It's the final Sunday of July, and subsequently the final set of games before the July 31 trade deadline. The Hall of Fame ceremony was also Sunday. It was Baseballpalooza, basically.

Final scores

Rays 5, Yankees 3 (box score)
Blue Jays 11, Angels 10 (box score)
Tigers 13, Astros 1 (box score)
Reds 6, Marlins 4 (box score)
Phillies 2, Braves 1 (box score)
Rockies 10, Nationals 6; Game 1 (box score)
Royals 5, Red Sox 3 (box score)
Cubs 4, Brewers 2 (box score)
White Sox 3, Indians 1 (box score)
Cardinals 3, Diamondbacks 2 (box score)
Orioles 10, Rangers 6 (box score)
Athletics 6, Twins 5 (box score)
Mariners 9, Mets 1 (box score)
Pirates 7, Padres 1 (box score)
Nationals 3, Rockies 1; Game 2 (box score)
Dodgers 3, Giants 2 (box score)

Beltre records hit No. 3,000

In case you missed it, Adrian Beltre became the 31st player in major league history to tally 3,000 hits. He did so with a fourth-inning double off Orioles lefty Wade Miley. You can check out more of our coverage of Beltre's feat here. 

Hall of Fame induction ceremony

The Baseball Hall of Fame now officially have five new members. Former commissioner Bud Selig, former executive John Schuerholz, former outfielder Tim Raines, former first baseman Jeff Bagwell and former catcher Ivan Rodriguez were all enshrined. Here's a quick roundup of the ceremony.

Dodgers win because that's what they do

This is outrageous. 

The Dodgers tied the game in the ninth and then trailed again in the 11th, only to walk off with a win. The walk-off double came off the bat of rookie Kyle Farmer and it was his first career hit. In fact, it was his first career at-bat. 

The Dodgers are now 74-31, which puts them on pace to win 114 games. Holy smokes. 

Cubs take series in Milwaukee

The trend of the second half with the Cubs and Brewers remained on course, as the Cubs won and took two of three from the Brewers on the road. The Brewers held a 5½-game lead over the Cubs through the first two games after the All-Star break. Since then, the Cubs have gone 11-3 while the Brewers have gone 3-11. That's how a 5 1/2 game lead turns into a 2½-game Cubs lead in just over two weeks. Remarkable turnaround. 

One of the reasons for the Cubs' turn has been starting pitching. They had the best rotation ERA in baseball last season by a wide margin. At the All-Star break, the Cubs ranked 17th in the majors with a 4.66 starters' ERA. After John Lackey allowed two runs in six innings in Sunday's win, the Cubs' starters have an ERA of 2.53 (along with an 11-1 record, by the way), which is the best in the majors. 

Also of note, the go-ahead home run in the top of the seventh inning came from rookie Victor Caratini. It was the first home run of his career and he was playing first base in place of Anthony Rizzo, who is dealing with a minor back injury. Here's the shot:

Not a cheap one, that's for sure. 

The Cubs would add another run the following inning on a Kris Bryant home run before Wade Davis stayed perfect, nailing down his 22nd save in as many chances. 

Rays end Yankees winning streak

The Yankees took back first place in the AL East on the strength of a six-game winning streak, but on Sunday the Rays were able to snap it. 

With the Red Sox loss, the Yankees hold first place, still, by a half-game. The Rays, meanwhile, are 3½ out and trailing the Royals by 2 1/2 games for the second AL wild-card spot. 

White Sox end Indians' streak

The red-hot Indians entered Sunday with a nine-game winning streak and it seemed likely they could push it into double digits, given that they were facing the worst team in the American League. 

Of course, gambling on baseball is a bad idea for many reasons -- the top one being that on any given day it's a totally unpredictable result. 

Carlos Rodon threw the ball well for the Sox, allowing only a run (a solo shot by Francisco Lindor) in 6 2/3 innings while striking out nine. 

On the other side, the Indians lost starter Josh Tomlin after four scoreless innings due to hamstring tightness. 

It was actually a 1-1 tie heading into the bottom of the ninth. Jose Abreu doubled with one out and then Matt Davidson hit the walk-off homer. It was his 21st home run of the year. Have a look:

Even though the Indians have still won nine of their last 10, they only hold a two game lead in the AL Central, because ...

The Royals storm back, are still hot

The Royals loss on Saturday snapped a nine-game winning streak of their own, but they were back at it on Sunday. In fact, this is starting to resemble the 2015 Royals with their penchant of being relentless in coming back. 

Trailing the Red Sox 3-1 heading into the eighth inning, the Royals put a four-spot on the board to steal the victory. Alcides Escobar had a bases-loaded, two-RBI single to tie the game and Alex Gordon immediately followed with a two-RBI triple to grab control of the game. 

Newly acquired Brandon Maurer and closer Kelvin Herrera shut the door in the final two frames and the Royals have won 10 of their past 11 games. They sit in the second AL wild-card spot, leading the Rays by 2½ games. The Royals also trail the Red Sox by only a half-game for the top spot and we already mentioned being two out in the AL Central. 

The Royals also made a trade for a bat on Sunday, as they go for one last run with this nucleus. 

Castillo dominates old organization

Remember how the Marlins traded Luis Castillo as part of a prospect package for Dan Straily? Castillo and Straily faced off on Sunday, coincidentally on trade deadline eve, and guess who came out ahead.

Yes, it was Castillo. The 24-year-old entered the game with a 110 ERA+ and 2.65 strikeout-to-walk ratio in his first seven starts. He improved upon those numbers against his old organization, tossing eight one-run innings while striking out six batters and issuing just one walk. Castillo's changeup was particularly effective, as he induced five whiffs on 26 pitches.

For the record, Straily fared fine himself. Over six innings, he struck out four and permitted two runs on seven hits and two walks. You can forgive the Marlins and their fans, however, if they spent Sunday afternoon requesting a mulligan. 

Verlander shuts down Astros; McCullers shelled again

Tigers legend Justin Verlander has been all over trade rumors for most of the season. The trade deadline is Monday and he took the ball on Sunday. And he was excellent against the best offense in the American League. In six scoreless innings, Verlander allowed five hits while striking out six. 

Verlander now has a 2.25 ERA with 34 strikeouts in 32 innings in his past five starts. Remember, he had a 4.07 first-half ERA last season and then dealt a 1.96 second-half ERA. The latest reporting seems to indicate the Tigers end up holding Verlander, but he's definitely rounding into shape and surely any possible suitors are taking note. 

On the flip-side, the Astros probably need to add a starter before the playoffs. McCullers came into Sunday with a 9.88 ERA in his last three starts. Then the Tigers dinged him up for five runs on eight hits in five innings. He also walked four against four strikeouts. 

If McCullers' struggles continue, who would be the Astros' No. 2 starter in the playoffs? Brad Peacock, Mike Fiers, Collin McHugh or McCullers? Maybe Charlie Morton? 

To be sure, there's no one terrible in there, but it's not exactly looking like a lock-down playoff rotation after ace Dallas Keuchel. 

The trade deadline looms and there are supposedly some frontline arms available. Stay tuned. 

Cutch goes deep three times in Petco

Even with the fences having been moved in from where they were originally, San Diego's Petco Park is still very pitcher-friendly. Entering Sunday, only five parks had been better at suppressing home runs this season, for example. 

Still, Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen hit three homers in Petco on Sunday in a Pirates victory: 

McCutchen becomes only the third player to hit three homers in that ballpark in a single game, after Ryan Braun and Pablo Sandoval (Doug Kern on Twitter). 

After looking lost for a few months to start the season, McCutchen is hitting .292/.385/.535 with 22 home runs and 66 RBI on the season. 

The Pirates are 51-54 and sit 5½ games back of the Cubs in the NL Central. 

Braves stumbling

Through two straight wins over the juggernaut Dodgers on July 21, the Braves were hovering around .500 at 47-48. They were definitely playing respectable baseball in their first season in SunTrust Park. Since then, though, it has fallen of the rails. The Braves loss on Sunday meant they had been swept by the Phillies and have now lost seven of their last eight games. 

Diamondbacks lose shortstop

Chris Owings was hit in the hand with a pitch and it turns out he has a fractured right middle finger. More on that here. 

The D-Backs loss to the Cardinals meant a split in the four-game series in Busch Stadium. 

Cardinals complete successful homestand

The Cubs are absolutely on fire, and the Cardinals are trying to keep pace. They had a tough seven-game homestand this past week against two contenders in the Rockies and D-Backs. They swept the Rockies and ended the homestand 5-2. That's quality work. Of course, the Cubs went 5-2 in the same span and the Cardinals remain 4½ games out. 

Trade rumors

Quick hits