MLB News Blog

Jason Schmidt, plagued by self-doubt, wasn't sure he wanted to be on the mound. Six scoreless innings, his longest start in more than two years, lifted Schmidt's spirits and Andre Ethier hit a homer and drove in four runs to lift the Los Angeles Dodgers past the Atlanta Braves 5-0 on Friday night.

Matt Holliday had four hits for the second time in his eight games with the St. Louis Cardinals and scored the go-ahead run on Rick Ankiel's eighth-inning single in a 4-3 victory over the Houston Astros on Friday night. Pinch-hitter Matt Kata's RBI single put Houston ahead in the top of the eighth, before the [...]

Jason Schmidt gave up one hit in his longest start in more than two years, Andre Ethier hit a homer and drove in four runs and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves 5-0 on Friday night. Schmidt, Ramon Troncoso, George Sherrill and James McDonald combined on a three-hitter. McDonald retired the final six [...]

Roy Halladay is staying with the Toronto Blue Jays — at least for now. On a day that featured several last-minute trades before baseball's non-waiver deadline, Halladay was the most talked-about player who wasn't dealt away. Toronto listened to offers for the ace right-hander, but didn't find anything suitable.

Pedro Martinez allowed five runs — four earned — and three hits in five innings of a rehab start Friday night for the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs, the Philadelphia Phillies' top minor league affiliate. Using a fastball that reached 93 mph on the stadium radar gun and an effective changeup, Martinez breezed through four innings [...]

Reds pitcher Bronson Arroyo admits he took amphetamines. Whether that put him on the 2003 list of players who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs, he says he's not sure. "What I said was anybody could be on the list," Arroyo said before Cincinnati played Colorado on Friday night.

Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz fended off further questions Friday about his 2003 drug test, saying he needed more time to gather information. "I am trying to find out what's going on. When I get my stuff together, I'll let you guys know," Ortiz said before the Red Sox faced the Baltimore Orioles.

Roger Clemens' ex-trainer has sued the former star pitcher for defamation. In the lawsuit filed Friday in federal court in Brooklyn, Brian McNamee (MAK'-nah-me) accused Clemens of launching a public campaign to discredit him after the trainer claimed Clemens used steroids. McNamee has told federal agents, baseball investigator George Mitchell and a House committee that [...]

When Florida Marlins slugger Hanley Ramirez learned only minutes before the trade deadline that the team had added a hitter, he threw a fist, grinned and shouted, "Yeehaw!" It's fair to say Nick Johnson will be warmly received by his new teammates. Florida acquired the first baseman and cash from the last-place Washington Nationals for [...]

Tampa Bay right-hander Matt Garza has been fined an undisclosed amount for hitting New York Yankees slugger Mark Teixeira with a pitch. Rays executive vice president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said before Friday night's game against Kansas City that he received an e-mail from Major League Baseball with the penalty.