Nationals, Fresno Grizzlies Announce Triple-A Affiliate Agreement  —  The Nationals announced Tuesday that they've reached an agreement with the Fresno Grizzlies to serve as their new Triple-A affiliate.  The newly agreed upon player development contract (PDC) is a two-year arrangement.

Justus Sheffield ready to contribute for New York Yankees; Aroldis Chapman nears return  —  NEW YORK - Justus Sheffield's long-term goal is to be a starting pitcher for the Yankees.  For now, he's content to be a reliever.  —  “I'll do whatever they want me to,” Sheffield said before Tuesday night's game against the Red Sox.

Inside Pitch: What would send the Cardinals over the top?  —  In this edition of Inside Pitch, sports columnists Jeff Gordon and Ben Frederickson name one thing (OK, a couple things) that would have to happen for the Cardinals to surge ahead in the race for a National League wild-card spot.  —  Tags

Cubs show off playoff formula in beating Diamondbacks  —  PHOENIX — The playoff formula finally came together for the Chicago Cubs.  Even if it was for just one game, during the busiest stretch of any team in baseball this season, the Cubs reminded the National League what they're capable of.

Boston's ‘Cora Four’ has the stuff dynasties are made of  —  BOSTON — The 1912 Red Sox won 105 regular-season games, more than any other team in Boston's history, but they did not accomplish it with the flair that the 2018 team has done it this season while also playing a youthful brand of Beantown baseball.

Athletics have plenty to play for against Angels  —  OAKLAND, Calif. — Right-hander Liam Hendriks gets another opportunity to convince the Oakland Athletics to take “bullpenning” into the postseason when he opens a six-game homestand Tuesday night against the Los Angeles Angels.

Indians' Trevor Bauer throws to hitters for first time since injury  —  CLEVELAND — Trevor Bauer threw to hitters for the first time since breaking his right leg last month and hopes to be back on the mound for Cleveland in time for the postseason.  —  The right-hander pitched three simulated innings …

Dodgers' recent success has been built on sacrifice  —  LOS ANGELES — Joc Pederson, who accumulated 10 total bases in the Los Angeles Dodgers' 8-2 surge over the Colorado Rockies on Monday night, has started only 51 percent of the time since the beginning of August.

A conversation with Ben Zobrist  —  He's vying for his first batting title and a third World Series championship in four years — and he's doing it when most guys are winding down their careers.  In a lengthy conversation with Chicago Cubs infielder/outfielder Ben Zobrist …

Brewers' Christian Yelich pulls off trade with young fan for his historic home run ball  —  It was a big night for Yelich and for a young fan in attendance  —  Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich in Monday night's win over the Reds added to his NL MVP resume by hitting for the cycle.

Orioles catcher has harsh words for his team: ‘We suck’  —  Let's start with the truth: the Baltimore Orioles have had a putrid year.  They're 60 games out of first place in the American League East, they have the worst record in baseball, they were the first team to be eliminated from playoff contention …

Amid walkfest, Braves hit bump - don't sweat it just yet  —  The Braves have a walking problem, but there's still little reason to overreact to a brief rut.  —  From distressed social-media postings to the questions manager Brian Snitker faced in Tuesday's pregame, there's been a level …

Gurriel said it would be a mistake to dump veteran DH Morales next year, especially with Guerrero coming up  —  BALTIMORE - Try telling Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Aledmys Diaz or any of the young Latin kids in the Blue Jays clubhouse that the Jays would be better off getting rid of veteran DH Kendrys Morales next year.

Crawford, Longoria homer to carry Giants over Padres 4-2  —  SAN DIEGO (AP) — The San Francisco Giants' rookies got the better of the San Diego Padres' youngsters in a matchup of NL West teams playing out the season.  —  While veterans Brandon Crawford and Evan Longoria homered off Bryan Mitchell …

Vogelbach's slam in 8th powers Seattle over Houston 4-1  —  The loss cut Houston's lead in the AL West to four games over Oakland, which was off Monday night.  —  HOUSTON (AP) - Rookie pinch-hitter Daniel Vogelbach's first career grand slam with two outs in the eighth inning lifted …

New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies lineups for Tuesday night as Steven Matz gets start  —  It will now be Steven Matz's turn to continue the Mets' dominance of the Phillies this season.  —  The Mets moved to 11-6 over the Phillies this season with a win on Monday night despite being 6.5 games behind Philadelphia in the NL East.

Cubs' Jason Heyward returns to lineup at Diamondbacks  —  Chicago Tribune  —  Jason Heyward hopes to give the Cubs a lift Tuesday night when he returns to the lineup against the Diamondbacks.  —  Heyward, who will start in right field, missed 16 games due to a right hamstring strain on Aug. 30.

The Oakland A's are streaking towards October  —  BY THE TIME he neared second base, Oakland shortstop Marcus Semien sensed something was off.  The vibe in Minute Maid Park was weirdly uncomfortable.  It's not like he expected an ovation in Houston, but this was like jogging through a crypt.

MLB Power Rankings: Week 25  —  16. Washington Nationals  —  Last Week: 16  —  Max Scherzer had his worst outing of the year last Friday against the Braves, allowing a season-high six earned runs over a season-low four innings as part of a 10-5 loss to Atlanta.