Truth & Rumors > MLB

07:06 AM ET 05.03 | Quite a day for Clay Buchholz, who was named pitcher of the month and defended how he got there. [Buchholz] denied a claim made by former major league pitcher and current Toronto radio broadcaster Dirk Hayhurst that Buchholz "slathered" a foreign substance on himself that he used to doctor the ball in Wednesday's 10-1 Boston win over the Blue Jays. Buchholz was announced as the American League pitcher of the month for April on Thursday afternoon. "There's a rosin bag behind the mound and it's there for everybody to use every inning after our warm-up," Buchholz said. ... "Sometimes I put a little thing of water on my hip just to get moisture on your hands. Cause sometimes the balls that they throw to you feel like cue balls off a pool table."

MassLive.com

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07:05 AM ET 05.03 | After starting the year as Milwaukee's closer, John Axford is now no longer manager Ron Roenicke's "go-to" reliever in the eighth inning, either. The Brewers' former closer had worked his way back into a setup role with a string of strong performances, but that ended Wednesday when he surrendered four eighth-inning runs to allow Pittsburgh to pull off a 6-4 victory. On Thursday, Roenicke said Jim Henderson would remain the closer but those used in front of him would vary according to the hitters coming up. "I think what we'll do instead of just figuring out where he's going to be, right now Henderson will be the closer," Roenicke said. "The other guys, we'll look at the lineups."

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

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07:04 AM ET 05.03 | Technically, it was the Colorado Rockies that signed veteran Roy Oswalt, but it was a minor-league deal. In 12 seasons, Oswalt is 163-96 with a 3.28 ERA in the major leagues. He is 4-0 with a 2.25 ERA at Coors Field. The immediate plan is for him to report to extended spring training in Scottsdale. He will be evaluated at each step and could go from there to Double-A Tulsa. There are no guarantees the 35-year-old Oswalt will pitch for the Rockies. He has to show that he can be healthy and effective. The Rockies pursued him last offseason before he signed with the Rangers. He struggled with Texas, losing his rotation spot and finishing 4-3 with a 5.80 ERA.

The Denver Post

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09:29 AM ET 05.02 | Washington Nationals starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg has been dealing with arm tightness, but he was given a clean bill of health and did not suffer any structural damage to his throwing arm. Strasburg threw a light session in the bullpen on Wednesday night at Turner Field and, much to the delight of the Nationals, he was symptom free. It looks like Strasburg will be able to keep his spot in the rotation and make his scheduled start on Saturday against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

FanSided.com

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09:38 AM ET 05.02 | The Washington Nationals have been without right fielder Jayson Werth after he fouled a ball off of his ankle on Monday. The 33-year-old outfielder was held out of Tuesday and Wednesday's games against the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field, but there is some reason for optimism that he will be able to return soon. Werth underwent X-rays during his time off and the news the team received was very comforting. The X-rays came back negative.

FanSided.com

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