Jon Lester after strong start: ‘My stuff had a little more crispness to it’  —  Cubs pitcher Jon Lester reacts after avoiding a wild pitch by Julio Teheran of the Atlanta Braves in the fifth inning on July 17, 2017, in Atlanta.  —  Chicago Tribune  —  Jon Lester didn't want to elaborate …

Stanton 2 HRs, Gordon hit in 10th sends Miami over Phils 6-5  —  MIAMI (AP) — After a couple of homers from All-Star Giancarlo Stanton kept the Marlins in the game Monday night, Miami was unable to score with the bases loaded in the ninth inning.  —  The Marlins loaded the bases again in the 10th …

Tigers win third in a row with 10-2 win in series opener in Kansas City  —  Zimmermann very good over 6 2/3 innings, backed up by Castellanos, Mahtook homers.  —  CONNECT  —  KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Don't tell the Detroit Tigers their season is over.  —  Though all signs point to the team trading …

Miguel Gonzalez eager to return to White Sox rotation after injury  —  White Sox starting pitcher Miguel Gonzalez is looking forward to returning to the mound against the Los Angeles Dodgers.  —  Chicago Tribune  —  Miguel Gonzalez almost ruined the surprise.

Cardinals grind out a 6-3 win over Mets  —  NEW YORK — Paul DeJong homered against the New York Mets for the fourth straight game and Adam Wainwright hit an RBI double while winning his fourth consecutive start, sending the St. Louis Cardinals to a 6-3 victory Monday night.

Red Sox manager Farrell says protest denied on play vs Yanks  —  BOSTON (AP) Red Sox manager John Farrell says Major League Baseball has denied Boston's protest over a bizarre play on the bases last weekend involving Matt Holliday of the New York Yankees.  —  Farrell said he wasn't surprised …

Seth Smith's homer lifts Baltimore Orioles to win over Texas Rangers  —  BALTIMORE — The Baltimore Orioles are desperately trying to salvage their season.  —  They finally got a boost of confidence against the Texas Rangers, who are also fighting to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Diamondbacks in a rough stretch entering series vs. Reds (Jul 18, 2017)  —  CINCINNATI — Through 92 games, the Arizona Diamondbacks are off to one of their best starts in franchise history.  But the season has taken a turn for the worse in recent weeks with losses in 11 of the past 14 games …

A's offense, attendance numbers come back down to Earth against Rays  —  The Oakland A's offense shared something in common with the attendance number for Monday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays.  They were both dreadful.  —  In front of an announced crowd of 9,736 fans at the Coliseum …

Kyle Seager, Danny Valencia homer in 10th inning as Seattle Mariners top Houston Astros  —  HOUSTON — With his bullpen stretched thin following a long but successful weekend in Chicago, Seattle Mariners manager Scott Servais was looking for precisely the type of all-around effort his club produced …

Blackmon, Marquez propel Rockies to 9-6 win over Padres (Jul 17, 2017)  —  DENVER (AP) Charlie Blackmon 's fourth leadoff homer of the season hit the facing of the third deck, hard-throwing rookie German Marquez tied a career high with nine strikeouts and the scuffling Colorado Rockies beat the San Diego Padres 9-6 on Monday night.

Josh Tomlin's solid outing lifts Indians past Giants 5-3  —  SAN FRANCISCO  —  Josh Tomlin struck out five and pitched into the eighth inning to win back-to-back starts for the first time this year, and the Cleveland Indians capitalized on two costly errors to rally and beat the San Francisco Giants 5-3 on Monday night.

Houston All-Star Carlos Correa leaves game with thumb injury  —  HOUSTON (AP) — All-Star shortstop Carlos Correa has left a game against the Seattle Mariners with a jammed left thumb.  —  Correa was pulled Monday after swinging and missing at a pitch in the fourth inning.

James Loney Signs With KBO's LG Twins  —  Veteran first baseman James Loney has signed on with Korea's LG Twins, Jeeho Yoo of Yonhap reports on Twitter.  He'll earn a $350K salary during his first foray into the Korea Baseball Organization.  —  Loney, 33, has struggled to find …

Buy or stand pat?  Surprising Brewers weigh trade deadline  —  MILWAUKEE (AP) The Milwaukee Brewers' biggest fan calls team owner Mark Attanasio regularly and wonders occasionally what moves one of baseball's most surprising teams might make at the trade deadline.

Could Mike Trout and Bryce Harper become baseball's all-time greatest superstar duo?  —  Mike Trout is back just in the nick of time.  The Angels superstar, who missed six agonizing weeks with a torn ligament in his left thumb, returned to action Friday, getting five hits and a walk during L.A.'s weekend series against Tampa Bay.

Clint Frazier batting second for Yankees in opener vs. Twins  —  MINNEAPOLIS — Clint Frazier looked at the bottom of Monday's Yankees-Twins lineup to see if he was in it.  —  His name wasn't there.  —  It was higher.  —  Second.  —  “I texted my parents and my agent,” Frazier said.