LEADING OFF: White Sox check Farquhar, Ohtani's blister  —  A look at what's happening around the majors today:  —  CHECK HIM  —  The White Sox will see how Danny Farquhar is feeling, a day after he passed out in the dugout during a home game against Houston.

Gary Sanchez allows passed ball in third straight game for Yankees  —  For the third straight game Friday night in a loss to the Blue Jays, Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez allowed a passed ball.  —  This time, there were Toronto runners on first and second with the game tied at 5 in the fifth inning.

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.

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.

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 …

Nats beat Dodgers 5-2 in uneven matchup of Scherzer, Kershaw  —  LOS ANGELES (AP) The Dodgers didn't make it easy on Max Scherzer.  In the end, though, he was just better than Clayton Kershaw.  —  Scherzer allowed one run over six innings in the 13th all-time meeting of three …

New Cincinnati Reds pitching coach Danny Darwin's theory: First observe the pitches, then get them to throw inside  —  ST. LOUIS - Danny Darwin, tasked with turning around the Reds pitching staff, will start by just watching.  —  “The first few days, just kind of touch and feel, see what these guys are going through,” Darwin said.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

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' 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 …

Red Sox pitcher Drew Pomeranz activated off DL, to start vs. A's  —  Boston Red Sox left-handed starting pitcher Drew Pomeranz has been activated off the 10-day disabled list, the team announced Friday.  —  Pomeranz is slated to start Friday night's road game against the Oakland Athletics.

Field hustles home as Rays win in 10  —  Pinch runner Johnny Field scored the decisive run from second base on an infield grounder with two out in the bottom of the 10th inning as the Tampa Bay Rays posted an 8-7 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Friday night at Tropicana Field.