Sources: Sale expected to avoid Tommy John  —  Boston Red Sox ace Chris Sale will miss the remainder of the regular season with a left elbow injury but is expected to avoid Tommy John surgery after a second opinion from Dr. James Andrews confirmed a previous diagnosis of inflammation, sources familiar with the situation told ESPN.

Mets prepare for tough nine-game homestand during critical playoff push  —  Somewhere along the Mets' incredible 21-6 run from July 12 to August 10, they started dreaming.  —  The expectations for their dogged team progressed without hesitation.  The goal grew bigger …

Braves Claim Billy Hamilton  —  The Braves have claimed outfielder Billy Hamilton off waivers from the Royals, per a club announcement.  The Atlanta organization will be responsible for the remainder of Hamilton's $5.25MM salary along with a $1MM buyout on a mutual option.

Danny Santana, Nomar Mazara Exit With Injuries  —  TUESDAY: Santana's confident he won't miss time, according to manager Chris Woodward, but it doesn't appear Mazara will be as fortunate.  His oblique injury is similar to (but not as severe as) the strain that sent teammate Joey Gallo to the IL in June.

Iowa Cubs manager says Ben Zobrist could be in Des Moines this weekend  —  A look at the Iowa Cubs' 2019 season  —  Ben Zobrist wasn't with the Iowa Cubs when the team began a seven-game home-stand at Principal Park on Monday.  —  But he could be by the end of the week.

Indians' Kluber shut down 2 weeks with abdominal strain  —  Corey Kluber has been shut down for two weeks with an abdominal strain, an injury he sustained during his comeback from a broken arm.  —  Kluber was pulled from a minor league start for Triple-A Columbus at Charlotte on Sunday after one inning because of abdominal tightness.

Nationals continue onslaught with 4 HRs, pound Pirates 13-0  —  PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Nationals are on a hot streak at the plate that defies explanation.  —  “If anyone knew the answer to that, they could write a book and make millions of dollars,”  —  Adam Eaton said.  —  The onslaught continued Monday night when

Hudson, Cards take no-hit bid into 8th and blank Brewers 3-0  —  Dakota Hudson and two relievers combined on a one-hitter, and  —  Milwaukee Brewers 3-0 Monday night in a series opener between NL Central contenders.  —  Yasmani Grandal's ground-rule double with two outs in the eighth inning off

Top MLB Prospects Hot Sheet (8/19/19)  —  Welcome back to the Hot Sheet, which ranks the 20 hottest prospects from the previous week.  This installment of the Prospect Hot Sheet considers what minor league players did from Aug 12-18.  Contributing this week were Josh Norris, J.J. Cooper, Kyle Glaser and Justin Coleman.

Cubs Option David Bote  —  The Cubs have optioned utility man David Bote to Triple-A, as Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times was among those to tweet.  It seems that's the roster move to make way for the return of righty Steve Cishek.  —  Bote, 26, has been a constant presence …

Detroit Tigers bullpen collapses in 2nd straight walk-off loss to Rays  —  TAMPA, Fla. - Ji-Man Choi's two-run single in the bottom of the ninth completed a rally from a late three-run deficit and gave the Tampa Bay Rays a 5-4 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Sunday.