Heyward helps Cubs beat Cardinals 9-6 in return from break  —  CHICAGO — The All-Star break is over.  It's right about now when the Chicago Cubs usually take off.  —  Jason Heyward had three hits and two RBI, Ian Happ belted a two-run homer and the Cubs beat the St. Louis Cardinals 9-6 …

Photos: Arizona Diamondbacks in the MLB All-Star Game … The Diamondbacks and Rockies resume play after the All-Star break Friday at Chase Field, and I'll be there.  It's just one game out of 162 this season, but for me it means much more.  Friday is the 50th anniversary of the first major-league game I attended.

J.D. Martinez returns to face Detroit Tigers, ‘my home team’  —  If it was up to J.D. Martinez, the Detroit Tigers would have won.  Maybe then, he wouldn't have been traded.  —  “It wasn't up to me,” Martinez said during All-Star Game festivities this past week.  “It wasn't my fault.”

Dose: A Helping Hand  —  Think the Indians are tired of hearing about the Red Sox, Astros and Yankees?  Funny how quickly we forget—no team in the American League won more games than Cleveland (102) a year ago.  And though the Tribe hasn't played its best ball yet this year …

Homer Bailey will return to Cincinnati Reds rotation Tuesday  —  Homer Bailey will return the rotation Tuesday against the St. Louis Cardinals.  —  Bailey, the 32-year-old right-hander, has been rehabbing a right knee injury at Triple-A Louisville.  He went 2-2 with a 4.78 ERA over six starts and one relief appearance for the Bats.

265 or bust!  Yankees eye home run history in second half  —  NEW YORK — Aaron Boone appeared annoyed by the question, one he'd fielded several times already during the opening half of his first season as a big league manager.  —  Can this team really thrive relying so heavily on home runs?

Milwaukee Brewers players shocked by Josh Hader's tweets, but willing to hear him out  —  What would normally have been a low-key, voluntary workout for the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park on Thursday took on a decidedly different tone in the wake of the Josh Hader controversy.

For starters: Rays open second half at home vs. Marlins  —  Greetings from Tropicana Field, where the Rays come out of the All-Star break with a three-game series against the Marlins.  Here's the lineup for Tampa Bay, which dropped two of three to the Marlins

Column: Instead of fixing what's wrong with baseball, it's time to appreciate what's right  —  Chicago Tribune  —  Appearing before a Senate subcommittee on antitrust and monopoly on July 9, 1958, Yankees manager Casey Stengel gave a couple of long-winded and convoluted answers to the questions of Sen. Estes Kefauver.

The most common trade deadline mistake and MLB's next big thing  —  Do not fight the regression monster.  That, my friends, is the rule to live by when thinking about the upcoming trade deadline.  —  You hate to begin a baseball column with a statistical precept like that, even when it's a simple concept such as regression.

8 things to know about new Cubs pitcher Jesse Chavez  —  The Cubs Thursday got right-hander Jesse Chavez from the Rangers.  —  Chicago Tribune  —  The Cubs Thursday obtained right-hander Jesse Chavez from the Rangers, giving up lefty Tyler Thomas, who was 3-5 with a 2.88 ERA at low Class A South Bend.

Ranking each division race entering the second half  —  After several days of Manny Machado-related intrigue, spirited dialogue about Mike Trout's role as a baseball brand ambassador and debate over whether Bryce Harper's Home Run Derby victory is a sign that he is or isn't “back,” …

From bad to worse: Fulmer goes on the DL with an oblique strain  —  Detroit — The question was asked of manager Ron Gardenhire in his office before the game Friday: Did everybody make it back from the All-Star break healthy and ready to go?  —  His answer was yes.  —  Well, not quite.

Eight starters?  For Dodgers, too much pitching is a good problem  —  LOS ANGELES — It is a good problem, Dave Roberts will admit, but it torments him nonetheless.  His Los Angeles Dodgers will begin the season's second half with what appears to be an excess of quality starting pitchers …

Salute to Utley, one of the last true ‘baseball players’  —  In the fairly mediocre baseball movie filmed in Philadelphia, Stealing Home, Mark Harmon played a high school baseball star.  Thirteen years after high school he was playing in a semi-pro league and his girlfriend was asked what position he played.

Subway Series pitching preview: Mets, Yankees square off again  —  Syndergaard, Matz and deGrom take the hill for Mets  —  The Mets lost two of three games to the Yankees in their Subway Series in early June at Citi Field.  They look for revenge coming out of the All-Star break in the Bronx.

Indians want to pick up pace, starting with Rangers  —  Cleveland has enjoyed a successful first half of the 2018 season, leading the American League Central by 7 1/2 games as it continues play after the All-Star break.  —  But the Indians expect to be even better during the final 2 1/2 months …

Nationals hope Strasburg's return a difference vs. Braves  —  WASHINGTON — The Washington Nationals starting rotation gets a much-needed boost Friday night with the return of Stephen Strasburg.  —  The right-hander, out since exiting his start on June 8 with right shoulder inflammation …

Severino Finds Stardom Thanks to Yanks Enemy Turned Ace Whisperer Pedro Martinez  —  WASHINGTON — It started quietly two winters ago.  Then, slowly, word seeped out: Two Red Sox legends had decided to help a young Yankee.  —  Now, those whispers are about to lead to a lot of squirming and shouting.