Justin Verlander finds solution to pitching woes in dominant 2011 video … KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Justin Verlander mentioned “Game of Thrones” catapults after his latest outing.  —  He wasn't discussing a scene from last Sunday's Season 7 premiere episode of the HBO series.

Rosenthal late, Reyes hit in 9th lifts Mets over Cards 3-2 (Jul 20, 2017)  —  NEW YORK (AP) Cardinals pitcher Trevor Rosenthal was late covering first base on a two-out grounder by Jose Reyes that turned into a game-winning single in the ninth inning, lifting the New York Mets over St. Louis 3-2 Thursday.

Lamb homers twice, Diamondbacks beat Reds 12-2 to win series (Jul 20, 2017)  —  CINCINNATI (AP) Jake Lamb hit a pair of three-run homers and Patrick Corbin pitched into the eighth inning during an emergency start on Thursday, leading the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 12-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.

Pablo Sandoval back to Giants, pending physical, after Red Sox release, reports say  —  Third baseman Pablo Sandoval has struck a minor league deal to return to the San Francisco Giants, pending a physical, according to multiple reports.  —  The former Giants star is en route to San Francisco …

The buyer's guide to the MLB trade deadline: Moves the contenders should make  —  Cubs president Theo Epstein on the team's trade for pitcher Jose Quintana and the possibility for future moves on July 14, 2017.  (Mark Gonzales/Chicago Tribune)  —  The Washington Post

Jose Abreu says he hopes to play alongside Yoan Moncada his whole career  —  White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu talks about rookie Yoan Moncada.  (Colleen Kane/Chicago Tribune)  —  Chicago Tribune  —  Yoan Moncada was 15 when he first met Jose Abreu in Cuba, and the White Sox second baseman recalled being in awe at the time.

Orioles hit 4 HRs, beat Rangers 9-7 to complete 4-game sweep (Jul 20, 2017)  —  BALTIMORE (AP) Jonathan Schoop and Adam Jones both homered and drove in three runs, and the Baltimore Orioles rallied to beat Cole Hamels and the Texas Rangers 9-7 on Thursday night to complete a four-game sweep.

Reds notes: Michael Lorenzen could return to rotation in 2018  —  Baseball can be a frustrating game that way, where everything can seem to go as it's supposed to right until it doesn't.  Lorenzen's season to date is a good example.  The Enquirer/Zach Buchanan  —  CONNECT

Dodgers' Alex Wood has franchise-best ERA, but might not be eligible for record  —  Dodgers pitcher Alex Wood delivers a pitch for the National League in the All-Star game on July 11 in Miami.  (Lynne Sladky / Associated Press)  —  In 1916 — a decade and a half before the Dodgers nickname …

Angels Release Danny Espinosa  —  The Angels have announced that infielder Danny Espinosa was placed on release waivers.  He'll hit the open market for the first time with the Halos set to pay the remainder of his $5.425MM salary.  —  Clearly, no other organizations were so motivated …

Daily notes: Pitcher and hitter rankings for Friday  —  In this time of increased run-scoring, it's rare to see such a pitching-dominated slate, but that's exactly what Friday offers.  By our game score calculation, an unheard of 20 starters are projected to toss a quality start with seven more narrowly missing.

Mariners Acquire David Phelps  —  12:02pm: The trade is now official, as the Marlins and Mariners have announced the swap.  —  10:40am: The Mariners and Marlins have reportedly agreed to a trade that will send right-handed setup man David Phelps from Miami to Seattle in exchange for a package of four prospects.

Rangers Designate Pete Kozma For Assignment  —  The Rangers announced that they've activated Keone Kela from the disabled list and designated infielder Pete Kozma for assignment in order to clear a spot on the roster.  —  The 29-year-old Kozma has appeared in 39 games between the Yankees …