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.

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 …

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 …

Paul Goldschmidt delivers an epic in-season comeback  —  Paul Goldschmidt's first National League Player of the Month Award came hard on the heels of one of the worst slumps of his career.  While the Arizona Diamondbacks slugger led all qualified NL hitters in batting average, runs scored …

Hot Red Sox, slumping Nationals play morning game  —  WASHINGTON — The Boston Red Sox will look to get a jump on the day and complete a sweep of the Washington Nationals Wednesday morning at Nationals Park.  —  The Nationals, hosting their traditional 11:05 a.m. July Fourth game …

New York Yankees catcher Austin Romine sits for fourth straight day  —  NEW YORK - Austin Romine wants to play.  And now, he feels healthy enough to return.  —  But the Yankee catcher found himself on the bench for the fourth straight day even after the tightness in his hamstring subsided.

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 …

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 …

Dodgers ready to keep flexing muscles vs. Pirates  —  LOS ANGELES — The Pittsburgh Pirates are undecided on a starter for Wednesday's series finale against the Los Angeles Dodgers, and volunteers might be hard to come by.  —  The Dodgers' offense is coming off a productive June when they hit 55 home runs …

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 …

July shocker: A's may have staved off annual trade dumps  —  OAKLAND - The running joke around the Oakland Athletics at this time of year is that any veteran having a good season should keep his bags packed.  —  On the way to finishing last in the AL West each of the last three years …

Joe Maddon in tune with Cubs' lineup possibilities  —  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  —  Cubs manager Joe Maddon provided a curious response 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 …

Heat is on the Cardinals - and manager Mike Matheny feels it the most  —  PHOENIX - The good folks of St. Louis can feel it.  They sense it.  And they can certainly see it.  —  Groundhog Day.  —  The Cardinals, one of baseball's proudest and most prestigious franchises …