Extended absence for Piscotty would test Cardinals' outfield depth  —  St. Louis Cardinals' Stephen Piscotty is assisted by trainer Adam Olsen after being hit by a thrown ball while scoring in the fifth inning during a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday, April 4, 2017, at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.

Colon sharp at old home, Kemp leads Braves over Mets in 12th … NEW YORK — Bartolo Colon enjoyed the whole evening — the nods and taps from former teammates, the tributes from the crowd.  —  He liked the result, too.  Long after he exited, his Atlanta Braves earned their first win of the season.

Brewers Claim Nick Franklin, Designate Michael Blazek Fror Assignment  —  The Brewers have claimed infielder/outfielder Nick Franklin off waivers from the Rays, reports Roger Mooney of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link).  The Rays had designated the 26-year-old Franklin for assignment over the winter.

Jeter, Jeb Bush Among Billion-Dollar Bidders for Battered Marlins  —  It's opening week for Major League Baseball and a multibillion-dollar bidding war could soon start over one of the worst franchises in the sport.  —  At least three possible bidders have emerged to purchase …

Lindor slam gives AL champ Indians opening sweep of Rangers (Yahoo Sports)  —  Francisco Lindor hit a go-ahead grand slam off closer Sam Dyson in the ninth inning and the defending AL champion Cleveland Indians completed a season-opening sweep with a 9-6 victory over the Texas Rangers on Wednesday night.

A Season of Reckoning For a 'White Man's Sport'  —  Paint the Corners is a new monthly column about baseball.  —  Baseball is infamous for making fools out of prognosticators, but there's one thing we can say with near-certainty about the 2017 MLB season: it's going to be a let-down.

Leon homers to end Boston's 3-0, 12-inning win over Pirates (Yahoo Sports)  —  Sandy Leon hit a three-run homer in the 12th inning - his third hit of the game - and Chris Sale pitched seven dominant innings in his Red Sox debut to lead Boston to a 3-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday night.

Harper's 2 RBIs, Zimmerman's HR lead Nats over Marlins 6-4 (Yahoo Sports)  —  Bryce Harper had two RBIs and a nice ninth-inning catch, Ryan Zimmerman homered and Tanner Roark recovered from a shaky start to go six innings, leading the Washington Nationals past the Miami Marlins 6-4 Wednesday night.

A Good Man Behind the Plate Is Hard to Find  —  Beyond Buster Posey and a handful of others, MLB is suffering from a dearth of top-line talent at the catcher position.  Is it just a blip?  Or a sign of things to come?  —  We don't appreciate Buster Posey enough.

Yankees Prospect Clint Frazier Reportedly Asked If He Could Wear Mickey Mantle's Number  —  On WFAN today, Yankees radio broadcaster Suzyn Waldman told Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts that highly touted Yankees prospect Clint Frazier asked the Yankees “if they ever un-retire numbers.”

White Sox agree to deal with Mike Pelfrey  —  The Chicago White Sox have agreed to a minor league deal with starting pitcher Mike Pelfrey, sources tell FanRag Sports.  After recently being released by the rival Detroit Tigers, Pelfrey will stay in the AL Central with the White Sox.

Wife: Ex-Dodgers star Pedro Guerrero fighting for life after stroke  —  Former Los Angeles Dodgers star Pedro Guerrero is fighting for his life in a New York hospital after suffering a stroke, his wife told ESPN's Enrique Rojas.  —  Guerrero's wife, Roxanna Jimenez, said Tuesday that …