Cardinals win in interim manager Shildt's debut  —  Dexter Fowler homered to give interim manager Mike Shildt a win in his first game as the St. Louis  —  Cincinnati Reds 6-4 on Sunday.  —  Shildt took over for Mike Matheny, who was fired late Saturday after six-plus seasons at the helm.

Despite stellar first half, Yankees still have plenty of work to do to catch Red Sox  —  CLEVELAND - After clobbering the Red Sox on July 1, no one expected the Yankees to be 4.5 games back of their hated rivals in the AL East division standings.  —  But that's where they are right now …

Giants prospect Shaun Anderson promoted to Triple-A Sacramento  —  WASHINGTON — The decision was easy.  Giants prospect Shaun Anderson would pitch in either the Eastern League All-Star Game in New Jersey or the Futures Game at Nationals Park.  —  “It was obvious to me,” said Anderson …

Orioles erupt in third inning, hold on for heart-stopping 6-5 victory over Rangers  —  On a rainy afternoon when the offense mysteriously reappeared and Manny Machado mysteriously disappeared, the Orioles closed out the non-mathematical first half of the season with a 6-5 victory over the Texas Rangers at Camden Yards.

Next Slide  —  HOUSTON — John Hicks has known Justin Verlander for quite some time.  —  Growing up in Goochland, Va., Hicks, 28, watched Verlander, 35, play throughout high school.  The former Tigers ace was teammates with Hicks' older brother, Daniel, who counts as one of Verlander's best friends.

A's rally on Canha's pinch-hit home run to beat Giants 4-3  —  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) Pinch-hitter Mark Canha hit a go-ahead home run in the seventh inning and the Oakland Athletics continued their late-game success, rallying to beat the San Francisco Giants 4-3 on Saturday night.

Detroit Tigers collide: Matt Manning K's Dawel Lugo in Futures Game  —  It's a glimpse at the future of game, and for a brief moment, the Detroit Tigers were at center stage.  —  To open fifth inning of the 2018 Futures Game in Washington, Tigers pitching prospect Matt Manning took the mound against Tigers infield prospect Dawel Lugo.

How Jose Ramirez went from too small to star to an artist at the plate  —  Heading into the All-Star break, there are four hitters in baseball with an OPS over 1.000.  All four are in the American League, and all four will be starting in the All-Star Game.  Mike Trout, you've heard of him.

Jo Adell tearing up minor leagues - and looks destined to play alongside, not replace, Mike Trout  —  WASHINGTON - When the Los Angeles Angels drafted Jo Adell with the 10th overall pick in 2017, it seemed unlikely he'd ever share the outfield in Anaheim with the greatest player in the game.

Gray's strong outing leads Rockies past Mariners, 4-1  —  DENVER — Jon Gray went back to his power-pitching roots in a strong return to the majors.  —  Gray returned from a two-week minor league demotion to pitch into the eighth inning, Carlos Gonzalez homered and the Colorado Rockies extended …

Mets: Yoenis Cespedes set for simulated game, Subway Series rotation set  —  NEW YORK — With an eye on a possible return for the Subway Series after the All-Star break, Yoenis Cespedes will take a step forward on Monday.  —  Mets manager Mickey Callaway said Sunday morning …

Next in the evolution of Cincinnati Reds shortstop Jose Peraza as a hitter: Learn to walk this way  —  ST. LOUIS — With Jose Peraza and walking more, it's — pardon the play on words — baby steps.  —  Reds manager Jim Riggleman thinks that's the next step in Peraza's evolutions as a hitter is taking more base-on-balls.