Top News:
Jay Cohen / Associated Press:
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 …
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Jay Cohen / MLB Baseball News, Scores …:
Verlander, Correa, Astros romp; Chisox pitcher passes out — Justin Verlander pitched six sparkling innings, — Chicago White Sox 10-0 on Friday night. — George Springer also drove in four runs with a pair of doubles in Houston's fourth straight victory.
Discussion:
The Crawfish Boxes, Chicago Tribune and South Side Sox
Associated Press:
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.
Dennis Georgatos / Associated Press:
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.
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Kyle Newman / Denver Post:
Jon Gray shaky again, offense sputters as Rockies get blasted by Cubs in series opener
Jon Gray shaky again, offense sputters as Rockies get blasted by Cubs in series opener
Discussion:
MLB Baseball News … and Purple Row
Nick Piecoro / Arizona Republic:
Arizona Diamondbacks vs. San Diego Padres
Beth Harris / Toronto Sun:
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 …
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Casey L Moore / USA Today:
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 …
Discussion:
True Blue LA, MLB Baseball News … and Federal Baseball
Rick Hummel / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
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.
Discussion:
Viva El Birdos
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Peter Botte / New York Daily News:
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.
Discussion:
Pinstripe Alley
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Tommy Birch / Des Moines Register:
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 …
Discussion:
Bleed Cubbie Blue
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Nick Piecoro / Arizona Republic:
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 …
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ESPN:
Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes thinks playing golf will help end slump — New York Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes wants to swing his way out of an early season slump, but with his golf clubs rather than his bat. — “One of the things that I did before, years ago, when I was in a slump …
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Matt Ehalt / Daily Record:
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.
Discussion:
MLB Baseball News … and Talking Chop
RELATED:
Kristie Ackert / New York Daily News:
Jason Vargas may join Mets as soon as next weekend
Reuters:
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.
Discussion:
Camden Chat
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Matthew Florjancic / WKYC-TV:
Cleveland Indians fall to Baltimore Orioles, 3-1, at Camden Yards
Associated Press:
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 …
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Scott Lauber / Philly.com:
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.
Discussion:
Bucs Dugout, The Good Phight, Phillies Nation and MLB Baseball News …
Associated Press:
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.
Discussion:
Dallas Morning News, Lookout Landing and MLB Baseball News …
Mark Gonzales / Chicago Tribune:
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 …
St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Photos: Cards make it five straight wins over Reds — The St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Cincinnati Reds for a fifth straight time, this time by a score of 4-2 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Mo. Photos by Chris
Reuters:
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.
Discussion:
DRaysBay and MLB Baseball News …
Jeff Miller / Los Angeles Times:
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.
Discussion:
McCovey Chronicles