MLB power rankings: Yankees' nine-game winning streak vaults them toward the top  —  The New York Yankees have shaken their early-season doldrums, sweeping the Los Angeles Angels for their ninth consecutive win.  —  Now 18-9, the Yankees have outscored opponents 64-18 during that streak …

A ‘timely’ trip to the DL for struggling Blue Jays outfielder Grichuk  —  MINNEAPOLIS - According to the MRI done on Blue Jays outfielder Randal Grichuk on Monday, he has a knee sprain serious enough to keep him out of the lineup for at least three weeks.  —  With apologies to whatever pain Grichuk …

Gerrit Cole flourishing with Astros, as Yankees are left to wonder what could have been  —  HOUSTON — Gerrit Cole has gotten off to a historic start in Houston, posting a 1.73 ERA and a franchise record 61 strikeouts in April — including 10 or more Ks in four of his first six outings.

Next Slide  —  Detroit Tigers left-handed pitcher Daniel Norris will have surgery to relieve pressure on a left groin strain later this week and is expected to go on the 60-day disabled list.  —  The team placed Norris on the 10-day disabled list on Monday, before Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire announced …

Gonzalez leads Mets' hit parade in 14-2 drubbing of Padres  —  SAN DIEGO — Adrian Gonzalez had a spectacular homecoming at Petco Park.  —  Facing the hometown team he once played for, Gonzalez homered, doubled and drove in five runs on Sunday to help the New York Mets overwhelm the San Diego Padres 14-2.

Rockies place 2B LeMahieu on DL with hamstring injury  —  CHICAGO (AP) — The Colorado Rockies placed second baseman DJ LeMahieu on the 10-day disabled list Monday with a right hamstring strain and activated outfielder Carlos Gonzalez from the DL.  —  LeMahieu got hurt when he doubled …

Dodgers' Corey Seager will have Tommy John surgery and miss rest of season  —  The Los Angeles Dodgers announced that shortstop Corey Seager will miss the rest of the season and will undergo Tommy John surgery to fix a sprained ulnar collateral ligament in his right arm.

Phillies in need of a lefthander |  Extra Innings  —  One of the reasons the Atlanta Braves have dominated the season series against the Phillies so far is quite simple to figure out.  They have a lineup loaded with dangerous lefthanded hitters whenever the opposition sends a righthander to the mound.

Nick Kingham moves into Pirates rotation after near-perfect debut  —  WASHINGTON — Pirates rookie Nick Kingham's nearly perfect debut has earned him at least one more start in the majors.  —  Kingham took a perfect game into the seventh inning of his first big league start …

Diamondbacks' Robbie Ray lands on disabled list with oblique strain  —  Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo on injury to Robbie Ray Richard Morin, azcentral sports  —  After suffering a right oblique strain on Sunday in Washington, D.C., the Diamondbacks placed left-hander Robbie Ray on the 10 …

Roache's homer leads Springfield to 8-4 win over Arkansas  —  SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — Victor Roache hit a two-run homer in the seventh inning, leading the Springfield Cardinals to an 8-4 win over the Arkansas Travelers on Monday.  —  Hector Mendoza got Chuck Taylor to hit into a triple play …

Cubs' Joe Maddon likes Kyle Schwarber's return to ‘the huddle’  —  Photos of Cubs catcher and outfielder Kyle Schwarber.  —  Chicago Tribune  —  Cubs manager Joe Maddon is fond of football coaches and slogans, so he picked an opportune time Monday to discuss Kyle Schwarber's poise in rebounding from an awful 2017 season.

This Year's MLB Tankfest Is Epic (And Maybe Pointless)  —  The 2018 MLB season could end up being defined by a lot of things, including the possibility of even more tinkering to the baseball, an epic spate of strikeouts or the disappointing performance of the league's supposed superteams.

Last Slide  —  The Diamondbacks have won five of their six games against the Dodgers this year, including a home sweep in the second series of the season.  The Diamondbacks return to Chase Field from a 4-2 road trip to host the Dodgers in a four-game series.

Observations from the first month of the Iowa Cubs season  —  Chicago Cubs pitching prospect makes Triple-A debut Friday  —  That went by fast.  —  The first month of the Iowa Cubs season is complete.  And boy was it an interesting.  —  Fans are Principal Park got to see the Chicago …

The Dodgers are favored to win the NL West.  Or they're not  —  The Dodgers remain the favorites to win the National League West.  Or not.  Depends where you look.  —  On the last day of April, the Dodgers awoke in fourth place in the NL West, four games under .500 and seven games behind the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Cincinnati Reds 2018 notes: Rookie Alex Blandino proving he belongs  —  Some debuts in Major League Baseball are memorable and some would rather be forgotten.  —  For Cincinnati Reds rookie Alex Blandino, his first stint in the big leagues was anything but smooth with a 1-for-17 stretch at the plate.

Dave Eiland: Matt Harvey has come out of the darkness and ‘seen the light’  —  SAN DIEGO — Is the storm over?  The Mets seem to think so.  When they decided to remove Matt Harvey from the rotation last week, they anticipated the storm ahead.  They expected his anger and the comments.