Jason Heyward blitzed with alleged N-word taunts from Cardinals fans in return to St. Louis  —  Jason Heyward's return to St. Louis was marred with racial slurs.  —  In addition to booing, crowd mics picked up multiple Cardinals fans allegedly yelling the N-word at the new Chicago Cubs right fielder …

At 8-4, Royals once again doing things that are ‘not stat-able’  —  OAKLAND — The “Moose” calls erupted just as the third-inning drive off Mike Moustakas' bat sailed over the right-field fence.  Considering the Kansas City Royals were playing at the Oakland Coliseum, it would have been easy …

Were the Astros signaling pitches on Tuesday night?  Ask Derek Holland. … After the usual post-game comments, I had one more question for Derek Holland.  I was curious what adjustment, if any, he had made, since the Astros were making such hard contact in the first two innings …

Arizona Diamondbacks rally for victory in extra innings over San Francisco Giants … SAN FRANCISCO - More than 4 1/2 hours of baseball and it was well worth it for Jake Lamb and the Arizona Diamondbacks.  —  Lamb hit a tying homer with two outs in the ninth inning and doubled home …

Bryce Harper's gets 100th home run ball back thanks to former Make-a-Wish recipient  —  The 10-year-old was happy to return the ball to the Nationals' slugger.  —  Ricky Doyle / NESN.com / Yardbarker  —  It's not uncommon for baseball players and their teams to want to retrieve …

The rise and fall of Rafael Palmeiro … He's sitting with a North Carolina State hat dipped downward.  He's aged well.  Still handsome, the black mustache of his playing days is gone, replaced with a salt-and-pepper beard.  When he stands up, his shoulders are muscular, and he looks a decade younger than 51.

Games of Monday, April 18th  —  Prospect of the Day:  —  Ian Happ, 2B, Chicago Cubs (High-A Myrtle Beach): 4-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 4 RBI, SB, K.  —  Oh nothing, Happ just added over 300 points to his OPS in one night, no big deal.  The long balls were the first two of the season, and he did all of his damage hitting left-handed.

Is Pirates' Andrew McCutchen primed for another MVP run?  —  PITTSBURGH — Andrew McCutchen is not usually the introspective type.  —  But the Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder seems surprised by his rise to being the face of a resurgent franchise and one of the most popular players in baseball.

Rockies Acquire Cody Decker  —  The Rockies have acquired first baseman Cody Decker from the Royals, according to announcements from both teams.  Cash considerations are going back in return.  —  Decker, 29, has minimal major league experience but was long a solid producer in the upper minors …

White Sox pitcher Mat Latos comes up big again in third start  —  All of the action from U.S. Cellular Field.  —  With each start he has made this season, right-hander Mat Latos has made the White Sox look smarter for nabbing him on a $3 million deal less than two weeks before spring training started.

Noah Syndergaard already on list of greatest Mets deals in franchise history, here are my Top 10  —  Noah Syndergaard's early-season brilliance is such that his acquisition from the Blue Jays already has to rank among the best trades the Mets have ever made, with or without Travis d'Arnaud.

Jacob deGrom's son out of hospital; pitcher throwing  —  PHILADELPHIA — Right-hander Jacob deGrom's week-old son was discharged from a Florida hospital on Monday, and deGrom could return to the New York Mets' rotation as soon as next weekend at Atlanta, manager Terry Collins said.