Giants rock Royals in World Series opener  —  KANSAS CITY, Mo. — By the time Madison Bumgarner took the mound to throw his first pitch, the San Francisco Giants already held a three-run lead.  —  It might as well have been 100 with the way Bumgarner and this orange-and-black bunch play in the World Series.

Pace-Of-Play Initiatives Get Mixed Reviews In AFL  —  MESA, Ariz.—Major League Baseball is using the Arizona Fall League to test methods to speed up the game, and players so far are mixed about the results.  —  The pace-of-play initiatives are being tested during games at Salt River Fields …

Padres dismiss hitting coach Plantier  —  9/29/14: Padres executive vice president and GM A.J. Preller discusses the 2014 season and looks ahead to the offseason and beyond  —  SAN DIEGO — The Padres have relieved Phil Plantier of his hitting-coach duties, a baseball source told MLB.com on Wednesday.

Yankees' CC Sabathia ready for a heavy workload in 2015  —  NEW YORK - As the World Series plays on, CC Sabathia's October baseball consists of twice-weekly throwing sessions at Yankee Stadium and unlimited thoughts of 2015.  —  Three months after his season-ending right knee surgery …

Bautista: 50-50 chance Cabrera returns to Jays  —  Melky Cabrera will hit free agency in a matter of weeks, but Jose Bautista says the Toronto Blue Jays still have a good chance at re-signing the switch-hitting left fielder.  —  “He's going to see what he can get out there and I guess …

Free Agent Profile: Adam LaRoche  —  Though he's not technically a lock to hit the open market due to a $15MM mutual option ($2MM buyout), Adam LaRoche is a near certainty to be a free agent due to the rarity of such options being picked up by both sides of the agreement.

Phillies Sign Williams  —  Jerome Williams made enough of a positive impression that the Phillies are bringing him back next season.  —  They announced today that they signed him to a one-year, $2.5 million contract, which includes performance bonuses.  Williams, 32, went 4-2 with a 2.83 ERA in nine starts this year.

D-Backs prospect Peter O'Brien used to catching flak  —  The skeptics are not new, and Diamondbacks prospect Peter O'Brien has heard what they have to say.  They don't think he can catch in the major leagues.  O'Brien answers their doubts with an anecdote from his past.

Palm Beach approves funding for Nats spring complex  —  Your browser does not support iframes.  —  The Nationals' longstanding search for a new spring training home took a potentially significant positive step forward Tuesday when Palm Beach County commissioners voted to approve funding …

Zimmer injures shoulder pitching in AFL  —  2014 MLB.com Top Prospects: Kyle Zimmer complements his fastball with a curve, slider and changeup, and is athletic with clean mechanics  —  KANSAS CITY — A slight hitch in an otherwise joyous October came on Saturday, when right-hander Kyle Zimmer …

Cards expect center fielder to resume offseason routine after 6-8 weeks  —  10/20/14: Cardinals GM John Mozeliak discusses Jon Jay's injury to his left wrist, and his recovery time during the offseason  —  ST. LOUIS — The Cardinals intend to tender Jon Jay, a second-year arbitration-eligible player …