Cub phenom Kris Bryant makes first pro start in CF on seventh day in majors  —  PITTSBURGH - It's a rare day when the Pittsburgh Pirates play a game and the better center fielder is on the other team.  —  And when he's been in the major leagues for only a week, and making his first career professional start in the outfield?

Yordano Ventura-Adam Eaton exchange leads to bench-clearing  —  20m - MLB YORDANO VENTURA ADAM EATON LORENZO CAIN EDINSON VOLQUEZ CHRIS SALE JEFF SAMARDZIJA JOSE ABREU MIKE MOUSTAKAS KANSAS CITY ROYALS CHICAGO WHITE SOX + more

Rivera Has RBI Single in 9th, Rays Beat Red Sox 2-1  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Rene Rivera had a run-scoring single in the bottom of the ninth inning and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Boston Red Sox 2-1 on Thursday night.  —  Allan Dykstra opened the ninth with a single off Anthony Varvaro (0-1).

Mets go to 11, tie club record for most wins in a row, with sweep of Braves  —  The Mets won their 11th game in a row, and completed a sweep of their 10-game homestand, with a 6-3 win over the Braves on Thursday afternoon.  —  The Mets jumped on the board early with a bases-clearing double off …

Wacha Outdoes Scherzer as Cardinals Beat Nationals 4-1  —  WASHINGTON — Michael Wacha got the best of Max Scherzer in a pitcher's duel, Matt Adams singled in the tiebreaking run in the sixth inning and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Washington Nationals 4-1 Thursday for their fourth straight series win.

Blue Jays release injured outfielder Dirks  —  The Toronto Blue Jays released Andy Dirks, who's expected to miss the entire minor league season after undergoing another back surgery, an industry source told Sportsnet.  —  The outfielder started the season with the Buffalo Bisons on the triple …

Yankees Top Tigers 2-1 on McCann's RBI in 8th Inning  —  DETROIT — Brian McCann drove in Jacoby Ellsbury with the tie-breaking run in the eighth inning and the New York Yankees held on to beat the Detroit Tigers 2-1 on a chilly Thursday afternoon.  —  Ellsbury led off the eighth …

Dickerson's Solo Homer Lifts Rockies to 2-1 Win Over Padres  —  DENVER — Corey Dickerson hit a go-ahead home run leading off the fifth inning and Jordan Lyles pitched effectively into the seventh, helping the Colorado Rockies to a 2-1 win over the San Diego Padres on Thursday.

Lohse, Brewers Snap 8-Game Losing Streak, Beat Reds 4-2  —  MILWAUKEE — Kyle Lohse bounced back from a poor start this season and the Milwaukee Brewers snapped an eight-game losing streak, beating the Cincinnati Reds 4-2 Thursday.  —  Closer Francisco Rodriguez pumped his right arm and yelled after recording the final out.

Inside details of how A-Rod's 660 fight with Yankees will play out  —  Alex Rodriguez has 658 career homers, two away from tying Willie Mays for fourth all-time and setting off another round of legal jousting with the Yankees.  —  With the way he's hitting, Alex Rodriguez looks likely …

Season tickets so hot, Bills may cap them  —  The Buffalo Bills, scorching at the box office, are considering a cap on season ticket sales for the first time in club history.  —  Interest has soared to unprecedented levels from the excitement emanating from their first winning record in a decade …

Dodgers insist third-base coach interfered before winning run scored  —  3h - MLB GREGOR BLANCO LOS ANGELES DODGERS SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS + more  —  Joe Panik's sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth lifts the Giants past the Dodgers 3-2.