Lester solid in return, but Dodgers get past Cubs 2-1  —  CHICAGO — Although it wasn't enough to keep the Cubs rolling, Jon Lester was pleased with his first outing in more than two weeks.  —  The Los Angeles Dodgers spoiled the veteran left-hander's return to the rotation by scoring …

Angels blast Yankees, 11-5  —  ANAHEIM, Calif. - A team in dire need of a morale boost and a victory got both Thursday night when the Angels muscled their way out of a four-run hole for an 11-5 win over the New York Yankees, preventing a four-game sweep by the visitors in Angel Stadium.

Greinke leads Diamondbacks past Pirates for 4-game sweep  —  PITTSBURGH — Zack Greinke did a little bit of everything on Thursday, holding the Pirates to two hits over seven innings and adding a big hit of his own to lead the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 5-0 victory and a four-game sweep of Pittsburgh.

Hearn wasn't good, the other Rangers weren't much better, and it all was hard to watch  —  On the bright side Thursday night, only one Texas Rangers player was injured.  Injured physically, that is.  —  However, there is probably some emotional scarring that will need to be addressed.

Cubs closer Pedro Strop earns save after his car was stolen  —  Chicago Cubs closer Pedro Strop earned his third save of the season Wednesday night while police were in pursuit of his stolen car.  —  Strop had his car stolen earlier in the day before the Cubs hosted the Los Angeles Dodgers.

LEADING OFF: Vladdy Jr. debuts, La Tortuga gets his night  —  A look at what's happening around the majors today:  —  IT'S TIME  —  Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is set to make his big league debut with the Toronto Blue Jays against the Oakland Athletics.  The son of Hall of Famer Vladimir …

Detroit Tigers promote Casey Mize Double-A: ‘He needs to be challenged’  —  BOSTON — Last June, the Detroit Tigers were at Fenway Park the day after the team drafted Casey Mize with the No. 1 overall pick.  —  The anticipation, even then — not even a day into Mize's Tigers tenure — was palpable.

KCTV5 obtains recording of Tyreek Hill and Crystal Espinal discussing their son's broken arm  —  FAIRWAY, KS (KCTV) - KCTV5's investigative department was sent a recording of Tyreek Hill and his fiancé discussing the police investigation and what they are telling police.

'It's just Vlad Jr. being Vlad Jr.' Why we're so excited for Guerrero's MLB debut  —  His hitting exploits have already made him a social media sensation.  He has a Hall of Fame father, a dynamic swing and an electric presence.  His at-bats promise to be must-see viewing from the very start — and the very start is now.

Nick Senzel is doing well, but there's no timetable for him joining the Cincinnati Reds  —  Nick Senzel was not in the lineup for the Louisville Bats Thursday night.  Read absolutely nothing into that, i.e., Senzel wasn't headed up I-71 to join the Reds.  —  But reports on him are good.

MLB Weekend Watch: Questions, predictions about the games ahead  —  Beyond the goings-on north of the border, we've got a playoff rematch from last season and a big AL East rematch from last weekend among other intriguing series.  Here's what we're excited about this weekend and how we think things will play out.

Red Sox Farm Report: Three Sea Dogs pitchers combine for no-hitter  —  Double-A Portland logged its fourth no-hitter in team history in Thursday's 2-0 win over the Binghamton Rumble Ponies (Mets).  —  Kyle Hart got things rolling with 6 2/3 innings of lockdown pitching.

Why Dustin Pedroia teaching Eduardo Rodriguez a pitch isn't all that weird  —  The biggest news that came out of the Red Sox' win over the Tigers Wednesday night was how Eduardo Rodriguez learned his new and improved slider.  That was because of who taught the Sox starter his new pitch, second baseman Dustin Pedroia.

Trevor Bauer throws 8 strong innings, Indians beat Houston Astros 2-1  —  Bauer allowed one run, four hits and six walks while striking out three.  —  HOUSTON (AP) — Trevor Bauer threw eight strong innings, Leonys Martin and Jake Bauers homered off Gerrit Cole, and the Cleveland Indians beat the Houston Astros 2-1 on Thursday night.