>>Nationals Acquire Papelbon From Phillies
The Washington Nationals have a new closer, landing All-Star Jonathan Papelbon from the Philadelphia Phillies.
That means their newly demoted closer isn't happy.
And the NL East race is shaping up to be a whole lot of fun down the stretch.
On the night the Nationals got Jayson Werth and Ryan Zimmerman back from long stints on the disabled list, they also landed Papelbon from the Phillies and wasted no time announcing that he will be taking over the closer duties from Drew Storen. It didn't help Washington any Tuesday night, as the Nationals lost to the Miami Marlins 4-1.
Washington's loss, combined with the New York Mets' win over San Diego, cut the Nationals' lead in the NL East to one game.
>>A's Ship Utilityman Zobrist To Royals
Back in college, Ben Zobrist once kicked Ned Yost out of his apartment.
He'll now play for Kansas City's manager.
The Royals made another big addition for the season's stretch run on Tuesday, acquiring the versatile Zobrist and nearly $2.6 million from the Oakland Athletics for right-hander Aaron Brooks and minor league left-hander Sean Manaea.
The 34-year-old Zobrist, an infielder and outfielder, batted .268 with six home runs and 33 RBIs in 67 games for the A's, who are in last place in the AL West after three straight playoff seasons.
He joins a Royals team that leads the AL in wins and has an eye on winning the World Series after losing in seven games to the San Francisco Giants last October.
Just like that, Zobrist went from a 56-loss team to a title contender. It's the second big move in three days by the Royals, who acquired ace Johnny Cueto from Cincinnati on Sunday.
>>Mets P Mejia Suspended 162 Games For Failed Drug Test
Just back from an 80-game drug suspension, New York Mets reliever Jenrry Mejia was banned for an additional 162 games Tuesday by Major League Baseball following a second positive test for performance-enhancing substances.
The right-hander was suspended April 11 after testing positive for Stanozolol and said in a statement then "I can honestly say I have no idea how a banned substance ended up in my system."
This time he tested positive for Stanozolol and Boldenone, the commissioner's office said less than an hour before the first pitch of New York's 4-0 victory over San Diego. The two penalties cost Mejia $2,112,869 of his $2,595,000 salary this season.
Mejia returned to the mound July 12 and was 1-0 in seven games, pitching 7 1-3 scoreless innings. Because of the first suspension, he would have been ineligible for the postseason this year - if the Mets make it that far. He would, however, be eligible for the 2016 postseason.
