Cubs' Kyle Schwarber regaining his groove  —  Chicago Tribune  —  Kyle Schwarber is making up for lost time that he hopes can result in a memorable final week of the regular season.  —  Schwarber went 2-for-2, including a home run and two RBIs, to start the Cubs' game Sunday against the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field.

Detroit Tigers' home finale loss sums up 2018 season: Just a hit short  —  Victor Martinez, the 39-year-old designated hitter, is retiring after the 2018 season.  Free Press sports writer Ryan Ford takes a look at his career.  Wochit  —  CONNECT  —  The story of the Detroit Tigers' season …

Why Derek Jeter's Marlins aren't doing so hot right about now  —  MIAMI — The 25th anniversary of the Marlins franchise was seen by the fewest fans at home in team history.  —  The Marlins became the first major league team to draw fewer than 1 million fans at home since the 2004 Montreal Expos …

Yankees manager still mulling over his wild card pitching options as J.A. Happ lacks command as Bombers fall to Orioles  —  J.A. Happ, Luis Severino or Masahiro Tanaka?  —  Ten days before the wild card game, Aaron Boone said he hasn't picked one yet and is prioritizing home-field advantage …

Mets' need for more effective lefty reliever magnified in 6-0 loss to Nats  —  WASHINGTON — A dependable lefty reliever would be a nice offseason addition.  —  Southpaw reliever Jerry Blevins' poor season continued Saturday when he allowed a game-sealing three-run homer in the sixth inning …

Scott Kingery will get a chance to finish strong for Phillies  —  ATLANTA — Now that the Phillies are finally through chasing the ghost of winning a division title, manager Gabe Kapler outlined a plan to restore playing time to the young players who were displaced by veterans acquired in the middle of the season.

Cardinals sweep Giants with 9-2, stay on track for wild card  —  ST. LOUIS _ Miles Mikolas won his fourth straight start, Matt Carpenter hit his NL-leading 36th homer and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the San Francisco Giants 9-2 on Sunday to complete a three-game sweep and remain on track for the NL's second wild card.

Why have the Red Sox won almost 20 games more than the Indians?  —  Going into the season, I thought the Cleveland Indians would be better than the Boston Red Sox.  Not a lot better, a little better.  But better.  —  EDITOR'S PICKS  —  My opinion on this matter was based on numbers …

Blake Snell extends his MLB-best win total as Rays beat Blue Jays 5-2  —  Blake Snell's 21 wins are a Rays' single-season record.  —  Blake Snell won his ninth straight start to increasing his major league-leading victories total to 21, and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Toronto Blue Jays 5-2 on Sunday to stave off elimination.

Astros rally for 9 runs in 8th, beats Angels 10-5  —  Justin Verlander reached double digits in strikeouts for the third straight outing and has 12 such games this season.  —  HOUSTON — Justin Verlander struck out 11 in six dominant innings, Jose Altuve capped a nine-run eighth with a two-run homer …

Brewers cruise past Pirates, move closer to playoff berth  —  PITTSBURGH — Christian Yelich hit his 32nd home run, Travis Shaw added his 31st and the Milwaukee Brewers blew past the mistake-prone Pittsburgh Pirates 13-6 on Sunday.  —  Yelich finished 2 for 3 to boost his batting average …

Dodgers hit 3 home runs in 7-2 win over Padres  —  LOS ANGELES — Manny Machado caught his wife's first pitch before the game and hit a three-run homer to notch the first 100 RBI season of his career.  —  “It can't get any better than this,” Machado said.  —  Except maybe reaching the World Series and winning.

Pedro Strop believes he can return to Cubs this week  —  Chicago Tribune  —  Reliever Pedro Strop remains optimistic he could rejoin the Cubs before the end of the regular season.  —  “I feel a lot better,” Strop said before running to the field to play catch Sunday morning.