Lester, A's stifle Phils to regain top WC spot  —  Recap  —  Box Score  —  Play-By-Play  —  Photos  —  Conversation  —  Jon Lester holds Phillies to 5 hits as A's move ahead in wild-card race  —  OAKLAND, Calif. — Coco Crisp had two hits and drove in a run, supporting another strong outing …

Kauffman Stadium ‘should be rocking’ as Royals face most important series in decades  —  The lights of Kauffman Stadium glittered and illuminated Interstate 70 as Wednesday night approached Thursday morning.  —  Most of the Royals had already left the ballpark, hopes raised by a restorative victory …

Ortiz homers twice to lead Red Sox over Orioles  —  BALTIMORE — David Ortiz hit two home runs, including a two-run drive in the 10th inning that lifted the Boston Red Sox past the Baltimore Orioles 5-3 Friday night.  —  Although the AL East-champion Orioles are still in the running …

Mets deal blow to Braves' fading playoff hopes  —  ATLANTA — Lucas Duda hit a two-run homer, Zack Wheeler pitched six scoreless innings and the New York Mets beat the struggling Atlanta Braves 5-0 on Friday night but were eliminated from playoff contention.

Seeing Eye Ball  —  The Royals tie the game at one in the bottom of the fifth inning after Jarrod Dyson doubles, and Alcides Escobar hits a grounder up the middle.  Ian Kinsler crossed over to the third base side of second and tried to back-hand the ball, but he did not get low enough and it rolled under his glove.

Quintana strong as White Sox eliminate Rays with victory  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Jose Quintana pitched into the eighth inning and Avisail Garcia had a two-run double to lead the Chicago White Sox to a 4-3 victory over Tampa Bay on Friday night, eliminating the Rays from playoff contention.

Ackley, Zunino, Seager all homer to help Mariners beat Astros  —  HOUSTON — Dustin Ackley hit two solo homers, and Mike Zunino and Kyle Seager each hit three-run shots in a seven-run fourth inning as the Seattle Mariners cruised to a 10-5 win over the Houston Astros on Friday night.

Twins rally in 10th to hand Indians tough loss  —  MINNEAPOLIS — Trevor Plouffe singled in Danny Santana in the 10th inning to give the Minnesota Twins a 5-4, comeback victory over Cleveland on Friday night, further damaging the Indians' already slim playoff hopes.

Tanaka likely to throw 70-75 pitches in Sunday start  —  7/3/14: Masahiro Tanaka pitches seven innings, allowing four runs on nine hits while striking out three to earn his MLB-leading 12th win  —  NEW YORK — After a successful bullpen session Thursday and some more long-toss throwing Friday …

Games of the Day  —  Take a late lunch if you'd like to watch Clayton Kershaw pitch against Edwin Jackson as the Dodgers play the Cubs in an afternoon tilt.  If you draw the innings line at 135 IP, Kershaw and Jackson are at opposite ends of the spectrum, Kershaw with the best ERA in the majors, Jackson the worst.

Martin's homer helps Pirates rally past sinking Brewers  —  PITTSBURGH — Russell Martin hit a three-run homer off Jonathan Broxton in the bottom of the eighth inning and the Pittsburgh Pirates inched closer to a playoff berth with a 4-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday night.