Jonathan Papelbon looking unlikely to sign with Red Sox  —  DETROIT — Jonathan Papelbon is probably not going to be walking out of the Red Sox bullpen and onto the Fenway Park mound anytime soon.  —  With each passing day that Papelbon remains a free agent, the Red Sox believe that a reunion …

Santana Homers, Carrasco Pitches Indians Over A's 1-0  —  By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSAUG. 23, 2016, 12:51 A.M. E.D.T.  —  OAKLAND, Calif. — Carlos Carrasco and Andrew Miller combined on a four-hitter, Carlos Santana homered in the eighth inning and the Cleveland Indians beat the Oakland Athletics 1-0 on Monday night.

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) …

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.

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.

Carter Homers, Nelson Gets Rare Win as Brewers Beat Rockies  —  MILWAUKEE — Chris Carter homered and Jimmy Nelson won for the first time in seven starts as the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Colorado Rockies 4-2 on Monday night.  —  Nelson (7-13) gave up two runs and seven hits in six innings.

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

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.