Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Washington Nationals … Almost every time Torey Lovullo has been asked about Paul Goldschmidt's struggles at the plate this season, the Diamondbacks manager makes it a point to remind everyone that the team has long been spoiled by the first baseman's greatness.

Dodgers' Andrew Friedman: ‘If we had to assign blame at this point, it should be me who is taking that’  —  The conversation could have been entirely different.  The schedule presented the Dodgers with a golden opportunity last weekend, four home games against the team with the worst record in the National League.

Braves haven't been fazed by unexpected early success  —  CHICAGO — If the Chicago Cubs are paying attention, the breakthrough season the young Atlanta Braves are enjoying must be looking very familiar.  —  The Braves made the best of a one-day pit stop in Chicago on Monday …

Team effort sends Rays to 2-1 win over Royals  —  KANSAS CITY — We learned a few things about the Rays on Monday night in their 2-1 win over the Royals.  —  Most significantly that there was — as several had suggested — absolutely no hangover from Sunday's 17-1 loss in Baltimore …

Padres call up Reyes, whose 14 homers lead all of baseball  —  SAN DIEGO (AP) — Outfielder Franmil Reyes, whose 14 home runs for Triple-A El Paso lead professional baseball, has been brought by the San Diego Padres to make his major league debut.  —  The 22-year-old was due to bat sixth …

Jason Castro Out Four To Six Weeks Following Knee Surgery  —  Twins catcher Jason Castro, already on the disabled list due to a tear in his right meniscus, will undergo surgery and miss another four to six weeks of action, manager Paul Molitor tells reporters (Twitter links via Brandon Warne of ZoneCoverage.com).

Angels reliever Keynan Middleton has damaged UCL in right elbow  —  An MRI performed on Los Angeles Angels reliever Keynan Middleton revealed damage to the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, the team announced Monday.  —  Middleton is seeking a second opinion, the team said.

Next Slide  —  What happened: The Detroit Tigers beat the Cleveland Indians, 6-3, on Monday night at Comerica Park.  The win snapped an 11-game losing streak against the Indians, dating back to last season.  Mike Fiers turned in his best performance of the season, allowing one run on three hits over six innings.

Photos: Cardinals draft pick Christian Kirk … Christian Kirk, a former standout at Scottsdale Saguaro and Texas A&M who was drafted in the second round by the Cardinals, was arrested almost two months before the draft as he was leaving the Waste Management Phoenix Open.

Color war: Zobrist defies MLB again with black spikes  —  CHICAGO (AP) — Ben Zobrist was joined by Chicago Cubs teammates Kyle Schwarber and Steve Cishek in wearing black spikes on Monday despite a warning from Major League Baseball that he was in violation of the sport's uniform regulations.

Bracewell, Ramirez lift Midland over Frisco 6-1  —  MIDLAND, Texas (AP) — Tyler Ramirez homered and had two hits, driving in three, and Ben Bracewell pitched 7 1/3 scoreless innings as the Midland RockHounds topped the Frisco RoughRiders 6-1 on Monday.  —  Bracewell (3-3) allowed three hits …

Jameson Taillon open to urinating on hand to heal cut finger  —  Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Jameson Taillon is open to trying anything that will heal a cut on his middle finger and keep him on the mound, including urinating on it.  —  Taillon told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that he's received that suggestion as a possible remedy.

Dustin Pedroia (knee) to start rehab assignment Monday  —  Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia will begin his rehab assignment Monday in Pawtucket.  He is scheduled to start at second base and bat third against Buffalo, the PawSox announced.  —  Pedroia hasn't played yet this season …

Athmann's walk leads Lakeland to 9-4 win over Charlotte  —  PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. (AP) — Austin Athmann drew a bases-loaded walk in the eighth inning, leading the Lakeland Flying Tigers to a 9-4 win over the Charlotte Stone Crabs on Monday.  —  The walk by Athmann came in the midst …

Ratliff hits walk-off single, Hickory beats Rome 2-1  —  HICKORY, N.C. (AP) — Tyler Ratliff hit a walk-off single with one out in the ninth inning, as the Hickory Crawdads beat the Rome Braves 2-1 on Monday.  —  Franklin Rollin scored the game-winning run after he entered the game as a pinch runner on third base.

Watch: Francisco Lindor Wears Wrong Helmet At Plate  —  Francisco Lindor is a jokester.  As he walked to home plate during the first inning of the Indians' matchup against Kansas City on Sunday, Lindor realized he had made one crucial mistake.  —  Facing left-hander Danny Duffy, Lindor, a switch hitter, was batting right-handed.

Aaron Nola was ‘Noles being Noles’ |  Extra Innings  —  Nick Williams hit a clutch homer, Gabe Kapler called on a new closer, and the Phillies stayed within a game of first place in the NL East on Sunday with a big win over the Mets.  They went 5-1 during the homestand behind some excellent starting pitching.