Cincinnati trades for Edmonds

The N.L. Central-leading Cincinnati Reds have made a move to try to strengthen their outfield for a playoff run, getting Jim Edmonds from Milwaukee for outfielder Chris Dickerson.

The trade gives the Reds a veteran outfielder as they try to fend off the St. Louis Cardinals and reach the playoffs for the first time since 1995.

Edmonds, 40, batted .286 with eight homers and 20 RBIs in 73 games with the Brewers. He played center field Monday night and went 0 for 4.

Cubs’ Silva undergoes heart procedure

Chicago Cubs pitcher Carlos Silva has undergone a procedure called cardiac ablation to correct a problem with his heart rate.

Silva underwent the approximately two-hour surgery at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, performed by Dr. Bradley Knight. Without the procedure, the rapid heart rate could have recurred at any time.

He was discharged from the hospital after what the team called a normal period of observation.

Silva spent a night in a Denver hospital Aug. 1 after the right-hander left in the first inning of his start that day against the Colorado Rockies with an abnormal heart rate. He was placed on the disabled list the following day.

The Cubs expect Silva, who is 10-5 with a 3.92 ERA this season, to begin light physical activity this week and start a throwing program early next week.

Fan sues Mets, claims broken bat injuries

A New York Mets fan who says a flying piece of a broken baseball bat shattered his face is suing the team and Major League Baseball.

James G. Falzon’s lawsuits say the severed barrel of a maple bat became “a dangerous projectile” and broke bones in his face during an August 2007 Atlanta Braves game at the former Shea Stadium. He’s seeking unspecified damages.

Falzon says the team, the league and Rawlings-brand bat maker the Jarden Corp. should have done more to protect fans from break-prone maple bats.

The defendants declined to comment.

A Major League Baseball committee in 2008 found maple bats were three times as likely to break in multiple places as traditional ash bats. The league has since set new bat production standards.

Falzon’s lawsuits were filed Friday in Manhattan.

Rays put Niemann on 15-day disabled list

The Tampa Bay Rays placed pitcher Jeff Niemann on the 15-day disabled list before last night’s game against the Detroit Tigers.

Niemann missed his scheduled start Sunday with a strained right shoulder. Niemann is 10-3 with a 3.12 ERA in 22 starts.

To replace Niemann, the Rays recalled reliever Mike Ekstrom from Triple-A Durham.