Nationals acquire All-Star closer Mark Melancon from Pirates  —  SAN FRANCISCO — The Washington Nationals found a reliable pitcher for the ninth inning, acquiring All-Star closer Mark Melancon from the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday.  —  Washington sent reliever Felipe Rivero …

Ivan Nova hopeful that Yankees won't trade him … ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — When Ivan Nova takes the ball against Tampa Bay on Friday night at Tropicana Field, he knows it's a showcase game that could well be his last as a Yankee before Monday's 4 p.m. non-waiver trade deadline.

Athletics, Royals Swap Billy Burns, Brett Eibner  —  The Athletics and Royals have announced a swap of outfielders, with the fleet-footed Billy Burns headed to Kansas City in exchange for Brett Eibner.  Both were playing at the Triple-A level for their respective teams, but have been in the majors at points earlier in the year.

Pham Homers, Drives in 3 to Lead Cardinals Over Marlins  —  MIAMI — Tommy Pham homered and drove in three runs, leading the St. Louis Cardinals over the Miami Marlins 11-6 on Friday night.  —  Kolten Wong had three hits and drove in two runs and Jeremy Hazelbaker hit a two-run homer for St. Louis.

Padres Working To Trade Matt Kemp, Talking With Braves  —  4:31pm: MLB.com's Mark Bowman implies that talks between the two sides aren't especially active at the moment, tweeting that “if the Braves revisit” Kemp discussions with the Padres, then San Diego would “seemingly have to be willing” …

Chatwood, Gonzalez lead Rockies over Mets for 4th win in row … NEW YORK — Tyler Chatwood kept winning on the road, Carlos Gonzalez homered and drove in four runs and the Colorado Rockies defeated the New York Mets 6-1 Friday night for their fourth straight victory.

Source: Phillies, Rangers in ‘pretty deep’ trade talks about Vince Velasquez  —  BOX SCORE  —  ATLANTA — The Phillies lost, 2-1, to the Atlanta Braves on Friday night.  —  The big news from this game, however, was that Vince Velasquez might have made his last start with the Phillies.

Yankees gauging interest in catcher Brian McCann  —  The New York Yankees have gauged trade interest in catcher Brian McCann, sources tell Today's Knuckleball, as they have excellent catching depth.  The Yankees have yet to commit to a strict buy-or-sell mentality, but have plenty …

Odorizzi Sharp as Rays Beat Yankees 5-1  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Jake Odorizzi pitched masterfully into the seventh inning, Logan Forsythe and Corey Dickerson hit solo homers in the first, and the Tampa Bay Rays cooled off the surging New York Yankees 5-1 on Friday night.

Who'll start Sunday for Braves?  Not Blair, Gant or Perez  —  The Braves haven't named a starter to replace the traded Lucas Harrell on Sunday, but Casey Kelly from Triple-A is a leading candidate and probably is the most likely option, barring a trade to acquire another starter.

Grandal's Single Caps 5-Run Rally as Dodgers Beat D-Backs  —  By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSJULY 30, 2016, 2:00 A.M. E.D.T.  —  LOS ANGELES — Yasmani Grandal's RBI single capped a five-run, seventh-inning rally that carried the Los Angeles Dodgers to a wild 9-7 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night.

Lester Recovers From Rut of Bad Starts, Cubs Rout Mariners  —  CHICAGO — Jon Lester recovered from a rut of bad starts, pitching six shutout innings that led the Chicago Cubs over the Seattle Mariners 12-1 Friday for their third straight win.  —  Jason Heyward and David Ross homered …