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The Philadelphia Phillies emerge from the All-Star break with reasons for optimism.

The first time the Oakland Athletics and the Toronto Blue Jays met this season, each team's situation was a lot different than it is now.

CINCINNATI -- The Cincinnati Reds shuffled their starting rotation coming out of the All-Star break in an effort to limit innings for left-hander Brandon Finnegan. So right-hander Anthony DeSclafani will kick off the second half of the season when he faces right-hander Matt Garza and the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday at Great American Ball Park.

CHICAGO -- Anthony Rizzo says the Chicago Cubs will be ready to roll when the season's second half begins on Friday in the opener of a three-game series with the Texas Rangers at Wrigley Field.

ATLANTA -- If the Atlanta Braves have any chance to avoid losing 100 games, their best opportunity begins now.

WASHINGTON -- The Washington Nationals are in first place and the Pittsburgh Pirates are trying to get there.

Techera has now scored two goals in two matches for the Whitecaps.

Angel Cabrera and Jhonattan Vegas dominated the par-5 holes in steamy conditions Thursday to share the Barbasol Championship.

DETROIT -- The best teams in the American League Central Division in recent years wallowed in mediocrity prior to the All-Star break. Both will be seeking to jump start their seasons when they face each other for a three-game weekend series.

San Diego Padres prospect Eric Yardley has battled his way through Independent ball while also changing his delivery just for the chance to keep the dream alive.

SAN DIEGO (AP) Mark Melancon thought back to 2010 or `11, when he was with the Houston Astros.

The trade, which also reportedly involves Anderson Espinoza, is pending review of medical records, FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reports.

Fourth-seeded Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus beat seventh-seeded Dudi Sela of Israel 6-2, 7-5 on Thursday to advance to the semifinals in the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships.

The hair game is also strong with these two.

BOSTON (AP) The Boston Red Sox have placed right-hander Junichi Tazawa on the 15-day disabled list with a right shoulder impingement.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has dropped out of Sunday's Sprint Cup race at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway due to symptoms of a concussion.

Ryan Hunter-Reay's last race was just five days ago, but it's already a distant memory for the veteran IndyCar driver.

Football meets football.

FOX MLB Insider Ken Rosenthal reports New York hasn't decided whether to sell.

NEW YORK (AP) The owner of a training and sports medicine clinic sued Major League Baseball and several of its employees Thursday, claiming they caused the company's social media accounts to be illegally hacked during the sport's Biogenesis investigation.