Lester helps Cubs beat Mets 7-4 for 6th straight win  —  CHICAGO (AP) Jon Lester got it done with his arm, glove and bat.  —  Even teammate Anthony Rizzo was impressed.  —  “He's a good athlete, he really is,” a grinning Rizzo said.  “I don't say that too much about pitchers.”

Bregman powers Astros to 6th straight win, 11-4 over A's  —  It was the sixth straight win for the first-place Astros, who moved to 2 1/2 games ahead of Oakland in the AL West standings.  —  HOUSTON (AP) - Alex Bregman and Tyler White homered and drove in four runs each …

Cubs' Kris Bryant scores twice in 1st minor-league rehab game  —  Chicago Tribune  —  Kris Bryant went 0-for-3 with a walk Monday night in his first game action since July 23 as he embarked on his second minor-league rehabilitation assignment for Triple-A Iowa.

Stratton outlasts Corbin as Giants blank Diamondbacks 2-0  —  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) The best game of Chris Stratton's career got off to a shaky start when the San Francisco pitcher allowed hits to his first two batters and fell behind in the count 3-0 to the third.

Trout, Ohtani homer as Angels rally past Rockies 10-7  —  ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) Shohei Ohtani hit a majestic three-run homer a few hours after he pitched a simulated game.  Mike Trout followed Ohtani's blast two innings later with the first homer of his emotional August.

MLB: Marco Gonzales goes on disabled list  —  The Seattle Mariners have put left-handed starter Marco Gonzales on the 10-day disabled list because of a strained neck muscle.  —  Seattle announced the move during its off-day Monday before starting a two-game series at San Diego.

Luke Voit injecting some needed energy and power into a Yankees lineup that was called ‘lifeless’ a week ago  —  Luke Voit might have been the jolt the Yankees needed.  The first baseman's fist pumps and home runs have injected some life into a team that was called out by former Red Sox …

How the Killer B's have tamed the Monster and Fenway's wild outfield  —  THE GREEN MONSTER has stories to tell, and every once in a while Andrew Benintendi will pause and let his imagination roam.  He'll look up and see a small ding here, a deeper indentation there and even the embedded imprint …

Padres To Promote Luis Urias  —  The Padres are set to promote highly regarded infield prospect Luis Urias, according to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune.  He is expected to debut tomorrow.  —  Urias, 21, is widely considered one of the crown jewels of a Padres system that …

The most interesting man in baseball?  It might be Mariners bullpen coach Brian DeLunas  —  With the Mariners' series finale against the Astros tied in the top of the ninth, Seattle's closer Edwin Diaz turned to bullpen coach Brian DeLunas and asked him to make a very important phone call.

After long winter, slow starts, MLB's frozen-out free agents still mad: ‘It was ridiculous’  —  BALTIMORE - Alex Cobb and Lance Lynn are well-paid Major League Baseball players, a group that prides itself on accountability and generally loathes excuse-making.

MLB stars see a good barber as a therapist, a confidant — and a necessity.  And teams are following suit.  —  The Washington Post  —  Juice thumbed through his iPhone to find a photo Bryce Harper had sent him: a young man in a barber's chair, showing off a meticulously detailed haircut from a side angle.

Laura Ricketts: ‘I was on board’ with Cubs' trade for Daniel Murphy  —  Chicago Tribune  —  Daniel Murphy has received a mostly warm reception from the Wrigley Field faithful for his performance on the field despite his past remarks about how he “disagreed” with the lifestyle of Billy Bean …

USA TODAY survey: MLB power shift has managers' salaries in free fall  —  CHICAGO — Joe Maddon helped lead the Chicago Cubs to the Holy Grail of sports, with a consistent level of success they haven't seen in a century, but there are whispers his job could be in jeopardy if they don't play deep into October.