1:03 AM ET A pair of potential playoff previews heads the schedule on a weekend when the big leaguers share the stage with the Little League World Series. Here’s what has caught our interest: The Dodgers, Astros and Yankees are baseball’s Big Three this season, but since the start of June, the Indians have the

1:07 AM ET Associated Press ATLANTA — Pete Alonso and Amed Rosario helped the New York Mets pile up huge totals of hits and runs. The Mets needed almost all of them to hold off the homer-happy Atlanta Braves. Alonso drove in six runs with five hits, including a three-run homer that helped lead to

5:22 PM ET The Arizona Diamondbacks placed left-hander Robbie Ray on the 10-day injured list Thursday because of lower back spasms. Ray left his start on Wednesday against the Colorado Rockies in the bottom of the third inning because of the spasms. He struck out two, walked two and allowed one run over two innings.

11:53 PM ET PHILADELPHIA — One reunion got off to a great start, while another was anything but impressive, as new Philadelphia Phillies hitting coach Charlie Manuel saw his lineup score 11 runs on Wednesday — eight of them against former Phillies star Cole Hamels. Hamels got a hero’s welcome back to Philadelphia then promptly

11:48 PM ET Associated Press ANAHEIM, Calif. — Albert Pujols had two hits and three RBIs Wednesday and set the major league record for career hits by a foreign-born player, leading the Los Angeles Angels to a 7-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Pujols had an RBI single in the 4th inning. His 3,167th hit

5:08 PM ET Associated Press DENVER — Arizona Diamondbacks left-hander Robbie Ray left in the third inning against the Colorado Rockies with spasms in his lower back. Ray took the mound in the bottom of the third Wednesday before being visited by manager Torey Lovullo. After a brief meeting, Ray slowly walked toward the dugout

9:00 AM ET Sam MillerESPN.com Close ESPN baseball columnist/feature writerFormer editor-in-chief of Baseball ProspectusCo-author of “The Only Rule Is It Has To Work” Introductory news conferences to announce a free-agent signing can get crazy quickly, and — given how unpredictable baseball performance is — it often takes no more than a year before the most

12:33 AM ET Associated Press ATLANTA — All-Star second baseman Jeff McNeil of the New York Mets had to be helped off the field in the ninth inning Tuesday night after he sustained a hamstring injury while trying to beat out a grounder in a 5-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves. McNeil says he felt

12:24 PM ET ESPN News Services Right-handed reliever Greg Holland and the Washington Nationals have reached an agreement on a minor league contract, according to multiple reports Tuesday. The 33-year-old Holland was designated for assignment by the Arizona Diamondbacks last week. He was 1-2 with a 4.54 ERA and 17 saves in 22 chances this

8:21 AM ET ESPN News Services The St. Louis Cardinals are bringing back catcher Yadier Molina from the injured list while outfielder Jose Martinez heads to the 10-day injured list after being injured Sunday. Molina has been out since July 8 with a right thumb tendon stain and missed 28 games. He was out 12