Zito's Return Ruined by Nady's Homer

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) - For Barry Zito, a no-decision became a positive thing _ a sign of progress. Lance Berkman is too much for any pitcher to handle right now. Hunter Pence hit a go-ahead sacrifice fly in the seventh, Berkman had a tying two-run homer off Zito and the surging Houston Astros beat the San Francisco Giants 7-3 on Monday night for their fourth straight victory. More»

Bay equalizes, LaRoche smacks go-ahead single in 5-4 win

(NEWSER) - Adam LaRoche hit a go-ahead single in a three-run seventh inning, and the Pittsburgh Pirates rallied to beat the San Francisco Giants 5-4 for a three-game sweep. Pittsburgh has won 13 of its last 15 games against San Francisco and swept three-game series from the Giants in three straight seasons, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. More»

Struggling pitcher had 7.53 ERA during 0-6 start

(NEWSER) - Barry Zito was demoted to the bullpen Monday by the San Francisco Giants, who hope the former ace can correct his problems by working in relief. Zito, who only 16 months ago signed a $126 million, seven-year contract with the Giants to lead their rotation, was informed of the move in a meeting with manager Bruce Bochy. More»

Giants lefty winless in first six starts for first time in his career

(NEWSER) - Edinson Volquez struck out a career-high 10 in seven innings, Brandon Phillips homered twice and the Cincinnati Reds roughed up Barry Zito in a 10-1 win over the San Francisco Giants on Sunday. Volquez (4-0) allowed one run and five hits to win his third consecutive start, and Ryan Freel's two-run single keyed a six-run first inning for Cincinnati. More»