Royals face Mariners thankful dismal June is over  —  With apologies to Little Orphan Annie, the sun'll come out today.  —  Considering the month the Kansas City Royals just went through, and that they're currently in often-overcast Seattle, that was no guarantee.

Alex Rodriguez thinks Red Sox have better 1-2 punch than Yankees  —  NEW YORK - Alex Rodriguez remains on the Yankees' payroll in an advisory capacity, the specifics of which are vague.  —  He's also paid for his opinions as an ESPN Sunday Night Baseball analyst.

Reds look to remain hot vs. White Sox  —  James Shields of the Chicago White Sox and the Cincinnati Reds play in opposite leagues and rarely see each other, yet they currently have much in common.  —  Now that they're starting to make something out of what appeared to be a totally lost season, they'd like to keep it going.

Nick Pivetta brought relief to Phillies' bullpen in 13th inning vs. Nationals  —  The way Nick Pivetta looked at it, he owed his teammates a favor.  —  Pivetta lasted only 1 2/3 innings in his start Friday night.  So, with the Phillies out of available relievers in the 13th inning …

Blake Snell, Rays edge Astros 3-2 to wrap up impressive homestand  —  Blake Snell and the surging Tampa Bay Rays are having success against some of the major's best teams.  —  Snell struck out 10, reliever Diego Castillo fanned Jose Altuve in a key spot and the Rays wrapped up an impressive homestand …

Detroit Tigers snap 11-game losing streak with win over Blue Jays  —  What happened: The Detroit Tigers (37-48) beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 9-1 on Sunday afternoon to snap an 11-game losing streak...The Tigers scored five runs with two outs in the fifth to take a 5-1 lead.

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.

San Francisco Giants at Arizona Diamondbacks … For stretches on Sunday, Diamondbacks right-hander Zack Godley's misses could best be measured in feet, not inches.  He would sometimes spin off the mound, the balance he'd been trying to maintain in his delivery nowhere to be found.

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.

Ricky's boys cause fits: Fielding, baserunning errors evidence of ­­'sloppiness'  —  The White Sox manager addresses the team's “focus” after several fielding and baserunning mistakes, include a lapse in judgement by Yoan Moncada by not hustling home.  —  Chicago Tribune

Jon Lester stars on bound and at plate for Cubs  —  CHICAGO (AP) — Jon Lester hit a three-run homer in an eight-run second inning and wound up with his NL-leading 11th victory in the Chicago Cubs' 11-10 win over the Minnesota Twins on Sunday.  —  Ian Happ also homered for the Cubs.

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. …