Jim Johnson drew trade interest over the past couple of weeks, but he is now positioned to remain in Atlanta’s bullpen for the rest of the season.

Pirates catcher Francisco Cervelli was out of the lineup Thursday, but not on the disabled list, after leaving Wednesday night’s game early due to injury.

The Orioles have lost their consistency at the plate recently, and as a result have scored three runs or fewer six times in August entering Thursday. But, as the club gets through the notorious “dog days” of summer, second baseman Jonathan Schoop continues to be a staple of the infield.

It’s the experience that sticks with so many who have the opportunity to compete in the Olympics, walking around the Olympic Village and realizing they are among the best athletes in the world. That’s what stood out to Stephen Strasburg as he reflected on being a part of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

In an interview with MLB Network Radio on Thursday, Pirates pitcher Ryan Vogelsong said he forgives the Rockies’ Jordan Lyles, who hit him in the face with a pitch while Vogelsong was batting on May 23, causing him to miss more than two months of the season with facial fractures that required surgery.

They pitched hours and time zones apart on Thursday: the mentor, Matt Garza, in Milwaukee, and the mentee, Luis Ortiz, in Jackson, Miss., for Double-A Biloxi. The two have known each other for years, but until Aug. 1, they pitched in different organizations. That changed when the Brewers acquired Ortiz from the Rangers as part of the Jonathan Lucroy trade.

Will the Blue Jays make any major moves before Aug. 31? Beat writer Gregor Chisholm answers this and more in the latest Inbox.

In the span of 46 games, Adam Duvall has fundamentally changed his identity as a hitter. The Reds outfielder burst onto the scene in his first 59 games, batting .258 with 18 homers and a .589 slugging percentage, but he walked in just 3.2 percent of his at-bats. Now his walk rate is higher, but his batting average and slugging percentage dropped significantly.

The Padres announced Thursday that they have signed 19-year-old right-hander Ronald Bolanos. Bolanos, who hails from Cuba, is ranked No. 21 on MLBPipeline.com’s Top 30 International Prospects list.

The matchup of All-Stars Chris Sale and Jose Fernandez will not take place on Sunday at Marlins Park after all. Instead, Miami will start Tom Koehler against the White Sox in the Interleague series finale.

Let’s just say the Giants are thankful. They are hanging on to a one-game lead over the Dodgers in the National League West, and it hasn’t been easy for San Francisco.

Nelson Cruz’s towering home run to center field in the eighth inning snapped a taut tie game and sparked a Mariners rally that gave them a 3-1 victory over the Tigers on Wednesday night at Safeco Field. Seattle swept Detroit in the three-game series and has won a season-high six consecutive games.

Red Sox slugger David Ortiz fouled a ball off his right shin in the ninth inning of Wednesday’s 9-4 loss to the Yankees and limped back to the dugout with the help of manager John Farrell and a member of the training staff, but the club announced after the game that X-rays were negative and Ortiz is day to day.

The Rays had no trouble scoring at Rogers Centre this season — until they ran into the Major League leader in wins on Wednesday. J.A. Happ became the first pitcher to reach 16 wins, while Troy Tulowitzki led the offense with a three-run home run and drove in a season-high five runs in Toronto’s 7-0 victory over Tampa Bay.

The Padres are sure making a habit out of stealing home this season. For the second time this month, Travis Jankowski took an opportunistic break from third base and swiped home in Wednesday’s 4-0 win over the Pirates.

The Cubs continued their hot streak and remained unbeaten in August, winning their ninth straight game Wednesday night with a 3-1 Interleague victory over the Angels at Wrigley Field, thanks to Jason Hammel. It’s the first time the Cubs have opened a calendar month 8-0 since August 1927.

Adrian doing Adrian things.