Lucroy Has 4 Hits, 2 RBIs, Helps Brewers Down Phillies  —  PHILADELPHIA — Jonathan Lucroy had four of the Brewers' season high-tying 16 hits and drove in two runs, leading Milwaukee to a 7-4 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday night in a matchup of the two worst teams in baseball.

Tensions return between Angels' front office, manager Scioscia  —  FOX Sports  —  (L-R) GM Jerry Dipoto and Angels skipper Mike Scioscia seem to have their differences.  —  At the end of the 2012 season, Angels owner Arte Moreno resolved the tension between general manager Jerry Dipoto …

Mitch Moreland Hits 2 Homers as Rangers Beat Orioles 8-1  —  BALTIMORE — Mitch Moreland hit two of the Rangers' four home runs off Bud Norris, and Texas got another winning effort on the road from left-hander Wandy Rodriguez in an 8-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Monday night.

Red Sox To Sign First-Rounder Andrew Benintendi  —  The Red Sox have agreed to terms with No. 7 overall draft pick Andrew Benintendi, reports MLB.com's Jim Callis (via Twitter).  The lefty-swinging outfielder out of the University of Arkansas will receive the full slot bonus of $3,590,400 …

Rays sign top draft pick OF Garrett Whitley  —  The Rays have signed top draft pick OF Garrett Whitley.  —  Whitley, taken No. 13 overall, will join the Gulf Coast League team in Port Charlotte.  His slot value is $2,962,100.  —  “Garrett has all the tools we look for in a young prospect …

Trying to Make Hitting Skid Disappear, Maddon Hires Magician  —  NEW YORK — Hoping to make a hitting slump disappear, Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon tried a trick.  —  Presto!  He hired a magician.  —  Known for his unusual, motivational and tension-cutting clubhouse activities …

Braves lefty Banuelos likely to debut with start Thursday  —  They spent the first part of the season together in the Triple-A Gwinnett rotation, now Matt Wisler and Manny Banuelos are expected to follow each other in the Braves' major league rotation, at least for the immediate future.

Steven Matz shows up at East Setauket deli but doesn't order hero with his name on it … David Lennon  —  Lennon: Matz settled down with veteran poise … Mets  —  LI's Steven Matz makes MLB debut with Mets … Baseball  —  Long Island in the pros: MLB edition

Mets muster just three hits in 1-0 loss to Cubs  —  The Mets failed to get a hit after the fourth inning as they were shut out by the Cubs, 1-0, on Tuesday night at Citi Field as their four-game winning streak was snapped.  —  Jon Niese was solid over seven innings of work …

Outfielder Yadiel Hernandez Leaves Cuban Team In North Carolina  —  At least one player traveling with the Cuban team in North Carolina this week to play a series against the United States college national team won't be returning to the island.  Cuban outfielder Yadiel Hernandez …

Q&A with Brandon Nimmo, who feels 100 percent after knee injury  —  Mets OF prospect Brandon Nimmo said he mostly feels 100 percent, now two weeks removed from being on the disabled list with a hyperextended knee, he told SNY.TV's Gaby Lucivero....  “I'm just happy nothing was torn,” …

Buchholz Pitches Gem, Red Sox Beat Blue Jays 3-1  —  TORONTO — Clay Buchholz pitched eight strong innings to win his third straight start, Xander Bogaerts drove in two runs and the Boston Red Sox beat the Toronto Blue Jays 3-1 on Monday night.  —  Buchholz (6-6) improved to 10-3 with a 2.21 ERA …

Cleveland's historically good, hard-luck rotation  —  OW  —  At first glance, Cleveland's starting rotation could be considered one of the league's poorest in terms of performance: their 4.32 ERA has them 9th-worst in the majors, and the fact that the Indians are 27-29 (though seemingly improving) …

Open doors await first publicly gay player  —  Last Friday, the Supreme Court ruled that our Constitution guarantees a right to same-sex marriage.  The ruling, a landmark victory for the gay-rights movement, highlights a shift in the popular perspective as more and more Americans now openly approve of these same-sex unions.