Samardzija Pitches Giants to 8th Straight Win, 3-1 vs Padres  —  By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSMAY 20, 2016, 12:15 A.M. E.D.T.  —  SAN DIEGO — Jeff Samardzija pitched eight strong innings, Joe Panik had four hits and Brandon Crawford homered for the NL West-leading San Francisco Giants …

Carpenter, Adams Lead Cardinals Over Rockies 13-7  —  By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSMAY 19, 2016, 10:57 P.M. E.D.T.  —  ST. LOUIS — Matt Carpenter homered and drove in a career-high six runs and Matt Adams added four RBIs to lead the St. Louis Cardinals to a 13-7 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Thursday night.

Sources: Rangers, City of Arlington will announce plans for new retractable-roof stadium  —  The Rangers appear destined for a new stadium.  —  And sooner than you think.  —  According to two major league sources, the Rangers and City of Arlington are about to announce plans …

Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner blames players for slow start  —  NEW YORK — Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner has backed manager Joe Girardi and his coaching staff and has blamed players for the team's slow start.  —  With New York last in the AL East at 16-22 before its 4-2 win over Arizona on Wednesday …

Braves' Erick Aybar sedated, has chicken bone removed from throat  —  Erick Aybar's tough 2016 season didn't get any better Thursday.  —  The Atlanta Braves shortstop was removed from the starting lineup for Thursday night's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates after a chicken bone got stuck in his throat.

Santana Homers Twice, Indians Finish Sweeping Reds 7-2  —  By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSMAY 19, 2016, 10:06 P.M. E.D.T.  —  CINCINNATI — Carlos Santana hit two two-run homers, and Josh Tomlin stayed unbeaten by allowing only five hits while pitching into the eighth inning on Thursday night …

Lind Homers to Propel Mariners Over Orioles 7-2  —  By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSMAY 19, 2016, 3:55 P.M. E.D.T.  —  BALTIMORE — Adam Lind broke open a close game with a three-run homer in the sixth inning, and the Seattle Mariners beat the Baltimore Orioles 7-2 Thursday to complete another successful road series.

White Sox Edge Astros, 2-1; Sale Dominates, Moves to 9-0  —  By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSMAY 19, 2016, 10:39 P.M. E.D.T.  —  CHICAGO — Chris Sale went the distance on a masterful four-hitter on Thursday night, becoming the first major league pitcher since 2008 to win his first nine starts …

Notes: MLB's diversity issue back in spotlight, brawl fallout and more  —  Baseball is down to just two minority managers, final questions on the Jays-Rangers brawl and much more in Ken Rosenthal's latest notes.  —  After the Braves' dismissal of manager Fredi Gonzalez on Tuesday, I tweeted this:

Nationals draw 11 walks to back Gio, beat Colon and Mets 7-1 … NEW YORK — Limited to two runs over the previous three games, the Washington Nationals used their eyes even more than their bats to break out at the plate.  —  Daniel Murphy drove in two runs against his former team …

Believe it or not, these are still Theo Epstein's Red Sox  —  It's not Dave Dombrowski.  It's not Ben Cherington, either.  It's not Mike Hazen.  It's not ownership.  It's certainly not Bill James.  —  None of the above.  —  No. This Red Sox team you have come to love early …

Draft prep: Top 30 baseball prospects in June draft  —  With the baseball's draft approaching on June 9-11, USA TODAY Sports looks at the top 30 draft-eligible prospects.  The rankings were compiled by Frankie Piliere, a national prospect writer for D1Baseball.com.