Big game moves don't lead to a big hit in a Reds loss to the Cardinals  —  The MLB playoff race comes with a sense of urgency and leads to the types of aggressive moves that a manager wouldn't make in the dog days of the summer.  Against the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday …

Diamondbacks lean on pitching again, get by Cubs in 10 innings  —  CHICAGO — If, on Friday morning, Torey Lovullo had learned the Diamondbacks would score two runs over their next 18 innings, even his supreme confidence in Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly would not have fostered optimism.

Nightengale's Notebook: Christian Walker emerging from shadows to lead Diamondbacks  —  PHOENIX − He was one of the backup singers on stage with Beyonce.  —  He was that comedy writer for Kevin Hart.  —  He was that body-double for Shohei Ohtani.  —  He is Christian Walker of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Red Sox's James Paxton done for year with knee inflammation  —  BOSTON — Red Sox left-hander James Paxton was placed on the 15-day injured list with right knee inflammation, a move manager Alex Cora said will end his season.  —  “It's been barking at him,” Cora said Sunday at Fenway Park …

Big second inning helps push Hooks past Wind Surge to win series  —  HOOKS 7, WIND SURGE 3  —  Wind Surge: Yoyner Fajardo 1-5, R, 2B; Tanner Schobel 2-4, RBI; Seth Gray 1-4, 2 R; Alex Isola 2-4, RBI; Willie Joe Garry Jr. 1-3, RBI, 2B; Travis Adams (L, 4-10) 5 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 6 K

Derek Jeter returns, Yankees honor 1998 team at Old-Timers' Day  —  NEW YORK — Back at Yankee Stadium and hearing the cheers at age 49, Derek Jeter had some advice for the team he led to five titles.  —  “I'm working on rebranding the name Old-Timers' to something else,” he said.

Dodgers P Walker Buehler won't return to rotation this season  —  Any hopes of Walker Buehler returning to the Los Angeles Dodgers' needy rotation before the start of the postseason were officially dashed Friday when the team announced that Buehler, in the late stages of his recovery …

Injured Orioles closer Félix Bautista plays catch, but Brandon Hyde 'wouldn't put any stock into it'  —  BOSTON — Two weeks to the day after exiting the mound in the ninth inning with a right elbow injury, Orioles All-Star closer Félix Bautista played catch on the field before Friday night's game at Fenway Park.

Michael Kopech is headed back to the Chicago White Sox bullpen — but he'll return to the rotation in 2024: 'He's a starter'  —  DETROIT — Saturday would have been Michael Kopech's turn in the rotation.  Instead, he's headed back to the bullpen.  —  The Chicago White Sox announced …

Exclusive: 25 years later, Mark McGwire still gets emotional reliving 1998 Home Run Chase  —  Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa captured the nation's imagination in the summer of 1998.  Twenty-five years later, the magic from that season lives on.  —  IRVINE, Calif. — Mark McGwire …

Reports: Mookie Betts (foot) leaves ballpark on crutches  —  Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Mookie Betts left LoanDepot Park in Miami on crutches after fouling a ball off his foot Thursday night against the Marlins, according to multiple reports.  —  X-rays reportedly were negative.

At least 14 killed as fierce storms and severe flooding lash southern Europe  —  At least 14 people have died and several remain missing across Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria as torrential rain and severe flooding batter southern Europe.  —  Flooding has claimed at least three lives in mainland Greece …