Hernandez, Kemp homer in Dodgers' 3-2 win over Giants  —  LOS ANGELES (AP) In his low-key way, Ross Stripling thinks of himself as “an unknown guy having a random good year.”  —  Dodgers slugger Matt Kemp, third among National League outfielders in All-Star balloting, hopes …

Loaisiga wins MLB debut, Didi homers, Yankees blank Rays 5-0  —  NEW YORK (AP) — Jonathan Loaisiga pitched three-hit ball over five impressive innings to win his major league debut, and the New York Yankees beat the Tampa Bay Rays 5-0 on Friday night.  —  Didi Gregorius homered off ex …

Braves unravel in seventh, lose messy game to Padres  —  The Braves' sold-out crowd Friday night was treated to a plethora of baseball's oddities, including an increasingly rare home-team loss.  —  The Padres derailed the Braves' perfect homestand, using a seventh-inning rally to win 9-3.

Kinsler leads beat-up Angels past A's to end four-game skid  —  OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) On a day four more players went down, the Los Angeles Angels showed their depth and resiliency.  —  Ian Kinsler homered and drew a bases-loaded walk, Mike Trout had three hits and a sacrifice fly …

Rockies rally past Rangers  —  ARLINGTON, Texas — Ian Desmond homered twice and Trevor Story had a pair of RBI hits in his first game near home as the Colorado Rockies overcame a quick five-run deficit to beat the Texas Rangers 9-5 in the opener of an interleague series Friday night.

Phillies manager Gabe Kapler explains his ‘different approach’ to bullpen management  —  Gabe Kapler wants to be clear.  It isn't his explicit intention to redefine bullpen usage for the analytics age.  And he doesn't wish to take the traditional approach to safeguarding a ninth-inning lead and turn it on its ear, either.

Royals' Jorge Soler has fractured toe, could miss time  —  Kansas City Royals outfielder Jorge Soler has a fractured bone in his left foot and will undergo additional tests, the team announced Friday.  —  Soler first injured his big toe after fouling a ball off his foot June 8.

Brandon McCarthy not thinking of upcoming rotation crunch  —  Brandon McCarthy might be fighting for his spot in the Braves' rotation.  —  McCarthy persisted through 5-2/3 innings Friday, allowing two runs in a 9-3 loss to the Padres.  But box score notwithstanding, the evening was a struggling, yet gutsy, outing for McCarthy

Cubs top pitching prospect Adbert Alzolay out for season with lat strain  —  Cubs manager Joe Maddon on the important of resting his players, especially with temperatures rising.  (Mark Gonzales/Chicago Tribune)  —  Chicago Tribune  —  If the Cubs add pitching depth this season …

Next Slide  —  Detroit Tigers first baseman John Hicks accomplished a career first on Thursday: a major-league triple.  —  Leading off the bottom of the seventh inning of Detroit's game against the Minnesota Twins, Hicks drove a 2-1 pitch into Comerica Park's cavernous gap in right-center field.

Span has key pinch hit as Mariners rally past Red Sox, 7-6  —  SEATTLE (AP) Denard Span's pinch-hit double in the eighth inning scored two runs, leading the Seattle Mariners to a 7-6 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Friday night.  —  Span, hitting for Guillermo Heredia with one out …

MLB: Richard Bleier could be out for season  —  Baltimore Orioles reliever Richard Bleier is likely lost for the year with a shoulder injury, yet another setback for the team with the worst record in the major leagues.  —  Bleier (3-, 1.93 ERA) was the most effective pitcher in a bullpen …

Olney: Billy Hamilton could be a real weapon on the right team  —  Just off the hallway that leads from the home clubhouse to the dugout in Cincinnati's Great American Ball Park, there is a batting cage to the right, enveloped by netting, and right next to that is a mini-track.

Reds Hall of Fame Induction Gala features star-studded lineup  —  The Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame is expecting a star-studded lineup for its induction gala on July 22 - including six of the Big Red Machine's “Great Eight” and several of its pitchers as well as National Baseball Hall of Famers Ken Griffey …

‘Back to the drawing board’ after White Sox prospect Michael Kopech's rocky outing  —  Photos of the White Sox pitcher and the No. 10-ranked prospect by Baseball America.  —  Chicago Tribune  —  Triple-A Charlotte pitcher Michael Kopech hit a big bump in the road in his start …

Arizona Diamondbacks vs. New York Mets … Diamondbacks left-hander Robbie Ray made his first rehab start on Thursday with Class-A Visalia and allowed five runs (two earned) on five hits while striking out three and walking one.  —  Both earned runs were solo homers surrendered by Ray …

Ed Roebuck, pitcher on the Brooklyn Dodgers 1955 championship team, dies at 86  —  Ed Roebuck, who pitched for the only Brooklyn Dodgers team to win a World Series championship and the first Dodgers team in Los Angeles, died Thursday.  He was 86.  —  He was found unresponsive in his Lakewood home, according to his son Ron.

Twins club Corey Kluber in 6-3 win over first-place Indians  —  CLEVELAND — On paper, it appeared to be a clear mismatch: Cleveland Indians ace Corey Kluber, with 10 wins already and the second-best earned run average in the American League, against hard-luck Twins right-hander Kyle Gibson …