Michael Pineda strikes out seven with pine tar-like substance on hand in Yankees win over Red Sox  —  Pineda threw six-plus innings, dominating the Red Sox with a mid-90s fastball and a nasty slider, though some speculated the possible pine tar (Pineda said it was 'dirt') might have contributed to his success.

Hot start for Brewers' Carlos Gomez highlights magnitude of his breakout  —  Carlos Gomez has evolved into one of baseball's best players.  (Jeffrey Phelps/Getty Images)  —  This early in the season, several hitters are lighting up the box scores with impossible-to-sustain performances …

Radio broadcaster Sparks knuckles up for Astros  —  TORONTO — Former Major League pitcher and Astros radio color analyst Steve Sparks threw knuckleballs to Houston hitters in the batting cages before Thursday's contest against the Blue Jays in preparation for Toronto starter R.A. Dickey.

Howard: 'We've played very well this year'  —  The 2014 season is just 8 games old for the Phillies, but they reside in last place in the National League East.  They've lost three straight games entering Thursday, when they attempt to avoid a sweep at Citizens Bank Park to the Milwaukee Brewers.

Abreu's 2 HRs power White Sox vs. Indians  —  U.S. Cellular Field, Chicago, Illinois  —  Recap  —  Box Score  —  Play-By-Play  —  Photos  —  Conversation  —  Jose Abreu hits 2 more HRs as White Sox finally top Indians  —  CHICAGO — Rookie Jose Abreu connected for his second multihomer game …

Projected Super Two Cutoff  —  This year's projected Super Two cutoff is two years, 128 days of service time — typically written as 2.128 — according to Ryan Galla of CAA Baseball (Twitter link).  Before we get into the candidates to reach this status in 2014, here's a quick refresher …

Rays' Ryan Hanigan faces old team, Reds  —  CINCINNATI — Memories?  —  For sure.  —  Ryan Hanigan has tons from playing parts of seven seasons in the majors with the Reds, the first 12 of his pro career in the Cincinnati organization until being traded to the Rays in December, and now coming back as a visitor starting tonight.

Diamondbacks Nearing Deal With Randy Wolf  —  The Diamondbacks are closing in on a minor league deal with veteran lefty Randy Wolf, reports Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic (on Twitter).  Wolf is a client of the Wasserman Media Group.  —  The veteran Wolf hasn't pitched in the Major Leagues since 2012 due to Tommy John surgery.

Prospect Hot Sheet (April 11): Pederson's Tool Set Plays At Triple-A (VIDEO)  —  This installment of the Prospect Hot Sheet covers games from April 3-10, from Opening Day to present.  Remember, this feature simply recognizes the hottest prospects in the minors during the past week …

After facing PED cheat in ALCS, Red Sox carried battle into offseason  —  FOX Sports  —  Jhonny Peralta changed teams in the offseason, but the Red Sox didn't forget facing him in October.  —  NEW YORK — Jhonny Peralta went 3 for 4 in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series …

Last Slide  —  SAN FRANCISCO - The Diamondbacks' struggles in the rotation have forced them to turn to one of their more trusted relievers.  Plans are in the works for versatile long reliever Josh Collmenter to transition into a starting role, although it was unclear from listening …

D-backs need 10 innings to slip past Giants, win series  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Tony Campana hit an RBI single with two outs in the 10th inning to lead the Arizona Diamondbacks to their first back-to-back wins of the season with a 6-5 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Thursday night.

MLB's best prospect, Byron Buxton, won't play before May  —  Baseball's best prospect, Twins center fielder Byron Buxton, injured his left wrist diving for a ball on March 16.  At the time the Twins hoped he'd miss just a few days, but he hasn't played since then and now they don't expect him to see any game action until at least May.