Fister, Hernandez Lead Astros to 3-1 Win Over Pirates  —  PITTSBURGH — Doug Fister pitched seven scoreless innings, Teoscar Hernandez hit a two-run homer and the Houston Astros beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-1 on Monday night.  —  Hernandez connected off fellow rookie Jameson Taillon (3-3) …

Q&A part 2: John Henry confirms Drew Pomeranz trade investigation  —  Via email, Red Sox principal owner John Henry responded late last week to questions about his team.  This is second transcript, with Part One running in Sunday's Boston Herald.  —  Q. The team certainly has a shot at making the playoffs.

Trumbo, Schoop Hit HRs to Help Orioles Beat Nationals 4-3  —  BALTIMORE — Mark Trumbo hit his major league-leading 38th home run, Jonathan Schoop also went deep and the Baltimore Orioles beat the Washington Nationals 4-3 Monday night in a matchup between neighboring contenders.

Brian McCann, Mark Teixeira adjusting to new roles with Yankees  —  ANAHEIM - The arrival of Gary Sanchez, Aaron Judge and Tyler Austin has rejuvenated the Yankees, who find themselves on the fringe of the playoff race despite trading away three key players before the deadline.

Bakersfield, High Desert Set To Contract - Franchises would shift to Carolina League cities in North Carolina  —  After years of rumors and speculation, California League franchises High Desert and Bakersfield are officially contracting at the end of this season.

Why the Blue Jays demoted a Cy Young candidate to Single-A  —  Plus a case against proposed rule changes, the Mets' hangover & more in MLB Whiparound  —  There are just six weeks to go in the Major League Baseball season, and while four divisions seem to be in hand the AL East and NL West are wildly up for grabs.

Gonzalez Hits 3 of Dodgers' 7 Homers for 18-9 Win Over Reds  —  CINCINNATI — Adrian Gonzalez hit three of the Dodgers' seven homers — driving in a career-high eight runs — and rookie Corey Seager had a noteworthy homer as well on Monday, leading Los Angeles to an 18-9 victory and a split …

A's Billy Butler hurt by Danny Valencia in altercation, sources say  —  CHICAGO — Billy Butler missed the past two games against the White Sox because he was injured in an altercation with teammate Danny Valencia, The Chronicle has learned.

Billings Mustangs and Cincinnati Reds extend player development contract 2 more years … Billings Mustangs managing partner Dave Heller, right, and Cincinnati Reds director of player development Jeff Graupe announce a two-year extension of the teams' affiliation at Dehler Park on Monday.

Almora Jr. having injured hand looked over  —  Albert Almora Jr., landed on the disabled list earlier this month with a hand injury that has kept him out of the Iowa Cubs lineup.  —  Now the question is, will it keep him from going back to the big leagues when rosters expand in September?

Joe Maddon washes down Cubs' 11-4 debacle in Colorado  —  Cubs manager Joe Maddon on the team's 11-4 loss to the Rockies: “An oil painting, it was not.”  (Mark Gonzales/Chicago Tribune)  —  Chicago Tribune  —  Jason Hammel suffered one of the worst outings of his career Sunday …

Arizona Diamondbacks ponder replacing La Russa, Stewart after just 2 years  —  The Arizona Diamondbacks are a mess.  —  Once again.  —  Diamondbacks ownership is strongly considering making sweeping front-office changes, firing some of the most respected men in the game.  —  Once again.

Braves to Kemp: Get in better shape  —  The Braves have told new left fielder Matt Kemp that he needs to get in better physical shape to reach his potential, general manager John Coppolella said during an interview with MLB Network Radio.  —  “We see Matt Kemp as a player with a big upside,” Coppolella said.

How Danny Duffy became the Royals' next homegrown ace  —  The pitch began as an experiment, a curious blend of desperation and preservation, a pitcher looking for something to spark a career.  It was a quiet afternoon last October, during the early days of the American League Championship Series …