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.

Cubs-Indians: Five stark differences since their 2016 World Series showdown  —  SportsPulse: MLB insider Bob Nightengale looks at the historic season Shohei Ohtani is putting together and if he truly can become the ‘next Babe Ruth.’ USA TODAY Sports  —  It hasn't yet been two years since Kris Bryant …

Machado generates attention in Chicago  —  Manny Machado and Albert Almora Jr. played together in the backyard when they were kids, and the cousins dreamed about winning a World Series together.  —  As far as what effect Almora's presence on the Chicago Cubs might have on Machado's situation …

Cards' Alex Reyes to start, could return next week  —  Cardinals pitching prospect Alex Reyes will return to the majors as a starter and could rejoin St. Louis' rotation as early as next week.  —  Reyes, 23, has been dominant in three minor league starts this month and is eligible to return from the 60-day disabled list next Monday.

Cardinals' O'Neill carries HR streak into game vs. Royals  —  Tyler O'Neill is muscling his way into the St. Louis Cardinals' lineup, one homer after another.  —  The outfielder figures to be back in there Tuesday night for the middle game of a three-game set against the Kansas City Royals at Busch Stadium …

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 …

Mariners put Dee Gordon on DL with fractured toe  —  Seattle Mariners second baseman Dee Gordon has been placed on the 10-day disabled list with a fractured toe, marking the latest setback at the position for Seattle.  —  The Mariners have not announced a timeline for how long Gordon will be sidelined …

Detroit Tigers developing a theme for this season.  It's frustrating.  —  Albert Pujols picked up his 3,000th hit on May 4.  Which active player will be the next one to reach the milestone?  Video by Ryan Ford/DFP Wochit  —  CONNECT  —  MINNEAPOLIS - Ron Gardenhire's phone rang …

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.

Paul Goldschmidt's season-long slump should be cause for concern  —  First off, apologies to the Milwaukee Brewers.  They beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-2 with three home runs off Zack Greinke and Corey Knebel recorded his first save since March 30.  They're in first place in the NL Central …

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.”

Do the White Sox really think Manny Machado would want to play for a team like theirs?  —  Orioles slugger Manny Machado fields questions about being the focus of trade rumors on Monday, May 21, 2018.  (David Haugh/Chicago Tribune)  —  Chicago Tribune  —  You know what's worse than the White Sox not getting any better?

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.

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.

MLB, USA Baseball modify youth game to pick up pace  —  NEW YORK (AP) — MLB and USA Baseball are promoting a modified version of youth baseball with fewer innings, batters and pitches to pick up the pace.  —  Hit and Run Baseball is part of the MLB's Play Ball initiative announced Tuesday.

Assad, Amaya lift South Bend over Lansing 9-1  —  SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Miguel Amaya had three hits and three RBI, and Javier Assad allowed just three hits over 5 2/3 innings as the South Bend Cubs topped the Lansing Lugnuts 9-1 on Tuesday.  The win snapped a six-game losing streak for the Cubs.

There's more to Hicks' 105.1 than meets the eye  —  In the span of five pitches Sunday at Busch Stadium, Jordan Hicks not only ended one of the longest on-base streaks in Phillies history by striking out (sure, sure, wild pitch) Odubel Herrera, he also threw the five fastest pitches in baseball this season.

Reds Beat Blog: Starting pitching halting momentum, updates on the Reds' top prospects  —  Welcome to the first edition of the Reds Beat Blog: a new home for updates on the Reds' top minor league prospects, some tidbits about the big topics across MLB and another place for more opinions on the Reds.

Sean Casey hits Billy Ripken in face during studio batting session  —  Former players turned MLB Network analysts Sean Casey and Billy Ripken had a bit of a mishap during an in-studio batting session, with Ripken taking a hit to the face.  —  The batter-pitcher matchup went down on Monday during a segment on the network.