White Sox LHP Rodon feeling healthy after shoulder surgery  —  CHICAGO (AP) — Carlos Rodon is relieved.  He feels good and thinks he could return to the Chicago White Sox in late May.  —  So it's a much different situation than last year.  —  The 25-year-old Rodon is back in Chicago …

Sonny Gray struggles again, gives up five runs as Yankees fall to Blue Jays 8-5  —  After his worst start as a Yankee last week in Boston, Sonny Gray decided he needed to make a change.  So the righthander sat down with pitching coach Larry Rothschild and identified some necessary mechanical fixes.

Chicago embarrasses Colorado Rockies at Coors  —  DENVER — Javier Baez and Kyle Schwarber each had a homer and four RBIs, and the Chicago Cubs rode a seven-run sixth inning to a 16-5 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Friday night.  —  Baez had four hits, finishing a triple shy of the cycle.

Fowler sits as Pham bats leadoff  —  Dexter Fowler wasn't in Friday night's Cardinals lineup, which meant he wasn't leading off, which meant that Tommy Pham was.  —  The switch-hitting Fowler, just one for 17 (.059) against lefthanded pitching, didn't start against Cincinnati lefthander Brandon Finnegan last Saturday, either.

Cleveland Indians fall to Baltimore Orioles, 3-1, at Camden Yards  —  The Cleveland Indians fell to the Baltimore Orioles, 3-1, at Oriole Park at Camden Yards Friday night.  —  The Cleveland Indians' first outing since their 16-inning loss to the Minnesota Twins at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan …

Mets have used strong throwers like Tomas Nido with Noah Syndergaard  —  Mets Asst. GM John Ricco discusses Kevin Plawecki's injury  —  ATLANTA — For the second straight start, Tomas Nido caught Noah Syndergaard.  —  “I like the combination a little bit,” Mets manager Mickey Callaway said before Friday's game.

Baseball roundup: Error helps Royals snap 9-game skid  —  Detroit rookie first baseman Niko Goodrum dropped Jon Jay's grounder and then made a wild throw, allowing the tiebreaking run to score in the ninth inning as the Kansas City Royals snapped a nine-game losing streak …

Last Slide  —  The season is barely three weeks old, but the Diamondbacks' bullpen already is exhibiting many of the same attributes as last year: assembled on the cheap, effective in a sort of non-traditional way and, most important, as good as anyone's.  —  The Diamondbacks entered Friday …

Phillies, Rhys Hoskins don't panic with two strikes  —  Rhys Hoskins kickstarted the Phillies' five-run second inning Thursday night by crushing a pitch through a stiff wind and over the left-field fence at Citizens Bank Park.  —  But it didn't happen until Hoskins was in a two-strike count.

Cubs' Ben Zobrist headed to DL with lower back stiffness  —  Photos from the Cubs-Rockies game at Coors Field in Denver, Colorado on Friday, April 20, 2018.  —  Chicago Tribune  —  Cubs infielder Ben Zobrist will be placed on the 10-day disabled list because of persistent lower back stiffness …

Max Scherzer, Nationals get the best of Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers  —  The New York Yankees went to bat for a 10-year-old girl who was being bullied at school.  All class in this video.  USA TODAY Sports  —  CONNECT  —  Gone are the days of heavyweight pitching duels …

Bullpen collapses late as Rangers fall to Mariners, 6-2  —  ARLINGTON, Texas — Jean Segura hit a two-run double in a four-run ninth inning after Mitch Haniger's tying homer in the eighth, lifting the Seattle Mariners over the Texas Rangers 6-2 on Friday night.

Cubs top prospect Adbert Alzolay dominates in Triple-A debut  —  Chicago Cubs top prospect Adbert Alzolay joins Iowa Cubs  —  It's easy to see why there are so many high hopes for Adbert Alzolay.  —  The 23-year-old was dominant in his Triple-A debut for the Iowa Cubs …

Angels drop fourth straight game with loss to Giants 8-1  —  At one point Friday night, the fifth inning was delayed because a beach ball fell onto the field.  —  And that was pretty much the highlight for the home team at Angel Stadium, where a lot of negative things unfolded.  —  Yeah, again.

Good times are rolling for Cubs' Javier Baez  —  Cubs' Javier Baez on his recent hot streak: 'I'm seeing the ball good.' (Mark Gonzales/Chicago Tribune)  —  Chicago Tribune  —  Javier Baez insists he's not trying to hit to the opposite field, nor does he have specific statistics he's trying to reach.

Yoenis Cespedes may begin golfing again to try and heat up his bat  —  ATLANTA — Someone please get Yoenis Cespedes a nine-iron.  —  The Mets slugger who gave up golf to concentrate on the season is considering going back to the links, his old, reliable slumpbuster.