Salvador Perez's grand slam lifts the Royals in 6-4 victory over Red Sox  —  On the final night of May, three weeks before the first grand slam of Salvador Perez's career, before the Royals edged the Boston Red Sox 6-4 on Wednesday afternoon, reserve catcher Drew Butera picked up a baseball bat near home plate at Kauffman Stadium.

Detroit Tigers say they aren't panicking, but time is ticking  —  The Tigers have dropped 9 of their last 12 and are now six games below .500; is sell mode in sight?  —  CONNECT  —  SEATTLE - At this point of the season, with the Detroit Tigers no longer treading water - they appear to be sinking …

Mariners Designate Tyler Cloyd  —  The Mariners have designated Tyler Cloyd and optioned Christian Bergman, per a club announcement.  Righty Andrew Moore's contract was selected in a corresponding move.  —  Cloyd, 30, made only a single appearance for Seattle this year — his first since 2013.

Chris Tillman approaching critical stretch as performance 'isn't as good as he needs to give us'  —  “You're fortunate to get out of some situations early, but just too many pitches that are not very competitive from the start,” said Chris Tillman.  (Kevin Richardson / Baltimore Sun video)

Texas Rangers get out to fast start in win over Toronto Blue Jays  —  ARLINGTON, Texas — Despite appearances, Nick Martinez knows his role with the Texas Rangers.  —  It's called “be ready at a moment's notice no matter what you're called on to do.”  —  The Texas right-hander was more than ready in a spot start on Tuesday.

Michael A. Taylor is ‘a little injured,’ out of Nationals lineup Wednesday  —  MIAMI — About an hour and a half before Wednesday's game, Davey Lopes searched the clubhouse for Ryan Raburn, who was sitting at his locker.  —  “Left field,” Lopes told him, and Raburn nodded.

Gregorius, Holliday HR, Yanks thump Angels 8-4 to end skid … NEW YORK (AP) — Yankees manager Joe Girardi finally got to use the overpowering 1-2 at the back of his bullpen, getting innings from  —  Aroldis Chapman in the same game for the first time since early May.

Arizona Diamondbacks sign first-round pick Pavin Smith … DENVER - The Diamondbacks signed first-round pick Pavin Smith on Wednesday, and the slugging first baseman out of Virginia is expected to report to the club's short-season Hillsboro affiliate.  —  Smith received a bonus of $5,016,300 …

Cubs' Anthony Rizzo ends leadoff streak at seven games  —  Anthony Rizzo is the only player in the last 60 years to reach safely to start the first inning in his first seven career leadoff appearances.  —  His streak ended there Wednesday, when the Cubs first baseman flew out out to Padres right fielder Hunter Renfroe on a 3-0 pitch.

Braves consider playing Freddie Freeman at 3B when slugger returns from DL  —  Matt Adams' offensive resurgence has forced the Atlanta Braves to consider playing Freddie Freeman at third base when the star slugger returns from the disabled list.  —  Braves manager Brian Snitker told reporters …

Mets Place Zack Wheeler On Disabled List  —  10:15pm: The Mets only expect Wheeler to require a minimal DL stint and are hopeful that he'll miss just one start, writes MLB.com's Anthony DiComo.  —  “It's just sore.  It's sustained soreness,” said Wheeler.

Brewers Sign Keston Hiura  —  The Brewers announced on Wednesday that they've signed their first-round pick, UC Irvine second baseman/outfielder Keston Hiura.  According to MLB.com's Jim Callis (on Twitter), he'll receive a bonus of $4MM, which comes in a bit south of the $4.57MM slot value of the No. 9 overall selection.

Adrian Gonzalez says he won't push return from herniated disk  —  Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez says he isn't setting a target date for his return from a herniated disk and is prepared to miss the next month rehabbing the injury.  —  Gonzalez, who was placed …

Reds promote Shed Long, Nick Senzel to Class AA Pensacola  —  Shed Long is a minor league player hoping to make his way to the big leagues.  C. Trent Rosecrans invites listeners along his journey with a new podcast.  Amanda Rossmann & Sam Greene  —  CONNECT  —  Shed Long is one step closer to his Great American Dream.