Mariners Extend GM Jack Zduriencik  —  The Mariners have agreed to a multi-year contract extension with general manager Jack Zduriencik, the club announced via press release.  Precise contract terms were not made available.  —  Zduriencik has been in charge of Seattle's baseball ops since 2009 …

Report: Cubs calling up top prospect outfielder Jorge Soler  —  Another big piece of the Cubs' future is on the way to the majors, as David Kaplan of CSNChicago.com reports that top prospect outfielder Jorge Soler will be promoted from Triple-A Iowa tomorrow.

The latest on NY Mets' Bartolo Colon trade market; Yankees win again; a hitting coach's odd comment  —  Bartolo Colon has cleared waivers, leaving us right back where we were a month ago — with a trade possible, and similar factors standing in the way.  Gathered from talking to folks around …

Burnett baffles Nats, softens take on retirement  —  A.J. Burnett sounds a little like that golfer everybody knows, the one who's ready to give up the game and sell his clubs until one great round pulls him back in.  —  After getting beaten by the Seattle Mariners last week …

AFL announces preliminary rosters for 2014 season  —  Twenty of Top 100 prospects slated to participate, including No. 1 Buxton  —  The Arizona Fall League announced its preliminary rosters for the 2014 season on Tuesday, and for the second year in a row, the game's top prospect is heading to the desert for some extra baseball.

Few pitchers have proven more difficult to take deep this season than Lance Lynn.  —  Considering much of the Pittsburgh Pirates' offense lately has come via the long ball, they could be in trouble Tuesday night against Lynn and the St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park.

Royals pitcher Yordano Ventura scratched from next start  —  Royals rookie pitcher Yordano Ventura will miss his next scheduled start, Wednesday against the Twins, because of back stiffness, manager Ned Yost said.  —  “After his last start he developed a little bit of mid-back tightness,” Yost said.

Mikolas Strong Start Lifts Rangers Over Mariners  —  SEATTLE — Miles Mikolas allowed three hits in eight scoreless innings, J.P. Arencibia singled home the go-ahead run in the fourth and the Texas Rangers opened a three-game set against the Seattle Mariners with a 2-0 win on Monday night.

Angels fly to top of Power Rankings  —  Division-rival A's unseated at No. 1 by Halos despite Richards' injury  —  The Angels are back on top in the American League West and find themselves looking down at every other team in the Major Leagues with five weeks remaining in the regular season.

Money can't buy success for MLB teams anymore  —  bmacpherson@providencejournal.com  —  BOSTON — Money can't buy happiness.  Money can't buy love.  —  In recent years, money can't even buy a spot in the playoffs like it once did.  —  It seems incongruous, if not inexplicable …

Rays' protest denied by MLB  —  Major League Baseball announced on Tuesday that it has denied the Tampa Bay Rays' protest of Saturday's 5-4, 10-inning loss to the Toronto Blue Jays.  —  Rays manager Joe Maddon played the game under protest after an incident in the fourth inning when he felt …

75 years ago today, the first Major League Baseball game was televised  —  Before August 26, 1939, the only way you could watch Major League Baseball was by actually going to the stadium.  Sure, you could listen to the games on the radio since 1921 (which was enjoyable and continues to be enjoyable) …

Q&A with Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers  —  PHOENIX — Diamondbacks general manager Kevin Towers recently completed a tour of the organization's Minor League affiliates, visiting Triple-A Reno, Double-A Mobile as well as both Class A teams in Visalia and South Bend.