Top News:
Steve Herrick / Associated Press:
Indians turn back Sox on walk-off grand slam — Jason Kipnis hit a grand slam with one out in the ninth inning and the Cleveland Indians rallied for a 4-1 win over the White Sox on Wednesday night. — Kipnis hit a 3-2 pitch from Ian Hamilton into the right-field seats for his 1,000th career hit …
Discussion:
Associated Press, South Side Sox and Let's Go Tribe
RELATED:
Associated Press:
White Sox slugger Jose Abreu out of hospital after infection — CLEVELAND — Chicago White Sox slugger Jose Abreu has been released from a Cleveland hospital after undergoing treatment for an infection in his right thigh. — Abreu was admitted to the hospital on Tuesday and released Wednesday.
Discussion:
South Side Sox
Associated Press:
Indians' Trevor Bauer will pitch a few innings Friday in return from DL — CLEVELAND — Trevor Bauer will start for the Cleveland Indians against the Boston Red Sox on Friday in his first appearance since breaking his right leg last month. — Indians manager Terry Francona says Bauer will pitch a …
Beth Harris / Star Tribune:
Puig's pinch-hit homer helps Dodgers sweep Rockies, 5-2 — LOS ANGELES — Pinch-hitter Yasiel Puig slugged a tiebreaking, three-run homer in the seventh inning that sent the Los Angeles Dodgers past the Colorado Rockies 5-2 on Wednesday night to increase their NL West lead to 2½ games.
Discussion:
Over the Monster and True Blue LA
RELATED:
Alden Gonzalez / ESPN:
Yasiel Puig hits sixth HR in past 18 at-bats: 'We're going to win the West' — LOS ANGELES — Yasiel Puig couldn't decide which celebration fit best, so he basically used all of them. He rubbed his fingers and flexed his biceps, clapped his hands and raised them to the sky …
Nick Piecoro / Arizona Republic:
Last Slide — To further explain his decision to bench his top four everyday players on Wednesday night - while continuing to say he wasn't giving up on the season - Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo drew a parenting analogy. He recalled the look he's seen on his kids' faces after they studied hard for a test but didn't do well.
Charles F. Gardner / Associated Press:
Gio Gonzalez, Jesus Aguilar lead Brewers to win over Reds — Gio Gonzalez pitched six smooth innings on his 33rd birthday and Jesus Aguilar hit a three-run homer in the Brewers' 7-0 victory over the Reds on Wednesday night. — Manny Pina also had a three-run shot and Aguilar finished with four RBIs.
RELATED:
Cincinnati.com:
Mosquitoes are a nuisance for Cincinnati Reds players in Milwaukee
Discussion:
MLB Baseball News … and Brew Crew Ball
Bobby Nightengale / Cincinnati.com:
Cincinnati Reds shut out for 3rd time in last five games in loss to Milwaukee Brewers
Bobby Nightengale / Cincinnati.com:
Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon on the Cincinnati Reds: ‘Watch out next year’
Discussion:
MLB Baseball News …
Associated Press:
Braves snap 4-game losing streak behind Freeman, Toussaint — ATLANTA — Freddie Freeman spent the previous four seasons playing for an Atlanta team that averaged 90 losses a year. — Now that the Braves are back challenging for a division title, the All-Star first baseman knows his club can't afford any long losing streaks.
RELATED:
Derrick Goold / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Cardinals lose to Braves, but Flaherty says he feels strong — ATLANTA • When the Cardinals' coaching staff, steered by pitching coach Mike Maddux, pulled out the calendar and began to plot the starting rotation for the final month of the regular season, they started with the games …
Daily Record:
Mets, Phillies lineups for Wednesday night in season series finale — For the final time in the 2018 season, the Mets and Phillies will square off. — Noah Syndergaard will start for the Mets, who own a 11-7 record against the Phillies this season, as both teams announced their lineups.
Discussion:
NorthJersey.com and Amazin' Avenue
RELATED:
Mark Gonzales / Chicago Tribune:
Cubs' Joe Maddon philosophical about prior use of Brandon Morrow — Chicago Tribune — Manager Joe Maddon was philosophical about his decision to use closer Brandon Morrow for the third consecutive game on June 2 - after which the discomfort in his right forearm first surfaced.
RELATED:
Travis Andersen / BostonGlobe.com:
Red Sox division title banner falls off truck; its return may cost them — The Red Sox know a thing or two about high-stakes negotiations — with marquee free agents, or sponsorship partners. — But now they have to contend with Louie Iacuzzi, a 44-year-old Malden resident who …
Discussion:
Business Insider, USA Today, NBCSports.com, MLB Baseball News …, The Comeback, Deadspin and NewsCut
RELATED:
Mike Axisa / CBSSports.com:
The Red Sox's 2018 AL East championship banner was temporarily held hostage by a few Boston buddies
Discussion:
New York Post, Halos Heaven and MLB Baseball News …
Nicole Yang / Boston Globe:
The Red Sox' division title banner has been returned
Discussion:
MLB Baseball News … and baseballmusings.com
Daily Record:
Last Slide — NEW YORK - Justus Sheffield's big-league debut occurred in Wednesday's ninth inning, with a nine-run lead — as soft of an opening as possible, even against the 103-win Red Sox. — Yet, it's no surprise to hear that Sheffield was battling first-time jitters more than Boston's lineup.
RELATED:
Susan Slusser / San Francisco Chronicle:
A's send 2nd-round pick Logan Shore to Tigers to complete Fiers deal — Oakland's deal for Mike Fiers is complete, six weeks after the fact, with the A's sending a well-regarded pitching prospect, Logan Shore, to the Tigers. — The A's previously had sent minor-league reliever Nolan Blackwood to Detroit as part of the deal.
Discussion:
MLB Trade Rumors and Athletics Nation
RELATED:
Nick Piecoro / Arizona Republic:
Last Slide — Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo had four of his everyday players on the bench in Wednesday night's series finale against the Chicago Cubs, saying that rather than waving the white flag or trying to get a look at younger players, he's actually doing what he thinks will put the team in the best position to win.
Discussion:
AZ Snake Pit
RELATED:
Peter Schmuck / Baltimore Sun:
Spot starter Jimmy Yacabonis, rookie DJ Stewart lift Orioles to 2-1 victory over Blue Jays — The Orioles' pitching situation has become so strained that manager Buck Showalter has had to announce the starters for two of the three games against the Toronto Blue Jays less than 24 hours before they took the mound.
Discussion:
Baseball Prospectus and Bluebird Banter
RELATED:
Steve Buffery / Toronto Sun:
He may not like it, but Blue Jays' Russell Martin steps aside for good of the team
Discussion:
MLB Baseball News …
Kristie Rieken / MLB Baseball News, Scores …:
Cano has 3 RBIs as Mariners rout Astros 9-0 — Robinson Cano drove in three runs, three players homered and seven pitchers combined for a five-hitter in Seattle's 9-0 rout of the — Houston Astros on Wednesday night. — The Mariners took two of three in this series from Houston …
Discussion:
The Crawfish Boxes, Lookout Landing and Associated Press
Daily Record:
Last Slide — NEW YORK - If the situation arises, Aroldis Chapman will be ready to save tonight's game against the Red Sox. — The flame-throwing, left-handed Yankees' closer has been activated from the 10-day disabled list, on the heels of slugging right fielder Aaron Judge's return to the lineup on Tuesday.
RELATED:
Dan Martin / New York Post:
What return of Aroldis Chapman means to Yankees bullpen
Discussion:
MLB Trade Rumors
Keith Law / ESPN:
Harrison Bader, Matt Chapman among players I was wrong about — This is the seventh annual installment of my “Guys I Got Wrong” column (for past versions, see the links below). I'll look at players who have become much better big leaguers than I ever forecasted them to be and try to explain where I made mistakes in evaluating them.
