Manny Machado: On keeping his trade a secret, meeting LeBron - and a deal he hopes gets done  —  MILWAUKEE - Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Manny Machado, his eyes darting across the room in front of strangers who are now his teammates, lowers his voice to nearly a whisper.

Phillies demote struggling Aaron Altherr to triple A  —  After playing 18 innings in a day-night doubleheader Sunday and giving Aaron Altherr only one pinch-hit at-bat, the Phillies optioned the struggling outfielder to triple-A Lehigh Valley.  —  Altherr is batting .171 with 80 strikeouts …

Greinke fans 13 in 8 innings, D-backs beat Rockies 6-1  —  PHOENIX (AP) The Colorado Rockies scored 17 runs in winning their first two games in Arizona over the weekend.  —  Then they ran in to Zack Greinke.  —  The Arizona ace shut down one of baseball's most powerful offenses on Sunday …

Healy's pair of 3-run homers lift M's over White Sox 8-2  —  SEATTLE (AP) — Ryon Healy hit a pair of three-run homers for a career-best six RBIs, lifting the Seattle Mariners over the Chicago White Sox 8-2 Sunday.  —  Healy homered in a five-run first off Reynaldo Lopez (4-8) …

How Alan Trammell became the Detroit Tigers' heartbeat for 20 seasons  —  ALAN TRAMMELL, A MEMBER OF THE 2018 BASEBALL HALL OF FAME CLASS, WON A WORLD SERIES WHILE SPENDING HIS ENTIRE CAREER WITH THE DETROIT TIGERS.  —  Alan Trammell sat in a plane, scribbling notes, working …

Even worse news could be coming for Yoenis Cespedes  —  Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes spoke with reporters at his locker Friday night after appearing in his first major league game in nine weeks.  Cespedes had been on the disabled list recovering from a hip flexor strain …

Trout drives in teammate for 1st time in month; Angels roll over Astros  —  Lance McCullers Jr. (10-5) gave up five runs, six hits and five walks in 4 1/3 innings.  He became the first Astros pitcher to walk five or more in consecutive starts since Erik Bedard in July 2013.

Chris Sale shuts down Tigers as Red Sox roll to 9-1 victory  —  Chris Sale didn't allow a run in six innings of work as he improved to 11-4.  —  Chris Sale struck out nine in six scoreless innings, and Jackie Bradley Jr. hit a three-run homer to lift the Boston Red Sox to a 9-1 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Sunday.

Projecting how the rest of the 2018 season will play out  —  With the All-Star Week behind us, it's now only a hop, skip and a jump from the trade deadline, which kicks off the homestretch of the baseball season.  By this point in the year, the Cinderellas and premature pumpkins are more or less determined.

Giants drop another extra-inning affair to A's after losing late lead  —  OAKLAND-With a major league-best eight walkoff wins, the Giants became the Bay Area team accustomed to racing out of the dugout and celebrating late-inning magic with an on-field party.

Daniel Robertson's walk-off grand slam rallies Rays past Marlins  —  Daniel Robertson was slumping at the plate and out of the starting lineup.  —  One big swing off the bench made him feel a lot better.  —  Robertson connected for a game-ending grand slam, lifting the Tampa Bay Rays …

Power Rankings: Cubs, Dodgers challenge the AL's power trio  —  With the resumption of action after All-Star Week, there's already some major movement in the Power Rankings.  But not among the elite of the game's top five teams, where the Astros and Red Sox are still splitting the first-place votes …

BenFred: Cardinals can't make playoffs with this bullpen  —  CHICAGO  • How many jars of homemade salsa culled from Matt Carpenter's garden would it take to save the Cardinals' bullpen?  —  Because right now, this relief corps is nothing more than a tomato can.

SEE IT: Brewers infielder Hernan Perez plunks Dodger with 48 mph doozy  —  Brewers infielder Hernan Perez tossed what may be the slowest and most innocent hit by pitch in big-league history on Sunday.  —  Down 11-2 to the Dodgers in Milwaukee, Perez took the hill for the seventh inning …

Cardinals to recall Daniel Poncedeleon 14 months after liner to head  —  It's common during the dog days of summer for a team short of starting pitchers to call up a hot minor leaguer to make his major league debut, but the Daniel Poncedeleon saga is anything but typical.