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 …

Possible trade bait Happ starts for Jays vs. Red Sox (Jul 18, 2017)  —  BOSTON — Amid reports and speculation he could be on the move before the July 31 trade deadline, Toronto Blue Jays left-hander J.A. Happ faces the Boston Red Sox and rookie Brian Johnson in the second game of a four-game series at Fenway Park on Tuesday night.

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 …

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 …

Rangers Reaction, rotation on same page: Where's the offense?  —  BALTIMORE  —  The sweatiest press box in baseball is at Camden Yards, where the view is great but there are no windows and no way to keep out the humidity and summertime temperatures.  —  That's fine.

Real or Not?  A strange and wild day for the Astros  —  When you're past the All-Star break and you're leading your division by 15.5 games, these summer days are supposed to be relaxing.  Monday was anything but for the Houston Astros.  —  It all started with a little bit of good-natured frivolity.

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.

Yankees, Athletics In Talks On Yonder Alonso  —  The Yankees and Athletics are discussing possible trade scenarios involving first baseman Yonder Alonso, according to MLB.com's Jon Morosi.  There's no indication, at this point, that a deal is particularly likely to materialize, though it's easy to see how the teams could line up.

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.

Giants' NL-record sellout streak ends in 5-3 loss to Indians  —  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — In a rare scheduling perk, the Cleveland Indians didn't have to travel far for a much-needed change of scenery after a disappointing weekend dud at Oakland.  —  Just a quick jaunt across San Francisco Bay.

Cowboys' Elliott appealing conviction for speeding 100 mph on tollway in Frisco  —  Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott is dealing with even more off the field troubles, this time in Collin County.  —  The 21-year-old is appealing a misdemeanor conviction for speeding …

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.

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.

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 …

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.