A look at what’s happening around the majors Wednesday:

STEPPING DOWN

The Mets march on in their difficult season a day after learning general manager Sandy Alderson had effectively stepped down because his cancer has returned. Officially William Jackson Jersey , Alderson will take a leave of absence, but he said Tuesday that he was essentially ending his tenure both for his health and because he doesn’t think he’s been successful enough to continue. Assistant general manager John Ricco and special assistants J.P. Ricciardi and Omar Minaya will run the club’s baseball operations in Alderson’s absence. Minaya preceded Alderson as Mets general manager, and Ricciardi was GM of the Toronto Blue Jays from 2001-09.

CAIN NOT ABLE

Lorenzo Cain is missing the chance to face his former teammates this week due to a left groin strain. The Brewers center fielder was placed on the disabled list Tuesday, just as Milwaukee opened a series against Kansas City. Cain left the Royals last offseason for an $80 million, five-year deal with the Brewers, and he’s batting .291 with eight homers, 48 RBIs, 16 stolen bases and an .832 OPS for the NL Central leaders.

MAKING BELIEBERS

Indians rookie Shane Bieber is off to a strong start and gets his first interleague test in a game against St. Louis. The right-hander is 2-0 with a 2.45 ERA through three starts, including seven scoreless innings against Detroit last time out. Bieber has 22 strikeouts and three walks in 18 1/3 innings after walking just 18 batters in 274 career minor league innings. The Cardinals will counter with another promising young righty, Jack Flaherty (3-2, 2.50).

HEATING UP

Dallas Keuchel (4-8, 3.90) has been the weakest link in Houston’s rotation – which says more about the Astros than Keuchel – but he’s been sharp of late. Over his past two starts, he’s thrown 12 innings without allowing an earned run, and now he’ll face a Toronto team that struck out 13 times against Charlie Morton in a 7-0 loss Tuesday to Houston.

—

Ian Desmond, Trevor Story and Colorado starter Chad Bettis each had quite a return to Texas in a record comeback for the Rockies.

Playing his first game in Texas since being an All-Star center fielder in his only season for the Rangers, Desmond homered twice. Story had a pair of RBI hits in his first big league game at home and fellow Texas native Bettis overcame a tough first inning as the Rockies won 9-5 in the opener of an interleague series Friday night.

”Lot of emotion,” said Desmond, who went to Colorado in free agency after playing for Texas in 2016. ”Good time to have a good game.”

Desmond Darqueze Dennard Jersey , a converted shortstop and now the primary first baseman for the Rockies, homered leading off the second inning. That ignited a six-run outburst after Bettis (5-1) allowed two-run homers to Jurickson Profar and Joey Gallo in a five-run Texas first.

The Rangers didn’t score again against Bettis, who made it 5 2/3 innings – or any of the three Rockies relievers.

”For them to get six there right after I had given up five was huge,” said Bettis, who is from Lubbock and pitched at Texas Tech. ”I needed to go out there and show these guys thanks for picking me up.”

The last time the Rockies won after trailing by five runs after the first inning was against Atlanta on Sept. 24, 2006, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. They had never had such a comeback on the road until Friday night.

”Yeah, it was (surprising). I felt like our guys there in the first, the approach was solid,” Texas manager Jeff Banister said. ”They were getting some pitches to hit. In the second, we grounded into a double play when we had a run-scoring opportunity. … I felt like that once Colorado got the six runs, an experienced pitcher settled in and started making some pitches.”

Texas has a seven-game losing streak, its longest of the season. The Rockies had lost five of their previous six.

Story grew up about 15 minutes away from the Rangers’ ballpark before he was the 45th overall pick in the 2011 draft by the Rockies out of Irving High School. The shortstop, who still lives in the area in the offseason, leads the National League with 52 RBIs.

After Desmond’s homer in the second off Yohander Mendez (0-1), the lefty making his first big league start, D.J. LeMahieu and Charlie Blackmon had consecutive RBI singles before Nolan Arenado snapped a career-worst 0-for-19 slump with a two-run double. Story then had the tiebreaking RBI single.

”Yeah, it was special. I grew up loving the Rangers Dre Kirkpatrick Jersey , so coming here I’ve always dreamed of playing in this stadium,” Story said. ”It was kind of surreal at first and I was a little nervous at first. Those kind of went away pretty quick.”

ROCKIES GOING DEEP

Arenado led off the ninth with his 13th homer. … Desmond’s second homer, in the fifth, was his 14th of the season for his fifth career multihomer game. … Desmond was only 10th Rockies player with a multihomer game in an interleague road game, the first since Blackmon at Yankee Stadium in 2016. … Desmond is the first Rockies player to homer twice at Texas.

BIG INNING

The six-run second was the highest scoring inning this season for Colorado, and the most in an American League ballpark since eight in the 10th inning of a game at Detroit on June 15, 2012.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Rockies: RHP Carlos Estevez, who has been out all season with a left oblique and elbow strain, threw a bullpen session. Manager Bud Black said he threw all of his pitched at a high-level intensity and is ”really gaining momentum.”

Rangers: Carlos Perez, starting in place of Chirinos, rolled his right ankle extending to catch a ball in the top of the second inning. Jose Trevino, recalled from Double-A Frisco, made his big league when he batted for Perez in the bottom of the inning and then stayed in the game as the catcher. … RF Nomar Mazara was a late scratch from the lineup because of left wrist soreness. … Right-handed relievers Matt Bush (right elbow strain) and Chris Martin (right calf strain) were put on the 10-day DL.

UP NEXT

Lefty Kyle Freeland (6-6), the Denver native who was 4-0 in interleague starts as a rookie last season, takes the mound for the Rockies in the first of consecutive day games to close out the interleague series. Rangers left-hander Mike Minor (4-4) is working on extended six days of rest after Texas had two off days during the week.

—