NEW YORK (AP) — Jason Vargas has been placed on the 10-day disabled list by the New York Mets with a strained calf a day before his scheduled start against the Los Angeles Dodgers.New York announced the move following an 8-3 loss to Los Angeles on Saturday night.The left-handed Vargas is 2-6 with an 8.60 ERA in nine starts since opening the season on the DL with a broken right hand. He most recently gave up seven runs in 2 1/3 innings at Coors Field on Tuesday.New York has not announced a replacement starter for Sunday's game.Chris Flexen has been recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas to take Vargas' spot.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Wilmer Font worked into the sixth inning to get his first major league win, Willy Adames homered and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the New York Yankees 4-0 on Saturday.Font (1-3) allowed three hits, one walk and struck out four over 5 2/3 innings. Four relievers completed a four-hitter.Adames had an RBI single during a two-run second and added a solo homer in the seventh off Sonny Gray (5-5).The Rays have won the first two of a three-game series against the Yankees, who have the best record in the majors.New York (50-24), coming off a three-game sweep over Seattle, is the only team in the big leagues not to have dropped more than two straight games this year. This is the latest the Yankees have gone into a season without losing three in a row since August 1954.REDS 11, CUBS 2CINCINNATI (AP) — Anthony DeSclafani hit the first grand slam by a Cincinnati pitcher in 59 years, helping the last-place Reds beat the Chicago Cubs for their sixth consecutive victory.It was Cincinnati's... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Clayton Kershaw was encouraged by how he felt after a shaky, abbreviated return to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday night.Kershaw came off the disabled list and allowed two runs in three innings against the New York Mets. He threw 55 pitches, starting out strong before laboring through his final inning in an 8-3 win."Good to be back," Kershaw said. "Now I can focus on getting better."The lefty ace was scheduled to make a rehab start with Triple-A Oklahoma City at Omaha, but Los Angeles decided Friday to have him pitch in New York because of precarious weather in Nebraska. Kershaw had been sidelined since June 1 with a lower back strain.Kershaw was electric in the first inning. He froze leadoff man Brandon Nimmo on a curveball for a three-pitch strikeout, got Todd Frazier looking for a five-pitch K and induced a weak grounder to the mound from Asdrubal Cabrera.The three-time Cy Young Award winner wasn't as sharp after that. Michael Conforto and Jose Bautista lined consecutive... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Wilmer Font worked into the sixth inning to get his first major league win, Willy Adames homered and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the New York Yankees 4-0 on Saturday.Font (1-3) allowed three hits, one walk and struck out four over 5 2/3 innings. Four relievers completed a four-hitter.Adames had an RBI single during a two-run second and added a solo homer in the seventh off Sonny Gray (5-5).The Rays have won the first two of a three-game series against the Yankees, who have the best record in the majors.New York (50-24), coming off a three-game sweep over Seattle, is the only team in the big leagues not to have dropped more than two straight games this year. This is the latest the Yankees have gone into a season without losing three in a row since August 1954.REDS 11, CUBS 2CINCINNATI (AP) — Anthony DeSclafani hit the first grand slam by a Cincinnati pitcher in 59 years, helping the last-place Reds beat the Chicago Cubs for their sixth consecutive victory.It was Cincinnati's... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors Sunday:CAREFULTexas has won seven in a row, and things got a little testy Saturday during a 9-6 victory at Target Field. Jurickson Profar tied a Rangers record when he was hit by pitches three times. Profar stole second base in the fourth inning with a 9-2 lead — his next at-bat, Minnesota reliever Addison Reed threw three inside fastballs, finally hitting him in the leg.Said Texas manager Jeff Banister: "I thought the intent there was excessive, especially they tried to dial him up three different times."Said Twins manager Paul Molitor: "The thought process between the unwritten rules of the game is not clearly defined. What I might think and what he might think might be different things. I was surprised that (Profar) ran with the score the way it was, when he did. And getting hit there was something that Banister felt wasn't appropriate."A GRAND TIMEThe last-place Reds have won six straight, boosted by a bunch of grand slams. Cincinnati has... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Clayton Kershaw was shaky in an abbreviated return to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday night.Kershaw came off the disabled list and allowed two runs in three innings against the New York Mets. He threw 55 pitches, starting out strong before laboring through his final inning.The lefty ace was scheduled to make a rehab start with Triple-A Oklahoma City at Omaha, but Los Angeles decided Friday to have him pitch in New York because of precarious weather in Nebraska. Kershaw had been sidelined since June 1 with a lower back strain.Kershaw was electric in the first inning. He froze leadoff man Brandon Nimmo on a curveball for a three-pitch strikeout, got Todd Frazier looking for a five-pitch K and induced a weak grounder to the mound from Asdrubal Cabrera.The three-time Cy Young Award winner wasn't as sharp after that. Michael Conforto and Jose Bautista lined consecutive doubles off him in the second inning to tie it at 1, and Kershaw threw 25 pitches in the third inning, including... [More]

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — The Toronto Blue Jays have put pitchers Aaron Sanchez and Jaime Garcia on the 10-day disabled list.The Blue Jays activated right-hander Marcus Stroman off the 10-day disabled list. He'd been out since May 8 with shoulder trouble.Stroman was set to start Saturday night against the Los Angeles Angels. He is 0-5 with a 7.71 ERA.Toronto also recalled left-handed reliever Tim Mayza from Triple-A Buffalo.Sanchez sustained a right finger contusion prior to starting an 8-5 loss to the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday, giving up two runs in one inning before leaving the game. He is 3-5 with a 4.52 ERA.Garcia is dealing with soreness in his left shoulder, manager John Gibbons said. Garcia is 0-6 in his last 10 starts and has not won since April 17.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

NEW YORK (AP) — Clayton Kershaw has been activated from the disabled list and was set to pitch for the Los Angeles Dodgers despite a shaky forecast at Citi Field.The lefty ace was scheduled to make a rehab start with Triple-A Oklahoma City at Omaha, but Los Angeles decided Friday to have him pitch in New York on Saturday because of precarious weather in Nebraska. Kershaw has been sidelined since June 1 with a lower back strain.Skies were gray in New York throughout the day, and it might begin to rain before the game, per weather reports.Kershaw will oppose Mets ace Jacob deGrom, though Kershaw's outing will likely be short. Manager Dave Roberts said there won't be restrictions on Kershaw, though before the switch, he was expected to throw no more than four innings or 60 pitches for Oklahoma City.Rookie left-hander Caleb Ferguson (0-1, 7.59 ERA) will be ready in reserve. The 21-year-old left-hander had been slated to make his fourth major league start Saturday.Kershaw pleaded with Roberts... [More]

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — San Diego Padres pitcher Jordan Lyles was scratched from his scheduled start against San Francisco because of right forearm tightness.The change was announced after the Padres batted in the top of the first inning Saturday.Matt Strahm replaced Lyles. Strahm previously started last Sunday in Atlanta when he matched a career high of five strikeouts while pitching into the fourth inning.

CLEVELAND (AP) — Cleveland Indians left-hander Andrew Miller won't throw off a mound for 10 days and the team says there's no timetable for when its ace reliever will return while he continues to deal with a sore right knee.Miller has been on the 10-day disabled list since May 26. Manager Terry Francona said Saturday that Miller will play catch and work on strengthening his knee. Miller was on the DL twice last season with patella tendinitis.The Indians said Miller has rejoined the team after attending to a personal matter for a few days. He will resume throwing off flat ground on Monday.Miller pitched 10 scoreless innings this season before being put on the DL in late April with a strained left hamstring. He missed two weeks and struggled after returning. Miller is 1-3 with a 4.40 ERA in 17 appearances.The AL Central leaders have counted on Miller since acquiring him during the 2016 season. He helped the Indians reach the World Series that year, working in a variety of roles out of the bullpen.

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Milwaukee Brewers recalled veteran infielder Brad Miller from Triple-A Colorado Springs on Saturday and optioned struggling outfielder Domingo Santana there in an exchange of former 30-homer players.Miller, acquired from Tampa Bay on June 10 for first baseman-outfielder Ji-Man Choi, was in the Brewers' starting lineup at second base and batting sixth Saturday against St. Louis."That first day, no matter how much sleep you have, no matter the travel, it doesn't really matter, you're running on adrenaline," Miller said before the game. "Excited to get in there right away and get to work."Santana hit .278 last season for Milwaukee with 30 homers and 85 RBIs, but never got going this season. He hit .249 and just three homers and 17 RBIs in 189 at-bats."At some point, we're going to need Domingo and we'd prefer that he was kind of rolling and clicking when that times comes," manager Craig Counsell said."It's tough to do it when you're not playing that much. It's not something... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Milwaukee Brewers recalled veteran infielder Brad Miller from Triple A Colorado Springs and optioned struggling outfielder Domingo Santana.Miller, acquired from Tampa Bay on June 10 in exchange for first baseman-outfielder Ji-Man Choi, was in the Brewers starting lineup at second base for Saturday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals, batting sixth.Santana hit .278 last season for Milwaukee with 30 homers and 85 RBIs, but never got on track this season. He hit .249, with three homers and 17 RBIs in 189 at-bats.With Jesus Aguilar and his team-best 16 homers earning more time at first base, recently activated Eric Thames has been playing more outfield, reducing Santana's role.Miller batted .256 with five homers and 21 RBIs in 48 games this season with Tampa Bay.

CHICAGO (AP) — The Oakland Athletics recalled outfielder Nick Martini from Triple-A Nashville on Saturday and optioned right-handed pitcher Chris Bassitt and left-hander Danny Coulombe before their game at Chicago against the White Sox.Martini will be available off the bench on Saturday. He was called up by the Athletics for three games this month and was hitless in nine at-bats. In 62 games for Nashville, the 27-year-old batted .305 with five homers and 33 RBIs. In his last 34 games in the minors, Martini hit .360.Bassitt made three starts with Oakland, going 0-3 with a 3.86 ERA. He started and lost in the second game of the A's doubleheader at Chicago on Friday, allowing five runs in 5 1/3 innings.Coulombe was the 26th man for the Athletics in Friday's nightcap, pitching two-thirds of an inning and allowing three hits. He is 1-1 with a 4.56 ERA in 26 relief appearances during three stints with Oakland this season.

A look at what's happening around the majors today:PHILLY SPECIALOdubel Herrera has homered in five straight games, tying a Philadelphia record. Chase Utley (twice in 2008), Bobby Abreu (2005), Mike Schmidt (1979) and Dick Allen (1969) also connected five in row for the Phillies. Ken Griffey, Jr. (1993), Don Mattingly (1987) and Dale Long (1956) share the major league record with homers in eight consecutive games.Herrera now takes aim against rookie right-hander Erick Fedde (0-2, 5.63 ERA) at Nationals Park.CITI SURPRISEClayton Kershaw is set to make an unexpected return from the disabled list, starting for the Dodgers in a marquee matchup against Mets ace Jacob deGrom. Kershaw has been sidelined since June 1 with a lower back strain. The three-time Cy Young Award winner and 2014 NL MVP originally was scheduled to make a rehab start Saturday with Triple-A Oklahoma City at Omaha, but heavy rain in the forecast caused the Dodgers to change plans. There's rain forecast at Citi Field, too,... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Cody Bellinger hit a grand slam to break a scoreless tie in the sixth inning and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the sinking New York Mets 5-2 on Friday night behind Alex Wood's effective pitching.Yasiel Puig added a solo home run in the ninth, and the defending NL champions won their 10th straight against the Mets dating to May 2016. Los Angeles has outscored New York 75-20 in those games, winning each of the past eight by at least three runs — a first in Dodgers history against any opponent, according to STATS.Wood (3-5) outdueled Zack Wheeler (2-6), allowing two runs and six hits in six innings to win his second consecutive start. The left-hander with the funky delivery struck out seven and walked one.Kenley Jansen fanned two in a perfect ninth for his 19th save.New York wasted a dazzling catch by center fielder Michael Conforto that saved a run in the third. After starting the season 11-1, the Mets lost for the 21st time in 27 games to fall a season-worst 11 games under... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Cody Bellinger hit a grand slam to break a scoreless tie in the sixth inning and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the sinking New York Mets 5-2 on Friday night behind Alex Wood's effective pitching.Yasiel Puig added a solo home run in the ninth, and the defending NL champions won their 10th straight against the Mets dating to May 2016. Los Angeles has outscored New York 75-20 in those games, winning each of the past eight by at least three runs — a first in Dodgers history against any opponent, according to STATS.Wood (3-5) outdueled Zack Wheeler (2-6), allowing two runs and six hits in six innings to win his second consecutive start. The left-hander with the funky delivery struck out seven and walked one.Kenley Jansen fanned two in a perfect ninth for his 19th save.New York wasted a dazzling catch by center fielder Michael Conforto that saved a run in the third. After starting the season 11-1, the Mets lost for the 21st time in 27 games to fall a season-worst 11 games under... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors Saturday:PHILLY SPECIALOdubel Herrera has homered in five straight games, tying a Philadelphia record. Chase Utley (twice in 2008), Bobby Abreu (2005), Mike Schmidt (1979) and Dick Allen (1969) also connected five in row for the Phillies. Ken Griffey, Jr. (1993), Don Mattingly (1987) and Dale Long (1956) share the major league record with homers in eight consecutive games.Herrera now takes aim against rookie right-hander Erick Fedde (0-2, 5.63 ERA) at Nationals Park.CITI SURPRISEClayton Kershaw is set to make an unexpected return from the disabled list, starting for the Dodgers in a marquee matchup against Mets ace Jacob deGrom. Kershaw has been sidelined since June 1 with a lower back strain. The three-time Cy Young Award winner and 2014 NL MVP originally was scheduled to make a rehab start Saturday with Triple-A Oklahoma City at Omaha, but heavy rain in the forecast caused the Dodgers to change plans. There's rain forecast at Citi Field, too,... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — St. Louis Cardinals rookie Jack Flaherty has lost his no-hit bid in the seventh inning on a home run by Milwaukee's Jesus Aguilar.Aguilar connected with one out in the seventh Friday night at Miller Park. The homer tied the score at 1.Flaherty had struck out 12 before giving up a hit.The 22-year-old right-hander began the night with a 3-2 record and a 2.66 ERA in nine starts this season.

NEW YORK (AP) — Cody Bellinger hit a grand slam to break a scoreless tie in the sixth inning and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the sinking New York Mets 5-2 on Friday night behind Alex Wood's effective pitching.Yasiel Puig added a solo home run in the ninth, and the defending NL champions won their 10th straight against the Mets dating to May 2016. Los Angeles has outscored New York 75-20 in those games, winning each of the past eight by at least three runs — a first in Dodgers history against any opponent, according to STATS.Wood (3-5) outdueled Zack Wheeler (2-6), allowing two runs and six hits in six innings to win his second consecutive start. The left-hander with the funky delivery struck out seven and walked one.Kenley Jansen fanned two in a perfect ninth for his 19th save.New York wasted a dazzling catch by center fielder Michael Conforto that saved a run in the third. After starting the season 11-1, the Mets lost for the 21st time in 27 games to fall a season-worst 11 games under... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — St. Louis Cardinals rookie Jack Flaherty is pitching a no-hitter through six innings against the Milwaukee Brewers.Flaherty has struck out 11, walked two and thrown 94 pitches Friday night at Miller Park.The 22-year-old right-hander began the night with a 3-2 record and a 2.66 ERA in nine starts this season.The Cardinals lead the NL Central-best Brewers 1-0.