Mariners beat Royals 1-0 for 7th straight victory  —  SEATTLE (AP) James Paxton limited Kansas City to two hits and struck out 11 in eight innings and the Seattle Mariners beat the Royals 1-0 on Sunday for their season-best seventh consecutive victory.  —  Paxton, from Ladner, British Columbia …

Yanks' new strikeout king?  Severino chases Louisiana Lightning  —  NEW YORK — It was the day Bucky Dent became a household name.  —  Still, the shortstop's three-run, go-ahead homer over the Green Monster in a single-game playoff with the Boston Red Sox wasn't the only performance …

Marquez pitches Rockies to 3-1 win over Dodgers  —  LOS ANGELES (AP) A fist pump and a late fastball on the cusp of 100 mph was all the indication needed to know just how good German Marquez felt Saturday.  —  He pitched two-hit ball over eight innings and Ian Desmond homered as the Colorado Rockies beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-1.

Giants, Diamondbacks in good spot despite injuries  —  PHOENIX — As the second half of the season commences, both Arizona and San Francisco have reasons to feel confident as they prepare for the third game of a three-game weekend series Sunday.  —  Both are nearing full health …

Peraza hits Reds' latest grand slam in 8-2 win over Brewers  —  CINCINNATI — Another day, another Cincinnati grand slam.  —  Jose Peraza kept up the parade of slams, sending Matt Harvey and the Reds over the NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers 8-2 Sunday.

Next Slide  —  Castellanos described the pregame talk as a “we're-all-in-this-together conversation, rather than a ass-chewing conversation.”  —  Several players who struggled offensively in June helped contribute in the win.  —  Niko Goodrum singled in th first to snap an -for-15 drought …

Rangers Reaction: Growing group believes Beltre would nix a trade  —  ARLINGTON  —  Just think: In less than two years the Texas Rangers won't have to worry about how to juggle the Fox Sports broadcast window and the sizzling summer heat.  —  The Rangers and Chicago White Sox played …

Rays hope to ride Snell's pace vs. Astros  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Rays were a wobbly 34-40 on June 20, but have pitched their way back to .500 mostly without true starting pitchers.  —  On Saturday, five relievers combined to outduel Justin Verlander in a 5-2 victory …

Iowa baseball: Hawkeyes signee Korry Howell inks with the Milwaukee Brewers  —  Iowa's hope to hold onto shortstop signee Korry Howell is officially over.  The former Kirkwood standout has signed with the Milwaukee Brewers, Hawkeyes baseball coach Rick Heller confirmed to HawkCentral.

Albert Almora out for Cubs' finale against Twins  —  Cubs manager Joe Maddon discusses outfielder Albert Almora's standing as a write-in candidate for the All-Star Game on Sunday, July 1, 2018.  (Paul Sullivan/Chicago Tribune)  —  Chicago Tribune  —  Albert Almora Jr. …

Five-run sixth carries Braves to sweep of Cardinals  —  Freddie Freeman hit his 16th homer to highlight a five-run rally that propelled the  —  Atlanta Braves to a 6-5 win over the St. Louis  —  Cardinals and a sweep of their three-game series at Busch Stadium.  —  After

Olney: Contenders consider buying low, buying late  —  BRONX, N.Y. — More than a handful of teams benefitted last winter from slow-playing the free-agent market and waiting for the asking prices to fall inevitably.  This is how the Phillies landed Jake Arrieta on a three-year contract …

Phillies' bullpen deserves tons of credit for series win over Nats  —  They're heavily scrutinized whenever an inning goes wrong, so the  —  Phillies' relievers also deserve a ton of credit for Saturday and Sunday.  —  The  —  Phils don't win this series without nearly lights-out work from the bullpen.

Carlos Carrasco to return to Indians' rotation Friday; Adam Plutko optioned  —  Carlos Carrasco will return to the Cleveland Indians' rotation on Friday against the Oakland Athletics, manager Terry Francona said on Sunday.  —  The right-hander has been sidelined since being hit by a line drive …

Nolan Arenado is tired of losing.  Will he have to leave the Rockies to win?  —  SAN FRANCISCO - While the baseball world laments not seeing the game's greatest player perform on the biggest stage in October, forgotten is that Mike Trout actually once played in the postseason.