Each night we'll provide you with the nine top story lines from the day's action, beginning with the stars of the day, and look ahead to the next day's matchups.
The Padres ended the Pirates' seven-game win streak in walk-off fashion.
MORE: Strasburg exits with injury | Curry spotted at Giants game
Padres catcher Derek Norris blasted a grand slam off Rob Scahill in the bottom of the ninth to give San Diego a 6-2 win. Pirates starter Francisco Liriano was stellar, pitching six scoreless innings allowing three hits while striking out 11, but the Padres scored two runs in the seventh to tie the game at two before Norris ended it.
Josh Hamilton had two home runs in his first two at-bats against the Red Sox, his first multi-homer game since July 10, 2013 (his only multi-HR game with the Angels). Hamilton, who has been welcomed back to Texas with open arms, hit both long balls into the right field seats. He is now batting .278/.350/.667 after missing time recovering from shoulder surgery in February.
Here are more highlights from Friday's games:
Impact players:
C — Buster Posey, Giants: Posey was 2 for 4 with a homer and three RBIs to raise his average to .301 this season.
1B — Adam Lind, Brewers: Falling a triple shy of the cycle, Lind was 3 for 3 with three RBIs.
2B — Addison Russell, Cubs: Batting last in the Cubs' lineup, Russell was 2 for 4 with a solo home run, a double and another run scored.
SS — Troy Tulowitzki, Rockies: Tulowitzki homered in his first two at-bats and finished with two more hits to finish a perfect 4 for 4.
3B — Josh Donaldson, Blue Jays: For the fifth time in four games, Donaldson blasted a home run. He finished 2 for 5 with three RBIs.
OF — Lorenzo Cain, Royals: Cain was 3 for 4 with a two singles, one double, two runs scored, a stolen base and a walk.
DH — Hanley Ramírez, Red Sox: For the second night in a row, Ramírez was 2 for 4 with a a home run. Han-Ram hit 10 homers in April, but this was just his second on May.
SP — Chad Bettis, Rockies: Perfect through six innings, Bettis lost his bid against the Phillies when Tulowitzki committed an error. Even so, it was the longest bid for a perfect game in Rockies history. He held onto a no-hitter until the eighth. The 26-year-old finished with eight strikeouts and no walks in eight scoreless innings.
Key injuries:
Nationals starter Stephen Strasburg exited his start in the bottom of the second inning with a tight muscle in his neck.
The Mariners placed starter James Paxton on the 15-day disabled list with a strained tendon in his finger.
White Sox slugger Jose Abreu exited against the Astros with irritation in his right index finger.
Surprise performers:
Good: Orioles slugger Chris Davis was 2 for 3 with a homer, his 12th of the season. The 2013 AL home run champion has now gone yard for the fourth time in as many games.
Bad: MLB's save leader, Glenn Perkins entered the ninth in a tie game against the Blue Jays, but only pitched one-third of an inning, because he allowed a game-winning two-run homer to Chris Colabello.
Web gems:
Red Sox outfielder Brock Holt raced toward foul ground on a fly ball from Rangers' Shin-Soo Choo and made a fantastic sliding catch at the wall to end the third inning.
Tigers shortstop Jose Iglesias made a great back-handed stop in the outfield grass and fired to first to get the Angels' Taylor Featherston.
Facts of the day:
According to Elias Sports Bureau, Strasburg is the first pitcher this season who has recorded fewer than 17 outs in each of six consecutive starts.
The Giants improved to 26-0 when leading after six innings this season and are now in first place in the NL West.
Reactions:
Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg and Red Sox manager John Farrell were both ejected in their given games. Here is what they had to say:
"I know that (plate umpires) have the right to make the calls, but it just seemed both of them went against us," Sandberg said via NJ.com.
"Despite the fact that their pitcher hits the glove, he was set up on the white chalk line on the left-handed batter's box," Farrell said via MLB.com. "We felt like he was given a number of pitches that were not strikes that were called strikes."
Off the field:
The Rangers hosted the Red Sox on Friday night, but before the players got to the batter's box, they got under udders in a cow-milking contest. Boston was represented in the competition by Wade Miley, and Texas selected Ross Ohlendorf. The two pitchers battled away, but Ohlendorf ended up with the win.
Masahiro Tanaka (forearm, wrist) will return to the Yankees rotation against Mariners on Wednesday.
Needing to lengthen their rotation, the Astros have targeted Reds All-Star Johnny Cueto for a potential trade-deadline candidate.
To motivate his team, which is 14 games below .500, A's catcher Stephen Vogt joined MLB Network's "Intentional Talk" to display his impersonation of Chris Farley's famous "Saturday Night Live" character Matt Foley.
The man responsible for one of the most recognizable logos in all of sports has died at the age of 82 after a battle with cancer. Jerry Dior designed Major League Baseball's logo in 1968 and, a year later, it was adopted to honor professional baseball’s centennial.
Scores:
American League:
Orioles 2, Rays 1
Rangers 7, Red Sox 4
Blue Jays 6, Twins 4
Mariners 2, Indians 1
White Sox 6, Astros 3 (11)
Angels 2, Tigers 0
Athletics 6, Yankees 2
National League:
Rockies 4, Phillies 1
Marlins 4, Mets 3
Reds 5, Nationals 2
Cardinals 3, Dodgers 0
Diamondbacks 7, Brewers 5
Giants 4, Braves 2
Padres 6, Pirates 2
Interleague: