MLB scores and more: Price to DL, Venters can't avoid Tommy John, Astros tab Express Jr. for president

Thursday’s scores

Mets 5, Cardinals 2 - New York defeated Adam Wainwright and the streaking Cards with a four hit day from Daniel Murphy and a strong outing from right-hander Jon Niese. David Wright also drove in a pair.

Pirates 7, Brewers 1 - Travis Snider finally got off the schneid in the home run category, blasting two-run shot in the fifth to give the Bucs a lead they wouldn't relinquish. Francisco Liriano is now 2-for-2 in his starts this season.

Mariners 3, Yankees 2 - With Aaron Harang scratched, the M's had to turn to Hector Noesi and a rag-tag bullpen team to keep New York at bay. They did just that, and got support at the dish from Mike Morse and Dustin Ackley. Andy Pettitte left in the fifth with a back issue.

Red Sox 4, Rays 3 - Fernando Rodney's historic 2012 season is looking more and more like a crazy anomaly every outing. The Archer blew his third save of the year, conceding a three-run double to Will Middlebrooks with two outs in the ninth to take the loss.

Reds 5, Marlins 3 (F. 10) - Aroldis Chapman couldn't hold the one-run lead in the ninth after taking over for Mat Latos, so Cincy had to add three more in the tenth seal the victory over Miami. Brandon Phillips and Jay Bruce drove in all the runs for the Reds.

Rangers 10, Tigers 4 - So much for a pitching duel. Justin Verlander was rocked for eight runs in 2⅔, including a seven-run third. Yu Darvish didn't have his best stuff either, but still managed to go eight and get the win.

Giants 8, Rockies 6 - The home run bug continues to bite Matt Cain. The right-hander gave up three big flies in the first three frames to build up a six-run deficit, but then the offense came to the rescue with eight unanswered runs off of Jhoulys Chacin.

White Sox 5, Angels 4 - The Halos keep devising new ways to disappoint. Mike Scioscia called on right-hander Michael Kohn to preserve a 4-4 tie then watched as he walked three straight batters to cough up the lead. The third batter was Jeff Keppinger, who hadn't walked this season in 140(!) plate appearances.

Nationals 6, Padres 2 - If I told you that Stephen Strasburg had never thrown eight innings in a big-league game before last night would you believe me? Well, it's true, strange as it seems. The right-hander fanned just four but held the Friars to three hits.

The Big Three

1. There's a first time for everything. Tampa Bay Rays ace David Price was placed on the 15-day disabled list yesterday with a strain in his triceps, the first time he's been officially sidelined with an injury since joining the team in 2008. The southpaw was pulled from his start early on Wednesday and hasn't really shown his best stuff all season, posting a 5.24 ERA through his first nine starts. Fellow left-hander Alex Torres got the call from Triple-A to take Price's roster spot, though it's unclear whether he'll join the rotation.

2. After two months of trying to rehab his elbow sans operation, Braves lefty Jonny Venters finally resigned to having Tommy John surgery on Thursday. The news is not only a big blow to Atlanta's bullpen, but is also detrimental to the prospect of guys like Dylan Bundy avoiding TJS in the near future. Like Bundy, Venters had a PRP injection in his forearm to try to reduce the inflammation and spur healing in the elbow. The procedure is Venters' second in the last eight years.

3. The Houston Astros didn't take long to find a new team president. The club is expected to name Reid Ryan, the son of Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan, to the position on Friday. The move puts the Ryan family in a unique spot as they now run two teams in the same division, and oversee most of the professional baseball in the state of Texas. The family's control over baseball in the Lone Star state seems almost feudal, which is cool in a way but also makes me feel rather uneasy for some reason.