The small-market Brewers traveled to Los Angeles to start the second half and greeted the free-spending Dodgers the same way they did before the break in Milwaukee, once again pulverizing the club with the sport’s highest payroll.

And it boosted them to a season-best No. 3 position in USA TODAY Sports' power rankings. They supplanted the Dodgers in that spot, a battle that would seem an unfair fight on paper. After all, the Brewers tote a payroll of around $120 million;

MLB insider Jeff Passan of ESPN predicts that the Chicago Cubs will go "really big" at the trade deadline in search of a new starting pitcher.

That focused attitude will influence how the Cubs approach the July 31 trade deadline. The contrarian manager is an extension of Jed Hoyer’s front office, which obsesses over depth and knows from experience that things can quickly go sideways.

This affiliate content is not influenced by our advertising relationships, but AP and Data Skrive might earn commissions from our partners’ links in this content.

Its Monday, July 21 and the Royals (48-52) are in Chicago to open a series against the Cubs (59-40). Noah Cameron is slated to take the mound for Kansas City against Ryan Brasier for Chicago. The Cubs have now won four of their last six following a weekend series win over the Red Sox.