MLB News Blog

A pregame pep talk from their manager helped the Philadelphia Phillies get back on track. Pedro Feliz hit a grand slam, J.A. Happ pitched effectively into the sixth inning and the Phillies moved closer toward clinching their third straight NL East title with a 7-4 victory over the Houston Astros on Tuesday night.

A pregame pep talk from their manager helped the Philadelphia Phillies get back on track. Pedro Feliz hit a grand slam, J.A. Happ pitched effectively into the sixth inning and the Phillies moved closer toward clinching their third straight NL East title with a 7-4 victory over the Houston Astros on Tuesday night.

Scott Kazmir has been scratched from his scheduled start for the Los Angeles Angels, who want to give their new left-hander a little extra rest for the postseason. Sean O'Sullivan replaced Kazmir about two hours before the Angels faced the Rangers on Tuesday night. Los Angeles clinched its sixth playoff berth in eight seasons Monday [...]

The Catch might not have been a catch after all. Clint Barmes returned from a day off in the mountains with his family Tuesday to learn that doubt had been cast upon his sensational game-ending grab that cinched the Colorado Rockies' victory over the St. Louis Cardinals 48 hours earlier. The second baseman's tumbling catch [...]

The Texas Rangers have shut down outfielder Josh Hamilton for the remainder of the season to rest the pinched nerve in his back. The Rangers announced the decision Tuesday. They began the day six games behind Boston in the AL wild-card standings with six games to play. Texas manager Ron Washington says Hamilton's back currently [...]

Red Sox right-hander Josh Beckett says he feels a lot better after getting scratched Monday night because of back spasms. Beckett said Tuesday that he's ready to pitch. His next start is scheduled for Saturday. Beckett is 16-6 and has already pitched a career-high with 207 1-3 innings. Boston began the night with a magic [...]

The AL Central race got even wilder. Orlando Cabrera hit a go-ahead single in the 10th inning after a pair of wild pitches and the Minnesota Twins closed within one game of first-place Detroit, beating the Tigers 3-2 Tuesday in the opener of a day-night doubleheader. "This is playoff baseball — we just got started [...]

The AL Central race got even wilder. Orlando Cabrera hit a go-ahead single in the 10th inning after a pair of wild pitches and the Minnesota Twins closed within one game of first-place Detroit, beating the Tigers 3-2 Tuesday in the opener of a day-night doubleheader. The Twins trailed Detroit by seven games only two [...]

Former major leaguer Chuck Knoblauch has been charged with assaulting his common-law wife. A judge set Knoblauch's bond at $10,000 after he appeared in court Tuesday. According to a criminal complaint, Knoblauch's wife told police he hit her in the face and then choked her at their Houston home on Friday.

Bobby Valentine is returning to ESPN as an analyst on "Baseball Tonight" for the league championship series and World Series. ESPN announced Tuesday that the former New York Mets manager will assume a larger role in the 2010 season. Valentine recently ended a six-year run as manager of the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan's Pacific [...]