PHOENIX -- San Francisco Giants right-hander Johnny Cueto threw a bullpen session Saturday, and the team was encouraged enough for manager Bruce Bochy to say the club hopes Cueto can return toward the end of this season.

Cueto, who had major elbow surgery last August, was 18-5 in 2016 and selected to the All-Star Game, but he has since gone 11-10 in the past two years combined.

"I think he surprised a lot of us with where he's at," Bochy said before Saturday's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. "It's all fastballs, but he's gotten himself in great shape, too. I think it's the best shape I've seen Johnny in, to be honest.

"From what you saw today, you've got to believe he's going to be pitching before the season's over. I'm not going to be surprised if he pitches in September."

Cueto threw off flat ground Saturday, and the hope is that next week he will throw breaking balls and changeups.

If Cueto comes back in September, it will be as a starting pitcher, Bochy said. Cueto, 33, has been a starter since breaking into the majors in 2008 with the Cincinnati Reds.

"I'm happy to be here and it's good to be around the guys and spend some time with the team," Cueto said in Spanish. "God willing, yes, I want to pitch in September. Right now, I feel really good."

Cueto said he has lost 20 pounds, down from 245 to 225 pounds, and would like to pitch at 230.

"I feel like a kid of 20, 25 years old," Cueto said with a laugh.

Following a second straight loss to the last-place Marlins in Miami, New York Mets manager Mickey Callaway addressed increasing speculation that his job is in jeopardy.

The Mets fell a season-worst four games under .500 after being held to one hit in Saturday's 2-0 loss.

The Marlins, with the worst record in the majors, beat the Mets for the second straight day after entering the series with a seven-game losing streak.

"I'm coming in tomorrow to manage the New York Mets and I'm going to be enthusiastic about it and I'm going to continue to lead this team to something special," Callaway said.

"As a leader, you can't ever worry about yourself. I'm here. One of the things I told them when I got hired was selfless service is very important to me, and my goal every day is to improve that room, be consistent, and make sure our players continue to improve."

Callaway is in his second year with the Mets, who made lots of changes in the offseason, including a blockbuster trade for All-Star second baseman Robinson Cano and closer Edwin Diaz.

Last week, Callaway had a long meeting with Mets chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon and general manager Brodie Van Wagenen. They spoke about how to avoid the free fall the Mets endured last year right around this time, before finishing the season fourth in the National League East at 77-85.

"I do believe we have talent in there," Callaway said Saturday. "We haven't played like that. There's no doubt that hasn't been the case, but I believe those things for a reason, and I believe everyone comes to the park every day for something greater than what's been happening. We have to start making it happen, somehow, some way."

Mets veteran third baseman Todd Frazier defended his manager.

"It's not a question for me -- I think he's doing a great job," Frazier said. "He can't go up there and hit. He makes the lineup, he puts the guys in at the right time, and we're not producing."

A crowd of 13,474 saw the Marlins record their first one-hit shutout since four pitchers combined to throw one on May 7, 2017, against the Mets in New York.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

SEATTLE -- The Minnesota Twins' offense has been rolling all season. They had their best game yet Saturday night against the Seattle Mariners.

C.J. Cron and Jonathan Schoop each hit two home runs and Byron Buxton had a grand slam as the Twins cruised to an 18-4 victory. Miguel Sano also homered for the Twins, who extended their season-high home run streak to 13 games and moved into a tie with Seattle for the major league home run lead with 87.

"It's fun to put on that kind of offensive performance," Cron said. "One through nine, we all swung it really well so it was fun to watch."

Minnesota's 18 runs were a season high. The Twins have won the first three games of the four-game series, outscoring the Mariners 36-11. Minnesota became the first team in major league history to have five games with at least five home runs before the start of June.

"There's no weak spots in our lineup," Cron said. "As a pitcher, that can't be a comfortable thing. They have to be on their game for every batter."

Wade LeBlanc (2-1), making his first start in more than a month after returning from the injured list, gave up seven runs and seven hits -- including a career-worst four home runs.

"Those guys over there, there's not much you can say," LeBlanc said. "I want to say that's the best hitting team I've ever faced in my life. That's how they looked tonight."

LeBlanc left his last outing on April 12 with a strained right oblique. Before Saturday's game, Mariners manager Scott Servais said he hoped LeBlanc would have a "competitive outing" against the Twins, with a pitch limit around 75 pitches. LeBlanc didn't meet either goal, getting knocked out in the third inning after throwing just 49 pitches.

Minnesota's offense started the rout in the second inning when Cron hit his first homer, the 100th of his career. Later in the inning, Buxton's grand slam -- the Twins' first of the year -- opened the floodgates.

Buxton and Schoop both tied career highs with five RBI. Buxton added a run-scoring single to his grand slam, and Schoop had two-run and three-run homers.

Starter Jose Berrios was looking to rebound after his roughest outing of the season in which he gave up five runs and 12 hits, both season highs, in a loss to the Angels on Monday. Berrios cruised through the first four innings in this one, but wasn't able to pick up the win. He was pulled in the fifth after giving up four runs and six hits in the inning, and throwing 105 pitches overall.

"Some very long breaks for him, multiple very long breaks in only four innings," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. "That can definitely be challenging. If it wasn't for purely pitch count reasons, we'd probably let him go out there and finish the inning."

Tyler Duffey (1-0) came on and went 1 1/3 innings to earn the victory.

IN RELIEF

Mariners backup catcher Tom Murphy pitched the ninth inning, retiring all three batters he faced with two strikeouts. He was the sixth Seattle pitcher, and the only one not to give up a run or a hit or walk a batter.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Mariners: INF Dylan Moore started a rehab assignment with Triple-A Tacoma on Saturday. Moore has been on the injured list since May 10 with a wrist contusion. ... RHP Sam Tuivailala, recovering from a right Achilles rupture, is also with Tacoma for rehab after being transferred from Single-A Modesto. ... Servais said RHP Gerson Bautista, who strained his right pectoral muscle in spring training, will also start a rehab assignment at Tacoma soon.

ROSTER MOVE

Seattle optioned RHP Matt Festa to Triple-A Tacoma to make room on the roster for LeBlanc.

FIRST TIME

Luis Arraez made his major league debut for the Twins, entering in the fifth inning as a defensive replacement at shortstop. He doubled in the eighth inning.

UP NEXT

Twins: Kyle Gibson (3-1, 4.19 ERA) makes his ninth start in the final game of the four-game series with Seattle.

Mariners: Yusei Kikuchi (2-1, 3.64) has gone at least six innings and given up three runs or fewer in all three of his starts in May.

WASHINGTON -- The Chicago Cubs protested Saturday night's 5-2 loss to the Nationals, with manager Joe Maddon arguing that Washington reliever Sean Doolittle used an illegal delivery in the ninth inning.

The double toe-tap Doolittle appeared to use as he delivered the ball to home plate has been deemed illegal in the past, but umpires on Saturday did not force the left-hander to alter his delivery, much to the dismay of Maddon.

"I said, 'If you guys don't clean it up, I'm going to protest the game,'" Maddon said after the game. "It's their rule, not mine. I didn't ask for it in the first place."

Maddon came out to argue after Doolittle's first pitch of the ninth inning -- a strike to pinch hitter Albert Almora Jr. Though the umpires huddled with each other, and then with Doolittle, they sided with the lefty while deeming his delivery OK.

"[Maddon] thought he was tapping his foot, which in itself is not illegal, and this all kind of stems from his pitcher being called on something that was a little bit different than what Doolittle was doing," crew chief Sam Holbrook said. "So in our judgment, Doolittle did nothing illegal at all."

Holbrook was referring to Cubs reliever Carl Edwards Jr., who was told in the second game of the season that he couldn't do his version of the double toe-tap. Recently, Mariners pitcher Cory Gearrin was also forced to change his delivery after warming up mid-inning.

"It's real simple," a somewhat exasperated Maddon said. "That's exactly what Carl was told he can't do. I was told that's an illegal pitch and he can't do it."

Edwards added: "I figured once it happened to myself, it would get around."

Maddon officially protested with one out in the ninth inning. If the Cubs win the protest, the teams would pick up the game from that point, as Doolittle retired the next two batters to earn the save.

Afterward, Doolittle was having none of what Maddon was trying to sell.

"In that moment, he's not doing anything other than rattle me," Doolittle told reporters, according to an mlb.com report. "It was kinda tired. Sometimes he has to remind people how smart he is."

Leading veteran athletes were in action at the British Masters Road Relay Champs at Sutton Park on Saturday

Honours were shared at the British Masters Road Relays at Sutton Park near Birmingham on May 18 with a good mixture of close races and runaway victories.

Long regarded as one of the premier events on the British veteran calendar, it was held in ideal conditions on the tough Park circuit which is slightly over 5km.

The first club to take gold medals were the ever-consistent Bristol & West W45 team. Annabel Granger, hot off a 2:47 PB at the Virgin Money London Marathon, led off with a 19:07 to run the fastest leg and Claire Jolliffe (19:37) and Sarah Everitt (19:33) extended the margin to over four minutes.

Westbury were second all the way while multiple world masters medallist Sue McDonald moved from sixth to third on the final leg.

First gold of the day in the BMAF road relays at Sutton Park goes to W45s Bristol & West in their 3-stage relay as Rotherham lead the W35s with one to leg to go on their race pic.twitter.com/V73X76WalK

— Athletics Weekly (@AthleticsWeekly) May 18, 2019

Clare Elms and her Dulwich club dominated the W55 race. She took off in third place and her 18:45 gave her club a three-minute-plus victory as she was quicker than all the W45s.

Last year’s fastest Jane Clarke, a former Masters International winner herself, was next quickest with a 20:57, which gave Norwich a huge lead on leg one.

Dulwich’s Ros Tabor had led off the eventual winners on leg one, 11 years after being in their winning team in this age group, while another masters international Ange Norris was the fastest on leg two moving Dulwich into contention. Behind, Norwich and Steel City took the other medals.

The third gold to get resolved was in the W65 event as Worcester won by a minute from Steel City – and the latter’s Dorothy Kesterton was fastest with 23:20.

Not long after the leading two W65s finished their three legs, the top W35s were finishing their four-leg race. As in 2018, Sarah Lowery gave Rotherham a good start with an 18:19 split ahead of a less than fully fit Claire Martin, who ran 18:48 for a depleted Telford.

Westbury went ahead on leg two but an 18:35 from Fiona Davies put Rotherham back in command with a three-minute lead after leg three.

The final outcome was close, though, as Rotherham’s anchor runner Di Elliott (main image above) held on despite Lisa Palmer blitzing an 18:18 split to move Derby from fifth to second as she snatched the fastest lap by a second.

Former international Eleanor Baker moved Tonbridge up to third in her masters debut with a 18:45 clocking.

The women’s race also contained an M75 race which saw Bingley win unchallenged.

The first all-male race was the M55 event and it saw a win for Leicester. Irishman Tommy Hughes, who ran a 2:30 marathon not long before his 60th birthday, blasted a 17:40 opening leg. Warrington chased them down on leg two with multiple British masters champion and M55 London Marathon winner Steve Watmough passing Leicester with an 18:02 clocking.

On the final leg, though, Phil Makepeace regained the lead for Leicester with easily the fastest leg of 17:19 as he overtook 2:12 marathoner Andy Green. In the battle for bronze, Phil Parry, with 17:26, brought Bristol up to third.

As expected, Oxford again dominated the M65 race after a good start from Stewart Thorp with the lead extended by Roy Treadwell and John Exley.

The fastest leg was shared by Bristol’s Dave Bedwell and Stan Owen of Salford, who ran 20:00.

The four-stage M45 race, which started five minutes after the M35s were set off, was the next event to be decided and saw another win for Leicester. After good starts from Gordon Lee (17:09) and Gavin McDermott (17:05) put them second, Chris Southam put them ahead with a 17:46 although it was Mark Johnson with the day’s fastest of 16:37 which ensured the gold.

Leicester win the 4-stage M45 race at the British Masters Road Relay at Sutton Park from Thames Hare and Hounds and Aldershot pic.twitter.com/TMk3q35eT1

— Athletics Weekly (@AthleticsWeekly) May 18, 2019

Defending champions Thames Hare & Hounds were second, 48 seconds back, while Aldershot, anchored by Mark Symes, took the bronze medals.

The longest race and the final event – the M35s – saw the closest finish. Andrew Peat of Birchfield led stage one with a 15:48 clocking but fellow Brummies Birmingham RAT on leg two and then Tipton went ahead on leg three.

Salford’s Karl Darcy brought his club back into contention with the fastest leg of 15:29 and there was nothing in it after leg four.

A 15:59 for former international Phil Nicholls seemed to give Tipton a clear lead on leg five but a 15:51 anchor from Chris Livesey closed the gap significantly and meant Tipton anchor Jonathan Carter was checking behind his shoulder up the tough finishing hill. Birmingham RAT took bronze.

Tipton Harriers narrowly won the British Masters Road relay M35 title from Salford at Sutton Park pic.twitter.com/CrNhZ5vPgN

— Athletics Weekly (@AthleticsWeekly) May 18, 2019

World number one Novak Djokovic set up an intriguing final with Rafael Nadal after a 6-3 6-7 (2-7) 6-3 victory over Diego Schwartzman at the Italian Open.

Djokovic, who saved two match points in his quarter-final win over Juan Martin del Potro, beat a spirited Schwartzman in Rome in two hours 31 minutes.

Defending champion Nadal reached his 50th Masters 1000 final with a 6-3 6-4 win over Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece.

His majestic forehand dominated as he won in one hour 42 minutes.

Djokovic's win in three hours one minute over Del Potro had finished at 1.05am local time on Saturday morning and his evening semi-final provided another stern test against another Argentine, Schwartzman, who played a series of impressive drop shots.

The Serb had won their two previous meetings, the last of which was at Roland Garros in 2017, and he claimed the first break in the seventh game when Schwartzman netted a forehand.

But having lost the opening set in 36 minutes, Schwartzman, in his first Masters 1000 semi-final, kept in contention and a superb backhand down the line gave him a break in the fifth game of the second set.

It was the first of four successive breaks in a fluctuating set that went to a tie-break, which Schwartzman, winner of two ATP titles, quickly took control of.

Djokovic, 31, seized the key break in the sixth game of the decider to reach his ninth Italian final as he bids to repeat last week's victory at the Madrid Open.

He leads 28-25 in his duel with Nadal that began in 2006, winning their most recent encounter in the first Grand Slam of this year, the Australian Open in January, but the Spaniard has dominated their clay court matches 16-7.

Nadal, 32, had lost in the semi-finals of his last four tournaments, including a defeat against Tsitsipas last weekend in Madrid.

It is his first clay court final of the year and he will look to continue a fine record in the Masters 1,000 Series.

Since 2005, the Spaniard has won at least one of the nine events in the calendar every year except 2015.

In overcast, breezy conditions in the Italian capital, Nadal built a 3-0 lead and took the opening set in 49 minutes.

He continued to work the athletic Tsitsipas, who won this month's Estoril Open and lost in the Madrid final to Djokovic last week, with some typically stylish, precise groundstokes into the corners.

Tsitsipas, who moved into the last four by virtue of Roger Federer's withdrawal through injury, had not dropped a set in the tournament and was seeking a fifth final this season, which would have taken him to fifth in the world rankings.

But Nadal was in masterful form and recorded his fourth win in five matches against the powerful world number seven.

British number one Johanna Konta came from a set down against Kiki Bertens to reach the final of the Italian Open.

Konta - who will be seeded at the French Open later this month - beat Dutch sixth seed Bertens 5-7 7-5 6-2 in two hours 49 minutes in Rome.

The 28-year-old will play world number seven Karolina Pliskova, who beat Maria Sakkari of Greece 6-4 6-4.

Konta is the first British woman to reach the Italian Open final since Virginia Wade in 1971.

Victory over world number four Bertens marked her first over a top-five opponent since defeating Simona Halep at Wimbledon in 2017.

Both players lost serve twice in the first set before Bertens was able to take the early advantage, breaking world number 42 Konta at set point.

The first two games of the second set went against serve but Konta was able to capitalise on a break at 5-5 to level the match.

Konta dominated the deciding set, breaking Bertens' serve twice, though she needed four match points to seal the win, having made three unforced errors at 40-0 in the final game.

The Briton lost her first clay-court final to Sakkari at the Morocco Open this month and will now play her maiden Premier WTA event final on the surface.

Sakkari had beaten Pliskova in last year's event but converted only one break point opportunity as she slipped to defeat in an hour and 28 minutes.

Pliskova, winner of 12 WTA titles to Konta's three, has won five of the pair's six completed matches, though the Briton won their most recent match, which came on the hard courts of Beijing in 2016.

Analysis

Russell Fuller, BBC tennis correspondent:

Konta's game has been on an upward curve all season.

She has excelled wearing British colours in the Fed Cup, but had not cashed in on tour - until the clay court season got underway.

Konta has always believed she can be successful on the surface, but until this year results had not borne her out.

Her movement looks much improved, as does her drop shot - which is such a handy trick to have up your sleeve on clay.

Not only will Konta now be seeded for Roland Garros, but she has also put herself in a very good position to be a seed at Wimbledon, too.

BBC Sport has launched #ChangeTheGame this summer to showcase female athletes in a way they never have been before. Through more live women's sport available to watch across the BBC this summer, complemented by our journalism, we are aiming to turn up the volume on women's sport and alter perceptions. Find out more here.