Rodriguez's return restores Red Sox rotation to full strength  —  BOSTON — Two days before the All-Star break began and again the day after it ended, Boston Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski killed the buzz of armchair general managers throughout New England by announcing …

Seattle Mariners complete sweep of Chicago White Sox with 10-inning win  —  CHICAGO — The Seattle Mariners have started the second half of the season on a roll.  Now they'll see where they'll go.  —  Nelson Cruz homered in the 10th inning and the Mariners held off the Chicago White Sox 7-6 …

Mets, Cardinals clash in pivotal four-game set (Jul 17, 2017)  —  NEW YORK — The New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals are both trying to convince themselves they are still in the playoff race.  By Thursday night, the task likely will have become much harder for at least one of the teams.

Rumor Central: A's not looking to deal Blake Treinen?  —  The Oakland Athletics are not looking to flip Blake Treinen after acquiring the veteran reliever in Sunday's deal with the Washington Nationals.  —  A's executive vice president Billy Beane told Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle …

Return of the King: A Mariners turnaround hinges on Hernandez  —  Could the Seattle Mariners still make us “experts” look good?  It's becoming less possible by the week as we creep closer to the trade deadline, and hopes for a sudden turnaround might depend on the impossible-to-read near future of King Felix Hernandez.

Tigers, Royals open four-game series (Jul 17, 2017)  —  KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A losing streak temporarily doused Kansas City's postseason aspirations and dropped the Royals one game below .500.  —  However, all is sunny for the Royals as they prepare for a four-game series against the Detroit Tigers that begins Monday.

Cron's pinch-hit home run in 8th sends Angels over Rays 4-3  —  ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — C.J. Cron isn't necessarily happy about his reduced role with the Los Angeles Angels this season.  But when playing time does come, he's determined to make the most of it.

Justin Turner homers to help Dodgers beat Marlins for ninth consecutive win  —  MIAMI (AP) — Justin Turner homered and singled to increase his batting average to .374, and the Los Angeles Dodgers extended their winning streak to nine games Sunday by beating the Miami Marlins 3-2.

With roles scrambled, Cards' bullpen blows another game in 9th  —  PITTSBURGH  • The trouble with the bullpen roulette the Cardinals are spinning these days is that if any reliever could be used in any role, then there really are no roles at all.  —  In the past week …

Pirates get chance to make up ground on Brewers (Jul 17, 2017)  —  PITTSBURGH — If the Pittsburgh Pirates are going to keep their playoff hopes alive, the next four days are critical.  —  The Pirates (44-48), fourth in the National League Central, play host to the first-place Milwaukee Brewers …

Cubs' Lester looks to rebound at Atlanta (Jul 17, 2017)  —  ATLANTA — Pitching in a city where he always has success and is near his offseason home would appear to be the perfect situation for Jon Lester to get back on track.  —  The Atlanta Braves, though, have a new ballpark …

Rumor Central: Braves shopping Jaime Garcia?  —  The Atlanta Braves are attempting to deal veteran left-hander Jaime Garcia, reports Mark Bowman of MLB.com.  —  Garcia had one of his best outings of the season on Sunday, allowing one run over seven innings against the Diamondbacks …

Yoenis Cespedes sits out in Mets loss, but expects to play vs. Cardinals  —  For now, the Mets have avoided a crisis with Yoenis Cespedes.  —  The Mets outfielder sat out a 13-4 loss to the Rockies Sunday in the series finale at Citi Field after injuring his hip in the previous night's 9-3 victory.