What does being in first place on June 1 mean?  —  As baseball enters June, the Red Sox, Indians, Astros, Braves, Brewers and Rockies might feel like they're sitting pretty, holding the division lead as the season enters the summer months.  —  But the longevity of that divisional prowess is not a given.

Part-time play hasn't limited Bader, Cards' new full-fledged WAR leader  —  ST. LOUIS  • With more than 40 transactions this past month involving 23 different players and more than half of the 40-man roster the Cardinals started the month with, Cardinals manager Mike Matheny has had plenty …

Next Slide  —  It was, in a word, impressive.  —  Most series wins are for the Detroit Tigers.  But this one, over a team considered to be one of the top-heavy American League's best, in a four-game set, counted as their most impressive of the season.  —  The Tigers — without Miguel Cabrera …

Mets' Kevin Plawecki to make start at 1st base against Cubs  —  Sandy Alderson discusses the status of Yoenis Cespedes and Kevin Plawecki Matt Ehalt, Staff Writer, @MattEhalt  —  NEW YORK — With the Mets slated to face two left-handers over the next two days, something they have struggled with all season …

Karablog: What to do with Clayton Kershaw  —  The only thing that seems to be able to derail Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw, other than the occasional October outing, as one is certainly obligated to point out, is injury.  The team's ace — or is that Ross Stripling now? …

Votto: Letterman, Seinfeld ‘incorrect in their assumptions’  —  Joey Votto's sense of humor is gold, Jerry!  Gold!  —  Votto responded to the stories David Letterman and Jerry Seinfeld told about their encounters with the Cincinnati Reds All-Star first baseman on Letterman's Netflix show …

Baseball roundup: Newcomb dazzles as Braves beat Nats  —  Sean Newcomb pitched seven strong innings for his sixth straight win, leading the Atlanta Braves back into first place with a 4-2 victory over the visiting Washington Nationals on Thursday night.  —  In the start of a four-game series between …

Ten players who should be first-time All-Stars  —  Not only has Major League Baseball welcomed wave after wave of young, exciting talent into its player ranks in recent seasons, but science and technology advances — combined with testing conventional thinking — are allowing more veteran players to remake and improve themselves.

Rockies reinstate DJ LeMahieu, place David Dahl on DL  —  DENVER — The Colorado Rockies have placed outfielder David Dahl on the 10-day disabled list with a broken right foot and reinstated second baseman DJ LeMahieu.  —  LeMahieu was in the starting lineup Friday night against the Los Angeles Dodgers and batting leadoff.

Brewers starter Zach Davies heads back to disabled list  —  MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Brewers have placed starting pitcher Zach Davies on the 10-day disabled list with right rotator cuff inflammation and recalled first baseman-outfielder Ji-Man Choi from Triple-A Colorado Springs.

Cruz homer sparks Mariners to 6-1 win over Rangers  —  SEATTLE — The Seattle Mariners have been waiting for Nelson Cruz to get going.  They have been waiting for Dee Gordon to return from the disabled list.  And they had been waiting for a victory after two losses at home.

Lindor's pair of homers leads Indians past Twins 9-8  —  MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Twins were surging into the eighth inning after erasing Cleveland's eight-run lead, chasing what would have been a club-record comeback.  —  Ah, but Francisco Lindor still had another at-bat, and that's all the Indians needed to regain control.

Vlad Jr. fever, the clutch factor and MLB's next big thing  —  The baseball world waits impatiently for the arrival of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. With each homer, with each day ending with a batting average north of .400, the impatience grows.  Yet the Toronto Blue Jays make us wait — and that's fine.

MLB hits top strikeouts in May, reversing trend in April  —  NEW YORK — Hits exceeded strikeouts across Major League Baseball in May after a historic number of whiffs in April.  —  This marks a return to form.  According to the Elias Sports Bureau, there were 7,033 hits and 6,971 strikeouts in May.

Column: Brewers' return to South Side rekindles memories of a once-heated rivalry  —  Chicago Tribune  —  Brewers owner Mark Attanasio tried to prevent Cubs fans from taking over Miller Park this year, approving a presale of tickets to Cubs game to Wisconsin residents only.

Russell Wilson joins Portland Major League Baseball drive  —  PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and his wife, the singer Ciara, have joined the effort to bring Major League Baseball to Portland.  —  The Oregonian/OregonLive reports that Portland Diamond Project …

Homer Bailey's demotion is only the first move with Cincinnati Reds starting rotation  —  Reds right-hander Anthony DeSclafani had a rough second outing in spring training Sunday, allowing three earned runs on five hits in two innings against the Kansas City Royals The Enquirer/Adam Baum