As Danny Farquhar fights for life, friends from a decade in baseball balance hope, heartbreak  —  This isn't supposed to happen, not to a professional athlete, not to one of the nicest guys and kindest souls you'll ever want to meet, not to a 31-year-old husband with three young children.

Baseball notes: San Francisco's Belt has milestone 21-pitch at-bat  —  Giants' Belt has milestone 21-pitch at-bat  —  San Francisco's Brandon Belt had a 21-pitch at-bat in an epic showdown with Los Angeles Angels rookie pitcher Jaime Barria in the first inning Sunday, the most pitches faced since records began being kept in 1988.

Cardinals' Holland shows lots of progress  —  It's the situation that closers, and the managers of closers, hope for: taking the mound in the ninth inning and getting a 1-2-3 inning.  A minimal amount of drama, a maximum amount of satisfaction.  —  That's what the Cardinals got from Greg Holland …

MLB: Kris Bryant is hit on head by a pitch  —  Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant left Sunday's game after being hit on the head with a 96-mph pitch from Colorado right-hander German Marquez.  —  The ball made a loud sound as it hit off the underside of the flap of Bryant's helmet.

Houston Astros look to keep rolling vs. Los Angeles Angels  —  Last Sunday night, after Texas Rangers veteran right-hander Bartolo Colon carried a perfect game into the eighth inning at Minute Maid Park, the Houston Astros closed that three-game series having scored a total of nine runs …

Davis homers off Price in 8th, A's top Red Sox 4-1  —  OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Khris Davis hit a tiebreaking, three-run homer off David Price with two outs in the eighth inning and the Oakland Athletics beat the Boston Red Sox 4-1 on Sunday.  —  A day after getting no-hit by Sean Manaea …

Arizona Diamondbacks vs. San Diego Padres … The Diamondbacks are planning on a Tuesday return for injured third baseman Jake Lamb, manager Torey Lovullo said on Sunday.  —  Lamb, who injured his left shoulder on April 3, has been rehabbing in extended spring training and is penciled …

This Date in Baseball  —  1903 — The New York Highlanders won their first game as a major league team, 7-2 over the Washington Senators.  —  1913 — New York Giants ace Christy Mathewson beat the Phillies 3-1, throwing just 67 pitches.  —  1939 — Rookie Ted Williams went 4-for-5 …

Gleyber Torres embraced by Yankees fans despite 0-for-4 major-league debut  —  The fans at Yankee Stadium booed louder than they have even for Giancarlo Stanton this month immediately after top prospect Gleyber Torres flied out in the eighth inning on Sunday, the fourth consecutive …

Mariners can't complete sweep against Rangers  —  ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - Nomar Mazara and Joey Gallo hit impressive home runs in the same inning, and the Texas Rangers avoided a series sweep with a 7-4 win over the Seattle Mariners on Sunday.  —  Mazara pulled a shot into the right-center seats beyond …

Detroit Tigers squander lead, fall to Royals, 8-5  —  What happened: The Detroit Tigers had a chance to reach .500, but fell to 9-11 with an 8-5 loss to the Kansas City Royals on Sunday afternoon.  —  Lefty Francisco Liriano's no-hit bid ended in the sixth inning on a solo home run to left …

Altherr's RBI hit gives Phils 3-2 win and sweep over Pirates  —  PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Aaron Altherr's RBI single in the bottom of the 11th inning lifted the Phillies to a 3-2 victory over Pittsburgh on Sunday, giving Philadelphia its first four-game sweep over the Pirates in 24 years.

Javier Baez plays role of enforcer in Cubs' win  —  Joe Maddon on Kris Bryant's beaning, umps and Albert Almora Jr.'s ‘day for the ages’ in center field.  (Mark Gonzales/Chicago Tribune)  —  Chicago Tribune  —  Javier Baez strengthened his credentials for National League Player …

Hummel's MLB Insider: Pujols on verge of hitting milestone  —  Albert Pujols has been gone seven years now, but as he closes in on 3,000 hits, a plateau he should reach in the next week, it is proper to offer some perspective on the former Cardinals star's career.