Ramiro Pena and B.J. Upton hit solo homers and Evan Gattis hit a grand slam as the Braves powered past the Twins, 8-3, on Wednesday afternoon for their sixth win in a row.
I don't know if this is a bad NBA draft or just a mediocre one that's been overly maligned, but I'm certain that it's an easy one for GMs to botch. There are no locks for stardom and only a few for starter-dom. There will be a few shrewd picks and far more flops, and no one will know on draft night which is which. Kentucky center Nerlens Noel is likely to go No. 1 because of his projectable defensive value, yet the Cavaliers are so enamored with him that they're already shopping their pick. When a frail center with limited offensive ability -- who's coming off an ACL tear and won't be available to play until Christmas -- is atop most big boards, it does not say much for the projectability of the rest of the Class of 2013.
Native Oklahoman Matt Kemp, who quickly pledged a donation after Monday's devastating tornado near his Oklahoma City hometown, upped the commitment on Wednesday, donating $250,000 to the relief efforts.
Brewers Minor League pitching prospect Damien Magnifico has a big right arm and, it turns out, a big heart. Magnifico took to Twitter on Tuesday, hoping to raise awareness of the disaster relief efforts under way in Oklahoma, and pledged to make a donation for every re-Tweet he received.