MATT BUSH

It's been a tough week for the Megill boys.

Cody Bellinger, Brian Anderson and Luke Voit were among 83 players who became free agents when their former teams declined to offer them contracts for next season.

Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina made history with the first pitch of the game, then the record-setting battery helped the St. Louis Cardinals extend their NL Central lead by beating the Milwaukee Brewers 4-1.

The trade market got busy ahead of Tuesday’s deadline, with the New York Yankees acquiring pitcher Frankie Montas from Oakland for four prospects.

Jon Gray pitched six innings of four-hit ball, Adolis García homered and the Texas Rangers beat the reeling Miami Marlins 8-0.

Robbie Ray struck out 12 without a walk over 6 2/3 innings, rookie All-Star center fielder Julio Rodríguez hit a grand slam and the Seattle Mariners have their longest winning streak in more than two decades, beating the Texas Rangers 8-3 for their 12th win in a row.

Mark Appel is proof that even for a No. 1 draft pick, the road to the major leagues is sometimes a bumpy one.

Kyle Tucker hit a tiebreaking pinch-hit homer in the eighth inning and the Houston Astros beat the Texas Rangers 3-2.

Angels manager Joe Maddon ordered the second bases-loaded intentional walk of his career and only the third in the majors since at least 1950, and Shohei Ohtani homered twice to lead Los Angeles past the Texas Rangers 9-6.

Aaron Civale allowed only three singles while pitching six scoreless innings and the Cleveland Indians closed out their 107th and final season under that name with a 6-0 win against the Texas Rangers.

San Diego Padres right-hander Joe Musgrove has thrown the first no-hitter in the history of his hometown team.

(AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)NEW YORK Baseballs amateur draft is about to enter the next phase of its ongoing development same as all those young prospects picked every year. Even before the coronavirus pandemic, the 2020 version was ticketed for a move to Omaha, Nebraska, to coincide with the College World Series there. But with the top pick in the second June amateur draft in 1966, the New York Mets swung and missed. All that hype came to full fruition a decade later, when he was the World Series MVP as the Nationals won the franchises first championship last year. Prior to Appel, the only top overall picks who failed to reach the majors were Chilcott and left-hander Brien Taylor (Yankees, 1991).