Jon Lester continues Cubs trend of excellent starting pitching performances  —  Chicago Tribune  —  While Jacob deGrom, Aaron Nola and Max Scherzer and others compete for the National League Cy Young Award, the Cubs rotation has been coming on strong recently, showing the quality pitching …

Reeling Phillies quickly run out of electricity in loss to Cubs, losing steam in playoff race  —  By the time it was over and nearly four hours had passed, it was difficult to remember that the potential for something thrilling was brewing in the thick South Philadelphia air early Sunday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park.

Column: Cubs on a roll entering showdown with Brewers at Miller Park  —  Chicago Tribune  —  Thousands of road-tripping fans are expected to take over Miller Park this week as the Cubs and Brewers convene Monday afternoon to kick off a key three-game series in Milwaukee.

Last Slide  —  LOS ANGELES - It did not seem to matter what decision Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo made here over the weekend.  Whether he stuck with his starter, whether he played things conservatively, whether he managed aggressively - whatever his move, it seemed, it was bound to fail.

Noah Syndergaard throws first career complete game as Mets starting rotation finally looks dominant  —  For the first time since returning from the disabled list with a bout of hand, foot and mouth disease on August 1, Noah Syndergaard looked dominant again, tossing the first complete game of his career.