The Twins activated outfielder Jason Repko from the disabled list on Friday to take the roster spot of Jim Thome, who was traded to the Indians on Thursday.

Justin Verlander — who can earn win No. 20 on Saturday against the Twins — says he isn't going to think about individual stats until the Tigers' season is over. That doesn't mean he believes they're not important.

More than 30,000 curious Major League Baseball fans watched and wondered, most of them on their office computers during a workday as the Rangers and Yankees played in the first game streamed on MLB.TV ten years ago.

Former Orioles left-hander, coach, executive and broadcaster Mike Flanagan was found dead on Wednesday on his Maryland property. He was 59.

B.J. Upton was not in the Rays' lineup for the third consecutive day Thursday because of a strained right shoulder. However, Upton continued to make progress, throwing before the game for the first time since suffering the injury.

Following Wednesday's 6-4 win — his club's second in as many games at Yankee Stadium — A's manager Bob Melvin found a joyful night turn somber upon learning of the death of friend and former Orioles teammate Mike Flanagan, who was just 59.

Only six times in big league history have as many as many as five pitchers posted a WHIP below 1.00 in the same season. Jered Weaver, Josh Beckett, Cole Hamels, Dan Haren and Justin Verlander are on pace to make it seven this year.

The Twins placed 40-year-old slugger Jim Thome on waivers on Monday. The Indians put a claim on Thome on Wednesday, according to reports. The only impediment keeping the Twins and Indians from discussing a trade for the designated hitter, however, could be a claim the White Sox may have made.

Together, aces are sending a message to executives everywhere: If you want an anchor for your starting rotation, you might be better off developing it yourself, as more hurlers are inking extensions instead of hitting the free-agent market.

In 2011, the magic has returned to Milwaukee. But this time, it doesn't have a fluky feel, and the Brewers have built a lead in the National League Central that has them in good position to punch their ticket to the postseason.

After 2010 was dubbed the Year of the Pitcher, this season has provided a powerful sequel by hurlers around the Majors, with statistics supporting a drop in the success of hitters in several categories.

There have few greater baseball humorists in the last 50 years than 1979 American League Cy Young Award winner Mike Flanagan, a New England iconoclast, as well as a brilliant pitching mind.

Relievers are an undeniable accessory to the crimes being committed this season against Major League hitters, as statistics have shown a drop in production among players at the plate.

Giants ace Tim Lincecum struck out seven over eight innings and knocked in the winning run in Wednesday's 2-1 victory over the Padres.

Jered Weaver tossed seven scoreless innings on Wednesday as the Angels beat the White Sox, 8-0, for their sixth straight win to move within 2 1/2 games of the AL West lead.

It was only fitting that Jeremy Guthrie — who wears the same No. 46 the late Mike Flanagan donned for 15 years with Baltimore — would pitch a gem in a 6-1 victory over the Twins on Wednesday.

The Tigers' Doug Fister will face off against Jeremy Hellickson of the Rays in the final game of a four-game set at Tropicana Field on Thursday, as Detroit seeks a series victory and Tampa Bay a split.