Giants rally with 4 runs in 9th to down Dodgers 5-2  —  LOS ANGELES (AP) — Bruce Bochy seemed uncertain how to respond to the question.  —  The Giants had just rallied for four runs with two outs in the ninth inning Monday night against the Los Angeles Dodgers' beleaguered bullpen for a 5-2 victory.

Cubs' Yu Darvish close to starting rehab assignment in minors  —  CHICAGO - Chicago Cubs injured righty Yu Darvish is close to beginning a rehab stint in the minors, according to team president Theo Epstein.  —  Darvish threw about 50 pitches in three “innings” of a simulated game on Tuesday …

Five struggling MLB players who need to step up for the stretch run  —  The 2017 World Series teams are struggling with injuries and depth.  Can they make it back to the postseason?  USA TODAY Sports  —  CONNECT  —  Nearing the latter half of August, there's far less clarity …

Next Slide  —  Nicholas Castellanos was among the last Detroit Tigers to arrive at his locker late Monday night, with his son, Liam, at his side.  —  Castellanos has been banged up recently; he missed Sunday's game after he fouled a pitch off his foot and it wouldn't be a surprise …

Angels score 4 runs in 10th inning, beat Padres 6-3  —  Kole Calhoun hit a tiebreaking double in the 10th inning and  —  Justin Upton added a two-run homer to cap a four-run rally that carried the Los Angeles  —  San Diego Padres 6-3 on Monday night.  —  Jose Briceno homered early for the Angels …

Blue Jays land reliever Brian Baker to finalize Oh trade with Rockies  —  KANSAS CITY — Almost three weeks after trading reliever Seunghwan Oh to the Colorado Rockies, the Blue Jays got the throw-in piece to complete the deal on Tuesday.  —  The Jays acquired fringe right-handed relief prospect Brian Baker …

Cleveland Indians pull away from Cincinnati Reds for 10-3 win  —  Jose Ramirez, Michael Brantley and Yan Gomes had three hits apiece in Cleveland's fifth win in six games.  —  CINCINNATI (AP) - Jose Ramirez connected for his 35th homer and Yandy Diaz hit a tiebreaking RBI double …

Brewers face uphill battle in trying to dethrone Cubs  —  CHICAGO — They face each other eight more times — beginning with a quick two-game series at Wrigley Field starting Tuesday — as the National League Central race between the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers comes to a head.

Injured A's Andrew Triggs, Paul Blackburn and Jharel Cotton start throwing  —  After a devastating run of injuries to start the season, A's could field a rotation entirely of starters on the disabled list.  Two of them, though, might be able to pitch before the end of the season.

Here's the very latest on Adrian Beltre and that hamstring that keeps giving him issues  —  ARLINGTON  —  Adrian Beltre's left hamstring continues to be a pain in the ... leg.  —  Texas Rangers manager Jeff Banister said that Beltre “re-aggravated” his left hamstring late in Monday's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Indians' Leonys Martin recovering from ‘life-threatening’ bacterial infection  —  The Washington Post  —  Before Monday, it wasn't publicly known what was ailing the Indians' Leonys Martin, but his condition was clearly concerning, given that teammates were putting his initials on their hats …

Nats walked off again, this time by Cards' DeJong  —  ST. LOUIS (AP) _ Paul DeJong handed the Washington Nationals a second straight walk-off loss, capping a back-and-forth finish with a game-ending solo homer in the ninth inning of the St. Louis Cardinals' 7-6 victory Monday night.

Last Slide  —  ARLINGTON, Texas - The Diamondbacks might be a first-place team.  They just don't always look like one.  Their 5-3 loss to the Texas Rangers on Monday night was their third in four games on this cellar-dweller's tour of a road trip, another night in which their offense failed …

Ten secrets to the success of playoff contenders  —  Look at the top of the standings and you find the better teams.  Look at the top of the leaderboards and you find simple explanations for why the better teams have been successful.  —  The Boston Red Sox have been successful in part …

The Red Sox are coming.  The Red Sox are coming.  |  Extra Innings  —  The Phillies, who woke up this morning in second place for the first time since the Fourth of July, last saw the Boston Red Sox during the final two days of July at Fenway Park.  They split a two-game series …

Is Touki Toussaint here to stay with the Braves?  —  In June of 2015, the Arizona Diamondbacks made a curious trade.  Arizona acquired utility infielder Phil Gosselin in exchange for injured starter Bronson Arroyo and its 2014 first-round pick, Touki Toussaint.

Indians Place Trevor Bauer On DL With “Small Stress Fracture” In Right Fibula  —  Indians right-hander Trevor Bauer has been placed on the 10-day disabled list due to a “small stress fracture” in his right fibula, manager Terry Francona tells reporters (Twitter link via Jordan Bastian of MLB.com).

Cubs starter Jon Lester looking for his first-half form  —  Chicago Tribune  —  Left-hander Jon Lester is scheduled to make his next start Saturday night against the pesky Pirates, and manager Joe Maddon hinted some changes might be in store.  —  “He's gotten away from some things …