Michael Lorenzen made quite the first impression to the Philadelphia Phillies fans.

Lorenzen threw the 14th no-hitter in Phillies' franchise history on Wednesday in Philadelphia's 7-0 win over the Washington Nationals in his first start at Citizens Bank Park in a Phillies' uniform.

Acquired by Philadelphia from the Detroit Tigers at the trade deadline, Lorenzen struck out five and walked four while throwing a career-high 124 pitches in just his second start for the Phillies (63-52).

He got Dominic Smith to fly out to shallow centre field to record the fourth no-hitter in MLB this season and the first by a Philadelphia pitcher since Cole Hamels in 2015.

Selected to his first All-Star Game this year, the 31-year-old Lorenzen improved to 5-1 with a 1.11 ERA and 0.76 WHIP in six outings since the start of July, which includes his final four appearances for the Tigers.

While Lorenzen shut down Washington (50-65), a couple of Philadelphia batters hit milestone home runs.

Nick Castellanos hit a pair of homers to give him 200 in his career, while Weston Wilson homered in his long-awaited first major league plate appearance.

The 28-year-old rookie had 2,836 plate appearances in the minor leagues before being called up Sunday.

The Phillies have won four of five, scoring seven, eight, eight and nine runs in those victories.

Raleigh's eighth-inning homer powers Mariners to seventh straight win

The Seattle Mariners continued their August surge, extending their season-high winning streak to seven games with a 6-1 win over the visiting San Diego Padres.

The score was tied 1-1 heading into the bottom of the eighth inning before the Mariners (62-52) erupted for five runs, taking the lead on Cal Raleigh's tiebreaking two-run homer with one out.

Mariners top pitching prospect, Emerson Hancock had an impressive major league debut, allowing a run and two hits over five innings.

The 24-year-old right-hander struck out three and walked three, and combined with five Seattle relievers to four-hit the Padres (55-60), who have lost four in a row.

Seattle, meanwhile, has lost just four games since July 20, going a major league-best 15-4 in that span to move a season-high 10 games over .500.

Ohtani earns 10th win as Angels top Giants

Shohei Ohtani picked up his 10th win of the season, yielding one unearned run over six innings of three-hit ball in the Los Angeles Angels' 4-1 victory over the visiting San Francisco Giants.

The major league leader in home runs, Ohtani struck out five and walked three, becoming the first player in MLB history to have multiple seasons with 10 or more homers and 10 or more wins.

The two-way sensation, who won 15 games in 2022, has not allowed a run in 19 innings over his last three starts, lowering his season ERA to 3.17.

Ohtani has been stuck on 40 homers since August 3, and went 0 for 2 with two strikeouts at the plate against the Giants (62-53), though he did walk twice and scored on Mike Moustakas' tiebreaking three-run homer in the sixth inning.

Moustakas had two hits, and has driven in 10 runs in his last seven games for the Angels (58-58), who have won two in a row following a season-high seven-game losing streak.

Kyle Tucker came through with a grand slam off All-Star closer Felix Bautista in the ninth inning as the Houston Astros rallied for a stunning 7-6 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday.

Bautista was called on to protect a 6-3 lead in the ninth but promptly walked pinch-hitter Jon Singleton before Jose Altuve blooped a single.

After Alex Bregman struck out, Yordan Alvarez followed with a deep drive to centre that Jorge Mateo – a shortstop making only his second start of the year in centre field – failed to make the play on, and the ball bounced off the wall for a very long single.

Tucker battled Bautista for nine pitches, finally hitting a 100-mph fastball into the seats in right-centre for his 20th home run and second grand slam this season.

Bautista had allowed only five earned runs all season before Houston scored four on him in two-thirds of an inning.

Baltimore had a four-game winning streak snapped and its lead in the AL East was cut to two games over Tampa Bay.

Ryan Mountcastle hit a first-inning home run – a two-run blast – and Adley Rutschman added a two-run shot of his own in the second to put the Orioles up 5-0.

Houston starter Framber Valdez, who threw a no-hitter in his previous start, allowed a season high-tying six runs and eight hits in seven innings.

Scherzer pitches Rangers to eighth straight win

Max Scherzer pitched seven strong innings and Corey Seager had three hits with a home run to lead the Texas Rangers to their season-high eighth straight win, 6-1 over the Oakland Athletics.

Scherzer limited last-place Oakland to three hits with two walks and six strikeouts in his second start with the Rangers.

Robbie Grossman doubled home a run in the second inning and scored on Sam Huff’s double to trigger a three-run fourth.

Seager capped that outburst with an RBI double and hit his 19th home run in the seventh inning – his sixth homer in his last eight games.

The win was the 68th for the Rangers, equalling their total from all last season. The eight-game streak is their longest since winning 10 straight from May 9-19, 2017.

Gilbert shuts down Padres as Mariners stay hot

Logan Gilbert pitched one-hit ball and struck out a career-high 12 over seven innings as the Seattle Mariners beat the San Diego Padres 2-0 for their sixth consecutive win.

Gilbert retired 21 of the 22 batters he faced, allowing only an infield single to Xander Bogaerts in the second inning.

Matt Brash struck out Trent Grisham with runners on the corners in the eighth and Andres Munoz worked the ninth.

Seattle moved a season-high nine games over .500 and pulled within two games of Toronto for the third and final AL wild-card spot.

The Mariners scored the game’s first run in the fifth inning on a bases-loaded walk to Cal Raleigh and Dylan Moore tripled home another run in the sixth.

The Tampa Bay Rays put opening day starting pitcher Shane McClanahan on the 15-day injured list last week.

It appears he'll be sidelined much longer than just 15 days.

Rays manager Kevin Cash told Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times on Tuesday that McClanahan is "highly unlikely" to pitch again this season.

McClanahan has been seeing several specialists to examine his injured left forearm, and is slated to visit at least one more before a decision is made on whether he'll need surgery.

Surgery options include a loose body removal, a flexor tendon procedure and Tommy John surgery, which typically requires at least 12 months of recovery for pitchers.

McClanahan landed on IL last Thursday, one day after he left his start against the New York Yankees after four innings because of what was later described as left forearm tightness.

The 26-year-old got off to a sensational start to the season, going 11-1 with a 2.12 ERA with 97 strikeouts over 89 1/3 innings in his first 15 starts, but hasn't won since while battling tightness in his mid-back.

In his last six starts, the two-time All-Star is 0-1 with a 7.36 ERA, pitching fewer than four innings in four of those outings.

He was instrumental to Tampa Bay's fast start to the year, as the Rays were a major league-best 51-22 and owned a six-game lead over the second-place Baltimore Orioles atop the AL East at the time of McClanahan's last win on June 16.

Since then, however, they have MLB's eighth-worst record at 17-24, and enter play Tuesday three games back of the division-leading Orioles.

The Texas Rangers overcame a three-run deficit to extend their winning streak to a season-high seven games with Monday's 5-3 victory over the Oakland Athletics.

Mitch Garver led the comeback by going 3 for 4 with a two-run double, and the Rangers scored twice in the eighth inning to break a 3-3 tie and increase their lead over the second-place Houston Astros to three games in the American League West.

After drawing even in the seventh inning with the help of an Oakland error that led to the tying run, Texas put its first two runners on against reliever Dany Jimenez in the eighth before Travis Jankowski drove in pinch-runner Jonathan Ornelas with an RBI fielder's choice. 

Leody Tavares followed with a sacrifice fly to increase the lead to 5-3 before relievers Aroldis Chapman and Will Smith kept the Athletics off the board over the final two innings. Smith notched his 21st save with a scoreless ninth.

Zach Gelof had a two-run double for Oakland, which has the majors' worst record at 32-81 but was coming off a two-game sweep of the Bay Area-rival San Francisco Giants.

A's starter Ken Waldichuk was in line for the win after holding the Rangers to two runs over six innings and striking out seven. 

Twins win fifth straight to increase AL Central lead

The Rangers aren't the only AL division leader on an impressive run, as the Minnesota Twins won their fifth consecutive game with Monday's 9-3 rout of the Detroit Tigers.

Carlos Correa went 2 for 3 with a home run and four RBIs for Minnesota, while Pablo Lopez struck out eight over seven scoreless innings as the AL Central-leading Twins increased their lead over second-place Cleveland to 5 1/2 games. The Guardians were dealt a 3-1 loss by the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday.

Ryan Jeffers added a three-run homer to help the Twins back Lopez with an 8-0 lead after 2 1/2 innings. Each of those runs came against Tigers starter Joey Wentz, who was tagged for 10 hits and lasted only three innings.

Detroit didn't score until Nick Maton delivered a three-run homer in the ninth. Riley Greene and Kerry Carpenter each recorded two hits for the Tigers.

Betts' grand slam highlights Dodgers' drubbing of Padres

Mookie Betts capped an eight-run fourth inning with a grand slam as the Los Angeles Dodgers rallied for a 13-7 win over the San Diego Padres in the finale of a four-game series between the National League West foes.

The division-leading Dodgers trailed 5-0 before breaking out against Padres starter Seth Lugo in the fourth en route to their sixth win in seven games.

David Peralta began the comeback with an RBI double and Jason Heyward later knocked in two runs with a double to cut San Diego's lead to 5-3. After Miguel Rojas' bases-loaded single brought in another run, Betts sent Lugo's final pitch of the day into the left field seats for his 31st homer of the season and an 8-5 Los Angeles advantage.

Kike Hernandez tacked on a solo homer in the sixth inning for the Dodgers, while James Outman finished 4 for 4 with two runs scored. Heyward, Peralta and Max Muncy each contributed two RBIs to help Los Angeles maintain a four-game lead on second-place San Francisco in the NL West.

Lugo was charged with eight runs and eight hits before exiting with one out in the fourth.

Luis Campusano paced the Padres offensively by going 4 for 4 with two homers and four RBIs, while Fernando Tatis Jr. had a two-run double in defeat.

Chicago's Tim Anderson has been suspended six games and Cleveland's Jose Ramirez has received a three-game ban by Major League Baseball for starting a fight that sparked a benches-clearing brawl between the White Sox and Guardians on Saturday.

MLB announced the penalties on Monday, which also included fines to Anderson and Ramirez. Both players are appealing.

Also receiving suspensions are Guardians manager Terry Francona, closer Emmanuel Clase and third base coach Mike Sarbaugh. All received one-game bans, as did White Sox manager Pedro Grifol.

Francona and Clase will serve their ban Monday, when the Guardians open a four-game series against the visiting Toronto Blue Jays, while Sarbaugh will sit on Tuesday.

Grifol will carry out his suspension Monday in the opener of a three-game set between the White Sox and New York Yankees in Chicago.

While the White Sox are out of the playoff picture, Ramirez's absence could hurt Cleveland's chances of reaching the postseason.

The Guardians enter Monday 4 1/2 games behind the AL Central-leading Minnesota Twins, while the five-time All-Star third baseman leads the team in home runs (18), doubles (27), runs (67) and OPS (.861).

The incident that sparked all the discipline from MLB occurred in the sixth inning of the White Sox's 7-4 win at Cleveland on Saturday on a play that began innocently.

Ramirez slid headfirst into second base with an RBI double and Anderson stood over him, straddling Ramirez. Ramirez was reportedly upset at Anderson's late, hard tag and when he got up, he pointed his finger in the second baseman's face and yelled, prompting the two to square off like a boxing match.

Anderson dropped his glove and threw the first punch, setting off a melee that saw both dugouts empty onto the infield. While trying to be restrained by White Sox pitcher Michael Kopech, Ramirez swung blindly and connected with a right hand to the face of Anderson, who fell backward to the ground.

Anderson got back up incensed and tried unsuccessfully to get at Ramirez while being restrained by several teammates.

The Texas Rangers are now riding a six-game winning streak, but may be without All-Star third baseman Josh Jung for a while after he fractured his left thumb in Sunday's 6-0 victory over the Miami Marlins.

Jung was injured after a scorching line drive off the bat of Miami's Jorge Soler hit his glove in the sixth inning, though he was able to pick up the ball and start a double play before being removed from the contest shortly after.

The rookie is the second Texas All-Star infielder to hurt his thumb within the last three weeks. Shortstop Corey Seager missed nine games with a sprained right thumb before returning Aug. 2, but is still dealing with effects from the injury and missed Sunday's contest.

Ezequiel Duran replaced Jung and had one of four Rangers homers to back 5 2/3 scoreless innings from Andrew Heaney. Nathaniel Lowe, Marcus Semien and Adolis Garcia also went deep to help Texas sweep the three-game series and hand the slumping Marlins a fourth straight loss.

Heaney held Miami to four hits and two walks to win his third consecutive start.

2022 National League Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara was dealt his 10th defeat of the season for Miami, which dropped to 5-16 since the All-Star break. The right-hander allowed five runs - four earned - while striking out seven in six innings. 

Surging Cubs down MLB-best Braves for sixth straight series win

Ian Happ and Dansby Swanson each drove in two runs as the Chicago Cubs remained hot with a 6-4 victory over the MLB-leading Atlanta Braves.

The Cubs scored three times in the fifth inning to erase a 3-2 deficit en route to their fifth win in six games. Chicago is 15-4 since July 18 and has now won six consecutive series after taking two of three from Atlanta over the weekend.

Sunday's win moved the Cubs within 1 1/2 games of the first-place Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central.

Happ tied the game at 3-3 in the fifth with an RBI single before scoring the go-ahead run on a double from Cody Bellinger, who later crossed the plate on Jeimer Candelario's two-out single for a 5-3 advantage.

The rally helped Cubs starter Justin Steele improve to 13-3 on the season after the All-Star pitcher gave up four runs - three earned - and struck out seven in 5 1/3 innings.

Matt Olson hit his 39th home run - one shy of Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani for the major league lead, and knocked in three runs for the Braves.

Atlanta's Charlie Morton struggled again by surrendering five runs and issuing four walks in 4 1/3 innings. The veteran has now lost four straight starts and has a 7.32 ERA during that stretch.

Rookie Schneider makes history in Blue Jays' rout of Red Sox

Davis Schneider went 4 for 5 with a home run and four RBIs to continue a historic start to his major league career in the Toronto Blue Jays' 13-1 drubbing of the Boston Red Sox.

Schneider is now 9 for 13 with a pair of homers through his first three MLB games. The 24-year-old second baseman is the first player in MLB history to begin a career with nine hits and two home runs over three games.

Matt Chapman added two hits and three RBIs as Toronto completed a three-game sweep of its American League East rivals. The Red Sox are now five games back of the Blue Jays for the AL's final wild card spot.

Toronto also received a strong pitching outing from Chris Bassitt, who scattered seven hits and struck out six while allowing one run in seven innings.

Triston Casas accounted for the Red Sox' lone run with a solo homer off Bassitt in the fourth inning.

Tim Anderson and Jose Ramirez exchanged punches to trigger a benches-clearing brawl in the sixth inning of the Chicago White Sox’s 7-4 win over the Cleveland Guardians on Saturday.

The fight began when Ramirez slid headfirst into second with an RBI double and Anderson stood over him, straddling Ramirez. When Ramirez got up, he pointed his finger in Anderson’s face and yelled, prompting the two to square off like a boxing match.

Anderson dropped his glove and threw the first punch, setting off a melee that saw both dugouts empty onto the infield. Ramirez appeared to connect with a right hand to the face of Anderson, who fell backward to the ground.

Anderson got back up incensed and tried unsuccessfully to get at Ramirez while being restrained by several teammates.

Tempers temporarily calmed before Guardians manger Terry Francona and Chicago manager Pedro Grifol had words, leading to pushing and shoving by players and coaches on both teams.

Anderson, Ramirez, Francona, third base coach Mike Sarbaugh, Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase and Grifol were all ejected. It took 15 minutes before order was restored after multiple flare-ups ensued.

Elvis Andrus hit a two-run homer, while Andrew Vaughn, Luis Robert Jr. and Oscar Colas had solo shots for the White Sox.

Chicago starter Michael Kopech carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning and allowed two runs in 5 1/3 innings.

Verlander loses to begin second stint with Astros

Justin Verlander pitched seven innings but took a loss in his first start since being re-acquired by his old team, as the Houston Astros fell to the New York Yankees 3-1.

Verlander, who was traded by the New York Mets on Tuesday, began his second stint in Houston by allowing seven hits and two runs over seven innings while striking out four.

Jose Altuve hit his 200th career home run in the third inning, but the Astros managed just one other hit the rest of the game.

Nestor Cortes started his first game for the Yankees in over two months after recovering from a rotator cuff injury in his throwing shoulder.

Cortes allowed one run and one hit in four innings and fanned eight.

Jake Bauers provided the go-ahead RBI with a solo shot off Verlander in the fifth inning, and Gleyber Torres’ solo homer added an insurance run in the eighth.

Streaking Rangers rally past Marlins

Josh Jung hit the third of three multi-run homers for Texas in the middle innings and the Rangers erased a five-run deficit to beat the Miami Marlins 9-8 for their fifth straight victory.

Texas entered the bottom of the fourth down 5-0, but Adolis Garcia led off with a single and Jung singled before Robbie Grossman belted a three-run homer to right.

The Rangers took the lead for good with a four-run fifth, as Corey Seager’s homer scored Marcus Semien before Jung’s two-run blast made it 7-5.

Texas extended its lead in the AL West to 2 ½ games over the Astros, who lost to the Yankees.

James McCann matched a career high with five RBIs against his former team to lead the Baltimore Orioles to a 10-3 win over the New York Mets on Friday.

McCann, traded to the Orioles from the Mets in the offseason, opened the scoring in the fourth inning with a two-run single.

He ripped a two-run double high off the wall in left field in Baltimore’s four-run sixth and added an RBI single to cap a four-run seventh.

The veteran catcher drove in five runs one time previously, on August 12, 2017, while with the Detroit Tigers.

McCann became the first catcher to go 3 for 3 or better with a walk, stolen base and at least five RBIs since RBIs became an official stat in 1920.

Rookie Jordan Westburg hit his second career home run – a three-run blast to centre - as American League-leading Baltimore won for the fifth time in six games to remain two games ahead of Tampa Bay in the East.

Reliever Mike Baumann worked 1 2/3 scoreless innings to become the first in team history to win his first nine relief decisions in a season.

Francisco Lindor had a two-run single for the Mets, who have been outscored 30-11 during a four-game losing streak.

Royals beat Phillies for 7th straight win

Bobby Witt Jr. and Michael Massey homered to lead the Kansas City Royals to their seventh straight win, 7-5 over the Philadelphia Phillies.

Dairon Blanco knocked in three runs and stole three bases for the last-place Royals, who followed three-game sweeps of the New York Mets and AL Central-leading Twins with a series-opening victory for their longest win streak since July 2017.

Witt has keyed the streak, going 17 for 32 with four homers, 15 RBIs, eight runs and four steals in those seven games.

He became the first player in MLB history with 20 home runs and 30 stolen bases in each of his first two seasons.

Braves’ Fried dominates Cubs in return

Max Fried pitched six stellar innings in his return and the Atlanta Braves homered on back-to-back pitches in a seven-run fourth in an 8-0 rout of the Chicago Cubs.

Making his first appearance since May 5, Fried limited the Cubs to three hits with no walks and eight strikeouts while throwing 72 pitches.

Sean Murphy and Marcel Ozuna went deep off Kyle Hendricks on consecutive pitches in Atlanta’s fourth inning and Austin Riley connected in the seventh.

The major league-best Braves earned their sixth win in seven games to increase their NL East lead to 12 ½ games over Philadelphia.

Max Scherzer recovered from a rough first inning to get the win in his first game with his new club as the Texas Rangers beat the Chicago White Sox 5-3 Thursday.

Scherzer, who was traded from the New York Mets last weekend, gave up three runs in the opening frame before settling in and finishing with six innings pitched and nine strikeouts in the victory.

Marcus Semien and Mitch Garver hit solo home runs as the Rangers completed a three-game sweep of the White Sox.

The victory lifted Texas to a 1 ½-game lead in the AL West after the New York Yankees edged the Houston Astros.

Michael Lorenzen was sharper in his Philadelphia Phillies debut, tossing a season-high eight innings of two-run ball in a 4-2 win over the Miami Marlins.

Lorenzen, acquired from the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday, scattered six hits, struck out five and walked one.

J.T. Realmuto returned after missing two games with a bruised right hand and homered and singled to help the Phillies take three of four against their NL East and wild-card rivals.

Ohtani exits mound early, hits 40th home run in loss

Shohei Ohtani was forced to leave the mound early but still hit his major league-leading 40th home run in the Los Angeles Angels’ 5-3 loss to the Seattle Mariners.

Ohtani pitched four scoreless innings before exiting due to cramping in his pitching hand and fingers but remained in the game as the designated hitter.

He singled, walked twice and took Isaiah Campbell deep in the eighth inning to extend the Angels’ lead to 3-1.

All-Star Carlos Estevez failed to protect the lead in the ninth, walking the first two batters before Dominic Canzone singled to load the bases. After Teoscar Hernandez struck out, rookie Cade Marlowe - playing in his 12th major league game - belted a pitch into the seats in right field for a grand slam and a 5-3 lead.

O’s continue mastery of Blue Jays, Flaherty strong in debut

Austin Hays and Ryan Mountcastle each had four hits, and Jack Flaherty threw six strong innings in his Baltimore Orioles debut in a 6-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.

Acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals at the trade deadline, Flaherty collected a win in his first start with the Orioles, allowing four hits and one run while striking out eight.

Mountcastle went 4 for 4 with four singles and an RBI, while Hays was 4 of 5 with a double and drove in two runs.

The win boosted the Orioles’ American League-best record to 67-42 and gave them an 8-2 mark against Toronto this season.

The Blue Jays have an 8-23 record against AL East opponents this season and a 52-27 record against all other opponents.

The Tampa Bay Rays put ace and Cy Young Award candidate Shane McClanahan on the 15-day injured list Thursday with left forearm tightness.

McClanahan departed his start Wednesday against the New York Yankees after four innings, and the Rays said in a statement Thursday that they are still in the process of gathering information.

McClanahan, a two-time All-Star at 26 years old, is 11-2 this season with a 3.29 ERA and 121 strikeouts in 115 innings.

The flame-throwing left-hander has been a major contributor to the Rays’ 66-45 record this season, second best in the American League, but has slumped recently.

After a sterling start to the season, McClanahan is 0-1 with a 7.36 ERA over his last six starts, pitching just 25 2/3 combined innings while also battling tightness in his mid-back.

The Rays were atop the AL East for a total of 111 days this season but find themselves trailing the Baltimore Orioles by two games after Thursday’s results.

Gerrit Cole outpitched Shane McClanahan in matchup of All-Star aces, and Giancarlo Stanton drove in four runs as the New York Yankees avoided a sweep with a 7-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday.

Cole allowed a two-run homer to Wander Franco in the first inning but settled down to allow those two runs and four hits over seven innings. He struck out eight, walked two and improved to 6-0 after a Yankees loss this season.

New York sent eight batters to the plate and scored five times off McClanahan in the third inning as the left-hander was denied his 12th win.

Harrison Bader led off with a double and Anthony Volpe followed with his 14th home run. Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Gleyber Torres singled before Stanton launched his 15th homer to right-centre for a 5-2 lead.

Stanton added a run-scoring single in the seventh and the Yankees won for just the eighth time in 22 games since July 4.

Tampa Bay had a three-game winning streak snapped but remained 1 ½ games behind AL East-leading Baltimore.

Happ homers twice in another big offensive showing for Cubs

Ian Happ went deep twice and and Jeimer Candelario was 4 for 4 in the Chicago Cubs’ 16-6 rout of the Cincinnati Reds.

Christopher Morel, Dansby Swanson and Seiya Suzuki homered as Chicago beat up on the Reds for the second straight night. The Cubs won 20-9 on Tuesday and the 36 runs are their most in any two-game span since 1897.

Joey Votto hit two home runs for the first-place Reds, who matched a season high with four errors.

Braves hit 3 more homers in win

Ronald Acuna Jr., Austin Riley and Matt Olson homered off Lucas Giolito and the Atlanta Braves rolled to a 12-5 win over the Los Angeles Angels.

Acuna belted a three-run shot off Giolito in the third inning, then Riley and Olson went back to back in the fourth to cap a six-run outburst that ended the day for the Angels’ starter.

Giolito matched his career high with nine runs allowed in 3 2/3 innings in his second start with the Angels since he was acquired from the White Sox.

Atlanta has a major league-leading 206 home runs and is on pace for 315m, which would best the major league record of 307 set by the 2019 Minnesota Twins.

Corey Seager's sprained right thumb healed even faster than the Texas Rangers had anticipated.

The Rangers activated Seager from the 10-day injured list Wednesday ahead of their game against the Chicago White Sox.

Just earlier in the day, Rangers general manager Chris Young told reporters that the All-Star shortstop had a chance to come off the IL later this week.

Turns out, it was just a few hours later he would be back in the Rangers' lineup.

Seager was placed on the IL on July 22, a day after he jammed his hand on an awkward head-first slide to beat out a double in the eighth inning of the Rangers' 11-5 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

X-rays after the game were negative, and an MRI revealed no structural damage.

The Rangers went 3-6 with Seager on the IL, and entered play Wednesday, one-half game ahead of the Houston Astros for first place in the AL West.

This ended up being Seager's second trip to the IL this season after he missed 31 games from mid-April to mid-May with a left hamstring strain.

Seager is hitting .350, which would be good enough to lead the American League in batting, but he doesn't have enough plate appearances to qualify because of his earlier trip to the IL.

Prior to exiting the July 21 game, Seager hit his 15th homer of the season and team-leading 29th double - tied for third most in the AL.

Seager, who was selected to his fourth All-Star game earlier this year, is in the second season of a $325million, 10-year deal with the Rangers.

The Toronto Blue Jays placed star shortstop Bo Bichette on the 10-day injured list Wednesday, two days after the American League's current batting leader injured his right knee against the Baltimore Orioles.

Bichette underwent tests Tuesday that revealed no structural damage and the 2023 All-Star has been diagnosed with patellar tendinitis. 

Blue Jays manager John Schneider told reporters Wednesday that the team does not anticipate a lengthy absence for Bichette, who's batting .321 this season and ranks second in the major leagues with 144 hits. Schneider said it's too early to tell, however, whether the 25-year-old can return when first eligible on Aug. 11.

“The quicker we can get Bo back the better, obviously,” Schneider told MLB.com. "But we’ve got to see how he goes with each day, with each treatment, with each activity.”

Bichette exited Monday's 4-2 loss to Baltimore in the third inning after his right knee buckled as he rounded first base after reaching on a single. He was able to walk off the field under his own power but was noticeably limping and grimacing.

The injury prompted the Blue Jays to acquire veteran infielder Paul DeJong from the St. Louis Cardinals at Tuesday's trade deadline. DeJong will make his Toronto debut in Wednesday's series finale against the Orioles.

DeJong has produced 13 home runs and 32 RBIs along with a .233 average in 81 games this season. The seven-year veteran was an All-Star with the Cardinals in 2019 and finished that season with career highs of 30 homers and 78 RBIs.

Houston Astros left-hander Framber Valdez became the third pitcher this season to throw a no-hitter, shutting down the Cleveland Guardians in a 2-0 win on Tuesday.

Valdez gave up just one baserunner on a walk in the fifth inning, but still faced the minimum thanks to a double play. He struck out seven and threw 65 of his 93 pitches for strikes.

It was the 16th no-hitter in Astros’ history and the first in the regular season by one pitcher since Justin Verlander against the Toronto Blue Jays on Sept. 1, 2019.

Valdez’ historic outing – the first no-hitter by an Astros lefty- came hours after Houston re-acquired Verlander from the New York Mets.

Valdez joined Domingo German of the New York Yankees, who threw a perfect game at Oakland on June 28, and three pitchers from the Detroit Tigers, who combined for a no-hitter against Toronto on July 8.

Kyle Tucker provided all the offence with a two-run single in the third inning to help the Astros remain one-half game behind the AL West-leading Texas Rangers.

Cleveland has lost four of five while scoring just 10 runs.

Swanson powers Cubs to rout of Reds

Dansby Swanson homered twice and drove in five runs and the Chicago Cubs went deep seven times in a 20-9 drubbing of the Cincinnati Reds.

Mike Tauchman homered and had four RBIs and Jeimer Candelario had four hits in his first game with Chicago since he was re-acquired in a trade with the Washington Nationals on Monday. He made his major league debut with the Cubs in 2016.

Nico Hoener, Miguel Amaya, Cody Bellinger and Patrick Wisdom all homered for Chicago, which tied a modern franchise record with seven home runs, last accomplished on May 17, 1977, against San Diego. 

Reds starter Ben Lively was tagged for 13 runs and 13 hits over four innings.

Rays’ Eflin first in AL to 12 wins

Zach Eflin pitched three-hit ball over six scoreless innings to become the American League’s first 12-game winner as the Tampa Bay Rays beat the New York Yankees, 5-2.

Eflin struck out five and did not walk a batter to join Philadelphia’s Taijuan Walker as the only 12-game winners in the majors.

Randy Arozarena hit a two-run homer and Yandy Diaz also went deep as the Rays won their third straight to stay 1 ½ games behind East-leading Baltimore.

The last-place Yankees have lost 14 of 21 and were nearly shut out until Gleyber Torres and DJ LeMahieu had RBI singles in the ninth.

Justin Verlander helped the Houston Astros capture a pair of World Series titles, and the club is hoping he can lead them to another championship.

Verlander was traded to the Astros from the New York Mets in a blockbuster deal hours before MLB’s deadline on Tuesday.

The Mets received two minor league outfielders - 22-year-old Drew Gilbert, Houston’s No. 1-ranked prospect, and 20-year-old Ryan Clifford, who was the Astros’ No. 4 prospect.

Verlander signed a two-year, $86.7million contract with the Mets last December, shortly after earning his second World Series title with Houston and third Cy Young Award.

The 40-year-old has been pitching well lately, going 4-1 with a 1.69 ERA in six July starts, but the Mets have been a major disappointment and are tearing down the most expensive roster in major league history.

Fellow three-time Cy Young Award-winner Max Scherzer, who signed a three-year, $130million deal after the 2021 season, was traded to the Texas Rangers on Sunday.

Hours after that deal was officially announced, Verlander became the 49th pitcher in MLB history to 250 victories.

Of those wins, 61 came while pitching for the Astros – tied with Jim Deshaies for the 15th most in club history.

Verlander was first acquired by Houston during the 2017 season from the Detroit Tigers and helped the Astros to the franchise’s first World Series title later that fall.

During his time with Houston, Verlander made 102 starts and posted a 2.26 ERA – the lowest in franchise history among the 46 players with a minimum of 500 innings pitched for the club.

The Astros have won five of the last six AL West crowns and have reached the AL championship series in each of the last four seasons, but enter August one-half game behind the first-place Texas Rangers.

Blue Jays acquire DeJong after Bichette injures knee

The Toronto Blue Jays moved quickly in finding a replacement for Bo Bichette in the event the All-Star shortstop would’ve been sidelined for a while, trading for the St. Louis Cardinals’ Paul DeJong.

Bichette, the AL leader in batting average (.321) and hits (144), exited Monday’s 4-2 loss to the Baltimore Orioles with a right knee injury.

The extent of Bichette’s injury was uncertain early Tuesday, but after trading for DeJong, it was reported that an MRI on the knee revealed no significant structural damage, and he’s considered day to day.

DeJong was considered the top shortstop on the trade market.

An All-Star in 2019, the 29-year-old is batting .233 with 13 home runs, 11 doubles and 32 RBIs in 81 games.

He is also one of the better fielders at his position, registering a .990 fielding percentage – second only to the Minnesota Twins’ Carlos Correa for the best among all qualifying shortstops.

To complete the trade, the Cardinals are getting 24-year-old pitching prospect Matt Svanson from the Blue Jays.

Phillies get All-Star Lorenzen from Tigers

The Philadelphia Phillies have bolstered their rotation, acquiring right-hander Michael Lorenzen from the Detroit Tigers for 20-year-old infielder Hao-Yu Lee.

Lorenzen, who will become a free agent after this season, was named to his first All-Star team this year, going 5-7 with a 3.58 ERA and 1.10 WHIP in 18 starts. He has struck out 83 and walked 27 over 105 2/3 innings.

The 31-year-old began his career as a starter for the Cincinnati Reds in 2015 before spending the next six seasons working out of their bullpen.

He signed with the Los Angeles Angels prior to last season and moved back into the starting rotation, going 8-6 with a 4.24 ERA in 18 outings.

He now joins a Phillies team that reached last year’s World Series and is in possession of the NL’s second wild card.

Marlins bolster lineup with sluggers Burger, Bell

The Miami Marlins added two key bats to their lineup at the deadline, acquiring infielder Jake Burger from the Chicago White Sox and first baseman Josh Bell from the Cleveland Guardians.

The Marlins (57-51) find themselves in rare playoff contention but are hoping to improve their 27th-ranked offence that scores 4.09 runs per game.

Burger, 27, is tied for eighth in MLB with 25 home runs this season but is batting just .214 in 88 games. Of Burger’s 63 hits this season, 41 have gone for extra bases.

Bell, who will turn 31 later this month, was a 2019 All-Star but will be playing on his fifth team since 2020.

In the deals, the Marlins sent pitching prospect Jake Eder to Chicago, while Cleveland added infield prospect Khalil Watson. The Guardians also acquired Jean Segura in the deal but are expected to release the veteran infielder.

AL East-leading Orioles add RHP Flaherty

Enjoying their best season in a decade, the Baltimore Orioles fortified their rotation by acquiring right-hander Jack Flaherty from the St. Louis Cardinals for three prospects.

Leading the AL East with a 65-41 record and with a stacked farm system, the Orioles had the chance to be among the most aggressive teams at the deadline but held on to all eight of their prospects ranked by MLB Pipeline in baseball’s top 100.

Flaherty struggled earlier this season but was 3-1 with a 3.03 ERA in five July starts.

Flaherty put together his best season in 2019, when he was 11-8 with a 2.75 ERA and threw nearly 200 innings.

Injuries have derailed Flaherty’s previous three seasons, but he has made 20 starts this year with a 4.43 ERA and 7-6 record.  

Padres are buyers; adding Hill, Choi in trade with Pirates

The San Diego Padres are five games out of a playoff spot but are making moves to get back to the postseason.

The Padres acquired veteran left-hander Rich Hill and first baseman Ji Man Choi from the Pittsburgh Pirates.

This will be the 13th major league team for the 43-year-old Hill, who is 7-10 with a 4.76 ERA in 22 starts in his 19th MLB season.

Choi, 32, is batting .268 with four home runs and nine RBIs in 14 games since coming off the injured list after missing more than two months due to a left Achilles strain.

San Diego, which reached last season’s NL championship series but must pass five teams in the NL wild-card race, sent Pittsburgh three prospects - headlined by lefty Jackson Wolf.