Trevor Plouffe traded to Rays two days after being designated for assignment by A's  —  The Tampa Bay Rays added some right-handed punch to their roster Saturday, acquiring infielder Trevor Plouffe from the Oakland Athletics.  —  The trade was announced less than two days after the Athletics designated Plouffe for assignment.

Cards binge on homers, blast Orioles  —  BALTIMORE  • When Paul DeJong first came to the majors late last month, everything was “eye-opening,” from the size of the stadiums to the luxury of the hotels, the break of the sliders, the politics of the clubhouse, the comfort of the charter …

Cubs-Pirates gets off to wacky start in Pittsburgh  —  PITTSBURGH — A wild first inning between the Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night saw nearly another leadoff home run by first baseman Anthony Rizzo, an ejection of manager Joe Maddon and even a delay to cut off the sleeves …

Diamondbacks rally to beat Phillies, 5-4  —  If Phillies fans want to find a reason for hope all they have to do is look at this weekend's guest at Citizens Bank Park, the resurgent Arizona Diamondbacks.  —  It's hard to believe that the Diamondbacks won fewer games last season than the Phillies …

Cole Hamels allows only one hit in 3 innings in rehab start for Double-A Frisco  —  The results of a rehab start don't matter.  Unless they do.  —  When you allow one baserunner in your first start in six weeks, they most definitely do.  Such was the case for Cole Hamels in his Friday outing for Double-A Frisco.

Roger Clemens understands David Price's frustration at Boston media  —  HOUSTON — As David Price continues to adapt to the heightened scrutiny that comes with playing for the Boston Red Sox, Roger Clemens says he can relate.  —  “I learned that it's a little different brand of baseball in the East …

Thames hits walk-off home run, Brewers beat Padres 6-5 … Eric Thames hit the Brewers' first walk-off home run of the season in the bottom of the 10th inning, lifting Milwaukee to a 6-5 victory over the  —  San Diego Padres on Friday night.  —  Thames hit his 19th home run of the season …

Angels can't stop Royals from rolling  —  ANAHEIM, Calif.-Twenty minutes after the Angels lost, 3-1, to Kansas City on Friday at Angel Stadium, several Angel hitters lingered in the clubhouse and tried to figure out what went wrong.  —  They had succumbed, again, to the Royals' Ian Kennedy …

Cincinnati Reds continue to struggle  —  Billy Hamilton sat at his locker following Friday night's 3-1 loss to the Dodgers, his entire left hand covered in a bandage holding an ice bag in place for his sore left thumb - and that wasn't even the hand that had just been hit by a pitch.

Braves agree to $7 million signing bonus with 1st-round pick Kyle Wright  —  ATLANTA — Pitcher Kyle Wright and the Atlanta Braves agreed to a minor league contract with a $7 million signing bonus, the highest in baseball since 2011.  —  A 21-year-old right-hander who pitched for Vanderbilt …

Giants-Rockies Preview (Jun 17, 2017)  —  DENVER — The Colorado Rockies will try to reach a milestone Saturday when they seek their third straight win in their series with the San Francisco Giants.  —  A 10-9 victory Thursday followed by Friday's 10-8 win gave the Rockies seven straight wins …

Max Scherzer is making excellence look routine  —  NEW YORK — Washington Nationals manager Dusty Baker brought up a lot of names before Max Scherzer made Friday's start against the New York Mets.  —  He made reference to Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling as pitchers who know how to push themselves …

Gary Sanchez, Aaron Hicks day-to-day for Yankees as they place Adam Warren on DL  —  OAKLAND — The suddenly injury-plagued Yankees appear to have dodged a bullet regarding the health of Gary Sanchez and Aaron Hicks.  —  They weren't as fortunate when it comes to Adam Warren.

Rangers reaction: Ross and reinforcements help crush Mariners  —  ARLINGTON  —  You are excused if your Rangers fanaticism reached another gear Friday night.  It's understandable.  —  For the first time in 2017 they fielded their full complement of players, which included Carlos Gomez …