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.

MLB Trade Deadline 2018: Date, Time and Latest Rumors on Top Names  —  Sunday was a relatively quiet day on the MLB trade front, with the most notable move being the Atlanta Braves' acquisition of Baltimore Orioles reliever Brad Brach.  —  However, the non-waiver trade deadline of 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday …

Jon Lester offers thoughts on young players and social media  —  When former Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester weighed in on the relationship of social media and professional athletes, he naturally did so on Twitter.  —  Preaching due diligence in the curation of a social media account that thousands …

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.”

After previous trade deadline drama, Jesse Chavez relieved to be on the Cubs  —  Reliever Jesse Chavez discusses joining the Cubs, July 21, 2018.  (Mark Gonzales/Chicago Tribune)  —  Chicago Tribune  —  Reliever Jesse Chavez returns Tuesday to PNC Park, where his 11-year major-league career began …

What could happen in the final 24 hours before the deadline?  —  As the trade deadline approaches, it's more about quantity of moves that could be made than the “wow” factor.  Once Manny Machado left Baltimore for Los Angeles, the top closers came off the market and Cole Hamels was traded …

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 …

Rays Christian Arroyo sustains concussion after being hit by pitch at Durham  —  Rays INF Christian Arroyo sustained a concussion after being hit on the helmet by a pitch Sunday playing for Triple-A Durham.  —  Arroyo was batting with one out in the ninth and Durham losing 7-3 …

Indians Focused On Adding Center Fielder  —  The Indians are “focused” on adding a center fielder in the 23 hours leading up to Tuesday's non-waiver trade deadline, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney.  His colleague, Jerry Crasnick, offered plenty of additional insight into the matter earlier this morning as well (all Twitter links).

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.

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.