Murphy, Scherzer slam Mets as Nats win 7th straight, 6-3 … NEW YORK — As usual, Daniel Murphy was diplomatic about all the damage he's done to the New York Mets since they let him leave as a free agent.  —  Max Scherzer knows that's just a mirage.  —  “He wants to beat their brains in.

John Lackey frustrated after mistakes cost Cubs in 7-5 loss to Reds  —  Cubs starting pitcher John Lackey discusses his performance during a 7-5 loss to the Reds on Sunday, April 23, 2017.  (Mark Gonzales/Chicago Tribune)  —  Chicago Tribune  —  John Lackey's long looks around Great …

Cleveland Indians continue domination of Chicago White Sox behind Carlos Carrasco  —  CHICAGO — Manager Terry Francona admitted the Cleveland Indians were a little worried about Carlos Carrasco heading into the season.  —  The right-hander dealt with elbow swelling during spring training …

Clutch hitting in 10th inning lifts Philadelphia Phillies past Atlanta Braves  —  PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Maikel Franco said jokingly Saturday night that his body was hurting.  He had his teammates to blame.  —  Down to their final out and trailing the Atlanta Braves …

Rays do all their damage in the first, fall to Astros in extras  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Brian McCann and Yuli Gurriel both had RBI singles in the 10th inning, and the Houston Astros rallied from an early four-run deficit to beat the Tampa Bay Rays 6-4 on Sunday.

Zach Britton on Dustin Pedroia: 'If he can't control his own teammates, then there's a bigger issue over there'  —  Orioles injured closer Zach Britton knows what Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia said publicly about reliever Matt Barnes seemingly throwing at the head of the Orioles' Manny Machado on Sunday afternoon.

Phillies place Aaron Nola on DL with lower-back strain  —  Aaron Nola was placed on the disabled list on Monday afternoon because of a lower-back strain, but the Phillies expect the righthander to miss just one or two starts.  —  General manager Matt Klentak said Nola felt soreness …

The similarities are striking.  —  The Rockies and Diamondbacks not only are perennial NL West doormats, but they're also teams with new managers and position players in their primes.  —  Both are off to excellent starts, the Rockies at 13-6, the DBacks at 12-8.

Astros-Indians is the series you won't want to miss in Week 4  —  Series and matchups have gotten interesting early, but the one that might be the most exciting is Houston's trip to Cleveland as the Astros send their best starters up against the Indians.  Between rumors, recoveries …

Tigers salvage their road trip in MInnesota with the help of two minor leaguers; health, and that bullpen, are still key  —  This is no way to live.  Not for the long-term, anyway.  Not when your backup catcher and a couple of fresh arrivals from the minors are your most reliable offensive weapons.

Harper, Souza Named Week's Best  —  Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper was named National League Player of the Week and Rays outfielder Steven Souza was chosen as American League Player of the Week for the week of April 17-23, Major League Baseball said Monday.

Andrelton Simmons' grand slam overshadowed by great defense by Los Angeles Angels  —  ANAHEIM — On an evening when shortstop Andrelton Simmons hit a grand slam and Tyler Skaggs had another impressive seven-inning outing, the conversation in the Los Angeles Angels locker room was all about defense.

Doc: Bronson Arroyo shows no fear while breezing past Cubs  —  There are distinct lines in sports between heroes, dreamers and fools.  Bronson Arroyo is too realistic to be the latter and too grounded to be the former.  Is he a dreamer?  He wouldn't be pitching if he weren't.

2017 NFL Draft: What Will Cleveland Do With Top Pick?  —  Here are the latest first-round notes from Mike Mayock, a mock draft tease, a reality check reminder and more  —  Falling in the NFL Draft could cost a player big  —  What falling in the draft means for a player's contract value.

Monday's game  —  Padres at Diamondbacks  —  Where: Chase Field.  —  Pitchers: Diamondbacks RHP Zack Greinke (1-2, 3.28) vs. Padres RHP Jhoulys Chacin (2-2, 4.70).  —  TV/Radio: FSAZ, MLB Network/KMVP-FM (98.7), KHOV-FM (105.1).  —  One mistake, a breaking ball down the middle …