Yankees can't afford to wait six weeks for Tanaka to (hopefully) return  —  After Thursday's revelation that Masahiro Tanaka has a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament, I offer the following three statements:  —  1. Even though it's only a “partial” tear, there's a very real chance we've seen …

Harang shuts down Mets; Braves avert 4-game sweep  —  NEW YORK — Aaron Harang and the rest of the Atlanta Braves knew they couldn't let this one slip away.  —  Not after dropping the first three of a four-game series with the New York Mets, and losing four in a row overall.

Marlon Byrd reveals 4-team no-trade clause  —  As baseball's trade season heats up, Marlon Byrd will be connected to any team looking for a bat.  —  The Phillies' rightfielder is having an excellent season.  He leads the team in homers (18) and slugging (.481) and is second in RBIs (52).

Yankees Acquire Jeff Francis  —  1:50pm: The A's have now released a correction that lines up with the Yankees' announcement (hat tip: MLB.com's Jane Lee).  Francis and cash considerations are indeed heading to the Yankees for a player to be named later.  —  1:17pm: The Yankees, however …

Texas Rangers catcher Geovany Soto arrested Wednesday on marijuana possession charge  —  Updated at 2:59 p.m.: Rangers catcher Geovany Soto has released a statement on his arrest on a marijuana possession charge.  —  “I was stopped by Grapevine Police on Wednesday night.

Rangers' Relievers Drawing Interest  —  The Rangers are receiving trade interest in a number of their bullpen arms, according to multiple reports.  MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan reports that the team is listening on right-hander Jason Frasor and lefty Neal Cotts, and both have generated some interest.

Cardinals Claim George Kottaras  —  The Cardinals have claimed catcher George Kottaras off waivers from the Indians, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (on Twitter).  Kottaras was recently designated for assignment by Cleveland.  —  It's not surprising to see St. Louis pursuing catching depth …

Price is right: Mariners should step up and trade for Tampa ace  —  Heaven knows, the Mariners' biggest need is a right-handed slugger.  —  They passed on Nelson Cruz.  They failed to sign switch hitter Kendrys Morales.  They're 12th in the American League in runs, last by a considerable margin in OPS against left-handed pitching.

White Sox sign Carlos Rodon  —  The Chicago White Sox signed first-round pick Carlos Rodon on Wednesday for $6.582 million signing bonus, the team announced on Friday.  —  The left-hander out of North Carolina State was the third overall selection in the 2014 first-year player draft.

Blue Jays try to right themselves, open big series vs Rays  —  The Sports Network  —  The Toronto Blue Jays will try to right the ship Friday night when they enter Tropicana Field to kick off a three-game set with the Tampa Bay Rays.  —  Toronto shared the American League East lead …

Rockies Owner: 'Maybe Denver Doesn't Deserve A Franchise'  —  DENVER (CBS4) - Colorado Rockies owner Dick Monfort suggested to an unhappy fan Denver perhaps no longer deserves a baseball franchise and the Rockies should move.  —  CBS4 has obtained a series of emails between the long …

Streak ends, Kershaw tosses gem as Dodgers beat Padres  —  LOS ANGELES — Clayton Kershaw's scoreless streak ended at 41 innings when he gave up a home run to Chase Headley, but the Los Angeles ace pitched a three-hitter with 11 strikeouts to lead the Dodgers over the San Diego Padres 2-1 on Thursday night.

Volquez Leads Pirates to 9-1 Win Over Cardinals  —  ST. LOUIS — Edinson Volquez tossed a complete game six-hitter to win his fourth straight start and the Pittsburgh Pirates downed the St. Louis Cardinals 9-1 on Thursday night.  —  Neil Walker, Josh Harrison, Russell Martin and Andrew McCutchen …