Greinke, D-backs beat Giants 3-1 to win 6th straight series  —  PHOENIX — A 10-inning loss on Wednesday night stung the Arizona Diamondbacks.  They let too many opportunities slip away and put their run of series victories in jeopardy.  —  A dominant performance by Zack Greinke and clutch hitting kept the streak going.

Betts, Benintendi lead sizzling Red Sox past Angels, 8-2  —  ANAHEIM, Calif. — With a homer-happy lineup and a lights-out pitching staff, the Boston Red Sox have been mowing down their opposition since the day after opening day.  —  Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Angels were the latest contenders …

Gary Sanchez's catching woes are returning at the worst possible time for Yankees  —  Just when you thought it might be over, Gary Sanchez's passed ball issue has returned.  —  The 25-year-old catcher has amassed three passed balls in his last two games — a pair of those coming …

Mets' Matt Harvey no lock for next start, Mickey Callaway says  —  ATLANTA — New York Mets manager Mickey Callaway wouldn't commit to giving Matt Harvey his next scheduled start after Harvey struggled in a 12-4 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Thursday night.  —  Harvey (-2) gave up six runs …

White Sox trade Tyler Saladino to Brewers, pick up Trayce Thompson from Athletics  —  The Dodgers' Trayce Thompson grounds out against the Cubs on Tuesday, May 31, 2016 at Wrigley Field.  The White Sox acquired Thompson, who played for the Sox in 2015, from the Athletics for cash considerations Thursday.

Yankees drop struggling Giancarlo Stanton to 4th in lineup  —  NEW YORK — In the hopes of heating up Giancarlo Stanton's cold bat in the Bronx, the New York Yankees on Thursday are moving him in the batting order.  —  The power hitter, who had spent all of this young season hitting third …

Celebrated closers for the St. Louis Cardinals  —  Hall of Fame baseball writer Rick Hummel highlights the multi-year standouts and the one-year wonders among the Cardinals' 9th-inning specialists of the past 40 years.  —  BEST OF THE MULTI-YEAR STANDOUTS  —  When newly-signed relief …

Jake Arrieta strikes out 10, allows 1 hit in 7 innings to move to 2-0  —  Jake Arrieta flashed the All-Star form that made Philadelphia covet the free-agent ace, striking out 10 and tossing one-hit ball over seven innings to lead the Phillies to a 7-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday night.

Charlie Morton dominant as Astros silence Mariners  —  SEATTLE (AP) - Charlie Morton pitched seven innings of three-hit ball, Jose Altuve hit a three-run double and the Houston Astros beat the Seattle Mariners 9-2 on Thursday.  —  After losing the series opener, the Astros won …

Next Slide  —  The Detroit Tigers optioned left-handed pitcher Chad Bell back to Triple-A Toledo after he gave up two runs in a 13-8 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday afternoon at Comerica Park.  —  Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire said the team will call up another pitcher to replace Bell …

Alex Rodriguez's cousin held captive after Lamborghini deal goes bad  —  Two men were arrested after they allegedly held a cousin of former slugger Alex Rodriguez for ransom Wednesday night, New York police confirmed to USA TODAY Sports.  —  Norberto Susini was held hostage at a New York hotel …

Trading places: Brinson, Yelich experiencing Miami-Milwaukee reunions this week  —  MILWAUKEE  —  Christian Yelich and Lewis Brinson felt their bits of nostalgia in different ways this week.  —  For Brinson, it was being back at Miller Park and in Milwaukee — the city where he made his major-league debut.

Baseball notebook: Reds fire Price in early move  —  The Reds' worst start since the Great Depression prompted a quick hook for Bryan Price.  —  Cincinnati fired its fifth-year manager on Thursday because of a 3-15 start, the first managerial change in the major leagues this season.

Taylor leads Modesto to 13-6 win over San Jose  —  SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Logan Taylor had two hits and three RBI, as the Modesto Nuts exploded for a season-high in runs in a 13-6 win over the San Jose Giants on Thursday.  —  Modesto had a pair of big innings in the blowout victory …