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 …

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.

Alberto HR gives Orioles 4-1 win over Royals, ending skid  —  BALTIMORE (AP) — It had been a while since the  —  Baltimore Orioles celebrated a victory, so forgive them for getting carried away after finally nabbing their 40th win of a very long season.  —  Rookie

Rizzo homers twice as Cubs beat Giants 5-3  —  Cole Hamels pitched six innings for his first win in two months, helping the  —  San Francisco Giants 5-3 on Tuesday night.  —  Nicholas Castellanos also went deep as Chicago earned its third straight victory.

Freeman's 2 homers, 4 RBIs carry Braves past Marlins 5-1  —  Freddie Freeman homered twice and drove in four runs,  —  Dallas Keuchel kept working out of trouble and the  —  Miami Marlins 5-1 on Tuesday night.  —  Freeman sent one went the opposite way into the Marlins bullpen against

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.

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.

Yankees vs. A's lineups: Oakland plays host for AL Wild Card rematch  —  Call it a rematch if you must, but the RingCentral Coliseum will host a familiar matchup on Tuesday night.  The A's will face the  —  New York Yankees, the same team that cut their 2018 season short in the American League Wild-Card Game.

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.

Ex-Mets Luis Castillo, Octavio Dotel linked to Dominican Republic drug trafficking ring  —  A pair of ex-Mets have been linked to a drug trafficking ring in the Dominican Republic.  —  Octavio Dotel was arrested and local cops are searching for Luis Castillo as part of a major raid …

Zeuch goes distance in Bisons' no-hitter  —  Jays No. 17 prospect delivers club's first feat since Colon in '97  —  T.J. Zeuch did something the Triple-A Bisons hadn't seen since Bartolo Colon on June 20, 1997.  He went the distance in a nine-inning no-hitter ... and he wasn't even aware of it for a split-second.