Versatile Romo helps hold off Yanks for 3-2 win  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Sergio Romo relieved in the eighth inning, shifted to third base when Jonny Venters replaced him in the ninth, then struck out Brett Gardner to end the game with two on and give the Tampa Bay Rays a 3-2 win over the New York Yankees on Wednesday.

Paul Konerko on Jim Thome: ‘He was everything they said he was — and more’  —  Paul Konerko celebrates a two-run homer with teammate Jim Thome in 2007.  “The truth is, when a guy like (Thome) comes to play for you, they can let you down in some regard,” Konerko said.  “But Jim was everything they said he was - and more.”

Carlos Rodon gem against Angels was White Sox starter's third straight strong outing  —  Chicago Tribune  —  White Sox catcher Omar Narvaez had to grin when asked how effective left-handed starter Carlos Rodon was Tuesday night in the 4-2 victory over the Angels.  —  “From the very beginning?”

Late error helps Cubs salvage series against D-backs  —  MLB: Arizona Diamondbacks at Chicago Cubs  —  Chicago Cubs on Thursday — scored the winning run as an eighth-inning pinch runner, leading the Chicago Cubs to a 2-1 win over the visiting  —  Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday afternoon at Wrigley Field.

Rockies reportedly acquiring RHP Seunghwan Oh from Blue Jays  —  The Rockies would only have to pay Oh about $500,000 for the rest of this season  —  According to multiple media reports, the Rockies are nearing a deal to acquire right-handed reliever Seunghwan Oh from the Toronto Blue Jays.

Plouffe's homer in 16th leads Phillies over Dodgers  —  PHILADELPHIA (AP) Trevor Plouffe hit a three-run homer off infielder Kike Hernandez with one out in the 16th inning as the Philadelphia Phillies outlasted the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-4 Tuesday night in a game that lasted nearly six hours.

Indians top Pirates 4-0, end Pittsburgh's 11-game win streak  —  CLEVELAND (AP) — Trevor Bauer struck out 10 over seven innings, Brad Hand got his first save for Cleveland and the Indians stopped the Pittsburgh Pirates' winning streak at 11 with a 4-0 win on Wednesday.

Lehigh Valley's Dean Anna knows what life is like as a career minor-leaguer  —  Dean Anna got the call to Joe Girardi's office during the last week of spring training in 2014.  The shortstop, after toiling in the minors, independent leagues, and internationally for a half-dozen years …

Mets minor-leaguer Tim Tebow says surgery on right hand successful  —  New York Mets minor-leaguer Tim Tebow said the season-ending hand surgery he underwent on Tuesday was a success.  —  “Doc said the surgery went well, so we got that going for me, which is nice,” Tebow said in a video posted Wednesday on Twitter.

Expect lots of haters when Josh Hader takes to the road starting Thursday  —  You're Josh Hader.  You've got four games coming up in San Francisco against the Giants, beginning Thursday.  And you just know you're going to get booed like you play for the damn Dodgers.

Major League Baseball wants to expand.  Montreal wants its Expos back.  —  The Washington Post  —  Major League Baseball is bound for expansion one of these days.  Commissioner Rob Manfred has kicked around the idea of a 32-team league for a while now and brought up the notion again during last week's All-Star festivities.

Andre Ethier Announces Retirement  —  Longtime Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier has decided to call it a career as 12 Major League seasons, as per a Dodgers media release.  The club will honor Ethier prior to their game on August 3. … Originally a second-round pick for the A's in the 2003 draft …

Cincinnati Reds win in Sal Romano's return, 7-3, take series from the St. Louis Cardinals  —  Sal Romano's short sabbatical from the starting rotation seemed to do him good.  —  Romano went six innings and allowed two runs on seven hits to beat the St. Louis Cardinals 7-3 before a crowd of 20,940 at Great American Ball Park.

Olney: Buyers or sellers?  These five teams need to decide now  —  Better than any of their peers, the good folks who run the Minnesota Twins' front office have demonstrated how wrenching the decision to buy or sell can be.  A year ago today, they decided to be buyers …

Padres' interest in Mets' star pitchers shows another trade option  —  The Padres checked in on Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard.  (The Athletic's Dennis Lin first reported the Syndergaard contact.)  —  San Diego, despite current non-contention, would consider a starter with multiple years …