Francisco Alvarez's blast not enough as Mets drop series finale to Rockies  —  DENVER — For the second day in a row, Francisco Alvarez hit a massive, three-run blast against the Colorado Rockies.  And for the second day in a row, the two teams knotted things up at 6-6 before the Mets collapsed.

Chicago baseball report: The Cubs' bobblehead blunder — and Andrew Benintendi looking to launch for the White Sox  —  Repeated bullpen implosions tend to make a manager's hair turn gray, so be sure to check back on David Ross and Pedro Grifol at the end of the season.

Liam Hendriks' journey from beating cancer to returning to MLB  —  IN MID-DECEMBER, when Liam Hendriks squinted at the PET scan of his body and saw hundreds of spots illuminated by radioactive dye, his first thought was that he looked like his dalmatian, Olive.

Orioles' Cedric Mullins exits game vs. Guardians with apparent lower-body injury  —  Cedric Mullins, the Orioles' center fielder and primary leadoff man, exited Monday's game against the Cleveland Guardians in the eighth inning with an apparent injury to his lower body.

What MLB execs are saying about Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes  —  The lingering feelings from the last time Shohei Ohtani was free to talk to all 30 major league teams, in the fall of 2017, probably range from resignation to frustration to anger, because with the benefit of 20-20 hindsight …

Cubs' Marcus Stroman, with opt out looming, does not want to be traded  —  CHICAGO - Marcus Stroman knows the drill.  He was traded once before at the deadline, in 2019 when the Mets acquired him from the Blue Jays.  If his present team, the Cubs, does not turn around its season, he could be on the move again.

MLB power rankings: Padres keep falling after series loss to Yankees  —  It is not yet getting too late for the San Diego Padres.  Yet it's not unfair to wonder what table scraps will be available to fight for if they right themselves.  —  The Padres, who overcame years of sizzle over substance …

Yankees P Domingo Germán says he'll probably use less rosin  —  NEW YORK — Yankees pitcher Domingo Germán said Sunday he probably will use less rosin on his hands when he returns from a 10-game suspension for using a foreign substance on the mound.

Orioles pitcher Grayson Rodriguez sent down to Triple-A Norfolk after third rough May start  —  Grayson Rodriguez will hopefully be back with the Orioles soon, manager Brandon Hyde said Saturday.  And the club still expects the 23-year-old to eventually be a top-tier MLB starting pitcher.

Yankees Notebook: Aaron Boone suspended for Padres opener  —  The Yankees will open their series against the Padres without their manager.  —  Major League Baseball announced that Aaron Boone has been suspended one game after he was ejected from Thursday's contest against the Orioles.