The pair had a laugh.

In the top of the eighth inning of Monday night’s 11-8 win, a sea of Cubs fans erupted at Great American Ball Park as third baseman Kris Bryant trotted around the bases. Bryant, who went 5-for-5, had just hit his third homer on a night he became the first player in modern MLB history, dating back to 1913, to record three home runs and two doubles in one game.

Right-hander Lucas Giolito will make his Major League debut for the Nationals tonight against the Mets’ Matt Harvey. Giolito, MLB Pipeline’s No. 1 prospect, will start in place of right-hander Stephen Strasburg, who was placed on the disabled list Monday with an upper back strain after missing his last two starts.

Double your fun!

An intriguing issue was raised Monday, but not answered: Will the Giants scrap using a designated hitter when Madison Bumgarner starts Thursday at Oakland and let the adept-hitting pitcher take his cuts instead?

The first item on Jay Johnson’s to-do list after he took the Arizona coaching job last June was to shore up a commitment from J.C. Cloney. He caught a 6 a.m. flight the day following his introductory press conference to visit the Castaic, Calif., home of Cloney, who had agreed to play for Johnson’s predecessor, Andy Lopez.

That’s one lucky bird.

Entering the final 72 hours of the 2016 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Ballot, it seems increasingly likely that Major League Baseball’s tradition of surprising late-surge selections will continue as fans decide the starting position players for the 87th All-Star Game presented by MasterCard on July 12 in San Diego.

Despite Minnesota’s win-loss record and Byung Ho Park’s recent struggles at the plate, it’s evident the Twins are gaining a following in Korea, as Minnesota Twins hats and jerseys are easily spotted among the crowds at Gocheok Sky Dome, the new home of the Nexen Heroes.

Evan Longoria sits atop several Rays career leaderboards, but their struggles this season pose an interesting dilemma.

The final play of Chad Kuhl’s Major League debut summed up his triumphant outing. After a wild pitch bounced off the brick behind home plate in the fifth inning, catcher Chris Stewart chased the ball down and tossed it to Kuhl, who didn’t hesitate as he caught the ball and lunged head-first to tag out Justin Turner at home plate.

Sparked by one rookie on the mound and another in right field, the Pirates beat the seemingly unbeatable Clayton Kershaw on Sunday night at PNC Park, riding a four-run second inning to a 4-3 victory over the Dodgers.

Here are the Top GIFs from Sunday’s games, courtesy of @MLBgifs.

It was bound to happen sometime, but the way the Cubs played the first seven weeks of the season, it was starting to look as if they were exempt from any sort of significant losing spell that even the best of teams experience over the course of a long season.

The Tigers’ bullpen showed resilience this week, eventually winning two games in which it initially blew a save opportunity. For its efforts, Detroit was honored with the Bullpen of the Week award presented by The Hartford.

Noah Syndergaard leads the Mets into an important series with the first-place Nationals, while Jake Arrieta and Troy Tulowitzki return to ballparks that contain happy memories for both players.

The stage is set for Sunday, when the first professional contest of any sport will be played on an active military base. And what a stage it is. The location is Fort Bragg, the United States Army installation in North Carolina, and the sparkling, newly constructed 12,500-seat ballpark that will host the Atlanta Braves and Miami Marlins.