J.A. Happ only allows one run over six innings in NY debut as Yankees top Royals 6-3  —  J.A. Happ made the midseason impact the Yankees hoped for, pitching one-run ball over six innings to win his New York debut 6-3 over the Kansas City Royals on Sunday.  —  Three days after New York acquired …

Chipper Jones, Jim Thome among six greats inducted into Hall of Fame  —  COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Chipper Jones didn't bow to the pressure of the moment, and it was considerable.  —  Jones was inducted Sunday into the Baseball Hall of Fame, and he stood there delivering his speech with wife …

Braves acquire reliever Brad Brach in trade with Orioles  —  The Atlanta Braves bolstered their bullpen for a run at the National League East title, obtaining right-hander Brad Brach on Sunday in a trade with the Baltimore Orioles for $250,000 of international signing bonus allocation money.

Aaron Hicks fast becoming a key part of Yankees' offense in Aaron Judge's absence  —  The Yankees do not know exactly what they have in Aaron Hicks.  Heck, even the 28-year-old isn't sure where this season will lead for him.  The talent has been obvious since he was a first-round pick of the Twins …

Nathan Eovaldi sharp in debut as Red Sox blank Twins  —  Nathan Eovaldi is ready to be back in the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry.  He knows he'll have the fans on his side in Fenway Park, too, especially after his debut with Boston.  —  Eovaldi pitched seven impressive innings …

Cubs earning ‘bragging rights’ with position-player pitching  —  ST. LOUIS — It's not just a fad anymore, or something to laugh about later.  Major league managers are using their position players on the mound as a strategy — instead of a novelty — to save their bullpen.

Next Slide  —  Detroit Tigers pitcher Blaine Hardy kept his answer simple: He throws well at Comerica Park because it's an “unbelievable pitcher's park.”  —  Hardy, making a spot start in place of Francisco Liriano - who was scratched from Saturday's scheduled start against Cleveland …

Rangers become 1st team to sweep Astros this year, win 4-3  —  Jurickson Profar hit a go-ahead double deflected by the pitcher and stayed in despite getting kicked in the face as the  —  Texas Rangers became the first team to sweep Houston this year, beating the  —  Astros 4-3 Sunday.

Rockies go for sweep against Athletics  —  DENVER — German Marquez, who was reinstated from the paternity list Friday, will start Sunday for the Colorado Rockies when they try to sweep a three-game series from the Oakland Athletics.  —  The Rockies beat the A's 4-1 on Saturday night after taking the series opener 3-1 on Friday.

White Sox outfielders Luis Gonzalez, Blake Rutherford thriving at Winston-Salem  —  Chicago Tribune  —  Eloy Jimenez is far from the only intriguing outfield prospect in the White Sox's system.  —  Teammates Luis Gonzalez and Blake Rutherford of High Class A Winston-Salem have similar offensive numbers …

White Sox Acquire Caleb Frare From Yankees  —  The Yankees have sent left-handed reliever Caleb Frare to the White Sox in exchange for $1.5MM in international bonus pool money, Jack Curry of the YES Network tweets.  —  This is the second time this weekend the Yankees have landed international money …

White Sox looking to Carlos Rodon to build on momentum against Blue Jays  —  Chicago Tribune  —  Is there such a thing as momentum in baseball?  Or is it the next day's starting pitcher?  —  The White Sox will try to ride the wave after rallying from 5-1 down to top the Blue Jays 9-5 on Saturday night.