What you see is what you get with Mets' Jason Vargas  —  ST. LOUIS — Jason Vargas has now made four starts for the Mets this season.  He's been great, he's been awful and he's been somewhere in between, which is what he was Friday night in St. Louis in the Mets' 5-4 win over the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium.

Baseball notebook: White Sox's Anderson suspended for language  —  Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson didn't go into detail Friday about what he said during a bench-clearing fracas with Kansas City on Wednesday after a report that he directed a racial slur at Royals pitcher Brad Keller.

Arizona Diamondbacks fall to Chicago Cubs 5-1 in chilly afternoon game  —  CHICAGO - Kyle Hendricks struck out a season-high 11 over seven scoreless innings in his first win, and the Chicago Cubs beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-1 on Friday.  —  Hendricks (1-3) became the third consecutive Cubs starter …

Marlins hold on to defeat Nationals after another strong performance from Caleb Smith  —  The Miami Marlins hoped that their off day came at the right time.  After enduring a 15 game stretch that included five shutout losses and just two wins, maybe a 24-hour respite would be enough for the team …

Diamondbacks land versatile Blake Swihart in trade with Red Sox, won't use him at catcher right away  —  CHICAGO - In acquiring Blake Swihart from the Boston Red Sox on Friday afternoon, the Diamondbacks added a catcher whom they don't plan on using behind the plate - at least not right away, according to General Manager Mike Hazen.

Stro Show shines in Blue Jays' win against A's  —  OAKLAND — The Stro Show stole the show Friday night with one of those masterful performances befitting of a staff ace.  —  And at long last, Marcus Stroman got some much-needed run support.  —  From the time he took to the mound …

Mike Trout's homer is overshadowed by Angels' Cody Allen in loss to Mariners  —  The pitch floated right into Mike Trout's wheelhouse, an 80-mph changeup that barely grazed the bottom of the zone.  Trout unleashed a mighty swing on the ball and sent it soaring 428 feet to center field.

Jacob deGrom going for elbow MRI in Mets' catastrophe  —  ST. LOUIS — Turns out strep throat was the least of Jacob deGrom's concerns.  —  The Mets ace won't make his pushed-back start on Saturday, after all.  Instead, deGrom flew to New York on Friday and will undergo an MRI Saturday on his right elbow …

Verlander, Astros win 7-2 at Rangers after 2 quick homers  —  Alex Bregman homered on consecutive pitches in the first inning,  —  Justin Verlander pitched seven solid innings and the  —  Texas Rangers 7-2 on Friday night.  —  George Springer doubled twice for the Astros …

Lyles, Marte, González injured in Pirates' win over Giants  —  Jordan Lyles cruised through six innings before taking a line drive off his pitching hand, Starling Marte and Erik González were also pulled following a collision in the field, and the short-handed Pittsburgh Pirates beat the San Francisco Giants 4-1

Ohtani joins team BP for first time since surgery  —  ANAHEIM, Calif. — Shohei Ohtani's drives into the seats at Angel Stadium came with an audience on Friday, when the Los Angeles Angels' two-way standout took another step toward his return from Tommy John surgery.

Andrew McCutchen injury update: Phillies outfielder hurt on swing  —  Colorado Rockies v Philadelphia Phillies  —  Injuries are piling up for the Phillies.  —  Outfielder Andrew McCutchen left Philadelphia's matchup with Colorado on Friday after apparently hurting his left on a swing.

Off-season talk with an ex coach who died two weeks later fueled this lefty's turnaround  —  Every player who comes to the major leagues for the first time has a story to tell, and left-hander Brett Martin is no different.  —  Recalled for the first time Friday from Triple A Nashville …