Volquez, Votto Lead Reds Over Marlins

Rays at the head of the class—Rockies, Marlins at the back

(NEWSER) - Report card time! Here’s how the rambunctious kids of MLB are doing so far, in Yahoo Sports’ Steven Henson’s estimation. A students—Rays, Red Sox, Cubs, Angels, White Sox Particular kudos go to the Rays, the poor kid who went to the head of the class. B students—Cardinals, Brewers, Twins, Phillies, Yankees, Athletics, Marlins, Orioles The Cardinals have a slight edge in the wildcard race. The Yankees, meanwhile, barely scrape together a B. More»

(NEWSER) - The Cincinnati Reds blew a six-run lead in the ninth, but Paul Janish singled home the tiebreaking run in only his second big-league at-bat for a 7-6, 10-inning victory over the Florida Marlins on Wednesday night. Renyel Pinto (1-2) walked two with two outs before Janish, who arrived from the minors earlier in the day, singled to right field to end it, raising his right fist in triumph. More»

(NEWSER) - Jeff Keppinger and Brandon Phillips hit two-run homers in the seventh inning Monday night, breaking open a tied game and sending right-hander Aaron Harang to a long-awaited victory, 8-7 over the surging Florida Marlins. The Marlins arrived with a seven-game winning streak and the best record in the major leagues. More»

Deal is for 10 years, $250 million

(NEWSER) - The Los Angeles Angels made two huge splashes today, snatching up two of the biggest free agents on the market: Albert Pujols and CJ Wilson. Pujols has agreed to a 10-year deal worth between $250 and $260 million, a source tells Yahoo! Sports . Depending on the exact number, it may be the second-biggest baseball contract ever—behind Alex Rodriguez's $275 million deal with the Yankees—and according to ESPN, it includes a full no-trade clause. More»

(NEWSER) - The biggest move on today’s baseball trading deadline looks to be one that wasn’t made, Fox Sports reports: Toronto kept ace right-hander Roy Halladay, who’d drawn interest from contenders in both leagues. The biggest name dealt was right-hander Jake Peavy, sent from San Diego to the Chicago White Sox for four young pitchers, Sports Illustrated notes. More»