Orioles hit 4 HRs, beat Rangers 9-7 to complete 4-game sweep (Jul 20, 2017)  —  BALTIMORE (AP) Jonathan Schoop and Adam Jones both homered and drove in three runs, and the Baltimore Orioles rallied to beat Cole Hamels and the Texas Rangers 9-7 on Thursday night to complete a four-game sweep.

Royals rout Tigers 16-4, set season highs for runs and hits  —  KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Brandon Moss is getting hot as the Kansas City weather.  —  Moss drove in four runs, Mike Moustakas had three RBIs and the Kansas City Royals routed the error-prone Detroit Tigers 16-4 on Thursday night.

Scouts from at least 8 teams watch Lynn in New York  —  NEW YORK  • With scouts from at least eight teams— including the New York Yankees, Boston, Cleveland, Los Angeles and Kansas City — in the house observing his work, Cardinals starter Lance Lynn took a string of 13 ½ scoreless innings …

Dodgers' 11-game winning streak ends as Braves rough up McCarthy  —  Dodgers left fielder Chris Taylor can't reach a fourth inning home run hit by Braves catcher Kurt Suzuki on July 20.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)  —  And on the 18th day, they lost.

Madison Bumgarner loses in first home start since April (Jul 20, 2017)  —  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) It used to be a Madison Bumgarner start meant the San Francisco Giants almost assuredly would find the win column.  —  Now, still without a 2017 victory, MadBum just wants to get back in a groove and stop giving up costly home runs.

Lamb homers twice, Diamondbacks beat Reds 12-2 to win series (Jul 20, 2017)  —  CINCINNATI (AP) Jake Lamb hit a pair of three-run homers and Patrick Corbin pitched into the eighth inning during an emergency start on Thursday, leading the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 12-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.

Angels brace for Sale, Red Sox in series opener (Jul 21, 2017)  —  ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Los Angeles Angels were fortunate to miss National League All-Star starter Max Scherzer when the Washington Nationals came to town for a two-game series.  —  But they won't avoid American League All-Star starter Chris Sale.

Aroldis Chapman shaky again as Yankees closer tries to right ship  —  SEATTLE — The Yankees need to get Aroldis Chapman on track.  —  So it made perfect sense for Joe Girardi to bring in the highest paid closer in baseball history with a four-run lead in the ninth inning — even though it wasn't a “save situation.”

MLB: David Phelps traded to Mariners  —  The Miami Marlins' highly touted bullpen has been a bust, and so the dismantling began Thursday.  —  A seller once again as the trade deadline approaches, Miami sent right-hander David Phelps to the Seattle Mariners for four pros-pects, including highly regarded outfielder Brayan Hernandez.

Report: Minnesota Twins hope to acquire Jaime Garcia from Atlanta Braves  —  The Minnesota Twins hope to bolster their rotation by acquiring left-hander Jaime Garcia from the Atlanta Braves.  —  According to multiple media reports Thursday night, the teams were attempting to complete a trade featuring the veteran pitcher.

The buyer's guide to the MLB trade deadline: Moves the contenders should make  —  Cubs president Theo Epstein on the team's trade for pitcher Jose Quintana and the possibility for future moves on July 14, 2017.  (Mark Gonzales/Chicago Tribune)  —  The Washington Post

LEADING OFF: Cubs, Pirates gaining ground; Panda returns  —  A look at what's happening all around the majors today:  —  ___  —  ROLLING INTO WRIGLEY  —  The Cubs have won six straight and are just a game behind slumping Milwaukee in the NL Central as they begin a home series against St. Louis.

Former Rangers pitcher dies at age 38  —  Former Rangers left-hander John Rheinecker, who pitched in 44 major league games over the 2006 and 2007 seasons with Texas, died Tuesday in St. Louis at the age of 38.  —  A medical examiner's office spokeswoman said the cause of death was unknown …

Mental toughness keys Parker Bridwell's ascent to Angels rotation  —  ANAHEIM, CALIF.  —  Parker Bridwell knew he was never one to give up on anything, but on a summer day a few years ago, he made a desperate phone call to his father wanting to do just that.  —  The grind of the minor leagues had gotten to be too much.