Astros proceed with unified voice  —  Strained relations between front office and Porter lead to skipper's dismissal  —  HOUSTON — Two springs ago, Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow gathered his players to introduce his new manager, Bo Porter.  —  That very day, some players foresaw trouble.

Homer-Happy Nationals Beat Dodgers 6-4  —  LOS ANGELES — Denard Span hit two of Washington's four homers, Gio Gonzalez got his first victory of the second half and the Nationals beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-4 Monday night in a matchup of division leaders.

Heavy rain forces suspension of Royals-Indians game, which will resume Sept. 22  —  ›  —  ‹  —  The wind punished the flags hanging high above the outfield walls.  A hail of plastic bags and paper napkins whipped through the sky.  During a rain delay that postponed …

K R  —  Hold on.  Wait.  Stop!  —  Theo Epstein cannot possibly be talking about Manny Ramirez.  —  “It opened my eyes about how people can change,” said Epstein, the Cubs' president of baseball operations, about Ramirez's stint as a Triple A player-coach.

Dunn homers in first at-bat as struggling A's beat Mariners  —  OAKLAND, Calif. — Adam Dunn provided instant pop for the struggling Athletics, hitting a towering, two-run homer in his first at-bat for Oakland to highlight a 6-1 win over the Seattle Mariners on Monday in a matchup of playoff contenders.

Joyce's RBI Single in 10th Lifts Rays Past Red Sox  —  ST. PETERBURG, Fla. — Matt Joyce had an RBI single in the bottom of the 10th inning to help the Tampa Bay Rays salvage a split of a four-game series by beating the Boston Red Sox 4-3 on Monday.  —  Ryan Hanigan opened the 10th …

Hummel: Sandberg's HOF credentials no help in Philly  —  • By Rick Hummel rhummel@post-dispatch.com 314-340-8196  —  There hasn't been a Hall of Famer player take a team to the World Series as a manager since Yogi Berra with the New York Mets, who lost in seven games to Oakland in 1973.

Mauer helps Hughes earn 15th win as Twins beat Orioles  —  BALTIMORE - Joe Mauer drove in four runs, Phil Hughes held Baltimore without an earned run over eight innings and the Minnesota Twins beat the Orioles 6-4 Monday to avoid a four-game sweep.  —  Nelson Cruz hit his major-league leading 36th home run …

Price, Cabrera Lead Tigers to 12-1 Rout of Indians  —  CLEVELAND — David Price bounced back from an alarming start and Miguel Cabrera homered twice, hitting one of Detroit's three homers off Cleveland's Corey Kluber, as the Tigers rolled to a 12-1 win on Monday to slow the Indians' climb in the standings.

Castillo, Valbuena Help Cubs Beat Brewers 4-2  —  CHICAGO — Welington Castillo homered and drove in three runs, Luis Valbuena also hit a home run and the Chicago Cubs beat the Milwaukee Brewers 4-2 Monday.  —  Rookie sensation Jorge Soler had two doubles in his home debut for the Cubs and Jacob Turner …

FARQUHAR ACHIEVED MUCH OF HIS SUCCESS AS AN INDEPENDENT LABORER … It makes sense, on a day like Labor Day, to highlight the struggles of a middle reliever.  Even a great one like Danny Farquhar has had to work hard to find a niche on the fringes of the big leagues.

Blue Jays Acquire John Mayberry Jr.  —  The Phillies announced that they have traded outfielder/first baseman John Mayberry Jr. to the Blue Jays in exchange for infielder Gustavo Pierre.  —  Mayberry, 30, has hit .213/.304/418 on the season, good for a 104 wRC+ (roughly league average).