Column: Manny Machado, the ideal Cub, handles hoopla over arrival like superstar he is  —  Orioles slugger Manny Machado fields questions about being the focus of trade rumors on Monday, May 21, 2018.  (David Haugh/Chicago Tribune)  —  Chicago Tribune  —  About 20 Chicago media members filed …

Soto, 19, homers in first start for Nationals  —  Juan Soto, the youngest player in the majors at 19, hit a three-run homer in his first career start as the Washington Nationals defeated the San Diego Padres 10-2 on Monday.  —  Mark Reynolds had two solo home runs for the Nationals, who snapped a three-game losing streak.

Brewers hit 3 HRs off Greinke, beat Diamondbacks 4-2  —  MILWAUKEE (AP) — Travis Shaw, Domingo Santana and Lorenzo Cain each hit home runs off Zack Greinke, and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-2 on Monday night.  —  Arizona has lost five in a row and 11 of 12, scoring just 24 runs in that span.

O'Neill starting in third consecutive game; Garcia at SS  —  The Cardinals, coming off a four-game split with the Philadelphia Phillies, host the Kansas City Royals Monday at 7:15 p.m. in the first of three at Busch Stadium.  —  The teams will also meet Tuesday at 7:15 p.m. and on Wednesday …

Mets open series with 2-0 win over Marlins  —  Fish fall in New York  —  NEW YORK - Jason Vargas returned to the rotation with five excellent innings, AJ Ramos pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the sixth and the New York Mets beat the Miami Marlins 2-0 on Monday night.

Phillies' Gabe Kapler: Jorge Alfaro and Pudge Rodriguez are ‘neck-and-neck, at worst’  —  PHILADELPHIA — Even at this early stage of the season, a series for first place in the National League East elicits extra excitement from already-pumped up Phillies manager Gabe Kapler — and more than a touch of hyperbole.

Notes: Brewers activate Chase Anderson, send Freddy Peralta back to Class AAA Colorado Springs  —  Freddy Peralta's first stay in the majors ended Monday but it won't be his last.  —  The Milwaukee Brewers optioned the 21-year-old right-hander to Class AAA Colorado Springs to activate Chase Anderson …

Twins overtake Tigers 4-2 behind strong start from Berrios  —  MINNEAPOLIS (AP) While Jose Berrios struggled through a four-start stretch that began in mid-April, the Minnesota Twins were reeling for most of that time.  —  His last two turns have been masterpieces, and maybe the injury-affected Twins have found a groove again.

Phillies minor league report: IronPigs homer four times to beat Rochester  —  The IronPigs, Fightin Phils, and BlueClaws were all in action, while the Threshers were rained out.  —  Phillies minor league report: Dylan Cozens leads IronPigs to sweep, JoJo Romero picks up first win for Reading

Jerad Eickhoff suffers setback in return to Phillies rotation  —  Jerad Eickhoff's rehab program has been put on hold after he felt a sensation in his fingertips on Sunday during the end of his start at triple-A Lehigh Valley.  —  The Phillies starter is working his way back from a back muscle injury …

Zack Cozart: Rays starting Sergio Romo in back-to-back games ‘bad for baseball’  —  Los Angeles Angels third baseman Zack Cozart was critical of the Tampa Bay Rays' Sergio Romo making back-to-back starts, calling it “weird” and “bad for baseball.”  —  On Sunday, Romo became the fifth pitcher …

The Shohei Ohtani experiment isn't just working — it's been perfect  —  I just got a calendar reminder that I set a little more than a year ago, to make fun of my friend Daniel.  “There's no way a major league team will let Shohei Ohtani hit,” he swore to me last spring.  “Zero chance.  Way too risky.”

Prospects for all 30 teams you should be stoked to see in 2018  —  By Eric LongenhagenSpecial to ESPN.com  —  A quarter of the baseball season has passed us by, and, due to combinations of injuries at the big league level and hot starts on the farm, it's becoming clearer which prospects …

Cubs slugger Kris Bryant isn't satisfied with simply making more contact  —  CHICAGO — His quest for perfection in the batter's box will never reach its conclusion, but that doesn't mean Cubs star Kris Bryant won't stop trying.  The latest edition of his journey, which might well end …

Baseball's weirdest uniforms get shredded in ‘Winning Ugly’  —  Reynaldo Lopez and the White Sox wore their '80s throwback uniforms in Sunday's win over the Rangers.  (Nuccio DiNuzzo / Chicago Tribune)  —  Chicago Tribune  —  Where were the baseball fashion police in the 1970s and '80s when we really needed them?

Tampa Bay Rays will try to slow down Boston Red Sox's power  —  The Tampa Bay Rays get back to having a traditional starting pitcher on the mound, but they'll do so Tuesday night against the best hitting lineup in the majors as the Boston Red Sox come to town.

Rangers GM Jon Daniels not blaming coaching staff for struggles  —  As the Texas Rangers continue to fall off the pace in the American League West, president and general manager Jon Daniels isn't looking for scapegoats on his coaching staff.  —  “When we took the approach we took this offseason …

It's your turn to debate this ‘legendary’ Milwaukee Brewers trading card lineup  —  Beckett Media and Topps present their all-time legendary trading card line-up for the Milwaukee Brewers Wochit  —  Mike Caldwell or Teddy Higuera?  Pete Vuckovich or Ben Sheets?