The Angels have announced their rotation plans for the rest of their critical four-game series against the Athletics.

During Sunday's 5-1 loss to the Astros, Reds first baseman Joey Votto was able to run hard and score from first base on Jay Bruce's fourth-inning triple. “I felt good,” Votto said following the game.

Medication and rest appears to have helped Reds third baseman Scott Rolen and his back. Rolen, who had not been in the lineup since Sept. 4, entered as a pinch-hitter in the 13th inning of the Reds' 4-3, 14-inning win over the Pirates on Monday. He grounded into a forceout.

First baseman Mark Teixeira won't miss the rest of the season as the Yankees feared, but he will likely be sidelined 10 to 14 days after being diagnosed Monday with an irritation of his Grade 1 left calf strain.

James Shields and B.J. Upton were named the American League's co-Players of the Week on Monday, becoming the first Rays to share the honor and the second pair of teammates this season, along with Angels outfielders Mike Trout and Torii Hunter.

Jayson Werth has been playing exceptionally well since his return from the DL on Aug. 2, and his leadership has helped spark the Nats to the best record in baseball.

Jay Bruce and Ricky Nolasco earned National League Co-Players of the Week honors after the Reds right fielder socked four homers and the Marlins right-hander stymied opposing hitters over two outings.

First baseman Corey Hart was out of the Brewers' lineup on Monday with an injury to his left foot that is troublesome in terms of its timing, if not its severity.

On Monday, four years after his final Brewers win, Ben Sheets returned to Miller Park, his home for eight years before injury ended his time with the club.

The field for the prestigious 2013 Ford C. Frick Award sponsored by the National Baseball Hall of Fame will be narrowed to 10 finalists — three from the pool of 41 names and another seven selected by a Hall of Fame committee.

Braves right-hander Kris Medlen is your Head & Shoulders Mane Man of the Month for August, based on fan balloting at MLB.com.

The Nationals and Orioles are having their best seasons in years, and both teams have reinvigorated baseball in their cities.

Combine Adrian Beltre's numbers — a .316 average, .902 OPS, 30 homers, 89 RBIs (seventh) and 90 runs created — with his dazzling defense at the hot corner, and he is, once again and unsurprisingly, one of the game's most valuable commodities.

Some contenders are looking at what can be considered — on paper, at least — more difficult schedules than others during the final three-plus weeks of the regular season.

The Rangers, Reds and Nationals kept the top three spots in this week's Power Rankings but the Braves and surging Angels have moved right up behind them.

Plenty of pundits and prognosticators projected prior to the 2012 season that the Angels were one of the main teams to beat. It might have taken a lot longer than they thought, and Mike Scioscia's team seems to finally be in agreement.

The Dodgers are spinning their wheels in soft sand, running out of time. It is no mystery why. The engine isn't working.