It's the first Saturday in July, and we have all 30 MLB teams in action as we near baseball's All-Star Break. The All-Star festivities kick off on Sunday with the Futures Game, the Home Run Derby Monday and will conclude with the All-Star Game on Tuesday.

Below you can find our daily roundup, with all the latest news, notes, and scores. But first, when it comes to all things All-Star related, we've got you covered.

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Saturday, July 6 scores

Rays finally beat Yankees, do so in walk-off fashion

The Rays entered Saturday's home tilt against the Yankees with a 2019 record of just 2-9 against the Bronx Bombers. Over that span, the Rays had been outscored by a margin of 68-33. Suffice it to say, the Rays badly needed to break through against the squadron they're pursuing in the AL East. 

Things looked grim for a while, as Aaron Hicks stunned Tampa by tying the game with two outs in the top of the ninth: 

Adding to the angst is that the Rays are coming off extra-innings losses in the first two games of this series. Relevant shade: 

You can be forgiven if, in the moments after Hicks' clutch blast, you assumed another loss in extras was headed the Rays' way. 

Well, let's jump ahead in the action to two outs in the bottom of the ninth and Travis d'Arnaud at the plate: 

There's that reasonably cool foghorn! That blast puts the Rays now 7 1/2 games back of the Yankees and gives them a chance to split this four-game set with a win on Sunday. The victimized Chad Green entered this one with a 5.64 ERA for the season, so he's done nothing to improve his standing in the Yankee bullpen.

As for the host Rays, they're celebrating their first walk-off win since May 29. And it was a sorely needed one.

Arrieta threatens Frazier

The Mets edged the Phillies at Citi Field on Saturday night, as you see above, but arguably more compelling than the game was what unfolded between Philly starter Jake Arrieta and Mets third baseman Todd Frazier in the fifth inning. Have a look: 

Words -- possibly adult words -- were exchanged! So that was a mid-80s changeup from Arrieta, and Frazier represented the potential tying run. That doesn't add up to malice aforethought on Arrieta's part. However, Frazier was also plunked in Friday's game against the Phillies, and overall he's been drilled by the Phillies three times this season. That on to top of the usual tensions of being employed by the 2019 Mets may have caused Frazier to come undone and, as you saw above, get ejected. 

After the game, it was Arrieta who had apparently been undergoing a slow boil: 

Normally, when a pitcher threatens to "put a dent in his skull" you would assume he's talking about drilling him with a fastball. However, since Arrieta's threat is prefaced by "He can some see me," perhaps he's talking about punching a dent in Frazier's skull after he comes and sees him (note: punching a human skull, especially with one's pitching hand, is not recommended). Perhaps playing a secondary role in his frustrations is that Arrieta stunk up the joint on Saturday: six runs on 11 hits in 4/13 innings against the Mets. For the season, Arrieta now has an ERA of 4.67 with an FIP of 5.08. 

In any event, these same two NL East rivals go at it again on Sunday. 

Cubs work Giolito again

The Cubs topped the White Sox on the south side on Saturday night, and they did so despite facing Sox ace Lucas Giolito. Here's Giolito's night at the office: 

player headshot
Lucas Giolito
BOS • SP • #54
vs. CHC, 7/6/19
IP4
H4
R6
SO5
BB5
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That's out of step with the remainder of Giolito's work in 2019, but it's not out of step with his previous start against the Cubs in 2019: 

As for the Cubs, Jon Lester turned in a solid start, and Javy Baez had a pair of doubles. Their win in tandem with the Brewers' loss to the Pirates means that the Cubs are now in first place in the NL Central by a half-game.

Roberto Perez is having a year

The contending Indians this past offseason traded away catcher Yan Gomes, which by default made Roberto Perez the primary guy behind the plate. Perez wasn't much of a hitter -- he had a career OPS+ of 70 heading into this season -- but he's a good pitch-framer, and he can tame opposing base-runners. 

Heading into the break, Perez has indeed been a defensive force -- Baseball Prospectus grades him as the fourth-best defensive catcher in all of baseball this season (and that's in keeping with Perez's history) -- and the bat surprisingly has been better than ever. 

Speaking of which, in the Battle of Ohio on Saturday Perez launched his 16th home run of the season: 

Perez entered 2019 with 21 career homers. With his four-hit day against the Reds, Perez is now slashing .256/.346/.528 in 233 plate appearances. That's obviously excellent production for a skilled defensive catcher who's logged more than 500 innings behind the dish thus far. 

At this point it's worth noting that, no, Perez is not presently on the AL All-Star roster. This year's Midsummer Classic will be in Cleveland, so finding a spot for Perez would not only have been merited but also pleasing to the hometown fans. Alas and alack, our world is a flawed one.

Here's a pitcher stealing a base in an Expos uniform

The headline is doing the heavy lifting here. As advertised, here's a pitcher -- no less a moundsman than Max Scherzer -- stealing a base while wearing Montreal Expos garb: 

The Washington Nationals were of course the Montreal Expos until they relocated to D.C. prior to the 2005 season, so that explains the fashion choices. Closer look incoming: 

As for the digits on the second career steal for Scherzer: 

Yes, a secondary lead that gets you more than halfway to second base is strongly indicative of a pitcher who considers you to be something less than a daredevil haste merchant. Relevant: 

Noble company, that. As for Mr. Scherzer's work on the mound, it was characteristic: 

He goes into the break with 181 strikeouts on the season.

Heaney honors Skaggs with first pitch

On Saturday in Houston, Angels' left-hander Andrew Heaney made his first start since the tragic and untimely death of his teammate Tyler Skaggs on Monday. Heaney and Skaggs had been teammates and members of the Angel rotation together since 2015, and Heaney is of course still deep in the grieving process. 

To honor his friend, Heaney before his start against Astros scrawled something on the mound:

And then with his first pitch, Heaney uncorked Skaggs' signature slow overhand curve: 

Here's a side-by-side look: 

Heaney throws a curve of his own, but it's not particularly similar to Skaggs'. This may wind up being the most memorable pitch of his career, and it wasn't even his own. It's a simple tribute of which Heaney's friend would surely approve.

Quick hits