Toronto Blue Jays right fielder George Springer looks to carry his hot streak into a three-game series against the visiting Tampa Bay Rays that begins on Tuesday night. Springer had two home runs, a double and three RBIs on Sunday afternoon to help Toronto earn a 5-4 victory over the Detroit Tigers in the finale of a three-game set. The Blue Jays had dropped the first two games of the series. Toronto did not play on Monday, while Tampa Bay lost 9-1 to the New York Yankees to split a four-game wraparound series. Springer struggled early this season and had an on-base-plus-slugging percentage of .559 on June 24. But over his past 21 games, Springer has hit .377 (29-for-77) with six doubles, one triple, eight homers and 25 RBIs. His OPS has increased to .711, and he has 13 home runs and 40 RBIs for the season. "He's back to being an aircraft carrier," Blue Jays manager John Schneider said of Springer. "He's able to say, ‘Get on, I'm going to lead the way.' ... I'm just really, really happy for him." Springer started his hot streak on June 25 by going 3-for-5 with one homer and two RBIs in a 9-4 road victory over the Boston Red Sox. That win moved the Blue Jays to seven games under .500. They will enter Tuesday nine games under .500 (45-54), sitting 4 1/2 games behind the fourth-place Rays in the American League East. "I want us to go out and compete, to leave it all out there every day," Springer said, "to not look at standings or look too far ahead, but just go out there and fight. There are times where guys might get down, but over the next two months, the guys here can lay their groundwork for what we expect next year and in the future." Toronto is scheduled to start right-hander Jose Berrios (8-7, 4.01 ERA) on Tuesday. He is 4-4 with a 4.72 ERA in 11 career starts against Tampa Bay. In his most recent start, Berrios took a loss against the Arizona Diamondbacks on July 13 after giving up five runs on seven hits in four innings. The Rays have yet to officially name a starter, but it is expected that left-hander Tyler Alexander (2-3, 6.19) will get the nod or follow an opener. The Tampa Bay Times reported that Alexander was on the taxi squad on Monday and would likely pitch in the series opener against Toronto. Alexander took a perfect game into the eighth inning against the Blue Jays back on May 17, but he ended up yielding three runs and three hits in his 7 1/3 innings. In six career appearances (four starts) vs. Toronto, Alexander is 1-1 with a 3.82 ERA. Alexander last pitched in the majors on May 30, giving up four runs on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings of relief against the Oakland Athletics. He did not factor into the decision in that outing. Right-hander Ryan Pepiot (infected knee) was scheduled to start on Tuesday but was put on the 15-day injured list. Tampa Bay is hoping Alexander can help it get back on track following the setback against New York. "Every loss is disappointing. There's really no other way to get around it," Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe said. "It sucks we had an opportunity to win another series and take three out of four from the Yankees, but they're where they are for a reason." --Field Level Media

Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford left Seattle's game against the visiting Los Angeles Angels on Monday after getting hit with a pitch on the back of his right hand. Leading off the bottom of the first, Crawford was struck by an 0-1 changeup from Angels left-hander Tyler Anderson, a former teammate with the Mariners. Crawford immediately dropped his bat and clutched his hand while being attended to by a trainer. Crawford eventually went to first base and, after an infield single by Victor Robles, scored on a line-drive single by Cal Raleigh. However, Crawford didn't take the field in the top of the second, with first baseman Dylan Moore moving to short and Luke Raley entering the game to play first. Crawford, 29, is batting .204 with a .299 on-base percentage, a .347 slugging percentage, nine homers and 32 RBIs in 77 games this season. --Field Level Media

Hunter Greene received some rare run support on Monday and pitched the visiting Cincinnati Reds to a 4-1 win over the Atlanta Braves in the opener of their three-game series. The win broke Cincinnati's four-game losing streak and handed Atlanta its third straight loss. Greene (7-4) pitched seven innings and allowed only two hits and three walks while recording seven strikeouts. It was his fifth scoreless appearance of the season. Greene has allowed a combined two runs in his past four starts, a stretch of 24 2/3 innings. The right-hander entered the game receiving only 3.63 runs per game in his 19 starts, tied for the fourth-lowest mark among all qualified starters in the National League. Cincinnati's Alexis Diaz allowed a run in the ninth inning on Eddie Rosario's sacrifice fly. Elly De La Cruz, Jeimer Candelario and Atlanta native Will Benson sparked the Reds' offense. De La Cruz went 2-for-4 with a walk and extended his hitting streak to 10 games. He tripled in the first inning, his NL-leading seventh three-bagger, and scored on Candelario's sacrifice fly to shallow right field. De La Cruz manufactured another run when he singled and scored easily on Candelario's double to right field during the third inning. Candelario was 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Benson, who was 1-for-11 in his previous four games, went 2-for-2 with a walk. He hit a solo homer, his 11th long ball of the year, into the right-center-field stands in the third inning. It was Benson's second career homer against the Braves. Atlanta starter Reynaldo Lopez (7-4) pitched six innings and allowed a season-high four runs on seven hits to go along with two walks and five strikeouts. His ERA rose from 1.88 to 2.12. Atlanta's Marcell Ozuna went 2-for-3 with a walk and extended his hitting streak to 10 games. Nacho Alvarez Jr., rated as Atlanta's top position player prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, had his contract selected from Triple-A Gwinnett to replace Ozzie Albies at second base. Alvarez went 0-for-4 in his major league debut. Atlanta third baseman Austin Riley was removed from the game with one out in the top of the ninth when his wife went into labor. --Field Level Media

Chicago Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said Monday that the team is looking at its future, not the 2024 season, when considering deals at the upcoming trade deadline. The Cubs entered the week in fourth place in the National League Central -- just a half-game above the last-place Cincinnati Reds -- but are just 3 1/2 games out of the final NL wild-card spot. "Where we are right now, I would have to say that moves only for 2024 -- unless things change over the next week -- we probably won't do a lot of moves that only help us for this year," Hoyer told reporters. "If moves help us for 2025 and beyond I think we're exceptionally well-positioned. I think that's what our focus will be, but just helping ‘24 probably won't be our focus." The Cubs know how things can change over a few summer weeks. The club stood at 45-51 after July 20 of last season. Chicago won its next eight games and went as many as 12 games above .500 in early September before narrowly missing the playoffs at 83-79. Things took a turn for the worse this year, with losing streaks of five games in May and four games in June hampering any hopes of making the postseason this time around. "We had two months of playing really poorly," Hoyer said. "That put us in a poor position." The trade deadline is July 30, and veterans like starting pitcher Jameson Taillon or relievers Hector Neris and Mark Leiter Jr. may be examples of older players who don't fit into the Cubs' long-term plans. Hoyer feels the Cubs have the organizational depth to return to competing for the playoffs in 2025. "The future is really bright given the farm system," Hoyer said. "I feel really good about how we're positioned for the future and beyond. I think our moves will reflect that at the deadline." --Field Level Media

Tarik Skubal surrendered a career-high 10 hits but only one run over seven innings, rookie Justyn-Henry Malloy clubbed an early two-run homer and the surging Detroit Tigers earned an 8-2 road win over the scuffling Cleveland Guardians on Monday night. Matt Vierling and Mark Canha each added three hits and Colt Keith homered in the ninth for the Tigers, who have won 11 of 14. Skubal (11-3), a Cy Young Award contender, wasn't totally sharp but stranded nine Guardians, yielding one walk and striking out six. Tyler Freeman had three hits for the American League Central-leading Guardians, who have totaled three runs during a three-game skid that has come at home. Carlos Carrasco (3-8) allowed six runs and nine hits over 5 1/3 innings as Cleveland fell to 8-14 since June 26. Detroit wasted no time getting to Carrasco. Vierling opened the game with a double off the 19-foot-high left field wall and scored when Malloy easily cleared that fence for his seventh homer in 36 career games. Malloy recorded his first grand slam in the Tigers' 5-4 loss at Toronto on Sunday. The Tigers added two more in the second. Wenceel Perez singled and scored when Cleveland center fielder Angel Martinez failed in his diving attempt to catch Jake Rogers' sinking liner. The ball got by Martinez, who chased it down then had trouble picking it up, thus allowing Rogers to circle the bases and barely beat the relay throw home for a triple and one-base error. Cleveland got to Skubal in the bottom of the second. Singles by David Fry and Freeman sandwiched a walk to Jhonkensy Noel to load the bases. Then, after Skubal fanned Brayan Rocchio, Austin Hedges laid down a surprise bunt for a two-out, RBI infield single. Perez came through in the sixth. After Canha doubled, Perez one-handed a Carrasco pitch over the head of Martinez for an RBI double. The first of Gio Urshela's two sacrifice flies on the night later in the inning made it 6-1. Cleveland star Jose Ramirez had two hits and an RBI fielder's choice in the ninth. --Field Level Media

Francisco Lindor homered twice and Jeff McNeil also went deep while driving in three runs as the visiting New York Mets salvaged a split of their four-game series with the Miami Marlins, recording a 6-4 win on Monday night. New York starter David Peterson (5-0) worked around constant traffic to earn the win, scattering six hits and two runs in five innings. He walked four and fanned four. Three relievers took care of the rest, with Edwin Diaz bagging his 12th save of the season despite allowing a run in the ninth. Marlins starting pitcher Yonny Chirinos (0-2) absorbed the loss after yielding five runs on nine hits in five innings, walking four and striking out four. New York finished with 11 hits off four Miami pitchers after managing a total of only seven runs in the series' first three games. McNeil initiated the scoring in the top of the second, lining a two-run homer to right field that traveled an estimated 388 feet. It was his eighth homer of the year and third of the series. Miami got a run back in its half of the second thanks to a two-out RBI double by Vidal Brujan. Replays showed that the ball appeared to land in foul ground down by the right field line, but the Mets didn't challenge the call. Brujan was thrown out trying to reach third on the play, ending the inning. New York made it 4-1 in the fourth on McNeil's sacrifice fly that scored Jose Iglesias, who led off the inning with a triple, and Lindor's solo home run that struck the facing of the second deck in right field. Iglesias upped the margin to 5-1 in the fifth with an easy RBI, getting plunked by a Chirinos pitch with the bases loaded. Josh Bell got the run back for the Marlins in the bottom of the frame with his 10th homer of the year, a solo shot. Bryan De La Cruz got Miami within 5-3 in the seventh with a solo shot to left, his team-leading 17th home run of 2024. But Lindor gave the Mets insurance in the ninth, blasting his 19th homer. --Field Level Media

Nick Gonzales hit a go-ahead single in the eighth inning and Pirates starting pitcher Mitch Keller was effective through seven to help Pittsburgh earn a 2-1 win over the visiting St. Louis Cardinals on Monday. Gonzales knocked a one-out sinker from reliever John King (3-2) into right field to drive in Bryan Reynolds, who hit a leadoff single and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Keller allowed one run on six hits, with three strikeouts and two walks. Aroldis Chapman (2-4) tossed a perfect eighth, and David Bednar gave up one hit in the ninth while logging his 18th save. Oneil Cruz hit an RBI single and Rowdy Tellez produced two hits as Pittsburgh won for the seventh time in eight games. Nolan Gorman homered and Paul Goldschmidt had two hits for the Cardinals, whose two-game winning streak ended. In a 1-1 game, Pittsburgh threatened in the seventh but couldn't capitalize. Jack Suwinski singled with one out and advanced to third on Joshua Palacios' pinch-hit single to right field. Joey Bart reached on a fielder's choice with a one-hopper to third, but Suwinski was tagged out at the plate to keep the game even. Palacios and Bart were left stranded when Andrew McCutchen grounded out. After leaving four runners on base through the first four innings, the Cardinals wasted little time in the fifth to tie it up. Gorman connected on a second-pitch curveball to lead it off, knocking it off the right field foul pole to make it 1-1. St. Louis had an opportunity to take the lead in the frame. Pedro Pages followed the home run with a single and Willson Contreras drew a two-out walk. That brought up Brendan Donovan, and the left fielder made contact for a ground ball that appeared to be headed down the right field line but was denied on by a diving catch from Tellez at first base. The Pirates opened the scoring in the third. Andrew McCutchen extended his hitting streak to eight games with a one-out double to left field. After Reynolds grounded out, McCutchen scored on Cruz's single to left to give the hosts a 1-0 lead. Cardinals starter Andre Pallante went six innings and gave up one run on three hits while fanning three and walking two. --Field Level Media

Carlos Rodon pitched seven dominating innings and the New York Yankees tied a season high by hitting five home runs to beat the visiting Tampa Bay Rays 9-1 on Monday afternoon for a split of the four-game series. The Yankees improved to 10-20 in their past 30 games since getting off to a 50-22 start thanks to Rodon's best showing since his last win on June 10 at Kansas City. Rodon (10-7) entered with an 0-5 record and a 9.67 ERA in his previous six starts but allowed two hits and two walks and struck out 10 while matching his longest outing of the season. He did not allow a hit until Jose Siri homered into the right field seats with one out in the fifth. After that, Rodon struck out Jose Caballero and Jonny DeLuca and finished his outing with two more strikeouts in the seventh. Austin Wells (3-for-5) and Anthony Volpe hit back-to-back homers off Zack Littell (3-7). DJ LeMahieu also homered to snap an 0-for-18 slump, and Juan Soto (3-for-5, four RBIs) went deep in the seventh inning and eighth innings. Oswaldo Cabrera added a two-run single for the Yankees, who collected 15 hits. Wells hit a 1-1 slider into the right field seats for his seventh homer to open the scoring in the second. Volpe followed by hitting an 0-1 slider to left field for his first homer since May 16. It was the third time this season the Yankees hit back-to-back homers. LeMahieu, who entered the game hitting .177, gave the Yankees a 5-1 lead in the fifth by hitting Littell's 0-1 sweeper to left field. It was LeMahieu's first homer since Sept. 5, 2023, and came a day after the Yankees rested the two-time batting champion. Soto padded the lead by hitting his 24th homer in the seventh and then got his 21st career multi-homer game in the eighth. Cabrera and Trent Grisham opened the inning with singles, and reliever Kevin Kelly fanned LeMahieu and Ben Rice before Soto's first-pitch dinger. Littell allowed five runs on nine hits in 5 2/3 innings. A former Yankee minor leaguer, Littell struck out six, walked two and tied a career worst by allowing three homers. --Field Level Media

Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout is slated to being a rehab assignment at Triple-A Salt Lake on Tuesday as he nears his return to the majors after a knee injury sustained on April 29. Trout is expected to return to the Angels later this week, possibly as soon as Thursday against Oakland. Trout underwent surgery to repair meniscus damage in his left knee. "He's biting at the bit to get here," Angels manager Ron Washington told reporters. "But he has to go play in the outfield. He did a lot of work in the outfield, doing a lot of things he would have to do at game time. But you can't recognize if it's effective until you go through real games. "We are waiting for him to react in game conditions. As soon as he's ready, we're going to have our arms wide open to welcome him back." Trout, a three-time American League MVP, traveled to the Angels' spring-training complex in Arizona on Saturday. He has been facing live pitching to prepare for playing in Salt Lake City. Trout, an 11-time All-Star, was batting .220 with 10 homers and 14 RBIs in 29 games this season. He was unable to figure out how he hurt the knee. Once Trout is back with the Angels, he'll see some of his playing time as designated hitter in addition to his customary center field. "It's going to be a huge boost," Washington said. "I know he might have a little problem trying to get his offense where he wants it. But his presence for us is more important than his performance. So we're going to be very happy to have his presence, because he's one of those guys that can make everybody else better just by being there." Trout's visit to Salt Lake City will have some familiarity. He played 20 games for the Salt Lake Bees in 2012 before his promotion to the majors. He batted .403 with one homer and 13 RBIs in 77 at-bats with the Bees and then went on to win American League Rookie of the Year honors with the Angels. --Field Level Media

The New York Yankees held a moment of silence prior to Monday's game for Rachel Minaya, wife of team executive Omar Minaya, who died over the weekend at age 55. Rachel Minaya was found dead Saturday in the New Jersey home she shared with Omar Minaya, though he was not at home at the time, according to the New York Post. A cause of death has not been revealed, though suicide was ruled out, per the report. The Minayas have two adult sons, Justin and Teddy. The Minayas were married for more than 30 years, per the report. The Yankees paid tribute to Rachel Minaya in a statement released on Monday. "The Yankees are devastated to learn of the passing of Rachel Minaya, the wife of Yankees Baseball Operations Senior Advisor Omar Minaya," the statement read. "To those closest to her, she was a loving and compassionate mother and wife, and a huge supporter of her family and loved ones. "In a very short time, Omar has become a beloved member of the Yankees organization, where he regularly displays his unique ability to connect with people of diverse backgrounds. Over the course of his distinguished career in the game, he has freely given to others with kindness and friendship, and in this unthinkable time, we offer Omar, his sons Justin and Teddy, and their family and friends our profound condolences. His family is an extension of the baseball family, and this is a loss that is deeply felt among all of us." Omar Minaya is a senior adviser to Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, a post he started in 2023. He was GM of the New York Mets from 2004-10 and later a special assistant with the Mets from 2017-20. He was also GM of the Montreal Expos from 2002-04 before the franchise moved to Washington. Mets owner Steve Cohen and his wife Alex offered their condolences in a statement released on Monday. "We were tremendously saddened to learn of Rachel Minaya's passing," the statement read. "Omar had a substantial impact on our organization and his wife, Rachel, was always by his side every step of the way. The Minayas have been dear friends of ours for years and we extend our deepest condolences to Omar's entire family and loved ones." --Field Level Media

The Washington Nationals will go for their fourth straight win when they open a three-game series against the visiting San Diego Padres on Tuesday. Both teams scuffled into the All-Star break but bolted out of it. Washington had lost six of eight before the break and the Padres, who took two of three over the weekend, dropped six of seven. Right-hander Randy Vasquez (2-5, 4.57 ERA) pitches the opener for San Diego. Vasquez has allowed two earned runs or fewer in each of his past four starts. Last time out, he gave up two runs on four hits in five innings of a loss to the Braves. Vasquez was acquired from the Yankees in December as part of the package exchanged for slugger Juan Soto. On Tuesday, Vasquez will likely face a Nationals lineup that includes CJ Abrams and James Wood, two of the players obtained by Washington from San Diego in exchange for Soto back in 2022. The Nationals came out of the break planning on using a four-man rotation for a bit given the off days, but now they're instead going back to a five-man unit, enabling them to give several pitchers -- including rookie Mitchell Parker -- an extra day of rest. "Exactly, that's what it boils down to," manager Dave Martinez said. "We want to try to give these guys as much rest as we possibly can. Some of these guys are going to pitch a lot more than they have in the past, so we're trying to just stretch this out a little bit." One possibility for Tuesday is rookie left-hander DJ Herz, who would need to be called up from Triple-A Rochester. In seven starts with Washington during June and early July, Herz went 1-3 with a 5.17 ERA. He twice struck out 10 or more batters. Wood's late three-run homer off reliever Justin Wilson helped the Nationals upend the Reds 5-2 on Sunday and complete the sweep. "I just felt comfortable going up there," Wood said. "I'd seen the guy (Saturday), so it was still pretty fresh in my head. I just felt like I had a good plan and was able to get a good pitch to hit." Wood, 21, has two homers and 12 RBIs in 17 games since being called up from Rochester. Michael King allowed one run over seven innings Sunday as the Padres took the rubber game from the Guardians, 2-1. San Diego starting pitchers allowed just two runs in the series. "Our starting pitching was tremendous," Padres manager Mike Shildt said. "Our pitching the whole series was really, really good." Thanks to that pitching, and some timely hitting, San Diego opened the second half with a series win against the team that entered the weekend with the best record in the American League. "We've got to play like this the rest of the way, to accomplish what we want to accomplish," San Diego third baseman Manny Machado said. San Diego is among a group of teams toggling back and forth between the final NL wild-card spot and missing the playoffs, while the Nationals are farther back but still in the hunt as the trade deadline approaches. --Field Level Media

One start into his return from Tommy John surgery, Colorado Rockies right-hander German Marquez was put on the 15-day injured list on Monday with right elbow inflammation. The move is retroactive to Friday. In a corresponding move, the Rockies recalled right-hander Noah Davis from Triple-A Albuquerque. Marquez, 29, faced the New York Mets on July 14 in his first start since April 26, 2023, 16 days before he underwent surgery. In four innings, Marquez allowed three runs on five hits while walking four and striking out three on 70 pitches. In that game, Marquez passed Jorge De La Rosa for the franchise lead in strikeouts with 986. The veteran righty also ranks among Colorado's all-time top five in wins, ERA and innings. Davis, 27, has a 9.00 ERA in one three-inning relief outing for the Rockies this season. In 10 career games (six starts) for Colorado, Davis is 0-4 with a 9.00 ERA in 34 innings. --Field Level Media

The Los Angeles Dodgers designated veteran left-hander James Paxton for assignment Monday to begin a rotation transformation. The Dodgers called up right-hander River Ryan to make his major league debut Monday night against the San Francisco Giants. On Wednesday, Los Angeles anticipates the return of right-hander Tyler Glasnow from the injured list, and Clayton Kershaw is set to make his season debut Thursday after undergoing shoulder surgery. "It's a big week," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said before Sunday's game against the Boston Red Sox. "... Getting our pitching back in line, it's starting to look more like our ballclub." Paxton, 35, was signed in the offseason and has been solid for the Dodgers, going 8-2 with a 4.43 ERA over 18 starts and 89 1/3 innings. He has not pitched 100 innings in a season since 2019. In his start Sunday against the Red Sox, Paxton gave up a two-run home run to Jarren Duran on his third pitch of the game. He recovered and didn't allow another run over his five-inning outing to earn the win as the Dodgers' offense rallied. Paxton will make all $13 million of an incentive-laden contract he signed in the offseason. His last performance bonus was reached Sunday when he made his 18th start and added the final $1 million to his deal. He had a $4 million salary, with a $3 million signing bonus and a $2 million bonus for making the starting rotation plus other incentives for reaching specific start totals. In 11 major league seasons, Paxton is 72-40 with a 3.76 ERA over 174 starts for the Seattle Mariners (2013-18, 2021), New York Yankees (2019-20) and Boston Red Sox (2023). Ryan, 25, is a former two-way player who also was an infielder. In eight minor league starts this season (16 1/3 innings) he has a 2.22 ERA with no decisions. Ryan was an 11th-round draft pick by the San Diego Padres in 2021 and was acquired by Los Angeles in a 2022 trade. --Field Level Media

The New York Mets designated right-hander Cole Sulser for assignment in order to open a spot on the 40-man roster for catcher Logan Porter. Sulser, 34, had a 9.64 ERA in four relief appearances for the Mets this season. He is 7-13 with a 4.06 ERA in 133 lifetime appearances for five different clubs. Porter, 29, was signed to a minor league deal last week with the intention of adding him to the 40-man roster. Porter, who played 11 games with the Kansas City Royals last season, was assigned to Triple-A Syracuse. --Field Level Media

The Seattle Mariners selected the contract of infielder/outfielder Jason Vosler from Triple-A Tacoma on Monday and optioned infielder Ryan Bliss to the minor leagues. Vosler, 30, is set to make his Mariners debut. He has 97 games of experience over three seasons with the San Francisco Giants (2021-22) and Cincinnati Reds (2023), batting .210 with 10 home runs and 31 RBIs. Bliss, 24, batted .220 with one home run and seven RBIs in 31 games for Seattle this season after making his major league debut May 27. --Field Level Media

The view beyond the outfield at Wrigley Field is about to undergo a major change after the Chicago City Council approved a plan to replace three buildings just beyond right field with a single five-story apartment building. The three apartment buildings set to be torn down had their rooftop views blocked by a massive scoreboard that was installed just beyond the right-field wall in 2015. One of the buildings set for the wrecking ball had a sign that read "Eamus Catuli!" or "Let's go Cubs!" in Latin. "After months of hearing directly from residents and community members, I chose to support the proposed development on Sheffield Avenue and I was glad to see the development receive the full support of the City Council," Alderman Bennett Lawson said in a statement to NBC Chicago. "The area surrounding Wrigley Field holds so much significance for many people across our city, so I understand the emotion about the project." The new five-story apartment building will include 29 units and 11 parking spots. The area in and around Wrigley Field has undergone major renovations since 2014. That includes the expansion of the famed bleachers and an expanded 30,000 square-foot clubhouse for the Cubs, a plaza area outside the ballpark on the left-field side, and a new six-story office complex to house team administrative offices. --Field Level Media

Outfielder David Dahl is back in the Philadelphia Phillies organization on a minor league contract, The Athletic reported Monday. The news comes less than two weeks after Dahl was designated for assignment by the club and declined a minor league deal. Dahl, 30, batted .207 with three home runs and eight RBIs in 19 games with the Phillies this season. He has played in just 23 games over the past three major league seasons. Dahl elected free agency after he was designated for assignment on July 9. He was assigned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Over seven career seasons, Dahl is a career .268 hitter with 46 homers and 169 RBIs in 350 games with the Colorado Rockies (2016, 2018-20), Texas Rangers (2021), San Diego Padres (2023) and Phillies. He was a National League All-Star in 2019. --Field Level Media

The Atlanta Braves agreed to a contract with second baseman/outfielder Whit Merrifield on Monday. The signing comes one day after All-Star second baseman Ozzie Albies fractured his left wrist. Merrifield, 35, was released by Philadelphia on July 12 after batting .199 with three homers in 53 games. Merrifield is a career .281 hitter with 93 homers, 481 RBIs and 212 steals in 1,105 games with the Kansas City Royals (2016-22), Toronto Blue Jays (2022-23) and Phillies. He is a three-time All-Star and three-time league leader in stolen bases. Merrifield had signed a one-year, $8 million deal with Philadelphia. He will receive a prorated portion of the $740,000 major league minimum from the Braves, per ESPN. The Braves officially placed Albies on the 10-day injured list, with an anticipated absence of eight weeks. He is batting .258 with eight homers and 46 RBIs in 90 games. Atlanta made three other corresponding transactions Monday, calling up infielder Nacho Alvarez from Triple-A Gwinnett, optioning outfielder Eli White to Gwinnett and designating outfielder Forrest Wall for assignment. --Field Level Media

The Red Sox coming to Denver reminds Colorado fans of the magical 2007 season. The Rockies made an improbable run to the World Series, winning 21 of 22 games to capture the National League pennant, only to be swept by Boston. Those memories will be plentiful when the Red Sox and Rockies start a three-game series at Coors Field on Monday night. The Rockies will send lefty Austin Gomber (2-6, 4.61 ERA) to the mound while Boston will counter with right-hander Tanner Houck (8-6, 2.54). Colorado is coming off a series win against the San Francisco Giants but missed a chance to sweep them after Sunday's 3-2 loss. A win Monday would ensure at least a .500 homestand coming out of the break, and Gomber will be tasked to hold down the Red Sox lineup. Gomber has faced them just once, June 14, 2023, at Boston and took the loss after allowing three runs on six hits over six innings. Colorado's bats have heated up in July despite going just 8-9. The Rockies have homered in nine straight games, including Brendan Rodgers' two-run shot on Sunday. "We're swinging the bats better," manager Bud Black said. "The power is starting to show up, which we talked about the first half not being there. Since the middle part of June, the homer has shown up. You've got to homer in this park to be a winning team." Colorado batters also strike out a lot, too. They racked up 15 on Sunday and lead the NL with 960 on the season. The Red Sox were swept at the Los Angeles Dodgers to open the second half of the season after winning 10 of 13 games before the All-Star break. They trailed 9-3 entering the ninth on Sunday night, rallied for three runs and had the tying run to the plate before falling 9-6. Monday was supposed to mark shortstop Trevor Story's first game in Denver since signing with Boston after the 2021 season. Story broke in with the Rockies in 2016 and hit 158 homers over six seasons with the club before leaving. However, Story suffered a left shoulder injury a week into the season and had surgery that was expected to keep him out six months. He told reporters there is a chance he could return in 2024. "It's too early to say if that's going to happen or not, but always in my mind, it's something that, obviously, if there's a chance to play in the playoffs, this is why I came to Boston," he said. He won't be in the lineup on Monday to help Houck, who is putting together a solid season. He is slated to make his 20th start of the season, and his team is 13-6 in his outings. Houck, who has never faced Colorado in his five-year career, has failed to pitch into the sixth inning just twice. He is coming off an impressive outing against Oakland on July 11 when he tossed six shutout innings and allowed just two hits. --Field Level Media

After struggling to find the strike zone before the All-Star break, Michael Lorenzen vowed to be better in the second half for the Texas Rangers. The right-hander's first chance at improvement comes Monday night in Arlington, Texas, when the Rangers host the Chicago White Sox to begin a four-game series. Lorenzen's 44 walks issued this season are tied for the 10th-most in baseball even though he ranks 83rd with 92 innings pitched. In his most recent start on July 10, Lorenzen (5-5, 3.52 ERA) walked four and hit a batter on top of the five hits he allowed, which added up to five earned runs in a 7-2 Texas road loss to the Los Angeles Angels. It marked Lorenzen's third consecutive outing with at least four walks. Lorenzen said he has been trying to throw harder than necessary, which has weakened his pitch quality. His solution? "Just stepping off the gas a little bit and knowing that 90-93 (mph) is good enough, especially if I'm using my whole pitch mix," he said. The 10-year veteran promised to adjust accordingly and "come back strong" after the break. "I hate to lose, but sometimes it takes getting punched in the face like that to make a change," Lorenzen said. Fortunately for Lorenzen, the White Sox have the second-lowest walk rate in baseball, drawing free passes across 7.1 percent of their plate appearances. Chicago's offense as a whole has been dormant so far out of the All-Star break. The White Sox managed one run in each of their three losses and were outscored 17-3 at the Kansas City Royals over the weekend. Sunday's 4-1 setback marked Chicago's seventh straight loss, which deteriorated its major league-worst record to 27-74. The club is on pace to finish 43-119, which would tie the 2003 Detroit Tigers for the worst record over a 162-game season in major league history. "I'm a competitor at the end of the day and want to win baseball games," White Sox manager Pedro Grifol said after Sunday's loss. "That's the most important thing at the major league level. But there is a process to this thing we're going through right now. It hurts." Shortstop Paul DeJong has faced Lorenzen the most among Chicago's current hitters. Over 18 at-bats, DeJong has tabbed for Lorenzen for five hits -- including two home runs -- and six RBIs. Lorenzen, 32, is 1-0 with a 2.50 ERA across eight appearances (five starts) against the White Sox, who will send Erick Fedde (7-3, 2.99) to the mound on Monday. Fedde, a 31-year-old in his seventh major league season, will face the Rangers for the first time. He finished strong leading into the All-Star break, allowing one run over 11 innings in his past two starts. The right-hander last pitched on July 10, when he scattered four hits over five scoreless frames in Chicago's 3-1 home win over the Minnesota Twins. Fedde will face a Texas squad that was kept in check during most of a three-game home series against the Baltimore Orioles. The Rangers struck out 10 times in Friday's 9-1 loss and 13 times in Saturday's 8-4 setback. Jonah Heim's three-run homer on Sunday was enough to help Texas salvage the series with a 3-2 win. Heim has nine home runs this season, half as many as Corey Seager's team-leading total. DeJong leads the White Sox with 16 long balls. --Field Level Media

When Seattle manager Scott Servais was asked if Julio Rodriguez would be back in the lineup Monday night when the Mariners open a three-game series against the visiting Los Angeles Angels, he reminded a reporter that he's "not a doctor." "We'll let you know (Monday)," Servais said. "I'm not sure." Rodriguez, the Mariners' star center fielder, suffered a right ankle sprain when crashing into the wall while attempting to make a catch in the sixth inning Sunday afternoon in a 6-4 victory against the Houston Astros. Rodriguez crumpled to the warning track and immediately clutched his ankle. After receiving medical attention, he gingerly walked off the field. Servais said X-rays were negative. "He's got a little bit of an ankle sprain," Servais said. "What I've been told is he's going to be day to day. We'll see where it's at (later). So hopefully, knock on wood, we escaped something there. "It was a heck of a collision to run into the wall. That wall is not moving and that's a big dude who is really moving fast, so you're concerned. But when you get out there and you (see him) start putting a little weight on it and realize he just twisted it and got it caught up in the wall ... hopefully we can escape a long absence from him." Rodriguez, who was not made available to the media after the game, was seen walking around the clubhouse without any tape on the ankle. The Mariners, who moved into a virtual tie with the Astros atop the American League West with the victory, can hardly afford to lose Rodriguez, who has recently begun to snap out of a season-long slump. "He's been swinging the bat so well here over the last couple of weeks," Servais said. "We're going to need him. He's pivotal to our offense turning the corner here." Jorge Polanco and Luke Raley homered for the Mariners, who snapped a five-game skid that included three straight losses to the Angels in Anaheim, Calif., heading into the All-Star break. The Angels defeated the host Oakland Athletics 8-5 Sunday for the 5,000th victory in franchise history. Kevin Pillar hit a tiebreaking two-RBI double in a five-run eighth inning and Mickey Moniak homered. It was the Angels' last scheduled trip to the Coliseum before the Athletics move to Sacramento for the 2025 season. "There's so much that has been going on in this place, I'm going to certainly miss it as a guy that's been a coach here, as a guy that watched a lot of young players grow here and now as a guy that came back and managed here," said Angels manager Ron Washington, the longtime A's third base and infield coach. "The crowd is still the same, the people here still love the Oakland A's and it's just a sad thing that things are about to change. In life, there are changes." Angels left-hander Tyler Anderson (8-8, 2.97 ERA) is set to start Monday against Seattle right-hander Bryce Miller (7-7, 3.63). Anderson is 1-2 with a 5.40 ERA in six career starts against Seattle. He faced the Mariners on July 12 in Anaheim, getting a no-decision as the Angels won 6-5 in 10 innings. Anderson allowed four runs in six innings in that game. Miller is 1-0 with a 0.82 ERA in two previous starts against the Angels. He beat them 9-0 on June 1 in Seattle when he allowed three hits over six scoreless innings, with one walk and nine strikeouts. --Field Level Media

A pair of comeback victories followed by a six home-run game have the Los Angeles Dodgers riding some momentum heading into Monday's opener of a four-game series at home against the rival San Francisco Giants. Shohei Ohtani crushed a 473-foot blast among a season-high collection of home runs Sunday as the Dodgers finished off a three-game sweep of the Boston Red Sox with a 9-6 victory. The win came after Los Angeles went 1-6 before the All-Star break. "Everybody was like kind of semi-impressed," Ohtani said through an interpreter of the reaction in the dugout following his long home run. In addition to Ohtani's homer, Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernandez went deep Sunday. But those power bats have shown consistency most of the season. The Dodgers also received home runs from Austin Barnes, Gavin Lux and Jason Heyward. Barnes hit his first of the season, while Lux is off to a fast start after the break following a rough first half. Heyward went yard in his return from the injured list. "It's nice and it makes pitching a lot easier when you get runs like that," Barnes said. "You get six home runs in a game, you better win that game." Los Angeles did win, but Sunday's game left some concerns. Closer Evan Phillips entered the ninth with a six-run cushion but was pulled after allowing the tying run to step to the plate with one out. And back in the fourth inning, shortstop Miguel Rojas left the game with a forearm strain. On Monday, the Dodgers are expected to send right-hander River Ryan to the mound for his major league debut. Ryan, 25, has a 2.22 ERA in eight minor league starts this season. He will be called on to help bridge the gap before Tyler Glasnow returns from the injured list Wednesday and Clayton Kershaw makes his season debut Thursday. The Giants enter after losing two of three on the road to the Colorado Rockies over the weekend. Jorge Soler hit a 478-foot home run and Tyler Fitzgerald delivered a 434-foot blast in Sunday's 3-2 win to help San Francisco avoid a sweep. The Giants are expected to deploy left-hander Blake Snell (0-3, 6.31) on Monday. Snell has made two starts in July after returning from a left groin strain and has not given up a run in a combined 12 innings of a pair of no-decisions. On July 14 against the Minnesota Twins, Snell was perfect through six innings before giving up a single to lead off the seventh. "That's what you get when you get a Blake Snell that's healthy, especially towards the second half of the season," San Francisco manager Bob Melvin said. "That's when he's really, really good." Said Snell: "This year was weird. ... There's a lot there that made it a slow start, but I feel good. I'm just going to continue getting better." Snell is 2-2 lifetime against Los Angeles with a 2.59 ERA in 13 regular-season starts. His most notable outing against the Dodgers came with the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 6 of the 2020 World Series. Snell was pulled with a 1-0 lead despite striking out nine over 5 1/3 scoreless innings. Los Angeles promptly rallied to win the game and the title. --Field Level Media

Two teams looking to rebound from their first loss since returning from the All-Star break will kick off a three-game series Monday night when the Houston Astros visit the Oakland Athletics. Both American League West clubs failed to complete a sweep over a division rival on Sunday. The Astros lost 6-4 at the Seattle Mariners in a duel of the division's top two squads, while the last-place A's squandered a late lead and fell 8-5 to the visiting Los Angeles Angels. Befitting their respective places in the AL West standings, Houston has won six of seven games against Oakland this season. The Astros have outscored the A's 34-12 and have allowed fewer than four runs in each of the seven games. Houston's pitching was similarly stout across Friday's 3-0 win and Saturday's 4-2 victory over the Mariners with first place in the division on the line. Astros relievers were particularly effective in the series, allowing two runs on three hits over 8 2/3 innings. Both runs and all three hits came in Sunday's loss. Houston manager Joe Espada didn't allow any of his three starters to go past six innings in Seattle. Espada's confidence in his bullpen has allowed him to structure a conservative plan for his starters. "It's something we need to watch very carefully," Espada said of his starters' workloads. "We've asked a lot of these guys the last couple of weeks to get back in this race." Next up for the Astros is right-hander Spencer Arrighetti (4-7, 5.63 ERA), who has pitched into the seventh inning just twice in his 17 starts this season. The rookie split a pair of decisions in his first two career starts against Oakland in May, pitching five innings in each. He allowed both A's runs in Houston's 9-2 home win on May 13 before giving up all three Oakland runs in a 3-1 road loss 12 days later. This time around, the 24-year-old will be facing one of the hottest-hitting teams in baseball. Even in defeat Sunday, the A's added five runs to the 13 and eight they put up in wins over the Angels to start the second half. Right fielder Lawrence Butler totaled seven hits, including two doubles and a triple, in the Angels series. That came after he bombed three home runs against the Philadelphia Phillies in the last game before the All-Star break. "We have a lot of guys playing well right now," said designated hitter Brent Rooker, who has three homers and 10 RBIs in his last four games. "The ultimate goal is to be better at the end of the year than we are right now." Left-hander Hogan Harris (1-3, 3.40) will get the ball for Oakland in the series opener. The 27-year-old is 0-1 with a 1.26 ERA in three appearances (one start) against the Astros. In his second big-league appearance last year on May 27, Harris shut out Houston on one hit over five innings of relief in a 6-3 home loss. He was even better when he threw 3 1/3 innings of no-hit relief in an 8-1 road loss against the Astros on May 16. In between, he started a 3-1 home loss to Houston, but allowed just two runs in six innings in that July 20, 2023 outing. -Field Level Media

Both the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Kansas City Royals enjoyed stout starting pitching upon returning from the All-Star break. They will look for more of the same on Monday when the Royals host the Diamondbacks to open a three-game interleague series. Kansas City is coming off a dominant home sweep of the last-place Chicago White Sox. The Royals outscored their lowly American League Central foe 17-3 over the three games, as Kansas City's starters allowed just one run over 23 innings. The Royals cemented the sweep with a 4-1 win on Sunday, using a complete game from All-Star right-hander Seth Lugo, who surrendered just three hits. "What do you say about that," Kansas City manager Matt Quatraro said. "The efficiency, the strike-throwing, all of it was phenomenal. I'm just really happy that he got not only the complete game, but the win. ... He definitely deserved to win that game." Lugo's strong outing came after Brady Singer followed Michael Wacha's seven scoreless innings on Friday with seven shutout frames of his own on Saturday. Offensively, the Royals enter play Monday a confident group, spearheaded by star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. Fresh off his first All-Star Game appearance, Witt tore through Chicago's pitching, finishing the weekend 9-for-11 to boost his batting average to a team-best .337. "I'm just enjoying it up there," Witt said. "Just trying to see the ball and hit the ball. Really not trying to do too much, just keeping it simple." Witt, who scored the go-ahead run in the eighth inning Sunday, is batting .404 at home this season. Kansas City will go for a fourth consecutive win on Monday when it sends 26-year-old left-hander Cole Ragans (6-6, 3.16 ERA) to the mound. Ragans, another first-time All-Star, has gone seven innings in each of his last two starts, allowing three total runs on nine hits. He limited the Boston Red Sox to a run on four hits in Kansas City's 6-1 road win on July 12. Monday will mark his first career appearance against Arizona, who mirrored the Royals' pitching excellence over the weekend. The Diamondbacks' starters combined to allow one run over 17 2/3 innings pitched as Arizona took two of three from the Cubs in Chicago. The visitors were two outs away from taking a three-game sweep on Sunday, but reliever Justin Martinez gave up a game-tying RBI single in the bottom of the ninth. The Diamondbacks eventually fell 2-1 in 10 innings. Starter Brandon Pfaadt pitched seven scoreless innings on Sunday, allowing just one hit, but was pulled with Arizona leading 1-0 before the eighth inning by manager Torey Lovullo. "You can play it out a thousand ways," Lovullo said. "But we won two games in a very tough environment against a very good team, a well-run team. I'll take that." Winners in six of their last eight, the Diamondbacks will start rookie pitcher Yilber Diaz (1-0, 1.50 ERA) on Monday against Kansas City. The 23-year-old right-hander is making just his third career start. In both of his outings as a big leaguer (July 8 vs. the Atlanta Braves and July 13 vs. the Toronto Blue Jays), Diaz has gone six innings, allowing one run on four hits. --Field Level Media