Is Luis Severino the most valuable Yankee?  —  NEW YORK — Luis Severino has been so strong for the New York Yankees this season that even he's going on record in recognizing his dominance.  Asked during a media scrum Saturday afternoon to share his thoughts on his 10-2 season to this point …

White Sox catcher Kevan Smith working on nonverbal cues with pitchers  —  White Sox catcher Kevan Smith talks about working with starter Lucas Giolito before playing the Tigers on Saturday, June 16, 2018.  (Phil Thompson/Chicago Tribune)  —  Chicago Tribune

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 …

Arizona Diamondbacks vs. New York Mets … The Diamondbacks will have some difficult decisions to make with their starting rotation when Robbie Ray and Shelby Miller return from their rehabilitation stints.  —  Zack Godley isn't making those decisions easy.

Manager vows that the Blue Jays won't give up  —  John Gibbons said he has managed, coached and played on teams that have stopped playing hard once they were out of the playoff picture.  —  And the 2018 Blue Jays, the club's manager insisted on Saturday, is not one of them.  —  “Yeah, (some teams) shut it down.

J.T. Realmuto's 2 home runs, 4 RBI power Marlins past Orioles  —  During a horrid stretch in which the Baltimore Orioles keep finding ways to lose, J.T. Realmuto did his part to extend the downward spiral.  —  Realmuto homered twice and had four RBIs off Alex Cobb, and the Miami Marlins beat the skidding Orioles 5-4 on Saturday.

Joe Maddon giving Cubs closer Brandon Morrow plenty of rest  —  Chicago Tribune  —  Brandon Morrow hadn't pitched in eight days going into Saturday's game against the Cardinals, as Cubs manager Joe Maddon wants to give the closer plenty of rest as the team begins a stretch of 17 games in 17 days.

Yankees are baseball's best and are only going to get better  —  Yankees are baseball's best and are only going to get better.  —  Maybe the big news of the week for the Yankees came on Wednesday night, when somebody else's kid won a game for his team.  —  The kid's name is Juan Soto …

The value of four-homer games — and other wild nights  —  Wins above replacement would make a terrible daily stat.  —  For one thing, there are all sorts of margins of error in the calculations — around park factors, baserunning opportunities, value of positional adjustments and defensive ratings …

What Braves said after shutting out Padres  —  The Braves extended their hold on the National League East to 2.5 games with Saturday's 1-0 win over the Padres.  —  Sean Newcomb pitched six scoreless and Charlie Culberson's fifth-inning homer proved the difference.  —  Here's what the Braves said afterward:

Braves Place Mike Foltynewicz on 10-Day DL, Reinstate Julio Teheran  —  The Braves have placed right-hander Mike Foltynewicz on the 10-day disabled list with right triceps tightness, retroactive to June 13th.  In a corresponding move, they've activated fellow righty Julio Teheran from the disabled list …

Eflin stops Milwaukee again, Phillies slow down Brewers 4-1  —  MILWAUKEE (AP) — Zach Eflin has made all the difference for the Philadelphia Phillies against the National League's top team.  —  Rhys Hoskins and Andrew Knapp hit home runs and Eflin beat the Milwaukee Brewers for the second time in a week …

Evan Longoria likely out 6-8 weeks for the Giants with fractured hand  —  San Francisco Giants third baseman Evan Longoria is expected to miss six to eight weeks following surgery on his left hand, scheduled for Tuesday.  —  Longoria fractured the fifth metacarpal in the hand in the fourth inning …

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' Trevor Story right at home playing Rangers in Texas  —  This weekend's series in Arlington, Texas, is a homecoming for Colorado Rockies shortstop Trevor Story, who grew up coming to Texas Rangers games and is playing in the stadium for the first time with the goal of doing some damage to the team he used to root for.

Manny Machado would come at too great a cost for Red Sox  —  Daydream on this potential Red Sox lineup.  Go ahead, I won't stop you.  It would be the relentless kind that leads to many parades - around the bases, and in perhaps in October, deliriously through the city streets:  —  RF Mookie Betts