Cubs headed toward another decision on Tommy La Stella and Matt Szczur  —  Cubs manager Joe Maddon on lineup, rotation changes and Jon Lester on April 19, 2017.  (Mark Gonzales/Chicago Tribune)  —  Chicago Tribune  —  Less than one month after finalizing their opening day roster …

Rays pounce on Tigers to take opening game of series  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Matt Andriese outpitched Michael Fulmer, Tim Beckham hit a two-run homer, and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Detroit Tigers 5-1 on Tuesday night.  —  Andriese (1-), who had lost seven of nine decisions dating …

Phillies' Buchholz having surgery Tuesday, could miss five months  —  Right-handed pitcher Clay Buchholz will go under the knife Tuesday to repair a partial tear in his flexor pronator mass.  —  An unnamed source told Barstool Sports that the Philadelphia Phillies' starter will need about three …

Ichiro Suzuki: Had to ‘pinch myself’ after ninth-inning HR at Safeco  —  In what could have been his final at-bat at Safeco Field, longtime Mariners and current Miami Marlins outfielder Ichiro Suzuki hit a home run in the ninth inning of a 10-5 loss in Seattle on Wednesday.

Keuchel, Reddick lead Astros to 5-1 win over Angels  —  HOUSTON (AP) — Dallas Keuchel threw seven solid innings, Josh Reddick finished a single shy of the cycle and the Houston Astros beat the Los Angeles Angels 5-1 on Wednesday night.  —  Keuchel (3-0) allowed one run on eight hits with seven strikeouts.

As Starling Marte exits after PED bust, Pirates, McCutchen aim to salvage '17  —  ST. LOUIS - The Pittsburgh Pirate clubhouse was quiet Tuesday afternoon, with no music, no laughter, little chatter, just players inwardly pondering their thoughts and feelings toward a teammate.

Tomas, Miller way too much for Padres as D-backs win 3rd straight  —  SAN DIEGO — Yasmany Tomas hit a three-run homer, Shelby Miller pitched 7 1/3 innings of four-hit ball and the Arizona Diamondbacks routed the San Diego Padres 11-2 on Tuesday night.  —  The Padres lost their fifth straight game.

Mookie Betts: The Babe Ruth of not striking out  —  In the seventh inning Tuesday night, Boston Red Sox All-Star Mookie Betts lashed a hanging breaking ball from reliever Joe Smith into the second deck at Rogers Centre, his first home run of a season that may once again conclude …

Cleveland Indians finding groove, rout Minnesota Twins  —  MINNEAPOLIS — The Cleveland Indians are starting to resemble the team that took the American League by storm last year and advanced to Game 7 of the World Series.  —  Jose Ramirez and Edwin Encarnacion each hit two-run homers …

Cardinals make do with two and ‘positive juju’  —  Photo by Christian Gooden, cgooden@post-dispatch.com  —  Cardinal infielder Jose Martinez is met in the dugout in the 5th inning after scoring the second run in on a double by Greg Garcia a 2-1 game against the Pirates on Tuesday, April 18 …

Angel Pagan Won't Play In 2017  —  Veteran outfielder Angel Pagan is perhaps the most talented player among unsigned free agents, but the 11-year Major League veteran tells Yamaira Muniz Perez of El Vocero that he's planning to sit out the 2017 season and spend time with his family rather than further pursue a contract.

Red Sox-Blue Jays lineups: Porcello looks to get back on track  —  Dustin Pedroia's back in the lineup after a day off and Eduardo Rodriguez is back with the team after a short paternity leave.  —  Now the Red Sox hope Rick Porcello is back to form.  —  The defending American League Cy …

Schwarber, Cubs rally past Brewers to snap 4-game skid  —  CHICAGO (AP) — Despite a large early deficit against a surging offense, Kyle Schwarber had little doubt the Chicago Cubs would rally.  —  “Crazier things have happened,” he said.  “I just think it shows the character of our team.

Jeb Bush and Derek Jeter teaming up in pursuit of Miami Marlins  —  Jeb Bush and Derek Jeter have joined forces in their bid to buy the Miami Marlins, according to sources familiar with the talks.  —  The former Florida governor and retired New York Yankees star once were rivals …