Real or not?  Ohtani is back too late to save the Angels  —  Shohei Ohtani returned to the Los Angeles Angels lineup at a much-needed time, with the Angels scuffling at a game over .500 and beginning a must-win series against a team they have to chase down for a playoff spot.

Astros win on road again with 5-3 victory at rival Rangers  —  Houston is 11-4 this season against its instate division rival, with seven consecutive road wins in the series.  Houston is a majors-best 31-14 on the road this season.  —  ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - Josh Reddick and Tony Kemp homered …

Yankees Display Their Flaws, but Still Beat the Braves  —  When a team owns the second-best record in baseball in early July, leads the league in home runs and has yet to lose more than three games in a row, one needs to dig deep to find reasons to be critical of it.  —  And yet, there are nits to pick about the Yankees.

Arizona Diamondbacks vs. St. Louis Cardinals … Every at-bat is a fact-finding mission, especially for a team that's facing a pitcher it hasn't seen before - and even more so when that pitcher is as good as Jack Flaherty, the St. Louis Cardinals' rookie right-hander.  —  Flaherty has a fastball that can touch 97.

Kris Bryant's return from DL delayed at least until Friday  —  Cubs manager Joe Maddon discusses the team's confidence level after beating the Tigers on Tuesday, July 3, 2018.  (Mark Gonzales/Chicago Tribune)  —  Chicago Tribune  —  Kris Bryant won't be cleared to return to the Cubs …

Next Slide  —  CHICAGO - It was around this time last year when, every five days, speculation would arise about whether Justin Verlander was making his final start with the Detroit Tigers.  —  Now, as a rite of passage of sorts, that speculation swirls every time Michael Fulmer takes the mound.

Yan Gomes' grand slam helps Cleveland Indians rally past Kansas City Royals, 6-4  —  The Indians lead the American League with eight grand slams and Gomes' blast was their second in two nights.  —  KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Yan Gomes hit a grand slam in the sixth inning and the Cleveland Indians rallied …

White Sox try to ride momentum versus Reds  —  The slumping Chicago White Sox are playing a team that didn't give up on its season despite a terrible start, so maybe they decided that was a pretty good strategy to adopt.  —  The White Sox could have easily given up on their Tuesday night game …

Nats activate Matt Adams (broken finger) from DL  —  Washington Nationals slugger Matt Adams has been activated from the 10-day disabled list after missing over two weeks with a broken finger.  —  Adams suffered a fractured left index finger on June 15 when he was hit by a pitch and has missed Washington's last 16 games.

Senzatela throws 7 shutout innings, Rockies beat Giants 8-1  —  Colorado Rockies' Nolan Arenado, center, is congratulated by teammates Charlie Blackmon, left, and DJ LeMahieu after Arenado hit a three-run home run off San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Chris Stratton during the fifth inning …

Red Sox win 11-4 to drop Nationals to .500  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Xander Bogaerts hit a three-run homer during a six-run fifth inning, J.D. Martinez and Eduardo Nunez also went deep, and the Boston Red Sox beat the Washington Nationals 11-4 on Tuesday.  —  Martinez drove in four and leads the majors with 26 homers and 71 RBIs.

Eflin wins again, Knapp has key hit as Phillies beat O's  —  PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Zach Eflin and the Phillies are on a roll.  —  Eflin pitched seven strong innings for his sixth straight victory, Andrew Knapp had the winning hit for the second straight game and Philadelphia beat …

Cincinnati Reds manager Jim Riggleman ejected after umpire told him to ‘do your job’  —  Trailing by four runs in the top of the 12th inning Tuesday, Reds interim manager Jim Riggleman attempted to signal an intentional walk from the dugout.  —  Holding up four fingers …

MLB: Wade LeBlanc gets an extension  —  The Seattle Mariners announced Tuesday that they are extending the contract of left-hander Wade LeBlanc through 2019.  —  According to reports, LeBlanc, 33, will be paid $2.75 million next season.  —  LeBlanc is 4-0 with a 3.19 earned-run average after beating the Angels 4-1 on Tuesday.

Column: Cubs schedule quirk sets up enjoyable month of day baseball at Wrigley Field  —  Photos from the Cubs-Tigers game at Wrigley Field on Tuesday, July 3, 2018.  —  Chicago Tribune  —  Strange but true: The Cubs find themselves in the middle of a monthlong stretch with no night games scheduled at Wrigley Field.

The secret to Rays 16-inning success vs. Marlins  —  MIAMI - The inspiring force, and somewhat of the secret weapon, in the Rays' wild, weird and wacky 9-6, 16-inning win over the Marlins was a 30-year-stocky journeyman lefthander who ended the night limping off the field and headed to the DL.

Jed Lowrie's three-run double rallies A's past Padres 6-2  —  OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) Jed Lowrie loves the feeling of coming through with a clutch hit late to lift his team, and he just keeps showing a knack for it.  —  He is a big reason the A's are rarely out of games even when down by a couple of runs.

Darick Hall and Austin Listi blasting homers at Reading  —  READING — The Phillies have developed a pipeline with Dallas Baptist University, a small private school with a big baseball reputation.  The farm-system headliners right now from coach Dan Heefner's Patriots are Darick Hall and Austin Listi …

Twins are ready to be sellers at the MLB trade deadline, sources say  —  The team will focus on moves to help it win in '19.  —  TEXT SIZE  —  July 4th has arrived.  The Twins are 12 games under .500, 11 games out of first place in the American League Central and 18 games out of wild card contention.