McMahon HR replacing ailing Arenado, Rockies top Dodgers 5-4  —  DENVER (AP) As he rounded first base, Ryan McMahon turned back toward his teammates in the dugout, hollered and emphatically clapped twice.  —  It was just the emotion shining through.  —  McMahon hit a two-run homer …

Red Sox hit 3 HRs, erase 5-run deficit and top Orioles 19-12  —  BALTIMORE (AP) Down five runs in the third inning?  Hardly a challenge for the Boston Red Sox, who quickly wiped out the deficit with a display of patience and power.  —  Xander Bogaerts and Andrew Benintendi each hit three-run homers …

Explaining their decisions to the public should be second nature for umpires  —  Chicago Tribune  —  After greeting a pool reporter knocking on the door of the umpires room Friday afternoon at Wrigley Field, Bill Miller explained his call ruling Willson Contreras out for interference …

Giants beat Pirates in a wild one, 13-10  —  The Giants were playing some of their worst ball of the year when manager Bruce Bochy decided to rely more heavily on his veteran hitters.  —  So on July 29, he stacked four of them at the top of his lineup, batting Andrew McCutchen first …

Cruz's double in 8th helps Mariners beat Astros 5-2  —  Nelson Cruz hit a tiebreaking two-run double in a three-run eighth inning to lift the Seattle Mariners a 5-2 victory over the Houston Astros on Friday night.  —  HOUSTON (AP) - Nelson Cruz hit a tiebreaking two-run double …

Brewers place Joakim Soria on 10-day DL with groin strain  —  ATLANTA — Brewers right-hander Joakim Soria was placed on the 10-day disabled list Friday because of a strained right groin.  —  Soria was injured while giving up a grand slam to Hunter Renfroe in the ninth inning Thursday in an 8-4 home loss to San Diego.

Angels place Mike Trout on the 10-day disabled list  —  Before swinging a bat Thursday, Mike Trout attempted to exude confidence in regards to his inflamed right wrist.  —  “I was trying to convince myself it was getting better,” he said Friday.  “But it was still pretty painful.”

Next Slide  —  Ron Gardenhire had a question for Nicholas Castellanos.  —  It was in the middle of the eighth inning, after Castellanos made perhaps the best defensive play of his young right field career, leaping into the corner to make an outstanding catch to end the inning.

Snell perfect thru 5 and then pulled, Rays top Blue Jays 7-0  —  Blake Snell pitched five perfect innings and then was pulled,  —  Michael Perez hit his first career home run and the  —  Toronto Blue Jays 7-0 on Friday night.  —  Making his second start since spending time on the disabled list …

Daniel Palka leads off 9th with homer, Chicago White Sox beat Cleveland Indians 1-0  —  The loss spoiled another great outing by Tribe rookie Shane Bieber, who allowed just three hits in 6.2 innings, while striking out eight.  —  CHICAGO (AP) - Daniel Palka led off the ninth inning with a home run …

Mets weighing six-man rotation but want to do right by Jacob deGrom  —  Mets manager Mickey Callaway on Zack Wheeler Matt Ehalt, Staff Writer, @MattEhalt  —  MIAMI — The Mets are considering using a six-man rotation in the near future although the team may hold off on doing so since Jacob deGrom is vying for the Cy Young.

What the Justin Bour trade means for the Phillies in 2018 and beyond |  David Murphy  —  You've heard the Phillies talk a lot about hunting value at the margins, and Friday's trade for lefty slugger Justin Bour is a perfect example of it.  —  Two years ago, the Phillies traded Darin Ruf …

Column: Sorry, Jayson Werth, but ‘super nerds’ are here to stay in baseball  —  Chicago Tribune  —  Jayson Werth was a slightly above-average outfielder who made more than $136 million during his 15-year career despite never driving in 100 runs and making only one All-Star appearance.

Aroldis Chapman's dip in velocity a red flag, but Aaron Boone doesn't believe it's an injury concern  —  Austin Romine knew it didn't feel right.  The Yankees catcher looked up at the video board and saw that Aroldis Chapman's fastball was coming in at 95 miles an hour and went into “emergency mode.”

Nix pitches six strong innings in major league debut  —  SAN DIEGO  —  Jacob Nix pitched six strong innings in his major league debut and the San Diego Padres beat the Philadelphia Phillies 2-0 on Friday night.  —  Nix (1-0) got off to a rocky start.  He stranded three runners after a pair …

Carlos Santana's leadership has kept Phillies strumming right along in playoff push  —  SAN DIEGO — On a recent Friday night at Citizens Bank Park, with the Phillies leading the Miami Marlins by four runs in the bottom of the ninth inning, rookie reliever Seranthony Dominguez gave …

Former All-Star pitcher Esteban Loaiza pleads guilty to drug charges  —  MLB, Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago White Sox  —  SAN DIEGO — Former All-Star pitcher Esteban Loaiza, who earned more than $43 million over 14 seasons, pleaded guilty Friday to federal drug charges in California.

Cleveland Indians DH Edwin Encarnacion to undergo tests on left biceps Saturday  —  CHICAGO — Manager Terry Francona said cleanup hitter Edwin Encarnacion will undergo tests on his left biceps Saturday after leaving Friday's game against the White Sox after one plate appearances.