Santana's HR Lifts Indians Over KC, Closer to Central Title  —  CLEVELAND — Carlos Santana's three-run homer pushed the Cleveland Indians to a 5-2 win over the Kansas City Royals on Thursday night and nearer to their first AL Central championship since 2007.

Masahiro Tanaka Diagnosed With Mild Flexor Mass Strain  —  Yankees ace Masahiro Tanaka has been diagnosed with a slight flexor mass strain in his right forearm and won't throw for the next five days, manager Joe Girardi told reporters, including Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News (Twitter link).

Major League Baseball could be coming to Olympic Stadium after London mayor Sadiq Khan holds talks with New York Mets owner  —  The Olympic Stadium could stage a New York Mets Major League baseball game after the Mayor of London declared their owner was “very receptive” to being them being the first team to play in Europe.

Pirates Acquire Phil Coke  —  The Pirates have acquired lefty Phil Coke from the Yankees for cash considerations, the teams announced.  Pittsburgh will need to make a 40-man roster move to accommodate the acquisition.  —  Coke, 34, made three major league appearances earlier in the year for New York …

Red Sox use 5 unearned runs to beat skidding Orioles 5-1 … BALTIMORE — It's tough enough to beat the Boston Red Sox these days.  Give them an extra out to work with, and the task becomes even more difficult.  —  Boston scored five unearned runs in the sixth inning after a throwing error …

Cubs show power, finesse in victory over Reds  —  Chicago Tribune  —  It was Darya Fowler's birthday Wednesday.  —  Her husband, Cubs leadoff hitter Dexter Fowler, gave her a gift she shared with 40,434 at Wrigley Field when he hit his 13th home run in the fourth inning of a 9-2 victory over the Reds.

Steven Matz Scratched Due To Shoulder Discomfort, Unlikely To Start Again In 2016  —  Not long after declaring Steven Matz ready to go for Friday's start, the tables have turned, as the Mets have scratched the left-hander due to lingering discomfort in his left shoulder, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post …

Nationals open talks with Ramos; sides not close  —  The Washington Nationals initiated talks with soon-to-be free agent catcher Wilson Ramos, making an initial offer.  However, indications are that the Nats' offer was somewhere in the range of $30 million over three years …

Yahoo expected to confirm huge data breach  —  Yahoo's drama as an independent company may not be done yet.  —  Yahoo (YHOO, Tech30) is expected to confirm this week that hundreds of millions of user accounts have been breached in a hack, according to a report from Re/code, citing sources close to the situation.

Edinson Volquez could become free agent but remains open to staying with the Royals  —  CLEVELAND  —  The nickname is still inscribed on the outside of Edinson Volquez's Rawlings glove, the white stitching popping against the Royal blue leather.  Volquez ordered the special inscription earlier this season …

The secret behind Dustin Pedroia's bounce-back season for the Red Sox  —  Here's why Pedroia can thank Andre Ethier for his 2016 success  —  Dodgers oufielder Andre Ethier recently advised me to ask Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia the secret to his resurgence this season.

Rosters For WBC Qualifier In Brooklyn - Israel, Pakistan, Great Britain, Brazil  —  Below are the rosters for the World Baseball Classic qualifying tournament, set for Sept. 22-25 at MCU Park in Brooklyn, N.Y. Israel, Pakistan, Great Britain and Brazil are the teams competing to qualify for the WBC in 2017 …