Mets bats still unhelpful, Nationals take four-game series  —  Not even the 90-degree heat in the nation's capital could thaw the Mets' ice-covered bats.  —  The Mets collected just nine runs and 21 hits in the four-game series at Nationals Park over the weekend, culminating in a 5-2 loss to the Nationals in the finale on Sunday.

Boston Red Sox ace Chris Sale looks sharp after latest bullpen session at Polar Park  —  WORCESTER — Atmosphere is everything for Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale and he's enjoying his time with the Worcester Red Sox this week at Polar Park.  —  The veteran left-hander is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery …

I Am Breaking My Silence About the Baseball Player Who Raped Me  —  Kat O'Brien is a former journalist and baseball writer for The Fort Worth Star-Telegram and Newsday.  —  I was 22 years old and working as a sports reporter when I was raped by a Major League Baseball player.

Diamondbacks escape being no-hit, but lose Carson Kelly to injury in loss to Dodgers  —  Simply losing was not quite brutal enough for the Diamondbacks on Saturday night — nor was losing while flirting with a being no-hit.  Their 9-3 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers also included a crushing injury.

‘We are at a little bit of a stress point right now’: Mozeliak believes coaches, players can weather Cardinals current woes  —  ATLANTA — The word executive John Mozeliak used twice in a short answer to describe the fraught, weathered condition of the Cardinals has the benefit of being both noun and verb …

No. 1 prospect Wander getting called up  —  ST. PETERSBURG — Baseball's best prospect is about to be a big leaguer.  —  Wander Franco, the consensus No. 1 prospect in baseball the past two years, is expected to be called up this week, the club announced on Sunday night.

Joey Votto, David Bell ejected in wild Cincinnati Reds loss in San Diego  —  SAN DIEGO - In a tie game in the bottom of the eighth inning, Cincinnati Reds reliever Heath Hembree thought he was going to silence the crowd.  —  With San Diego Padres shortstop Ha-Seong Kim at the plate with two outs …

College Baseball Player in Virginia Dies After Joint Surgery  —  Sang Ho Baek, 20, “had been battling injuries throughout the season,” a teammate said, and underwent Tommy John surgery, a relatively common procedure for pitchers.  —  A college baseball player died from complications …

Coaches give Zavala fifth All-America honor  —  EUGENE - Aaron Zavala added his fifth All-America honor when the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) named him a first-team selection on Saturday.  —  Zavala is Oregon's third ABCA first-team All-America pick, joining David Peterson (2017) and Jimmie Sherfy (2012).

An inside look at the factors that led to the inevitable break up between Kemba Walker and the Celtics  —  A behind-the-scenes look at the events leading to the Celtics trading Kemba Walker for Al Horford in Brad Stevens' first move as GM.  —  Jared Weiss 142  —  U.S. Open live updates: Round 3 leaderboard, tee times, and more

Kiley McDaniel's 2021 MLB Mock Draft 2.0 - A new No. 1?  Who gets Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker?  —  We're now about three weeks from the 2021 MLB draft, which begins on Sunday, July 11, and while there's more buzz about specific team preferences, sources think information on this front …

MLB relaxes COVID protocol restrictions for all vaccinated players and staff  —  NEW YORK — All fully vaccinated players and staff can stop wearing masks in dugouts, bullpens and clubhouses under the latest change to Major League Baseball's coronavirus protocols.