Cubs acquire Cole Hamels in trade with Rangers  —  Gearing up for another October run, the Chicago Cubs made a big move Thursday night, acquiring veteran lefty Cole Hamels from the Texas Rangers, according to a person with direct knowledge of the situation.  —  The person spoke to USA TODAY Sports …

On Deck: Blue Jays at White Sox  —  TORONTO BLUE JAYS at CHICAGO WHITE SOX  —  STARTING PITCHERS  —  RHP Marcus Stroman (3-7, 5.42 ERA) vs. RHP Reynaldo Lopez (4-8, 4.13 ERA)  —  Lopez is in his first full season in the bigs after pitching in both the majors and minors in 2016 and 2017.

Brewers' Josh Hader booed by Giants fans in first road game since Twitter controversy  —  SAN FRANCISCO — In Josh Hader's first road game since his racist, misogynistic and anti-gay tweets were unearthed, the Brewers All-Star reliever received a reception far different from the standing ovation bestowed upon …

Aaron Judge out for at least three weeks with wrist fracture after being hit by pitch  —  The New York Yankees' quest to take down the Boston Red Sox in the American League East may have just gotten a lot harder.  Aaron Judge will be out three weeks after getting hit by a pitch Thursday.

David Bote's 2-run homer, Anthony Rizzo's walk-off HR lift Cubs to 7-6 win over Diamondbacks  —  David Bote, Anthony Rizzo and Joe Maddon discuss the Cubs' walk-off win against the Diamondbacks on Thursday, July 26, 2018.  (Mark Gonzales/Chicago Tribune)  —  Chicago Tribune

Cubs fan saved from serious injury at Wrigley Field thanks to wearing bucket on his head  —  One 19-year-old Chicago Cubs fan decided to wear a bucket — yes, a bucket — on his head during Tuesday's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Wrigley Field.  —  And as it turns out …

Zach Britton pitches a scoreless eighth inning in Yankees debut  —  There was a ripple of pride through Washington Heights when it was announced that the Yankees has pulled off a trade for closer Zach Britton.  Known as the Little Dominican Republic, the Yankees were getting one of the family.

Cincinnati Reds have three prospects in MLB Pipeline Top 20, more than any team  —  The Cincinnati Reds have more prospects than any other Major League Baseball team in MLB Pipeline's latest rankings of the top 20 in baseball.  —  Infielder Nick Senzel ranks fourth overall …

Buy or sell?  Strasburg's injury leaves Nats scrambling at deadline  —  Back in February, manager Davey Martinez brought camels to spring training, a living breathing metaphor intended to help the Washington Nationals get over the playoff hump.  Five months later, Stephen Strasburg's injury woes …

Law trade take: Eovaldi helps Red Sox, Rockies add to pen and more  —  The Red Sox don't have many healthy prospects to trade right now, with most of their best guys on the disabled list, but they did manage to swing a deal for a very useful pitcher who fills an extremely specific need without giving …

25 Things about Jim Thome and his Phillies' legacy  —  Jim Thome is going into the Hall of Fame on Sunday and, as Thome's dad once explained, Charlie Manuel might be the biggest reason why.  —  Thome wasn't a Phillie for very long, but his impact here was substantial.

Hechavarria helps depleted Rays beat rebuilding Orioles 4-3  —  Adeiny Hechavarria singled in the tiebreaking run in the seventh inning, and the  —  Baltimore Orioles 4-3 Thursday night in a matchup of teams in selling mode near the non-waiver trade deadline.

Phillies considering a promotion for Roman Quinn  —  CINCINNATI - Roman Quinn returned to triple A this week for the first time since suffering yet another injury and his next stop could be the majors as the Phillies may add him Friday to supplement their shortened bench.

Braves Acquire Jonny Venters From Rays  —  The Rays have traded left-handed reliever Jonny Venters to the Braves in exchange for international bonus pool space, according to announcements from both teams.  Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports (on Twitter) that the Braves sent the minimum $250K to Tampa Bay in return for Venters.

Olney: Archer?  Thor?  What the heck are the Padres thinking?  —  Over the next five days, deals based in logic will continue to go down.  The Dodgers, having already added Manny Machado to plug the hole created the Corey Seager injury, will add another reliever.

Alex Bregman blasts umpires after ruling determines fan interference  —  After Charlie Blackmon's ninth-inning homer gave the Colorado Rockies a 3-2 home victory over Houston, Astros third baseman Alex Bregman ripped into Major League Baseball's decision to overturn his extra-base hit earlier …