Mookie Betts rarely swings and misses.  What happens when he faces Shohei Ohtani?  —  Shohei Ohtani on Tuesday night faces what may be his most potent competition this season - a Boston Red Sox lineup that's only been outpaced by his Los Angeles Angels so far.

Anthony Rizzo OK with taking pay cut for fewer games: ‘We play too much baseball’  —  CHICAGO — Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo is advocating for a shorter season, even if that means a smaller paycheck for players.  —  “I think we play too much baseball,” Rizzo said Tuesday during his weekly appearance on ESPN 1000.

Paxton, Mariners win 2-1, snap six-game skid vs Houston  —  SEATTLE  —  James Paxton delivered six strong innings, Nelson Cruz took Dallas Keuchel deep and the Seattle Mariners beat the Houston Astros 2-1 on Monday night to end a six-game skid against the defending World Series champions.

Grandal's slam, Kemp's 3-run HR send Dodgers past Pads 10-3  —  SAN DIEGO (AP) — Yasmani Grandal hit a grand slam, Matt Kemp had a three-run homer and Hyun-Jin Ryu struck out nine in six strong innings for the Los Angeles Dodgers, who beat the San Diego Padres 10-3 Monday night.

Mets can't let one awful inning be season's defining moment  —  Can one calamitous inning undo 2 ½ brilliant weeks?  —  We are about to find out.  —  “We can't let this put us into a tailspin,” Mickey Callaway said.  —  But if one inning can be that perilous, that ruinous …

Would a free ticket giveaway work for the White Sox?  —  Chicago Tribune  —  The Tribune's Paul Sullivan answers your questions (or, this week, question).  Ask Sully your question here.  —  Why don't the Sox stage a free ticket giveaway like the A's?  They would at least sell a lot of beer …

Shear Power!  Bryce Harper breaks bat in two on long home run  —  NEW YORK (AP) This was shear power by Bryce Harper.  —  In a startling display, the Washington Nationals slugger shattered his bat into two pieces, yet still hit a long home run Monday night in an 8-6 win over the New York Mets.

MLBRank 100-51: Impressive young stars move up the rankings  —  Who are the best players going to be in Major League Baseball for the 2018 season?  To determine this, ESPN formed a panel of MLB writers, analysts, contributors and Insiders to rank the top 100.

Daily Dose: Blackmon Bashing  —  Follow @Rotoworld_BB and @RyanPBoyer on Twitter.  —  Charlie Blackmon missed four games last week with right quad tightness.  He's trying to make up for lost time.  —  The two-time All-Star has now homered in each of his three contests since returning to action after going deep Monday in Pittsburgh.

It's Yonny Chirinos day for Rays  —  Despite starting his major-league career with a Rays record 14-1/3 scoreless innings over three outings, RHP Yonny Chirnos has not officially earned his way into the rotation.  —  Yet.  —  Instead, Chirinos is still considered part of the “Bullpen Day” assortment of long relievers.

Mets call up hard-throwing Gerson Bautista, option Hansel Robles to Triple A  —  After their bullpen imploded Monday night, the Mets made an interesting move Tuesday.  They called up fireballing righthander Gerson Bautista from Double-A Binghamton.  The Mets optioned erratic reliever Hansel Robles to make room in the bullpen.

Diamondbacks prepare to attack Giants  —  The Arizona Diamondbacks are celebrating their 20th anniversary this season with a jump-start to remember.  —  San Francisco, meanwhile, is simply hoping to stay close to the pack until its top pitchers return after an offseason reboot …

Yankees legend Don Mattingly questions if Giancarlo Stanton can handle boos  —  NEW YORK — Don Mattingly knows what it's like to be loved wearing pinstripes in the Bronx.  —  He also knows what it's like to face harsh boos, like the ones his former star Giancarlo Stanton earned …

Baseball notebook: Indians,Twins to open series in Puerto Rico  —  Cleveland star Francisco Lindor held a baseball in his hand, ready to pitch, and asked the young boy standing at home plate if he knew how to swing a bat.  —  The kid said no. The kid might have been fibbing.

Back-to-back homers by Seferina, Chinea fuel Springfield win  —  SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — Darren Seferina and Chris Chinea connected on back-to-back homers in the second inning to help lead the Springfield Cardinals to a 7-5 victory over Frisco RoughRiders on Tuesday.  The Cardinals swept the three-game series with the win.

Odubel Herrera's blunders prove costly for Phillies |  Extra Innings  —  Half of the Phillies' six losses this season have come at SunTrust Park, and the latest one was just as disturbing as the previous two during the season-opening series against the Atlanta Braves.