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.

Root canal puts Yoan Moncada on bench for White Sox's game vs. Tigers  —  Chicago Tribune  —  Yoan Moncada has been held out of the starting lineup Tuesday for the White Sox's game against the Tigers after he made an emergency visit to the dentist for a root canal.

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 …

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.

Yankees' CC Sabathia says he's playing it smart with DL decision  —  NEW YORK — During his past two outings, New York Yankees starting pitcher CC Sabathia has felt pain in his right knee that reminded him of similar issues he tried to fight through exactly one year ago.  —  EDITOR'S PICKS

Nationals place Ryan Madson on DL  —  The Washington Nationals put right-hander Ryan Madson on the 10-day disabled list and named Koda Glover the team's closer.  —  Madson surrendered David Bote's game-ending grand slam in Sunday night's 4-3 loss to the Chicago Cubs.

Indians place Trevor Bauer on DL with stress fracture  —  The Indians lost one of their best pitchers Tuesday when they placed right-hander Trevor Bauer on the 10-day disabled list with a small stress fracture in his right leg.  —  Cleveland is in complete control in the AL Central …

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 …

Michael Lorenzen says it was ‘definitely special’ to play in outfield for Cincinnati Reds  —  Reds pitcher Homer Bailey discusses his start in Monday's 10-3 loss to Cleveland.  Bailey allowed five runs on 10 hits in 5 1/3 innings.  Bobby Nightengale, Cincinnati Enquirer  —  CONNECT

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.

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 …

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 …

Goldeyes bring back lefty pitcher Zack Dodson  —  The Winnipeg Goldeyes re-signed left-handed pitcher Zack Dodson prior to Monday's game at Gary SouthShore.  —  Dodson was 5-7 for the Goldeyes in 20 starts last year, and finished 11th in the American Association with 98 strikeouts.

Jay Bruce to begin rehab assignment in Port St. Lucie, will get time at first base  —  Another Met who hasn't seen the field in quite some time began a rehab assignment in Port St. Lucie Tuesday night.  —  Jay Bruce — who has not appeared in a game since June 17th — doesn't quite reach David Wright levels …

Brewers Acquire Jake Thompson, Designate Alec Asher  —  The Brewers have acquired right-hander Jake Thompson from the Phillies in exchange for cash, the Phillies announced Tuesday.  Right-hander Alec Asher has been designated for assignment to open roster space, and the Brewers have optioned Thompson …

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 …

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 …