Following a 15-2 drubbing at the hands of the Rangers on Tuesday, the White Sox were pretty happy to have Chris Sale on the mound Wednesday. MORE: Dee Gordon doesn’t realize he’s safe, gets tagged out | Anti All-Stars | NL MVP Watch The Chicago ace threw seven shutout innings to lead the Sox to a 9-2 win over Texas. The three-time All-Star struck out 13 batters with two walks and allowed just three hits....

MLB odds: Baseball lines from Las Vegas The NL East is the only division in baseball where none of the teams have scored more runs than their opponents. Getting 94 wins from the Nationals (31-30 through Friday’s games), the number posted by Las Vegas prior to the season, doesn’t look promising for OVER bettors. What was supposed to be a runaway division win by Washington is now a tight battle, with third-place Atlanta only 3....

MLB betting: Live odds from Las Vegas | Key trends After Tuesday’s 9-1 win, the Cardinals are now 35 games over .500, but have only a 4.5-game lead in the NL Central over the dangerous Pirates. The Cubs, who currently ride a six-game win streak, are only 6.5 games behind. The Cards have been forced to take their game up a notch to maintain their division lead, as this division sports the three best records in the NL....

MLB odds: Current baseball betting lines Despite the Rangers winning seven of Rodriguez’s past eight starts, it’s Santiago who comes in the -117 favorite. In addition to each team’s current form, which includes the Angels winning five of their last six games, Santiago has allowed one or no runs in nine of his 15 starts this season and has held opponents to a .214 batting average. Despite only four wins to his record and the Angels going just 8-7 in his starts, he’s a great candidate to make the All-Star roster....

St. Louis Cardinals -116 (@ Chicago Cubs)John Lackey vs Jake Arrieta The Cardinals completed the sweep of the Marlins last night and seem unbreakable at the moment. They’ve managed to turn games to their favor even if not playing well, showing a lot of mental strength. The Cubs have played well and are positioned to grab one of the wild-card spots in the NL. We are expecting a close game with both teams starting reliable pitchers and boasting good lineups....

Welllll . . . MORE: 10 worst MLB ballparks of all time, ranked | Beane top-ranked GM The A’s, shockingly, are now in danger of missing the play-in game. After a 5-4, 12-inning loss to the White Sox on Monday, they’re just 1 1/2 games ahead of the Tigers for the second wild-card spot with 19 games remaining. Their lead over the Mariners for the first wild-card spot is down to a game....

The Astros’ long-haired outfielder was responsible for the first run of the 2015 postseason, a no-doubt solo home run off Masahiro Tanaka in the second inning of the AL wild-card game in Yankee Stadium. MORE: Chase Utley, translated | Playoff fun facts | Best photos from ALDS It was a sign of things to come, apparently. Rasmus hit another homer in the Astros’ next contest, an eighth-inning shot in Game 1 of the ALDS in Kansas City....

With the Cubs knocking off the Giants in Game 4 of the National League Division Series on Tuesday night, ending the reign of even-year magic in San Francisco, there are five teams left in the baseball playoffs. The most recent World Series winner among the group: Toronto in 1993. MORE: 14 playoff oddities Also alive are the Dodgers, last victorious in 1988; Cleveland, which hasn’t won since 1948; the Nationals, looking for their first championship in franchise history and Washington’s first since the 1924 Senators....

THE RUMOR: The Orioles have an ongoing dialogue with center fielder Colby Rasmus. REPORTED BY: FOX Sports’ Jon Morosi. THE DETAILS: Morosi says the Orioles also are talking with other left-handed hitting outfield options. The Orioles lost right fielder Nick Markakis to the Braves and are looking for a replacement. Rasmus is a good option as he’s listed as No. 22 on Sporting News’ top 25 MLB free agents this offseason....

To set the scene: Tampa Bay, down a run, loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the ninth against Detroit closer Francisco Rodriguez. Steven Souza Jr. had a chance to win, but struck out “swinging.” MORE: Tigers-Rays Game Center Rays manager Kevin Cash raced out of the dugout, demanding to know why plate umpire Larry Vanover didn’t check with the first base umpire. Vanover, naturally, ejected the skipper....

The LVH SuperBook is always to first bet shop in town to post MLB season win totals for the eager professional bettors waiting to wager on their opinions. On Sunday, the SuperBook released the numbers for all 30 teams, as well as several player propositions and division odds. LVH manager Ed Salmons has sifted through every transaction during the winter to help him come up with the numbers that have the Los Angeles Dodgers posted with the highest win total at 93....

The 2015 MLB trade deadline has passed. Here’s what happened on a busy day: MORE: Most memorable deadline day deals, ever LATEST MLB TRADE DEADLINE RUMORS — Cespedes to Mets — Morse to Pirates — Hunter to Cubs — Padres have entered a cone of silence — The Doubront blockbuster we’ve all been waiting for — Adding to the Jay Bruce mystery — Cubs trade: blockbuster or B-list? — Upton staying in San Diego...

Ichiro still is on the roster in the Bronx, due $6.5 million for 2014. The 40-year-old outfielder is 258 hits away from 3,000 in his major league career after reaching the milestone of 4,000 combined in MLB and Japan this past season. That career highlight was a happy part of an otherwise lousy season, as Ichiro hit .262/.297/.342 with a career-low 136 hits for the season. With Beltran joining an outfield that includes fellow free agent signee Jacoby Ellsbury, as well as holdovers Brett Gardner and Alfonso Soriano, the Yankees have a choice to make between Ichiro and Vernon Wells, because they currently have six outfielders under contract....

St. Louis has done its “due diligence” on Giants lefty Tony Watson, according to The Athletic. It is unclear if this means the team is heavily pursuing him, but it likely means the Cardinals have scouted a few of his outings and have made a decision as to whether or not he would fit in with the pitching staff. Watson is 2-0 with a 2.85 ERA in 44 games this season....

The Orioles have a superstar shortstop they’re willing — and motivated — to deal. Is this match going to work? There are complications, but this almost makes too much sense not to. Manny Machado is a superstar free-agent-to-be who is having a fantastic season for a team that’s otherwise been pretty disappointing (Dylan Bundy is an exception). He’s not re-signing with the Orioles; he’s expected to command a free-agent deal possibly worth north of $300 million....

The problem with having good young players, though, is those players eventually have to get paid. The Pittsburgh front office tried to extend their window of contention, signing Andrew McCutchen, Josh Harrison, Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco to longer-term deals. Some worked out, some haven’t. MORE: Ranking the most important January trades since 2000 The Pirates haven’t even reached 80 wins the past two seasons, and that same front office has difficult decisions to make....

Leake is set to make $9.775 million in his final year of salary arbitration. The 27-year-old is 3-4 with a 4.35 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 82 2/3 innings, but pitches in one of the most hitter-friendly parks in baseball. MORE: Baseball’s worst everyday players Cueto is the bigger name, but also will have a higher price tag. Numerous teams reportedly are interested in the 29-year-old with a 4-4 record and 2....

The Mets right-hander leads MLB with his 1.68 ERA and he tops the NL with his 2.33 FIP, to go with 149 strikeouts and only 90 hits allowed in 123 1/3 innings pitched. He’s allowed one or fewer earned runs in 14 of his 19 starts this season. It feels like a long time ago, but when deGrom and his Mets were in the playoffs, he was outstanding, rolling up a 2....