Arizona Diamondbacks sweep of the Atlanta Braves with 4-1 victory  —  ATLANTA — Christian Walker continued his remarkable late-innings production with a two-run homer in the seventh, Luke Weaver got Arizona off to a good start and the Diamondbacks beat the Atlanta Braves 4-1 on Thursday to complete a three-game sweep.

Mets survive first trip through the rough and tumble NL East  —  Now that the Mets have pocketed a first-look at their competition, how do they square up in the gritty National League East?  —  In the stretch of the Mets' first 18 games (10-8), only two meetings - against the Twins - were outside of the division.

Giants pitchers dig too deep a hole for hitters in loss to Nationals  —  WASHINGTON D.C. — The Giants trailed by seven runs at the beginning of the ninth inning Wednesday night.  About 15 minutes later, Sean Doolittle was on the mound and Reyes Moronta was hurrying to get hot in the visiting bullpen.

Detroit Tigers observations: Sloppy defense stings, but Tigers set season high in runs  —  In an ugly game threatened by rain clouds in the distance, the Detroit Tigers' offense woke up in earnest, coming back twice to beat the White Sox, 9-7, at Comerica Park.  —  The nine runs scored are a season-high for the Tigers.

Verlander, Astros ready to hit reset button vs. Rangers  —  At some point, the Astros were bound to appear mortal, sure to taste defeat again, and likely to resemble something other than a juggernaut steamrolling the rest of the American League.  —  With a 2-1 loss at Oakland on Wednesday …

Matt Chapman's homer, power arms propel A's past Astros  —  Matt Chapman's solo home run leading off the sixth inning and power pitching by Frankie Montas, Lou Trivino and Blake Treinen led the Oakland Athletics to a 2-1 win over the Houston Astros Wednesday night at the Coliseum.

Athletics Extend Khris Davis  —  Oakland fans have cause to celebrate.  The Athletics announced Thursday that they've extended designated hitter/outfielder Khris Davis through the 2021 season.  Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports (via Twitter) that Davis will earn $16.75MM …

For Dodgers' Rich Hill, no taking it easy in a rehab stint  —  The veteran left-hander strikes out eight in four innings for Rancho Cucamonga against Lake Elsinore  —  LAKE ELSINORE — Lake Elsinore's leadoff man put Rich Hill and his left knee to the test almost immediately Wednesday night.

Blue Jays Designate Javy Guerra For Assignment  —  The Blue Jays announced Thursday that they've designated right-hander Javy Guerra for assignment in order to open a spot on the active roster for righty Ryan Tepera, who has been reinstated from the 10-day injured list.

Clint Frazier lighting up Yankees' ‘Night Club’ along with Brett Gardner  —  NEW YORK - First, let's talk about the fog machine.  —  “I haven't seen it that much,” Clint Frazier said late Wednesday night, after the Yankees' 5-3 win over the Boston Red Sox.

A.J. Pollock's 3-run home run helps Los Angeles Dodgers sweep Cincinnati Reds  —  LOS ANGELES - Sonny Gray allowed two hits against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday.  The second one was costly.  —  With a runner on second base and two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning, the Reds opted to walk the hot-hitting Cody Bellinger.

Carlos Zambrano discusses his comeback attempt at 37 with the Chicago Dogs: ‘I want to come back to the big leagues’  —  Former Carlos Zambrano signs autographs at the 2018 Cubs Convention at the Sheraton Grand Chicago.  Zambrano, 37, is attempting a comeback, pitching this year for the Chicago Dogs …

Brad Keller fastball that ‘got away’ leads to Royals, White Sox benches clearing  —  The bench-clearing altercation between the Royals and Chicago White Sox on Wednesday afternoon at Guaranteed Rate Field may be viewed by some onlookers as an outdated or barbaric.

Red Sox Place Dustin Pedroia On Injured List  —  7:34pm: The move is no official.  Reliever Marcus Walden was brought up to take the roster spot for the time being.  —  6:52pm: Pedroia will indeed hit the IL, per WEEI.com's Rob Bradford (Twitter link).  —  6:33pm: Red Sox second baseman …

Pedro Strop sees better days ahead for himself and his fellow Cubs relievers  —  Chicago Tribune  —  Pedro Strop has pitched only once in a save situation and has appeared in only six of the Cubs' first 17 games.  —  Strop believes those developments actually bode well for him and his fellow relievers …