The Angels and White Sox, two of the sport’s heaviest disappointments through the first quarter of the season, are sharing Angel Stadium through Sunday, and both have reasons to believe there’s light at the end of the tunnel.

Torpedoed by the Rangers’ seven-run third inning, Justin Verlander failed to complete at least three innings for only the fourth time in his career during a 10-4 loss on Thursday night.

The Rangers knocked out Justin Verlander with a seven-run third inning and Yu Darvish earned his seventh win of the season with 10-4 victory over the Tigers.

The Red Sox were down to their last strike when Will Middlebrooks reversed their fortunes dramatically. The slugger turned on a 1-2, 85-mph changeup from Rays closer Fernando Rodney with two outs in the top of the ninth and drilled a three-run double that led Boston to a 4-3 victory on Thursday in the rubber match of a three-game set.

Travis Snider hit a two-run, fifth-inning rocket over the right-center-field wall to back starter Francisco Liriano, and it was all the offense that the Pirates would need in a 7-1 win over the Brewers Thursday night at PNC Park.

Michael Morse cracked his 10th home run of the season, and the Mariners pitching staff pieced together a strong effort Thursday in place of the injured Aaron Harang as Seattle topped the Yankees, 3-2, in a game that crackled with suspense down to the final pitch.

National League RBI leader Brandon Phillips drove in two key runs Thursday night to help the Reds win their sixth straight and complete a series sweep of the Marlins.

Reid Ryan’s hiring as team president is a stroke of genius by Astros owner Jim Crane. It makes sense on so many levels that it’s difficult to know where to start.

White Sox left-hander Chris Sale nearly pitched a perfect game against the Angels on Sunday night, and remarkably he was pitching with an abscessed tooth.

Right fielder Jayson Werth was scheduled to play for Class A Potomac on Thursday, but he went to see his doctor in New York because he felt tightness in his right hamstring.

Yankees left-hander Andy Pettitte was forced to leave Thursday’s 3-2 loss to the Mariners after 79 pitches with a tight left trapezius muscle, which spans the neck, shoulders and upper back area. Pettitte and manager Joe Girardi held out hope that he won’t have to miss his next start.

Left-hander Jeff Francis, who pitched six sterling innings of one-run ball against the Cubs on Tuesday, went on the disabled list Thursday with a left groin strain.

Red Sox reliever Joel Hanrahan underwent surgery on Thursday to repair his flexor tendon and also had Tommy John surgery.

The Nationals placed catcher Wilson Ramos on the 15-day disabled list with a left hamstring strain and recalled catcher Jhonatan Solano from Triple-A Syracuse.

Forty games do not provide a very big sample. All kinds of weird things can happen in six or seven weeks of baseball, so here is a look at a few eye-popping, early-season performances, good and bad, and their likelihood of continuing.

The Rangers placed right-hander Alexi Ogando on the 15-day disabled list with right biceps tendinitis on Thursday.

Less than a year ago, very few baseball fans had heard of Brewers shortstop Jean Segura. A quarter of the way through the 2013 season, Segura is on the short list of best young players you need to watch whenever you get the chance.