.  —  Right-hander Domingo German is the immediate replacement for Montgomery …

Mets' deGrom leaves loss to Braves with hyperextended elbow  —  NEW YORK - Jacob deGrom was pulled after four dominant innings with a hyperextended right elbow, and the Atlanta Braves broke out against the bullpen to back a stellar start by Sean Newcomb and beat the New York Mets 7-0 Wednesday night.

Aaron Nola cements ace status, stops Phillies' skid by dominating Marlins  —  MIAMI — It started to happen last summer.  —  Pitch by pitch, start by start, every five days or so, Aaron Nola began to resemble the honest-to-goodness ace the Phillies lacked since they traded Cole Hamels midway through 2015.

Norris is back as closer with four-out save  —  Although he didn't say so, Bud Norris, who already had knocked off five saves in five tries, could have considered it a slap in the face when he was more or less removed as the Cardinals' closer even though he had done nothing wrong.

Edwin Encarnacion, Corey Kluber lead Cleveland Indians past Texas Rangers 12-4  —  Encarnacion homered three times and drove in six runs.  —  CLEVELAND (AP) - Edwin Encarnacion homered three times and drove in six runs, helping Corey Kluber and the Cleveland Indians beat the Texas Rangers 12-4 on Wednesday.

Yelich homers, Miley wins debut, Brewers sweep Reds 3-1  —  CINCINNATI (AP) — Wade Miley made a positive first impression in his debut with the Milwaukee Brewers.  —  Miley pitched six effective innings, Christian Yelich homered and the Brewers swept the sloppy Cincinnati Reds with a 3-1 win on Wednesday night.

Is Trevor Bauer hinting that the Astros are doctoring baseballs?  —  Cleveland Indians pitcher Trevor Bauer seemingly implied via Twitter on Tuesday that the world champion Houston Astros are using nefarious means to improve the performance of their pitching staff.

Fernando Romero wins MLB debut for Twins, 4-0 over Blue Jays  —  MINNEAPOLIS — Fernando Romero's major league debut for Minnesota carried the extra weight of a Twins team that won only once in its previous 12 games.  —  No pressure, kid.  —  Well, he sure didn't appear to feel any.

Cubs' Yu Darvish surrenders 2-run HR in 1st  —  Chicago Tribune  —  Albert Almora Jr. and Javier Baez returned to the topfof the Cubs' lineup Wednesday in the series finale against the Rockies at warm Wrigley Field.  —  Neither Almora nor Baez played in Tuesday's 3-1 loss that snapped a five-game winning streak.

Dodgers' Ryu leaves game with apparent injury  —  PHOENIX (AP) — Los Angeles starting pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu left the Dodgers' game against the Arizona Diamondbacks with an apparent injury in the bottom of the second inning Wednesday night.  —  Ryu stretched his legs before walking off …

Slumping Michael Conforto sitting for Mets, but outfielder believes he is close to snapping out of it  —  Michael Conforto was out of the lineup Wednesday night in part to try and snap him out of his start-of-the season slump.  The outfielder was five for his last 31 at-bats (.161) …

Tom Ricketts looks to stamp 'family's legacy' on Wrigley Field and neighborhood  —  Cubs owner Tom Ricketts talks with members of the press while attending the eighth annual Bricks & Ivy Ball at Navy Pier to benefit Cubs Charities Wednesday April, 18 2018.  (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)

Yoenis Cespedes snaps chain sliding into 2B, leaving diamonds on the diamond  —  NEW YORK — Yoenis Cespedes left it all on the diamond Wednesday night — or, at least, probably several thousand dollars' worth of diamonds.  —  The New York Mets slugger snapped his glitzy necklace during …

Bundy allows 3 homers in Orioles' 10-7 loss to Angels; loss is club's 14th in past 17 games  —  The Orioles lose to the Angels, 10-7.  (Denise Sanders, Baltimore Sun video)  —  Orioles right-hander Dylan Bundy took the mound Wednesday night hoping to put the memories of his worst big league start behind him.

Harper homers, Strasburg whiffs 11 as Nats top Pirates 9-3  —  Bryce Harper hit a leadoff homer and drove in three runs,  —  Stephen Strasburg struck out 11 and the  —  Pittsburgh Pirates 9-3 on Wednesday night for their fourth straight win.  —  Matt Adams clubbed his third homer in two games for Washington.