Braves, Marlins brawl after Acuna hit by Urena's first pitch  —  ATLANTA - Ronald Acuna's chance to extend his three-game streak of leadoff homers was put on hold when the Marlins' Jose Urena hit him with his first pitch on Wednesday night, triggering a melee that led to benches and bullpens for Atlanta and Miami emptying twice.

Granderson's grand slam leads Jays past Royals 6-5  —  KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Curtis Granderson held up both hands, showing 10 fingers, one for each grand slam.  —  Granderson ran his career grand slam total into the double digits, Marco Estrada pitched effectively into the seventh inning …

3 things we learned from the Cubs-Brewers series  —  Photos from the Cubs-Brewers game at Wrigley Field on Aug. 15, 2018.  —  Chicago Tribune  —  Here are three things we learned from the Cubs' 1-1 series split with the Brewers at Wrigley Field.  —  1. The defense never rests.

Curtis Granderson and New York Yankees together again?  —  NEW YORK — While the Yankees are on the lookout for another outfielder, Curtis Granderson reportedly has cleared waivers in Toronto.  —  Sounds like a perfect match.  —  But before Yankees' radio voice John Sterling rehearses his …

Dozier ends Dodgers' skid with RBI in 12th against Giants  —  LOS ANGELES (AP) It was looking all too familiar to the Los Angeles Dodgers.  Another lead lost, another reliever buckling in a big moment.  —  Only this time, after San Francisco Giants outfielder Andrew McCutchen hit …

Phillies prospect Andrew Brown adding improved curveball to stellar fastball in Lakewood  —  LAKEWOOD, N.J. — Andrew Brown already has a 95-mph fastball and a change-up that Lakewood manager Marty Malloy describes as “really good.”  —  He has worked all season on improving his curveball consistency …

Examining the Mets' strong night against the Orioles  —  Brandon Nimmo on his pursuit of a cycle in the 16-5 win over the Orioles Matt Ehalt, Staff Writer, @MattEhalt  —  The Mets probably didn't want to leave Baltimore.  —  They scored a season-best 16 runs in Wednesday's 16-5 win at Camden Yards …

Did the Home Run Derby ‘fix’ Bryce Harper?  —  Rhys Hoskins is convinced that the Home Run Derby helped him.  Bryce Harper, not so much.  —  It's been exactly one month since Harper staged an epic comeback on his home turf to defeat Chicago's Kyle Schwarber in the final round of the Derby …

Today's first Phillies-Mets game available only on Facebook  —  If you were hoping to watch Phillies take on the New York Mets on television this afternoon, good luck finding the game.  —  For the fourth time this season, fans hoping to watch the Phillies will have to log onto Facebook.

Who's indispensable for contenders down the stretch?  —  Which players in baseball are most important for their teams down the stretch?  This answer is trickier than simply picking the best players in baseball, because as we head toward the final quarter of the season, half of the league is practically …

Brewers RHP Jimmy Nelson unlikely to return this season  —  CHICAGO (AP) — The Milwaukee Brewers are casting doubt on Jimmy Nelson's chances of returning this season.  —  Nelson had shoulder surgery in September after he got hurt diving back to first after rounding the base on a single.

Daily Dose: Ryu Returns  —  Here's an oversimplification: Hyun-Jin Ryu is one of the most underrated pitchers in baseball.  This isn't a scorching hot take, but it's definitely in the Goldilocks zone as opposed to being a tepid, lukewarm observation that could be classified as obvious to casual fantasy owners.

Walks haunt Robert Stephenson again in Cincinnati Reds loss to Cleveland Indians  —  When Reds manager Jim Riggleman came out to get Robert Stephenson, there was no dialogue between the two.  But the message was loud and clear:  —  Throw strikes, kid, or this isn't going to work out.

Next Slide  —  It's the cloud that lingers every time Jordan Zimmermann takes the mound, even on a day as clear and sunny as Wednesday afternoon was at Comerica Park.  —  At best, the five-year, $110 million contract the Detroit Tigers handed to Zimmermann three winters ago can be called a mild failure.