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A look at what’s happening around the majors today:

HEAVEN 11

Mookie Betts and the rolling Boston Red Sox try to win their 11th consecutive game when they host Toronto again at Fenway Park. Betts Adrian Clayborn Jersey , who leads the majors with a .352 batting average, had a grand slam and five RBIs in Thursday night’s 6-4 victory. Boston owns the longest current winning streak in the big leagues and hasn’t lost since getting routed July 1 at Yankee Stadium. At 66-29, the major league-leading Red Sox are 37 games over .500 for the first time since 1949. Rick Porcello (11-3, 3.58 ERA) starts for Boston against rookie left-hander Ryan Borucki (0-1, 2.25).

BACK IN BUSINESS

Mets right-hander Noah Syndergaard (4-1, 3.06 ERA) comes off the disabled list to make his first big league start since May 25. The 2016 All-Star has been sidelined by a strained ligament in his right index finger. On the mound for the Nationals is Tanner Roark (3-11, 4.76), who is tied for the major league lead in losses. He got no-decisions in two previous starts vs. the Mets this season.

DARK KNIGHT RISING

Matt Harvey wanted nothing more than to prove he could still pitch at a high level when he was traded from the New York Mets to Cincinnati in May. Since the deal Eric Fisher Jersey , the right-hander has lowered his ERA from 7.00 to 4.48 – and allowed two or fewer earned runs in each of his last four starts. Harvey will try to continue his recent surge when he pitches for the Reds as they open a weekend series against the St. Louis Cardinals, who send right-hander Carlos Martinez (6-4, 3.05) to the mound.

OUTSTANDING OAKLAND

The Oakland Athletics own the best record in the majors over their last 24 games, going 19-5 during that stretch and climbing to 12 games over .500 (53-41). Oakland finished off a series against defending World Series champion Houston on Thursday with a victory, giving the A’s three wins out of four games, and they’ll open an interleague series at San Francisco. Edwin Jackson (1-0, 2.45 ERA) starts against Giants ace Madison Bumgarner (2-3, 3.09).

BUEHLER’S BACK

Prized rookie Walker Buehler returns to the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ rotation at home against the Angels. Buehler (4-2) made his last big league start on June 8 and has made only one awful relief appearance since then because of a rib injury. He allowed five runs in that outing against the Chicago Cubs two weeks ago Mark Clayton Jersey , raising his ERA from 2.63 to 3.44, but he’s now healthy and has Dodgers manager Dave Roberts considering a six-man rotation to begin the second half.

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Madison Bumgarner isn’t easily impressed in pregame warmups.

Thursday night was different.

”I don’t put a lot of stock into the bullpen before the game, but today I could tell that the stuff was picking up a little,” the 2014 World Series MVP said.

Bumgarner pitched eight innings of three-hit ball for his first win this season, Mark Melancon earned his first save in a year and the San Francisco Giants beat the San Diego Padres 3-0.

”It was the Madison we know,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said.

San Francisco won for the fourth time in five games and sent the last-place Padres to their fifth straight loss.

Bumgarner (1-2) struck out eight and walked two in his best start since coming off the disabled list. He also drove in the first run with a sacrifice fly.

”It was the type of game we’ve seen so many times from him,” Bochy said. ”We needed it because their guy pitched well, too.”

Bumgarner outdueled Tyson Ross (5-5) Vinny Curry Jersey , who gave up one run and four hits in seven innings. Ross struck out three and walked three.

”This is what you want to do as a pitcher, to go toe-to-toe against a guy,” he said. ”You just have to give your team a chance to win. He was little bit better tonight.”

Bumgarner began the season on the DL with a broken pinkie on his pitching hand sustained in his final spring training start when he was hit by a line drive. The ace left-hander was 0-2 with a 4.67 ERA in three previous outings since being reinstated.

Bumgarner’s sacrifice fly scored Pablo Sandoval in the fifth. Sandoval singled leading off the inning and Joe Panik followed with a double.

It was the fourth time in his career Bumgarner made a scoreless start and had the game-winning RBI, tying Stephen Strasburg and Fernando Valenzuela for the most such games by any pitcher in the last 40 years, according to STATS.

The Padres’ best scoring chance came in the fifth, when Jose Pirela was thrown out at home trying to score from second on Manuel Margot’s one-out double to deep right field. Giants catcher Buster Posey tagged out Pirela after a perfect relay from Andrew McCutchen and Panik.

”We had one chance offensively and we ran through a stop sign, which took away that one opportunity,” Padres manager Andy Green said.

Melancon DeSean Jackson Jersey , who started the season on the DL with a right elbow flexor strain, pitched the ninth for his first save since June 20, 2017.

DROUGHT BUSTER

Bumgarner was winless in his six previous starts against the Padres. He was 0-4 with a 4.73 ERA during that stretch.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Padres: OF Wil Myers (left oblique strain) and Maton (right lat strain) were reinstated from the 10-day DL, and RHP Colin Rea (right shoulder strain) was activated from the 60-day DL. … OF Franchy Cordero (right elbow bone spur) was transferred to the 60-day DL and RHP Phil Hughes (right rhomboid strain) was placed on the 10-day DL. … OF Franmil Reyes was optioned to Triple-A El Paso. … RHP Bryan Mitchell (right elbow impingement) had an MRI on Wednesday that showed inflammation in the affected area but no ligament damage, Green said. Mitchell is expected to start throwing in four or five days.

Giants: SS Brandon Crawford was reinstated from the paternity list and was in the starting lineup. … INF Kelby Tomlinson was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento. … RHP Hunter Strickland (broken right pinkie) will have more X-rays in two weeks to determine if two pins he had surgically inserted on Wednesday can be removed. The 29-year-old reliever was injured when he punched a door in frustration after a blown save against Miami on Monday. … RHP Johnny Cueto (right elbow inflammation) will throw 40 pitches in a rehab start with Triple-A Sacramento on Saturday. … RHP Jeff Samardzija (right shoulder tightness) threw 73 pitches in his second rehab start with Sacramento.

UP NEXT

LHP Clayton Richard (6-6, 4.31 ERA) will make his team-leading 16th start for the Padres. He’s 5-2 with a 3.04 ERA over his last eight. Giants RHP Chris Stratton (8-4, 4.22) hasn’t allowed a run over 13 2/3 innings in two career starts against San Diego.

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