Singleton to join Astros, agrees on extension  —  First baseman will make big league debut Tuesday night against Halos  —  HOUSTON — Only a few weeks after the Astros called up top outfield prospect George Springer to the Major Leagues, the club is reaching back down into the farm system …

Suddenly hot NY Mets take four of five from Phillies as rookie Matt den Dekker's glove, arm spark win  —  While den Dekker went just 1-for-5, he made his presence known Monday with his glove, stealing two runs from the Phillies, robbing Ryan Howard of a home run and throwing a runner out at the plate.

Cano, Cruz take leads, Bautista closes in on Trout  —  Angels star still has most AL All-Star votes but Blue Jays slugger is right on his heels  —  A lot can happen in a week.  Six days is all it took for a number of the hottest American League All-Star voting races to change hands …

Blue Jays open up against Tigers in battle of division leaders  —  The Sports Network  —  DETROIT - The surging Toronto Blue Jays will try to curb Anibal Sanchez's recent run of success when they open up a three-game set with the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday night.

Phillies Sign Jason Marquis  —  The Phillies announced that they've signed right-hander Jason Marquis to a minor league deal.  The 35-year-old veteran is a client of ACES.  —  Marquis underwent Tommy John surgery last July but said a few months later that he didn't intend for that operation to be the end of his career.

Taveras Shines In Long-Awaited Debut  —  ST. LOUIS—Not since Rick Ankiel returned to the majors as a power-hitting outfielder had a position player arrived at Busch Stadium with as much forewarning, fanfare and anticipation as right fielder Oscar Taveras, the organization's top prospect for three years running.

Pirates Get 16 Hits in 10-3 Romp Over Padres  —  SAN DIEGO — Jordy Mercer homered and matched a career high with four of Pittsburgh's 16 hits Monday night, leading the Pirates to a 10-3 romp over the San Diego Padres.  —  Neil Walker added three hits and three RBIs, and Josh Harrison …

Talking Situational Wins  —  Are there situations in which stolen bases are more valuable? (via Keith Allison)  —  I am totally fascinated by WPA/LI, even though I can't really tell you what it is.  The title says what it is: Win Probability Added divided by Leverage Index, but that doesn't really help.

Samardzija hears trade talk, won't listen  —  MILWAUKEE — After two months stuck on the Willis Tower ledge of baseball, you knew something eventually had to crack with the Cubs.  For lame-duck ace Jeff Samardzija, it wasn't as inevitable as what's coming next month toward the trade deadline.

Masterson, Indians End Boston's 7-Game Win Streak  —  CLEVELAND — Justin Masterson found the strike zone after a rocky start and pitched seven scoreless innings as the Cleveland Indians ended Boston's seven-game winning streak, beating the Red Sox 3-2 Monday night.

THE OAKLAND WAY  —  How the A's continue to thrive more than decade after ‘Moneyball’ was published  —  OAKLAND, Calif. — So few people got the biggest lesson of Moneyball.  Yes, on-base percentage is a more valuable tool than batting average.  True, some of the old scouting techniques …

VIN SCULLY, BASEBALL'S LONGEST-TENURED AND MOST ELOQUENT BROADCASTER, IS STILL LOOKING TO MAKE A CONNECTION  —   TWEET SHARE  SHARE 48 COMMENTS ⋆ REC 12  —  The sunsets over Dodger Stadium and Chavez Ravine are breathtakingly colorful.