Before going any farther, Tampa Bay has to decide whether it is a Major League market  —  The Rays are neither wrong, nor unreasonable, about the attendance problems.  The question is whether this community is willing to invest more searching for a fix.  —  ST. PETERSBURG — For 20 years …

Young fan taken to hospital after being hit in the head with foul ball at Dodger Stadium  —  It's a scary scene that has become all too familiar in baseball stadiums across the country.  A fan is struck by a hard-hit foul ball.  A game is delayed while the fan receives medical attention.

Franco hits go-ahead homer, Kapler tossed in Phillies win  —  Maikel Franco hit a go-ahead two-run homer for the second straight game, and the  —  New York Mets 7-5 on Tuesday night.  —  Scott Kingery and  —  Rhys Hoskins also connected as Philadelphia earned its second straight win since losing seven in a row.

Van Wagenen is managing Mets games from home in ‘unusual’ struggle  —  PHILADELPHIA — As general manager Brodie Van Wagenen continues to insist his manager has full autonomy on game decisions for the Mets, a specific example has surfaced that indicates otherwise.

Rangers survive schedule, come out other side still in contention  —  It was a stretch of 21 games in 20 days that was supposed to break the surprising Rangers.  Instead, Texas went 12-9 and are still in the thick of things.  —  DALLAS — Three weeks.  Three long weeks the Rangers played every day.

Nationals Select Jonny Venters  —  3:25pm: To make room for Venters and Rodney, the Nationals moved injured right-hander Jeremy Hellickson to the 60-day IL and optioned fellow righty Kyle McGowin to Triple-A Fresno.  —  11:30am: The Nationals will select the contract of left-hander Jonny Venters prior …

Vogelbach's homer lifts Mariners to first interleague win  —  Daniel Vogelbach hit a two-run homer to lift the  —  Seattle Mariners to an 8-3 win over the  —  Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday night for their first interleague win in five tries this season.  —  Marco Gonzales (9-6) …

Albies, Acuña hit homers to lead Braves past Cubs 3-2  —  Ozzie Albies and Ronald Acuna Jr. homered, Max Fried pitched six innings of two-hit ball and the  —  Chicago Cubs 3-2 Tuesday night.  —  Acuna crushed the first pitch of the game from Cubs rookie

Machado enjoys happy return in Padres' 8-3 win over Orioles  —  Manny Machado marked his return to Camden Yards with a performance reminiscent of his time with the Orioles, hitting a long homer and driving in two runs to help the  —  San Diego Padres beat Baltimore 8-3 Tuesday night.

'What's a Scarlet Letter?'  The Improbable Reinvention of A-Rod  —  Yes, Alex Rodriguez is engaged to Jennifer Lopez.  Yes, they spend their days frolicking across the celebrity landscape, from the Oscars to the Met Gala.  But here's the really crazy part: He's popular.

Rookie Jays starter Thornton enjoying memorable run through baseball powerhouses  —  NEW YORK — Before Trent Thornton's rookie season included shut-down performances against the two most recent World Series champs, there was a rather rude introduction to life in The Show.  —  And it included death threats.

J.D. Martinez sounds off on All-Star, MVP Award voting  —  BOSTON — In the first round of All-Star balloting, J.D. Martinez had 500,000 more votes than any other designated hitter in the American League.  —  He still doesn't think the system is right.  —  “I believe that the players …

Red Sox Reinstate Steven Wright  —  The Red Sox announced Tuesday that they've reinstated right-hander Steven Wright from the restricted list.  Wright had been serving an 80-game suspension following a failed PED test, but he'll now join the Boston bullpen in place of righty Josh Smith, who has been optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket.

Cardinals notebook: Hicks could be headed to injury list  —  Cardinals lefty Andrew Miller's swift work Friday of Angels pinch-hitter Shohei Ohtani and two other batters was less a reset after a bruising outing than a return for the veteran reliever to what's been a steadier run of outs.