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.

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 …

Inside Pitch: Can Cardinals find their groove at Wrigley Field?  —  The Cardinals went 5-14 against the Cubs last season, and won just one of nine games at Wrigley Field.  In this week's edition of Inside Pitch, columnists Ben Frederickson and Jeff Gordon discuss how one of baseball's best rivalries needs …

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.

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 …

Struggling Rays hope for another win over Rangers  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Rays haven't had much to cheer for early in the 2018 season, but a promising day against a left-handed starter Monday could bring about more of the same on Tuesday.  —  “It was good to see guys break …

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.

Arizona Diamondbacks at Los Angeles Dodgers … The Diamondbacks encountered two significant injuries before the season was even a week old.  Neither has slowed them down.  They don't see why the latest injury, this one to right-hander Taijuan Walker, should be any different.

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.