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.

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

Angels' Shohei Ohtani activated from DL, will DH in Tuesday's game  —  The Angels have activated Shohei Ohtani from the disabled list.  He will DH in Tuesday night's game at Seattle, batting sixth.  —  The two-way star has been out since June 6 with a Grade 2 sprain of the ulnar collateral ligament …

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

Phillies could trade for Manny Machado if price is right  —  A storm moved over Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday afternoon just as the visiting Orioles were set to begin batting practice, robbing Manny Machado of the chance to take some early swings at a ballpark that may soon be his.