Nationals shortstop Trea Turner is the latest major leaguer to apologize for offensive tweets  —  Washington Nationals shortstop Trea Turner apologized Sunday night for some years-old homophobic and racially insensitive tweets, becoming the latest in a series of major leaguers to address offensive language they used on social media.

Get ready for playoff baseball in July  —  Who says you have to wait for the fall for baseball to have a postseason feel?  There are three games Monday between teams currently in playoff position.  —  EDITOR'S PICKS  —  As Machado gets used to his new surroundings, we examine how the superstar is fitting into L.A.'s lineup.

J.A. Happ dominant in winning Yankees debut  —  NEW YORK — J.A. Happ had made eight previous starts at Yankee Stadium plus a relief appearance in the final game of the 2009 World Series.  This was different.  —  “It was kind of weird looking down and seeing the pinstripes on me,” he said, “but I'm happy to get used to it.”

Power Rankings: Contenders clash in climb toward No. 1  —  As we count down the hours until the non-waiver trade deadline on Tuesday afternoon, we're finding out just how big a move some teams can make in our Power Rankings.  This week, the Diamondbacks made the biggest jump in the rankings …

Chase Utley is target of a bizarre rant by Braves announcer Joe Simpson  —  Joe Simpson, a former MLB outfielder and the longtime analyst on the Atlanta Braves television broadcast team, has spoken with Chase Utley over remarks he made about the Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman's batting …

Amid roster chaos, pitching experiment, ‘oddball’ Rays still standing  —  BALTIMORE - With one-third of their season remaining, the Tampa Bay Rays appear, on paper, the definition of average: 53 wins, 53 losses, just six fewer runs scored than allowed, another unremarkable campaign lurching toward conclusion.

Yankees' unlikely cleanup hitter looks like he belongs there  —  Aaron Hicks has a simple approach to batting cleanup.  —  “I'm not going to try to hit like a four-hole hitter,” he said.  —  The Yankees' center fielder shouldn't change that philosophy.  —  Hitting there for the fourth …

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 …

As he moves closer to Toronto, an inside look at Blue Jays' prospect Vlad Guerrero Jr.  —  MANCHESTER, N.H. - Vlad Guerrero Jr.'s rather prodigious footprint is prominent throughout this New England town, a minor-league baseball outpost which will be remembered fondly as one of the important stops on his path to potential greatness.

Joe Maddon douses A-Rod's sharp comments about Yu Darvish causing rift in Cubs clubhouse  —  Chicago Tribune  —  Cubs pitcher Yu Darvish has missed more than two months due to right triceps tendinitis, and he made a trip to Dallas last month to be examined by Rangers team doctor Keith Meister.

3 things we learned from the latest Cubs-Cardinals series  —  Chicago Tribune  —  Here are three things we learned from the weekend's Cubs-Cardinals series — in which the Cubs dropped two of three in St. Louis.  —  Bote's instincts were impressive Sunday night, particularly in charging and making two barehanded stops.

Holliday agrees to MLB contract  —  DENVER — The Colorado Rockies have signed former star outfielder Matt Holliday to a minor league contract.  —  The 38-year-old Holliday reported to the Grand Junction Rockies, the organization's Rookie level team on Sunday.

Cincinnati Reds prospect Jose Siri robs home run for Pensacola Blue Wahoos  —  Cincinnati Reds prospect and Double-A Pensacola outfielder Jose Siri appeared to rob a home run Sunday against Biloxi, making a spectacular catch at the wall in the third inning of the Blue Wahoos' 4-3 loss to the Shuckers.

With trade rumors swirling, Zack Wheeler throws six scoreless innings in NY Mets' 1-0 win  —  Zack Wheeler discusses his outing in the 1-0 win over the Pirates Matt Ehalt, Staff Writer, @MattEhalt  —  PITTSBURGH — As trade rumors continue to swirl, Zack Wheeler won't be checking Twitter every twenty minutes Monday.

Cardinals let sweep of Cubs slip away  —  That statement the Cardinals have been seeking, the stand they wanted to make to back their claims, flex their improvement, and reveal an iron-clad grip on a rising trajectory slipped from their fingers late Sunday night.

Goldschmidt, Ahmed, Pollock homer in Arizona's 5-4 win  —  SAN DIEGO — Three home runs, two video reviews that went their way and some nice defense helped the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the San Diego Padres 5-4 Sunday for a three-game sweep.  —  Paul Goldschmidt and Nick Ahmed each hit …