MLB power rankings: Led by George Springer, red-hot Astros take back the No. 1 spot  —  Having won eight of their last nine games, the Houston Astros are firing on all cylinders and are primed to run away with the American League West again.  —  The Astros will be without Jose Altuve …

'He's going to be a big-league player in Chicago for a long time': Why there are still high hopes for Ian Happ  —  The hope is that although Ian Happ is in the minors, he can get back on track at the plate and return to the major leagues.  —  He needs to become the player the Chicago Cubs have always hoped he could be.

Dieter Kurtenbach: Derek Holland's ripping of the Giants' front office rings hollow  —  Giants pitcher Derek Holland is disgruntled and he needed everyone to hear about it.  —  But instead of achieving his goal of embarrassing the Giants' front office and perhaps forcing a move …

Cardinals notebook: Hurler Martinez could return next weekend  —  The Cardinals intend to push former starting pitcher Carlos Martinez into longer relief appearances in the coming days and that could mean seeing him sooner than advertised.  —  Martinez struck out three and walked …

Rain pours through roof at Astros-Rangers game  —  The retractable roof at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas, was no match for the powerful storms that rolled through the area on May 9.

Castellanos, Norris lead Tigers to 5-3 win over Twins  —  MINNEAPOLIS, MN — Daniel Norris rediscovered his rhythm, Nicholas Castellanos maintained his and the Detroit Tigers left Minnesota with a series split.  —  Norris turned in his longest outing since 2017 and, backed by Castellanos' three hits …

Casey Mize, Vlad Jr. and the craziest minor league stats ever  —  The earned run Casey Mize allowed to the Clearwater Threshers on April 9 was a bit of a cheapie.  Mize got the first two outs of the second inning, then clipped the Threshers' No. 6 hitter on a two-strike cutter.

Former Braves pitcher Edwin Jackson on verge of history  —  How does someone pitch for 14 different teams before his 36th birthday?  —  Edwin Jackson is on the verge of accomplishing exactly that after the right-hander was traded from Oakland to Toronto.  He is expected to start for the Blue Jays …

Fried returns to lead Braves to 5-3 win over Diamondbacks  —  PHOENIX (AP) — The Atlanta Braves wriggled out of one jam after the next with a series of spectacular plays.  —  Nick Markakis had the best of the bunch in the game's biggest moment.  —  Markakis made a diving catch …

Indians minor-leaguer Bobby Bradley named to MLB Pipeline's Prospect Team of the Week  —  Cleveland Indians minor-league first baseman Bobby Bradley was named to MLB Pipeline's Prospect Team of the Week Monday.  —  CLEVELAND — Cleveland Indians minor-league first baseman Bobby Bradley …

Brewers bring up Barnes to give pen a fresh arm  —  CHICAGO — The Milwaukee Brewers have recalled right-hander Jacob Barnes from Triple-A San Antonio and optioned reliever Burch Smith to their top farm club.  —  The addition of Barnes gives Milwaukee a fresh arm in the bullpen one day after its 15-inning loss to the Chicago Cubs.

Blackmon homers twice, Rockies beat Padres 10-7  —  DENVER — The sun broke through, and Charlie Blackmon came out swinging.  —  Blackmon homered twice, Antonio Senzatela pitched effectively into the seventh inning and the Colorado Rockies hung on to beat the San Diego Padres 10-7 on Sunday.

Yankees' Hicks set for season debut as Orioles visit  —  While the New York Yankees are anticipating the returns of Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton from injuries, they can look forward to the imminent return of Aaron Hicks.  —  Hicks is expected to be activated off the injured list …

Danny Duffy has quality start as Royals roll over Astros  —  Kansas City Royals pitcher Danny Duffy allowed two runs in 6 2/3 innings in a 12-2 win over the Houston Astros in Texas on May 7, 2019.  The starts marked Duffy's third in the majors since starting the season on the injured list.

Braves option Kyle Wright to Triple-A  —  By - Staff reports, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution  —  The Braves optioned right-hander Kyle Wright to Triple-A Gwinnett, the team announced Monday.  The move was made after Sunday's 5-3 win over the Diamondbacks.  —  Wright is 0-2 with a 7.07 ERA in three starts this season.