Yoenis Cespedes remains in Mets lineup despite concern over leg issues  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Yoenis Cespedes was in the starting lineup for the sixth straight day Saturday, the first time he had played as many consecutive days since he returned from the disabled list.

Jason Vargas wins MLB-high 11th as Royals top Blue Jays  —  KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Jason Vargas earned his major league-leading 11th victory, pitching seven efficient innings to lead the surging Kansas City Royals over the Toronto Blue Jays 3-2 Saturday.  —  The Royals won for the 11th …

Back and fourth  —  The Phillies took a 2-1 lead in the top of the fourth inning.  Ray walked eighth-place hitter Cameron Rupp - his fourth walk of the game - and then pitcher Ben Lively swung at the first pitch he saw from Ray and deposited the 95 mph fastball over the right field fence.

Worth the wait: Austin Bibens-Dirkx pitches Rangers past Yankees  —  NEW YORK (AP) — Austin Bibens-Dirkx pitched seven dazzling innings in his first shot at the New York Yankees after 12 seasons in the minors, and Carlos Gomez homered for the Texas Rangers in their 8-1 victory Saturday.

Lester goes 7 innings to help Cubs beat Marlins 5-3  —  MIAMI (AP) — When Jon Lester gave up a three-run homer in the first inning Saturday, he drew upon a long-ago lesson from former teammates Curt Schilling and Josh Beckett: Start the start over.  —  Lester retired the next 13 in a row …

Rangers put Perez on DL after LHP hurts right thumb at hotel  —  NEW YORK (AP) — A hotel door has jammed up Martin Perez and the Texas Rangers.  —  In the latest setback for a depleted Rangers rotation, Perez was placed on the 10-day disabled list Saturday after injuring the thumb …

Ramirez sharp in Angels' win over Red Sox; Farrell ejected (Jun 24, 2017)  —  BOSTON (AP) JC Ramirez was solid when the Los Angeles Angels needed him.  —  Blake Parker's ending was needed even more.  —  Ramirez rebounded from his shortest career start with six solid innings …

Rays try to bounce back in rubber game versus Orioles (Jun 25, 2017)  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Rays have been near .500 all season but not when it comes to rubber games as they've won seven straight of those.  —  Tampa Bay has another chance to continue its streak when it hosts …

Three up, three down: Indians surge to AL Central lead while Mets have turned into a mess  —  What's trending in Major League Baseball:  —  3 UP  —  Tribe quest: After hovering near .500 for 2½ months, the defending AL-champion Cleveland Indians have hit their stride …

Al Avila's optimism is futile; it's time for Tigers to start selling  —  SAN DIEGO - The Detroit Tigers are listening.  —  They should be calling.  —  General manager Al Avila told reporters on Friday at Petco Park that he remains hopeful the Tigers can back on track.

Pirates in position for sweep of Cardinals (Jun 25, 2017)  —  ST. LOUIS — For the Pittsburgh Pirates, Sunday night's game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium will be their 76th out of 162.  —  But it also represents a chance for them to finish a winning road trip with a sweep …

Phillips' 2-run homer powers surging Braves past Brewers 3-1 (Jun 24, 2017)  —  ATLANTA (AP) Brandon Phillips is thriving in his Atlanta homecoming.  He's motivated to make it last as long as possible.  —  Phillips gave Atlanta the lead with a two-run homer in the third to continue …