How Phillies' Pat Neshek (remember him?) could boost bullpen |  Extra Innings  —  Any hope the Phillies had of winning Wednesday night was pretty much wiped away in the fourth inning.  Nick Pivetta gave up five runs, equaling the most runs the Phillies have scored in a game since June 5.

Aaron Boone not surprised by New York Yankees' pledge to explore pitching upgrades  —  NEW YORK - Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner sounds motivated to add pitching before the July 31 trade deadline - which comes as no surprise to his field manager.

Dylan Covey pitches Chicago White Sox past Trevor Bauer, Cleveland Indians 3-2  —  The Indians were just 2 for 13 with runners in scoring position and left nine runners on base.  —  CHICAGO (AP) - Dylan Covey carried a shutout into the eighth inning, continuing his impressive June and helping …

Braves happy to face Padres in Atlanta  —  ATLANTA — The Atlanta Braves are glad that their four-game series with the San Diego Padres beginning Thursday night is at home rather than in San Diego.  —  The Braves swept four games from the Padres in the opening series for new SunTrust Park …

Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Pittsburgh Pirates … After the pitch crossed the plate, right-hander Zack Greinke sort of froze.  So did catcher Jeff Mathis.  Both wanted the call.  They didn't get it.  Later, in the aftermath of a 5-4 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday afternoon …

Game Day: Arizona Diamondbacks play host to New York Mets  —  The Arizona Diamondbacks welcome the New York Mets to Chase Field for a weekend series.  Follow this page for scoring updates, pitching updates, news and notes.  —  READ MORE:  —  Thursday's game  —  Mets at Diamondbacks

Rangers Reaction: Things get weird for Rangers at home plate  —  LOS ANGELES  —  One of the bonuses that comes with being on the board for the Do It For Durrett Foundation is the chance to reconnect with past Texas Rangers players, coaches and executives who are glad to lend their help to the cause.

Adrian Beltre tops Ichiro Suzuki for most MLB hits by foreign-born player  —  Texas Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre got his 3,090th career hit Wednesday night to pass Ichiro Suzuki for most by a foreign-born player in major league history.  —  Beltre, a native of the Dominican Republic …

MLB dads Jeff Trout, Mike Bryant, Brad Scherzer on when they knew their sons would be stars  —  Fathers of five MLB All-Stars — Mike Trout, Kris Bryant, Max Scherzer, Nolan Arenado and Justin Upton — reveal the moments they realized their sons had what it takes to make it as pro ballplayers.

Gattis does it again: 2 HRs, 5 RBIs in Astros 13-5 win  —  OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) With the two best games of his career coming on consecutive days, designated hitter Evan Gattis has quickly transformed into the Astros' hottest hitter - and their current good luck charm.  —  He's got a franchise record to prove it, too.

Cleveland's bullpen proves the baseball gods are cruel  —  Last year, the 102-win Cleveland Indians were one of the great teams of the modern era: Their starting pitchers had the American League's lowest ERA, their offense scored more runs per game than all but two AL teams, and their defense was …

Marlins rally three times, defeat Giants on Brian Anderson's sacrifice fly  —  Sun Sentinel  —  They kept coming back, coming back.  For the second time in three games, the Marlins rallied from behind to defeat the Giants.  —  Rookie Brian Anderson finally delivered a sacrifice fly …

Nationals owner Ted Lerner, 92, to cede control of club to son Mark  —  Ted Lerner, the Washington real estate magnate who became the owner of the Washington Nationals a dozen years ago, will cede control of the club to his son, Mark, following a vote by Major League Baseball's franchise owners Thursday.

Chris Gimenez on the perils of pitching for position players: ‘The slope will do weird things to your arm’  —  Cubs reliever Steve Cishek discusses playing left field during the eighth inning against the Brewers on Wednesday, June 13, 2018.  (Mark Gonzales/Chicago Tribune)  —  Chicago Tribune

Donaldson may have Buffalo rehab stint before returning to Jays  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — He is taking batting practice with the big boys, will soon be running the bases, but before he rejoins the Blue Jays it appears as though Josh Donaldson may pay first pay a visit to Buffalo.

Drink your Orioles pain away: This Baltimore bar is offering free shots every time Chris Davis gets a hit  —  Bartenders Bar in Baltimore is offering customers present at the bar a free Dr. Pepper shooter for every hit that Orioles player Chris Davis gets in a game.

Column: Cubs need a six-man rotation when Yu Darvish returns  —  Cubs pitcher Mike Montgomery discusses his start against the Brewers on Wednesday, June 13, 2018.  (Mark Gonzales/Chicago Tribune)  —  Chicago Tribune  —  That's three straight quality starts and a 1.14 ERA in four starts …

D-backs ‘pleasantly surprised’ with Hirano's quick adaption to MLB  —  When the Arizona Diamondbacks signed right-handed pitcher Yoshihisa Hirano to a two-year, $6 million contract this offseason, they did so knowing the 12-year veteran of Nippon Professional Baseball could be an effective reliever in MLB.