Springer, Astros beat Angels 4-2 in Ohtani's pitching return  —  Houston starter Gerrit Cole (13-5) allowed six hits and two runs in 5 2/3 innings for his third straight win after losing three in a row.  —  HOUSTON — George Springer hit a two-run homer and finished a triple shy of the cycle …

Yankees, A's look to set tone in likely wild-card preview  —  OAKLAND, Calif. — Now that the calendar has turned to the final month of the regular season, brace yourself: The postseason push is about to get more intense, more serious and, most of all, more fun.

3 things we learned from Cubs-Phillies series  —  Chicago Tribune  —  Here are three things we learned from the Cubs' three-game series against the Phillies.  —  The quality starting pitching has arrived  —  From newcomer Cole Hamels to fellow left-hander Jose Quintana, the performances have been stellar.

Rays ride 3 RBI from rookie Brandon Lowe to topple Indians 6-4  —  Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash is excited about how his team is playing.  The only thing missing for the Rays: a clear path to the playoffs.  —  Rookie Brandon Lowe homered and drove in three runs, and the Rays hung …

Surging Dodgers take crack at Mets ace deGrom  —  LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Dodgers recent tendency to score late and win often will probably have to continue Monday, whether they want to operate that way or not.  —  The reason is they are facing New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom …

5 things to know about the Braves on Labor Day  —  The Braves are set to open a series with the MLB-best Red Sox at SunTrust Park on Monday.  Less than an hour before first pitch, the Red Sox fans have made their presence known.  —  Here's what to know about the Braves before they open their last interleague series of the year:

Up next  —  San Diego Padres  —  Padres update: Though they're in last place and on pace for nearly 100 losses, the Padres have had a chance to impact the National League West race with their head-to-head play.  They dropped three of four to the Diamondbacks in mid-August, then lost series to the Rockies and Dodgers.

Last Slide  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Noah Syndergaard stopped worrying about his mechanics and focused on making pitches.  —  In doing so, the New York Mets right-hander might have solved one of the biggest issues that has plagued him most of the year.  —  Syndergaard pitched a two-hitter …

MLB on pace for lowest batting average since 1972  —  The batting average for the major leagues is on track for its lowest finish in nearly a half-century.  —  This comes despite slightly more robust offense of late — hits topping strikeouts the last two months.

A.J. Minter talks first full season, bullpen, prospects  —  When Arodys Vizcaino went down, A.J. Minter stepped up.  The lefty, long presumed to eventually take over the ninth-inning role, has earned 12 saves while striking out 60 in 53 innings.  —  It hasn't always been easy, but Minter's succeeded in the role.

Detroit Tigers numbers: Niko Goodrum's rookie home run mark  —  The Detroit Tigers (55-82) take on the Chicago White Sox (55-82) in a three-game series, starting Monday, in Chicago.  —  Five numbers about the Tigers you need to know:  —  The Tigers' 11-7 win against the N.Y. Yankees …

Reynaldo Lopez gets start against the Tigers on Monday  —  Chicago Tribune  —  Reynaldo Lopez has compiled a 4.28 ERA over his last six starts, but he brings some momentum to Monday's start against the Tigers.  —  Lopez (5-9, 4.51 ERA) has allowed just three earned runs and struck out 13 …

Cardinals chat moved to Wednesday this week  —  The Labor Day holiday is also a chat holiday on STLtoday.com, but that doesn't mean Cardinals fans will miss the weekly opportunity to interact with our baseball writers.  —  Hall of Fame baseball writer Rick Hummel will take Cardinals questions …

White Sox call up outfielder Ryan Cordell  —  Chicago Tribune  —  The White Sox recalled outfielder Ryan Cordell from Triple-A Charlotte on Monday.  —  The 26-year-old is batting .246 with four home runs, 26 RBI and eight stolen bases in 51 combined games for the Arizona League Sox, Class AA Birmingham and Charlotte.

Addison Russell returns to the Cubs lineup, Javier Baez starts at 3B vs. the Brewers  —  Chicago Tribune  —  Shortstop Addison Russell returns to the Cubs lineup Monday as they try to expand their NL Central lead in a showdown against the Brewers at Miller Park.