Los Angeles Dodgers activate newcomer Curtis Granderson  —  Newly acquired outfielder Curtis Granderson was activated by the Los Angeles Dodgers and was in the starting lineup for Saturday afternoon's game against the Detroit Tigers.  —  It was among a flurry of moves by the Dodgers …

Happ's bat, Quintana's arm lead Cubs over Blue Jays 4-3 (Aug 19, 2017)  —  CHICAGO (AP) Rookie Ian Happ hit his 18th home run, Jose Quintana pitched six effective innings and the Chicago Cubs beat the Toronto Blue Jays 4-3 Saturday to keep up their success against AL opponents.

MLB umpires wear wristbands to protest ‘abusive’ treatment  —  Major League Baseball umpires are wearing white wristbands during games Saturday, protesting “abusive player behavior” after Detroit second baseman Ian Kinsler was fined but not suspended for his recent verbal tirade against ump Angel Hernandez.

Cubs Claim Rene Rivera From Mets  —  The Cubs have claimed catcher Rene Rivera off waivers from the Mets, the teams have announced.  To clear space for Rivera on their roster, the Cubs have designated righty Aaron Brooks for assignment.  —  Rivera is the latest veteran to leave the Mets this month …

Padres send Hunter Renfroe to Triple-A: 'He's got strides to make'  —  SAN DIEGO — The rebuilding San Diego Padres demoted one of their top young players, right fielder Hunter Renfroe, to Triple-A El Paso on Saturday.  —  Manager Andy Green said the Padres want Renfroe to work on plate discipline …

Frazier HR, 3 hits, Pirates top Cards 6-4 to end 6-game skid (Aug 19, 2017)  —  PITTSBURGH (AP) Adam Frazier homered, doubled and singled as the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the St. Louis Cardinals 6-4 Saturday to end a six-game losing streak.  —  Frazier hit a two-run homer in the second and doubled off the wall the next inning.

Michael Conforto suddenly an experienced voice in Mets clubhouse after latest trades  —  The locker in the back left corner of the Mets' clubhouse that once belonged to Curtis Granderson had already been commandeered Saturday afternoon.  A phone and wallet rested in the main cubby.

White Sox place Reynaldo Lopez on 10-day disabled list with strained back  —  White Sox starting pitcher Reynaldo Lopez on being removed from the fifth inning against the Rangers with right side soreness on Thursday, Aug. 17, 2017.  (Colleen Kane/Chicago Tribune)

Mike Moustakas is about to break one of baseball's most meager home run records  —  In this year of the Three True Outcomes, all sorts of long-ball records have and will be broken.  Just last week, we saw Miami's Giancarlo Stanton blow past the Marlins' single-season home run record of 42, set 21 years ago by Gary Sheffield.

AL News & Rumors: Astros, Tigers, ChiSox, Jays  —  There remains an outside chance that Houston will trade for Tigers right-hander Justin Verlander this month, as the Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo hears from major league sources that the Astros haven't closed the door on acquiring the fireballer.

McFarland, Shipley candidates for Sunday  —  Manager Torey Lovullo said the Diamondbacks are waiting to get through Saturday night's game against the Twins before naming a starter for Sunday's series finale.  —  Ideally, the club would like to use reliever T.J. McFarland as the starter and go with a “bullpen day” game on Sunday.

Cardinals call on Lucas, swap out Mayers for bullpen refresh  —  PITTSBURGH  • The plan, going into the eighth inning with an eight-run lead, was to give rookie Mike Mayers a chance to showcase his successful transition from starter to reliever.  Mayers had taken a bruising …

Rays Claim Cesar Puello From Angels  —  The Rays have claimed outfielder Cesar Puello off waivers from the Angels, Chris Cotillo of SB Nation reports (on Twitter).  The Angels designated Puello for assignment last Saturday.  —  The Rays organization will be the fifth for the 26-year-old Puello …

Masahiro Tanaka set to come of DL, start against Tigers on Tuesday  —  BOSTON — The plan is for Masahiro Tanaka to come off the disabled list and start for the Yankees on Tuesday in Detroit.  Tanaka is currently on the 10-day DL due to inflammation in his right shoulder.