Daniel Murphy homered and had three runs batted in to help John Maine and the Mets rout the Nationals.

On a day the Red Sox are asking a rookie pitcher to make his big-league debut on three days rest, as they are with 28-year-old knuckleballer Charlie Zink on Tuesday, its obvious what motivated general manager Theo Epstein to make a deal with the

After cruising through his first two seasons at Miami (Fla.), Dennis Raben was a talent that many scouts had eyed. Then Raben showcased his abilities with a wood bat in the Cape Cod League in 2007 and it seemed like he was headed for the first round of the 2008 draft. It was not to be. Raben pulled a muscle in his back and was shelved until March of this year, then hit just .292 with 10 home runs the rest of the way. His first round dreams never materialized.

The United States? game against Korea on Wednesday night, its first in perhaps the final Olympic baseball competition, satisfied supporters and detractors alike.

CLEVELAND (AP)Asdrubal Cabrera is leading the Cleveland Indians on another August winning streak. Cabrera hit a tiebreaking RBI single in the eighth inning to help the Indians beat the Baltimore Orioles 7-5 Tuesday night for their fifth straight win.

The Third Amigo rode a little longer, but his trip also ended in the major leagues.

John Maine worked five innings and gave up one hit while walking four batters and striking out six.

CLEVELAND (TICKER) While the Cleveland Indians continue to trudge through a rebuilding process, they are giving their prospects a chance to compete at the major league level. The Indians recalled lefthander Zach Jackson from Class AAA Buffalo on

Each time that Orioles manager Dave Trembley receives a minor league report, usually tossed on his desk for his reading pleasure, it contains the same glowing words about catcher Matt Wieters.

Nomar Garciaparra hit a one-out homer in the bottom of the ninth Wednesday night, lifting the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 7-6 come-from-behind victory over the Philadelphia Phillies.