Molina making progress in workouts  —  MILWAUKEE  • For almost three weeks after catcher Yadier Molina was taken for emergency surgery following a foul ball to the groin, the Cardinals and team physicians have been a chorus of caution, urging the bedrock backstop to rest …

Matt Kemp puts on offensive show in Dodgers' 8-2 win over the Phillies  —  Matt Kemp finished a round of autographs on Wednesday afternoon and waded through his dugout.  A half-dozen pint-sized Dodgers fans gawked as Kemp returned with one of his bats.  He asked the kids to rub the lumber for good luck …

Kluber pitches Indians past White Sox 9-1  —  CLEVELAND (AP) — Corey Kluber pitched six shutout innings and reached eight victories before any AL pitcher as the Cleveland Indians rolled to their fifth straight win, 9-1 Wednesday over the sagging Chicago White Sox.

MLB notebook: Dodgers' Maeda is fourth of five starters on DL  —  The Los Angeles Dodgers placed righthander Kenta Maeda on the 10-day disabled list Wednesday with a mild left hip strain, leaving the club with four of their five starters from the opening-day roster sidelined with an injury.

When Yankees staff stumbles, Luis Severino must soar  —  NEW YORK — It's become apparent during recent turns through their rotation that the New York Yankees are in need of starting pitching, particularly if they are going to make the deep postseason run many anticipate.

Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Cincinnati Reds … The pool at Chase Field has seen postseason celebrations, criticism from baseball traditionalists and a few home runs.  —  On Wednesday, it saw a rehab workout.  —  Left-handed pitcher Robbie Ray took a dip in the infamous pool to do some aquatic exercises …

Auburn pitcher leads top 30 prospects for Major League Baseball draft  —  Nick Shnider of DraftSite.com looks at the top 30 prospects in the 2018 Major League Baseball draft.  —  1. Casey Mize, RHP, Auburn: Undrafted out of high school, Mize turned himself into the clear No. 1 choice with a spectacular junior season at Auburn.

Francisco Liriano heads to disabled list with right hamstring strain  —  The Detroit Tigers placed left-hander Francisco Liriano on the 10-day disabled list Wednesday with a right hamstring strain.  —  The move was made retroactive to Sunday.  —  “Liriano said his hamstring was sore after his last start …

Small fire breaks out at New York Mets' Citi Field  —  The New York Mets weren't at home, but there was a flurry of activity at Citi Field on Wednesday when a fire broke out in a display case just inside the stadium gates.  —  Firefighters quickly brought the blaze under control and no one was injured.

Goose apparently fine after crashing into Comerica Park scoreboard  —  A goose was on the loose Wednesday night in Detroit until a scoreboard at Comerica Park intervened.  —  As the Angels and Tigers waited out their second rain delay in the top of the sixth inning, a goose flew onto the outfield at Comerica.

Mets list Matz as day to day, hope he won't miss next start  —  ATLANTA (AP) — The New York Mets have listed starting pitcher Steven Matz as day to day, hopeful he will not miss a turn in the rotation with a mild strain in his middle left finger.  —  Manager Mickey Callaway said Matz isn't expected to go on the disabled list.

Rays' Eovaldi stellar in return from Tommy John surgery  —  Nathan Eovaldi pitched six innings of no-hit ball in his return to the majors following a second Tommy John surgery, leading the Tampa Bay Rays to a 6-0 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday night.

Watching Shohei Ohtani gives glimpse of double greatness  —  Albert Pujols picked up his 3,000th hit on May 4.  Which active player will be the next one to reach the milestone?  Video by Ryan Ford/DFP Wochit  —  CONNECT  —  I came to witness.  —  After so many years in the sports writing business …

Series preview: Cardinals vs. Pittsburgh at Busch Stadium  —  Scouting report  • The Pirates have scuffled since dropping two games to St. Louis last weekend.  They've lost eight of their last 11 games and their record is down to 29-26.  —  Outfield prospect Austin Meadows is hitting .419 since his MLB debut May 18.

Benches empty in 3rd as Cubs trail Pirates 2-1 in 7th  —  Photos from the Cubs-Pirates game at PNC Park in Pittsburgh on Wednesday, May 30, 2018.  —  Chicago Tribune  —  The tension between the Cubs and Pirates resurfaced Wednesday night in the third inning over a slide at second base.

Giants salvage final game of road trip, await reinforcements at home  —  DENVER-Moral victories are hard to come by in the world of sports, but as the Giants proved on their eight-game road trip, actual victories are even tougher to secure.  —  Yet on the final day of a long month …

Next Slide  —  Ronny Rodriguez did it all, literally, for the Toledo Mud Hens this afternoon.  The third baseman hit for a cycle, leading Toledo to a 12-7 win over Syracuse Wednesday at NBT Bank stadium.  —  The Detroit Tigers signed Rodriguez this past offseason to compete for the utility man role …

Choi's run leads Col. Springs to 13-3 win over Iowa  —  COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — Ji-Man Choi scored on a wild pitch in the fifth inning, leading the Colorado Springs Sky Sox to a 13-3 win over the Iowa Cubs on Wednesday.  —  The play came in the midst of a six-run inning and gave the Sky Sox a 4-3 lead.

Giants place Samardzija on DL with shoulder tightness  —  DENVER (AP) — The San Francisco Giants placed right-hander Jeff Samardzija on the 10-day disabled list with shoulder tightness.  —  Samardzija left his start Tuesday after throwing 23 pitches and giving up two runs in the first inning.