Arizona: C Miguel Montero has five hits in his last 15 at-bats, including three doubles and a triple, and he has four hits and four RBI in his last six at-bats with runners in scoring position. Montero is hitting .356 with 50 RBI with runners in scoring position this season. … 2B Aaron Hill was tied for first through Sunday among NL second basemen in home runs (14) and tied for second in doubles (28). Hill’s home run Saturday was his first since July 19.
Atlanta: RHP Tommy Hanson (back) will be activated from the disabled list and start Friday’s game, manager Fredi Gonzalez said. After that, Gonzalez said, the five current starters will fall in line, creating a six-man rotation until the Braves’ next off day on Aug. 30. … SS Paul Janish went into Monday having committed only one error since joining the Braves on July 15. “He’s a proven defensive talent, and we felt like, for our club, that was the most important aspect of the acquisition,” GM Frank Wren said when he made the trade.
Chicago: RHP Michael Bowden was called up from Class AAA (Des Moines) Iowa, LHP Brooks Raley was sent down and 3B Ian Stewart was transferred from the 15-day to 60-day disabled list to create a spot for Bowden on the 40-man roster. Bowden, whom the Cubs obtained in a trade with Boston in late April, will provide reinforcement to a bullpen that has been busy. Raley is likely to come back Saturday and pitch one of the games in a day-night doubleheader at Cincinnati. … LF Alfonso Soriano’s homer Sunday was the Cubs’ only one in the last seven games.
Cincinnati: 3B Scott Rolen is hitting .358 the All-Star break after hitting .184 before it. Rolen admitted that his struggles at the start of the season shook his confidence. “You start changing things around,” he said, “things that you should be sure of — your process and your approach. … LH closer Aroldis Chapman has saves in his last 16 appearances, a team record. He has not allowed a run since June 24.
Colorado: The game-deciding home run RH closer Rafael Betancourt allowed to Giants RF Hunter Pence on Sunday was the first home run Betancourt has allowed on the road since Aug. 27, 2011. Six of the seven homers Betancourt surrendered last year came on the road. … IF Chris Nelson was in the lineup at third base for the second straight day, the first time he has made back-to-back starts since he started three straight games July 2-4. He missed 18 games was on the disabled list from July 16 to Aug. 6 because of an irregular heartbeat.
Houston: C Jason Castro was activated from the disabled list after missing five weeks because of a sore right knee, and C Carlos Corporan was sent back to Class AAA Oklahoma City. Castro played a total of seven rehab games between Class AA and Class AAA and he went 10-for-18 (.556) with a homer and two RBI. … OF/1B Steve Pearce went into Monday with a career-high seven-game hitting streak. He was hitting .407 (11-for-27) during the streak.
Los Angeles: IF/OF Jerry Hairston Jr. was placed on the disabled list because of left hip soreness thathe said has bothered him for three months. IF/OF Elian Herrera was recalled from Class AAA Albuquerque to take Hairston’s place. … IF Adam Kennedy made his first start at third base since July 23. Kennedy has started 22 games at third base and 14 games at second base for the Dodgers.
Miami: C Rob Brantly, acquired from Detroit last month, was called up from Class AAA New Orleans, where he was hitting .365 with 11 RBI in 14 games. C Brett Hayes was sent down, and RHP Sandy Rosario was transferred from the 15-day to 60-day disabled list to create a 40-man roster spot. … LHP Wade LeBlanc’s turned in his best start of the season Sunday despite taking the loss. His ERA after three starts for Miami is just 1.76.
Milwaukee: RHP Mark Rogers was placed on paternity leave after he left the club Sunday to return to Phoenix, where wife Kerrie was preparing to deliver the club’s first child. Rogers is still expected to rejoin the club in Colorado and make his scheduled start Wednesday. IF Jeff Bianchi was called up from Class AAA Nashville to replace Rogers. … 1B Corey Hart snapped an 0-for-17 drought with his homer Sunday. Before that hit, he was 0-for-11 in the Houston series with five strikeouts and two double-play grounders.
New York: 3B David Wright has 35 doubles this season, nine shy of Bernard Gilkey’s franchise record, set in 1966. At his current pace, Wright will pass Gilkey sometime in September and finish with 49 two-base hits. … SS Ruben Tejada has hit safely in 16 of his last 17 games, mostly batting leadoff. Though manager Terry Collins considers Tejada an ideal second hitter because of his ability to make contact, Tejada has batted leadoff largely because he is second on the team behind Wright in both batting average and on-base percentage.
Philadelphia: OF Nate Schierholtz (broken right big toe) was placed on the disabled list, and 1B Hector Luna was recalled from Class AAA Lehigh Valley (Allentown, Pa.). The injury could end Schierholtz’s season and definitely will if he needs surgery. … 3B Kevin Frandsen made his 14th straight start at third base in place of injured Placido Polanco. He hit safely in 11 of his first 13 starts.
Pittsburgh: RHP A.J. Burnett was moved up one day in the Pirates’ temporary six-man rotation and will pitch Thursday. The move is not only designed to keep Burnett on his regular routine of pitching every fifth day; the Pirates also want to give RHP James McDonald a chance to work out his problems through extra side work with pitching coach Ray Searage. … RF Travis Snider (right hamstring) did not start for the second straight game but was available to pinch hit. He was injured Saturday while running the bases.
St. Louis: 2B Daniel Descalso will get the bulk of the time at that position the rest of the season, manager Mike Matheny said, even though he is hitting only .233, well below Skip Schumaker’s .310. “What he brings to the table defensively warrants him being out there,” Matheny said. … 1B Matt Adams, who hit .244 in an early season call-up, won’t be brought back after Sept. 1 because of lingering elbow issues. Adams is considered the organization’s top power prospect.
San Diego: IF Logan Forsythe made his first major league start at shortstop. He had played parts of two games at short and also played there during a minor league rehab assignment. … 3B Chase Headley went into Monday with career highs of 18 homers and 71 RBI and was tied for the second-most RBI in the National League since the All-Star break with 29. Three of the homers came during a three-game, nine-RBI spree in Pittsburgh.
San Francisco: 1B Brandon Belt, after going 4-for-4 with two doubles Sunday, was in the lineup even though the Nationals were starting LHP Ross Detwiler. Belt had shown signs of snapping out of his funk, hitting .340 (16-for-47) in his last 14 games before Sunday. … INF Marco Scutaro will play multiple positions after 3B Pablo Sandoval comes off the disabled list, manager Bruce Bochy said. Sandoval could get time at first base as well as third and that Scutaro could play as many as three infield spots, according to Bochy.
Washington: The Nationals players have grudgingly accepted management’s decision to shut down RHP Stephen Strasburg sometime in September, The Washington Post reported. “Are we going to pout about it? No. We’re not going to go yell at Rizzo or (manager Davey Johnson). No, it is what it is,” 1B Adam LaRoche told the newspaper. … LHP Ross Detwiler was dealing with sinus and stomach problems Sunday when he gave up five runs in 4 2/3 innings. He said he wouldn’t use his health problems as an excuse.