No change yet in plans for Cubs to play Thursday in Washington  —  Chicago Tribune  —  The Cubs still don't know if they're going to hop an airplane late Wednesday night, headed into Washington and possibly Hurricane Florence-driven storms.  —  Manager Joe Maddon said he's checking hurricanetracker.com …

As Phillies' lineup flounders, big questions loom |  David Murphy  —  Baseball is a weird sport, and a lot of weirder things have happened than a team overcoming a 5½ game deficit with 19 to play.  But when you watch a team like the Phillies in a situation like they faced on Tuesday afternoon …

WHO COULD CLINCH TONIGHT  —  Boston Red Sox (Can clinch season's first playoff spot)  —  The Red Sox can become the first team to officially punch a ticket to October with either a win against the Blue Jays on Tuesday night or losses by both the Rays and Mariners.

Sanchez takes Gibson way deep, sparks Yanks' win over Twins  —  MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Gary Sanchez was struggling since coming off the disabled list, and the New York Yankees were off to a so-so September start.  —  Facing the Minnesota Twins seems to be a cure-all.

What's a hitter to do?:  When Cincinnati Reds switch hitters face a switch pitcher  —  Reds reliever Jared Hughes earned the win Monday against the Dodgers.  He escaped a bases-loaded jam against Yaisel Puig in the 7th inning.  Bobby Nightengale, Cincinnati Enquirer  —  CONNECT

Indians to skip Corey Kluber's start to prepare for playoffs  —  The Cleveland Indians have decided to skip ace Corey Kluber's weekend turn in the rotation as they move to set up their pitching rotation for the playoffs.  —  Kluber lasted just 1 innings — matching his career low …

New York Mets, Miami Marlins lineups as Jacob deGrom takes the hill  —  After being rained out the previous night, the Mets and Marlins announced their lineups for Tuesday's tilt.  —  Jacob deGrom will be on the mound as he looks to bolster his resume for the Cy Young award, and he will also hit in the No. 9 spot.

Reliever Nate Jones returns to White Sox after long recovery from forearm injury  —  Chicago Tribune  —  Nate Jones returned to the White Sox Tuesday after another arduous recovery from injury in a career that has been plagued by them.  —  The reliever had a 2.55 ERA …

Newcomb goes 6 strong, Albies provides jolt as Braves top SF  —  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) The Atlanta Braves are threatening to turn a tight NL East race into a runaway finish.  —  Sean Newcomb pitched six strong innings, Ozzie Albies sparked the offense with two extra-base hits and Atlanta Braves beat …

How the Angels can convince Mike Trout to stay  —  Billy Eppler answered the question like a man who had grown tired of hearing it.  —  “Um, yeah,” the Los Angeles Angels' general manager said pointedly, “we're not going to trade Mike Trout.”  —  Eppler, in his third season as the Angels' GM …

Last Slide  —  DENVER - If May taught us anything, it's that the Diamondbacks can go from looking like the worst team in baseball to a good one almost overnight, so it's perhaps wise to wait before breaking out the shovels.  But things are not looking good for their postseason chances.

Each contender's best decision this season  —  Decisions.  We all make them.  We even make them when we don't realize we're making them.  You, for example, decided to click on this article.  Right now, you're deciding whether to continue reading this article.

Mets 3B David Wright takes live BP as comeback try continues  —  NEW YORK — David Wright took live batting practice Tuesday at Citi Field as the New York Mets captain tries to complete his comeback from a string of debilitating injuries.  —  The third baseman originally was scheduled …

Sean Manaea To Undergo Shoulder Surgery, Could Miss Most Of 2019 Season  —  4:22pm: The news on Manaea's timeline is brutal, as manager Bob Melvin now tells reporters that the expectation is that Manaea will miss an entire year (Twitter links via Jane Lee of MLB.com and Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle).

Jays' Stroman unlikely to start again this season  —  BOSTON — Marcus Stroman has said he likes to see himself as the horse of a pitching staff.  —  Well, it looks like this horse will remain in the barn for the remainder of the 2018 season.  —  Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said on Tuesday …