Anthony Rizzo ends homer-less drought as Yankees sweep the Royals  —  Anthony Rizzo slugged his first home run in more than two months Sunday afternoon against the Royals, helping the Yankees complete their first series sweep in just about as long.  —  The first baseman took a moment to admire …

Why Cincinnati Reds don't view Elly De La Cruz post-break slump as ‘any major concern’  —  Cincinnati Reds rookie Elly De La Cruz has struggled since the All-Star break, including strikeouts in nearly half his at-bats.  And the K train picked up a bit more steam since he moved to the leadoff spot Monday.

Hall of Famer Scott Rolen left an impact on the 2023 Reds  —  Over a decade after former Cincinnati Reds third baseman Scott Rolen showed a young Reds team the importance of aggressive base running, the Hall of Famer's message still resonates in the Reds' clubhouse.

Nightengale's Notebook: 10 biggest questions for next week's MLB trade deadline  —  Which teams will make the biggest splash ahead of the Aug. 1 deadline?  —  COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Four months of games are behind us on the baseball calendar.  The All-Star Game has come and gone.  Only a pennant run remains.

Shintaro Fujinami has ‘electric stuff,’ Rays hitters say.  But will he throw enough strikes to bolster the Orioles' bullpen?  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe didn't want to complicate something simple.  —  The six-year veteran faced Shintaro Fujinami three times …

Braves acquire reliever Pierce Johnson from Rockies in exchange for Victor Vodnik and Tanner Gordon  —  The lead up to the trade deadline is underway.  —  The first domino has fallen in the lead up to the trade deadline.  The Atlanta Braves have acquired reliever Pierce Johnson …

Why trade for Denzel Mims?  Detroit Lions believe his ‘traits’ worthy of taking a chance  —  Denzel Mims was a draft bust with the New York Jets, but the Detroit Lions believe his “traits” are worth taking a chance on.  —  “He's a guy that has tools,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said before the first practice of training camp Sunday.

Faedo stops Padres; Tigers' bullpen holds on for 3-1 win  —  Detroit — After watching the Padres' hitters launch five home runs and score 19 runs in the two previous games, Alex Faedo made a business decision.  —  Just called back up from Triple-A Toledo to make the spot start Sunday …

Carlos Carrasco falls flat, Mets lose to Red Sox again with trade deadline inching closer  —  BOSTON — By the end of another disappointing weekend, it was more of the same for the Mets: They keep losing, the trade deadline keeps approaching and Billy Eppler's phone keeps ringing.