Braves Blank Rockies 9-0 – MLB Roundup For Aug. 1st

UNDATED (AP) — Baseball's non-waiver trade deadline has passed, but the clock is ticking for possible steroid suspensions.

Major League Baseball is threatening to kick Alex Rodriguez out of the game for life unless the New York Yankees star agrees not to fight a lengthy suspension for his role in baseball's latest drug scandal, according to a person familiar with the discussions.

The source added that whether Commissioner Bud Selig would actually issue a lifetime ban was unclear, and baseball officials know a permanent ban could be shortened by arbitrator Fredric Horowitz. Based on past cases, people involved believe Horowitz might cut a lifetime ban to about 200 games.

The Yankees expect Rodriguez to be accused of recruiting other athletes for the clinic, attempting to obstruct MLB's investigation, and not being truthful with MLB in the past. He's the biggest name that's in the middle of baseball's probe of Biogenisis, the out-of-business anti-aging clinic.

Among the others who have been mentioned as part of the investigation are Padres All-Star shortstop Everth Cabrera, Tigers All-Star shortstop Jhonny Peralta and Toronto's Melky Cabrera. None of them would say whether baseball plans to suspend them.

UNDATED (AP) — The Major League Baseball trade deadline came and went without the usual flurry of activity. The Baltimore Orioles and Arizona Diamondbacks were the only playoff contenders to swing a deal hours before the deadline.

The Birds have acquired right-hander Bud Norris from Houston to help bolster a rotation that will be without injured Jason Hammel for what could be an extended period. The Orioles are sending outfielder L.J. Hoes and left-handed prospect Josh Hader to the Astros for Norris, who is 6-9 with a 3.93 ERA this season.

Hammel is being placed on the 15-day disabled list with a flexor mass strain in his right forearm.

The Diamondbacks have sent struggling right-hander Ian Kennedy to the San Diego Padres for left-handed reliever Joe Thatcher, a minor leaguer and a draft pick.

Kennedy is winless over the last two months and 3-8 with a 5.23 ERA in 21 starts this season, two years after going 11-4.

Thatcher is 3-1 with a 2.10 ERA in 50 games this season.

The Astros also pulled off a deal with Kansas City, sending outfielder Justin Maxwell to the Royals for minor league pitcher Kyle Smith. Maxwell is hitting just .241 with two homers and eight RBIs in 40 games this season, but that includes a .302 average against left-handed pitchers.

In other major league news, reliever Brian Wilson has signed his one-year contract with the Dodgers and will join the team following a minor league rehab assignment. Wilson hasn't pitched in the majors since April 12, 2012, the same month he underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow.

Tampa Bay has placed All-Star pitcher Matt Moore on the 15-day disabled list with a sore left elbow, three days after he left his last start after five innings. The 24-year-old left-hander is tied for second in the American League with 14 wins and an .824 winning percentage, and he's third in opposing batting average at .212.

Yovani Gallardo's (yoh-VAH'-nee gy-AHR'-dohz) strained left hamstring has landed the Milwaukee Brewers pitcher on the 15-day disabled list. The injury forced Gallardo to leave the Brewers' 6-5 victory over the Cubs on Tuesday in the fifth inning.

The St. Louis Cardinals have placed catcher Yadier (YAH'-dee-eer) Molina on the 15-day disabled list due to a sprained right knee that's bothered him for more than a month. Molina left a 6-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night after the third inning and flew to St. Louis on Wednesday for further examination. He is third in the National League with a .330 batting average.

Detroit slugger Miguel Cabrera sat out Wednesday's rout of Washington after aggravating his strained lower abdomen on Tuesday. The injury is related to the hip problem that caused him to miss four games last week.

Los Angeles Angels reliever Sean Burnett won't pitch again this season because of a torn flexor tendon in his left elbow. Burnett has been on the disabled list since May 28

UNDATED (AP) — The Atlanta Braves now have their largest division lead in nine years following their sixth consecutive win.

Mike Minor scattered two hits in seven innings as the Braves ripped Colorado 9-0. Minor didn't walk a batter or allow a runner past first base in his 11th win of the season.

Brian McCann hit a three-run homer while Atlanta scored seven times in the third inning. Freddie Freeman added four hits and two RBIs as the Braves moved 11 games ahead of second-place Washington in the National League East.

Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh Pirates added another game to their NL Central lead. Russell Martin singled home the tiebreaking run in the bottom of the eighth to push the Bucs to a 5-4 win over St. Louis. Neil Walker went 2-for-4 with a solo homer and two runs scored to help the Pirates beat the Cardinals for the fourth time in three days and move 2½ games ahead of the Redbirds.

The Cardinals dropped their seventh in a row despite grabbing leads of 2-0, 3-2 and 4-3.

Also in the majors, Alex Avila hit a two-run homer and Torii Hunter added a solo shot while Detroit was scoring five times in the second inning. Hunter went 4-for-5 with three RBIs for the Tigers, who also put together a five-run fourth in sweeping the two-game series. Justin Verlander improved to 11-8 despite tying a season-high with five walks in just six innings.

Cleveland remains 2½ games behind the AL Central-leading Tigers after rallying for a 6-5 win over the Chicago White Sox. Carlos Santana won it with a leadoff homer in the bottom of the 10th, one inning after Michael Bourn and Jason Kipnis hit sacrifice flies to set up the Indians' ninth walkoff win.

Brett Oberholtzer picked up his first major league win by holding Baltimore to three hits in seven innings of Houston's 11-0 romp over Baltimore. Jason Castro hit a grand slam and Matt Dominguez delivered a career-high four hits, including a home run.

Toronto took the rubber match of its three-game series in Oakland this afternoon as Jose Bautista doubled home the tiebreaking run in the 10th inning of the Blue Jays' 5-2 triumph against the Athletics. Colby Rasmus added a two-run single in the 10th to help the Jays hand the A's only their fourth loss in 11 games.

Adrian Beltre homered in the bottom of the ninth to lift Texas past the Los Angeles Angels 2-1. Nelson Cruz also homered for the Rangers, who completed a three-game sweep in which they won each on walkoff homers to pull within four games of the AL West-leading A's.

Wade Miley gave up just two hits while striking out eight over 6 1/3 innings of Arizona's 7-0 shutout of Tampa Bay. Eric Chavez had three RBIs and Paul Goldschmidt socked his 24th homer as the Diamondbacks halted a three-game skid and pulled within 2 ½ games of the NL West-leading Dodgers.

The Dodgers lost for just the seventh time in 34 games as the New York Yankees scored three runs in the ninth to beat Los Angeles 3-0. Lyle Overbay snapped a scoreless tie with an RBI single before scoring on a two-run error by second baseman Mark Ellis.

Boston now leads the AL East by a half-game over the Rays after the Red Sox beat Seattle 5-4 on Stephen Drew's RBI single in the bottom of the 15th. Dustin Pedroia (peh-DROY'-uh) belted a two-run homer and had three RBIs in the Red Sox's

Brandon Phillips homered and Joey Votto (VAH'-toh) hit a two-run double as Cincinnati downed San Diego 4-1 to avoid a three-game sweep and end the Padres' four-game winning streak. Homer Bailey allowed no earned runs over 8 1/3 innings after entering the game 0-4 with a 4.68 ERA in four starts since his no-hitter on July 2.

The Phillies lost for the ninth time in 10 games as Brett Pill went 3-for-5 with a solo homer and four RBIs in San Francisco's 9-2 rout of Philadelphia. Chad Gaudin (goh-DAN') held the Phillies to a run and four hits in seven innings.

Henderson Alvarez allowed two runs and six hits in 7 1/3 innings to pitch Miami past the New York Mets 3-2. Jake Marisnick put the Marlins ahead to stay with his first big league homer, a solo homer in the second inning.

Anthony Rizzo hit a two-run homer and the Chicago Cubs avoided a four-game sweep by downing Milwaukee 6-1. David DeJesus had three RBIs to back Edwin Jackson, who gave up only one run on eight hits in eight innings.