Verlander's road woes continue as Tigers fall at Astros, 7-6, before jetting to Chicago  —  HOUSTON - This was Justin Verlander's kind of game.  —  His team was trying for a split against one of the best teams in baseball.  They needed a good taste in their mouths, for the late-night flight …

Red Sox strike early to complete sweep of Rangers  —  BOSTON  —  Drew Pomeranz tied his career-high with 11 strikeouts in six innings Thursday, and Xander Bogaerts connected for his first homer of the season as the Boston Red Sox beat the Texas Rangers 6-2 to complete a three-game sweep.

At the end, he cracked a smile  —  LOS ANGELES-Sitting in the Dodger Stadium press box Thursday night preparing to write an optimistic Dodgers column, I am interrupted by a crack.  —  Dexter Fowler begins the game with a single up the middle against Kenta Maeda.

Boston's Price set to make season debut Monday at White Sox  —  BOSTON (AP) Red Sox pitcher David Price is set to make his season debut for Boston on Monday at the Chicago White Sox.  —  The 31-year-old left-hander, starting the second season of a $217 million, seven-year contact, has been recovering from a strained pitching elbow.

Mets as dreary as weather, fall to lowly Padres 4-3  —  On a miserable May night in Queens, with a steady drizzle dropping and winds swirling, the Mets lost again to one of the worst teams in baseball.  —  After Jacob deGrom's start was pushed from Thursday to Friday due to concerns over the weather …

After watching Votto, more Reds hitters are choking up … CONNECT  —  CLEVELAND - Joey Votto has always choked up on the bat, at least as long as he's been a professional.  —  When he was 18 and in the Gulf Coast League, fresh off of being selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the second round …

Washington Nationals manager Dusty Baker to miss San Diego Padres series for son's graduation  —  WASHINGTON — Washington Nationals manager Dusty Baker is slated to miss the three-game weekend series with the San Diego Padres due to the high school graduation of his son, Darren, in California.

Addison Russell patiently working, waiting to get his stroke back  —  Chicago Tribune  —  Addison Russell had a scheduled day off as the Cubs wrapped up their nine-game homestand against the Giants on a sunny Thursday at Wrigley Field.  —  But even if it already hadn't been determined …

Rangers returning to Toronto at inopportune time  —  TORONTO  —  The Rangers conclude their nine-game road trip with three against the Toronto Blue Jays this weekend at Rogers Centre.  It's the first time they've met since the Blue Jays swept the Rangers in the ALDS last October …

LEADING OFF: deGrom seeks dry weather, Senzatela 7th win  —  A look at what's happening all around the majors today:  —  WAITIN' ON A SUNNY DAY  —  Jacob deGrom is scheduled to start the New York Mets' series opener at Pittsburgh, a day after he was scratched from a home outing against San Diego …

Pina and Braun leave game  —  MILWAUKEE  —  Milwaukee Brewers catcher Manny Pina and left fielder Ryan Braun left the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday night with injuries.  —  Diamondbacks starter Robbie Ray drilled Pina in the left elbow with a pitch in the second inning, knocking the Brewers catcher flat.

Series preview: Cardinals at Rockies  —  • The Cardinals continue their road trip out west this weekend with a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies.  Cardinals starting pitching continues to dominate, as the rotation ranks second in the major leagues entering Thursday with a 3.44 ERA.

Cardinals notes: Fowler is going through a slump  —  • Right about the time the Cardinals believe they saw Dexter Fowler find the trigger at the plate that could ignite their offense, he may have lost it trying to make a play on defense.  —  Fowler entered Thursday's late game …

Red-hot Clevinger, Indians host Royals (May 26, 2017)  —  CLEVELAND — Indians ace Corey Kluber is getting closer to coming off the disabled list, but his replacement in the rotation has filled in admirably.  —  Friday night, Mike Clevinger will make his fourth start in place of Kluber …

Chris Getz says biggest White Sox lesson from Royals' rebuild is patience  —  The Royals' Chris Getz leads off second base against the Tigers in the first inning Thursday, Aug. 15, 2013, in Detroit.  Getz is now the director of player development with the White Sox.  —  Chicago Tribune

Yankees front office paints optimistic financial outlook despite decline in ticket sales  —  A New York Times report that paints a somewhat bleak financial outlook for the Yankees is not causing panic on 161st Street for members of the organization's front office, even though Stadium attendance …