Braves pitcher Sean Newcomb nearly throws no-hitter, then has to apologize for offensive tweets  —  Sean Newcomb thought his near no-hitter would be the story of the day.  —  Then he picked up his phone.  —  Newcomb said he had forgotten about racist, homophobic and sexist tweets he sent as a teenager …

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 …

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 …

Marquez pitches 7 2-3 innings as Rockies beat A's, 3-2.  —  DENVER (AP) The Oakland A's came to Denver on a roll.  They are leaving the Mile High City reeling after playing the hottest team in the NL.  —  German Marquez continued Colorado's strong starting pitching, Tom Murphy homered …

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.

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 …