Nationals at Cardinals Prediction: Odds, expert picks, starting pitchers, betting trends and stats for July 8  —  It's Tuesday, July 8 and the Nationals (37-53) are in St. Louis to take on the Cardinals (48-43).  Jake Irvin is slated to take the mound for Washington against Sonny Gray for St. Louis.

Miguel Cairo to serve as interim manager of Nationals  —  The Washington Nationals have named bench coach Miguel Cairo as their interim manager, the team announced Monday.  —  Cairo, a native of Venezuela who played for nine teams over 17 MLB seasons from 1996 to 2012, replaces Dave Martinez …

Pete Alonso and Kyle Schwarber will skip Home Run Derby the night before All-Star Game  —  New York Mets slugger and two-time winner Pete Alonso joined Philadelphia designated hitter Kyle Schwarber in electing to skip the Home Run Derby.  —  The derby will be held the night before the All-Star Game, at Truist Park in Atlanta.

MLB Power Rankings: Tigers reclaim No. 1 spot, Blue Jays surging as George Springer turns back the clock  —  Featured in this week's MLB Power Rankings, the streaking Blue Jays sweep the Yankees and take over the AL East, Brandon Woodruff has a triumphant return to the majors …

Padres slugger Manny Machado gets his 2,000th career hit  —  SAN DIEGO — Manny Machado of the San Diego Padres got his 2,000th career hit Monday night against the Arizona Diamondbacks with a sharp single off the glove of diving shortstop Geraldo Perdomo.  —  The milestone hit came off starter Zac Gallen leading off the fourth inning.

Short-handed Dodgers may be forced to make roster moves after Astros sweep  —  LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts could do little to counteract Houston Astros left-handers Bennett Sousa and Bryan King in the seventh and eighth innings of a 5-1 loss.