This is when things start getting serious. This is when October plans start becoming real. This is when momentum needs to be grabbed, when contenders need to assert themselves anew on the field, in the clubhouse and on the now-bubbling Hot Stove.

Part of a revealing J.A. Q&A.

Indians No. 8 prospect Francisco Mejia will hit for Class A Advanced Lynchburg against Carolina at 7 p.m. ET on MiLB.TV.

The Aug. 1 non-waiver Trade Deadline could still bring a flurry of last-second deals, but the heavy lifting is already underway.

Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw could return to the starting rotation as early as next Thursday night in Washington, based on a loose timetable manager Dave Roberts provided on Thursday.

The D-backs announced Thursday that they have optioned right-hander Shelby Miller to Triple-A Reno.

No matter what the first half of the baseball season looks like, in the final two and a half months before the playoffs, anything can happen. A division leader can see it all slip away, or an underdog can make a miracle run to October.

Major League Baseball and USA Baseball jointly announced a five-year extension to their partnership agreement on Thursday.

Reached for comment, parents just didn’t understand.

Several injured Pirates are on the mend entering the second half of the season. Pittsburgh ace Gerrit Cole is scheduled to come off the disabled list and start Saturday’s game against the Nationals, his first outing since leaving his June 10 start due to a strained right triceps.

When the Cubs charged into the postseason last October, they were a 97-win team on a 46-19 run. It was clear they would be dangerous despite having two parts of their team that provided their opponents with matchup advantages.

Welcome to the first post-Futures Game Inbox. I decided to spread the questions around in this edition. I’ll be taking a look at the Top 100 (and upcoming re-rank), the Competitive Balance Lottery and a query about unsigned draft picks. Dig in.

One streak came to an end. But the other one, the one to which every baseball fan in America has paid attention with growing fervor and enthusiasm for almost eight full weeks … that one — yes, that one — somehow continues.

The A’s will open the season’s second half against the Blue Jays on Friday with right-hander Daniel Mengden on the mound instead of lefty Rich Hill, who was scratched because of a blister.

The Royals announced Thursday they will visit the White House and President Obama next Thursday, July 21.

We asked a wide variety of current players, managers and coaches to look around the Major League landscape and pick the one guy they think is actually capable of topping Joe DiMaggio’s famed 56-game hitting streak. Our informal survey uncovered a single, clear-cut, vertically challenged but statistically sound victor.

Nearly a full mile of dingers.