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 …

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.

White Sox pitcher Danny Farquhar passes out in dugout, taken to hospital during Friday's game  —  Rick Renteria and James Shields on Danny Farquhar collapsing in the dugout: ‘It takes your breath away.’ (Colleen Kane/Chicago Tribune)  —  Chicago Tribune  —  White Sox reliever Danny Farquhar …

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.

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 …

Sonny Gray, still yet to meet Yankees' expectations, may force Bombers to eventually trade for another pitcher  —  Chazz Palminteri, another famous Sonny from the Bronx, was shown on the scoreboard at the Stadium soon after the Yankees' starting pitcher was booed off the mound.

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 …

Machado, Orioles beat Indians to snap 6-game skid  —  Manny Machado homered for the third time in two games and Trey Mancini added a tiebreaking two-run double in the fifth inning as the Baltimore Orioles defeated the Cleveland Indians 3-1 on Friday night in Baltimore.

Giants put Pence on DL with thumb injury, recall Williamson  —  ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco Giants have placed outfielder Hunter Pence on the 10-day disabled list with a sprained right thumb and recalled outfielder Mac Williamson from Triple-A Sacramento.

Blue Jays prospect Gurriel makes MLB debut  —  NEW YORK — Somebody threw a horse racing analogy at Blue Jays manager John Gibbons prior to Friday night's game at cold and breezy Yankee Stadium.  —  It was suggested to Gibbons that infielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr., who was called up to the Jays …

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.

Jon Gray shaky again, offense sputters as Rockies get blasted by Cubs in series opener  —  A seven-run sixth inning was Colorado's undoing as Gray falls to 1-4 on a chilly night at Coors Field  —  Nolan Arenado made a majestic return from his five-game suspension Friday …

Giancarlo Stanton's slump may be coming to end after second-straight strong game  —  With a player of Giancarlo Stanton's caliber and stature, it was only a matter of time before he connected on a ball and watched it fly over the fence.  —  That moment came Friday night.

Baseball notebook: Napoli suffers ACL injury in minors  —  Napoli to have knee surgery after getting hurt in minors  —  Former Cleveland Indians slugger Mike Napoli will have season-ending knee surgery after getting hurt in the minors while playing for the Tribes' Triple-A club in Columbus, Ohio.

Birk, Wrenn and Jones lead Corpus Christi in win  —  FRISCO, Texas (AP) — Ryne Birk had five hits, while Stephen Wrenn and Taylor Jones recorded three apiece as the Corpus Christi Hooks defeated the Frisco RoughRiders 11-3 on Friday.  —  Birk singled five times, driving in two runs.

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.

Healy leads Arkansas to 10-7 win over Springfield  —  LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Ryon Healy hit a three-run home run and had two hits, driving in four, as the Arkansas Travelers exploded for a season-high in runs in a 10-7 win over the Springfield Cardinals on Friday.