Diamondbacks escape being no-hit, but lose Carson Kelly to injury in loss to Dodgers  —  Simply losing was not quite brutal enough for the Diamondbacks on Saturday night — nor was losing while flirting with a being no-hit.  Their 9-3 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers also included a crushing injury.

Boston Red Sox ace Chris Sale looks sharp after latest bullpen session at Polar Park  —  WORCESTER — Atmosphere is everything for Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale and he's enjoying his time with the Worcester Red Sox this week at Polar Park.  —  The veteran left-hander is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery …

MLB relaxes COVID protocol restrictions for all vaccinated players and staff  —  NEW YORK — All fully vaccinated players and staff can stop wearing masks in dugouts, bullpens and clubhouses under the latest change to Major League Baseball's coronavirus protocols.

Mahle fans 12, Reds silence Brewers' bats again in 2-1 win  —  MILWAUKEE — Tyler Mahle tied his career high with 12 strikeouts, Tucker Barnhart drove in the go-ahead run with a double in the seventh inning, and the Cincinnati Reds beat the Milwaukee Brewers 2-1 on Wednesday to finish a three-game sweep.

Mets loosen leash on Joey Lucchesi, Edwin Diaz tumbles in walk-off loss to Nationals  —  After spending the past month making his plea to go deeper into games, Joey Lucchesi finally got a longer leash from the Mets.  —  On Friday night, Lucchesi for the first time this season faced an opposing lineup the third time through the order.

Kiley McDaniel's 2021 MLB Mock Draft 2.0 - A new No. 1?  Who gets Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker?  —  We're now about three weeks from the 2021 MLB draft, which begins on Sunday, July 11, and while there's more buzz about specific team preferences, sources think information on this front …

Yankees turn a triple play you've never seen before  —  The New York Yankees have had their issues this season, but they've got at least one thing down — turning triple plays.  —  In Thursday night's game against the Toronto Blue Jays in Buffalo, the Yankees turned their second triple play of the season, a first in franchise history.

Schoop's offensive surge could raise profile at MLB trade deadline  —  It's hard to be jokey and light during Zoom interviews.  No matter how you try to soften things, the player is sitting in front of a screen, staring into a camera with a bunch of reporters asking questions — it always feels like an interrogation.

The biggest trade needs for contenders to fill  —  If it seems like the baseball season just started, we have some news for you: It's almost Trade Deadline season.  We're 40% of the way through the schedule.  We're two weeks from July, and there's less than a month until the All-Star Game.

Why MLB's sticky-stuff crackdown plan is causing a major rift across baseball  —  INSIDE THE DUGOUT of a National League team this week, a passive-aggressive internecine squabble broke out.  When two veteran hitters returned to the dugout after striking out, each said, loud enough for everyone around them to hear, “Sticky stuff.”