Thankful David Wright returns to a very different Mets team, but will still be the leader  —  PHILADELPHIA — At the beginning of a historic night for the Mets offense, David Wright announced his relevance to the pennant race with one thundering swing: top of the second inning, boom, second deck in left field.

St. Louis Turns Turn 4 Double Plays in 5-3 Win Over Arizona  —  PHOENIX — Lance Lynn pitched six effective innings with the help of four double plays and Yadier Molina hit a two-run single in the seventh inning, lifting the St. Louis Cardinals to a 5-3 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday night.

Castillo's 5 RBIs Lead Kelly, Red Sox Over White Sox  —  CHICAGO — Rusney Castillo homered and drove in a career-high five runs, Joe Kelly won his fifth straight outing and the Boston Red Sox beat the Chicago White Sox 5-4 on Monday night.  —  Kelly (7-6) allowed five hits and two runs …

Bryant Homer Lifts Cubs to 2-1 Win Over Indians  —  CHICAGO — Chicago's Jon Lester and Cleveland's Corey Kluber locked up in a terrific pitchers' duel.  —  But after the marquee starters left the game, Kris Bryant walked off with the key hit.  —  Bryant homered with two outs in the ninth inning …

Royals Score 7 Runs in 6th Inning, Beat Orioles 8-3  —  KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Omar Infante led a seven-run charge in the sixth inning to support a strong start by Kris Medlen, helping the Kansas City Royals beat the Baltimore Orioles 8-3 on Monday night.  —  Despite working on a pitch count …

Happ Pitches 6 Innings to Help Pirates Beat Marlins 5-2  —  MIAMI — J.A. Happ pitched six scoreless innings, extending a streak of strong starts for the Pittsburgh Pirates in a 5-2 win over the Miami Marlins on Monday night.  —  Pittsburgh starters have thrown 19 1-3 consecutive scoreless innings …

Reds Overpower Tigers in Biggest Comeback Win of Season  —  CINCINNATI — Brandon Phillips drove in four runs with a home run and a triple during Cincinnati's 10-run sixth inning and the Reds came back from a five-run deficit to snap a nine-game losing streak with a 12-5 win over the Detroit Tigers on Monday night.

Victor Cruz: Jaguars defensive backs were ‘gunning’ for Giants star Odell Beckham  —  EAST RUTHERFORD All Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz could do on Saturday night was watch as he believed the Jacksonville Jaguars defensive backs were targeting Odell Beckham Jr.

Beltran Hits Sacrifice Fly in 9th; Yankees Beat Astros 1-0  —  NEW YORK — Carlos Beltran hit a game-ending sacrifice fly after Oliver Perez walked the bases loaded, and the New York Yankees beat the Houston Astros 1-0 Monday night in a game highlighted by a tense duel between Nathan Eovaldi and Scott Feldman.

Gomes Drives in 3 Runs, Braves Beat Rockies 5-3 to End Skid  —  ATLANTA — Jonny Gomes drove in three runs with two hits, including a two-run homer in the first, and the Atlanta Braves beat the Colorado Rockies 5-3 on Monday night to end their seven-game losing streak.

Blue Jays, Rangers set for crucial series  —  8/19/15: In his return from the disabled list, Derek Holland allows two runs with six strikeouts and no walks over 6 1/3 innings of work  —  The Blue Jays and Rangers will open a three-game series on Tuesday night at Globe Life Park in a matchup …

A Potential Baseball Powerhouse Blossoms in Uganda  —  “Eventually, Uganda will long surpass the Dominican Republic as far as number and quality of [baseball] players.”  —  The person who said this out loud, and truly believes it, is an intelligent and reasonable man with a more than basic understanding …

Bettis made rehab starts Aug. 15 and Aug. 20 and pitched a total of 8 innings  —  Chad Bettis (35) of the Colorado Rockies pitches in the first inning against the Oakland Athletics at O.co Coliseum on July 1, 2015 in Oakland, Calif. (Ezra Shaw, Getty Images)