Ex-bat boy on working for 1948 White Sox: ‘I learned an awful lot as a 14-year-old’  —  Ron Meadows, former White Sox bat boy, throws the first pitch before the Sox played the Orioles Thursday at Guaranteed Rate Field.  (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)  —  Chicago Tribune

Rays ‘bullpenning’ experiment continues: Relievers to start next three games vs. Orioles  —  The Tampa Bay Rays will spend the holiday weekend taking their pitching revolution to another level.  —  The Rays announced on Thursday that relief pitchers will start all three games of their series …

Cubs' Kyle Schwarber showing improved defense in left field  —  Cubs manager Joe Maddon discusses how starter Jon Lester has maintained his success and the play of Ian Happ on Wednesday, May 23, 2018.  (Mark Gonzales/Chicago Tribune)  —  Chicago Tribune  —  Left fielder Kyle Schwarber …

GIF: The evolution of Bartolo Colon  —  Happy birthday, Bart!  —  Texas Rangers pitcher Bartolo Colon, who turns 45 today, has come a long way since breaking into the big leagues with the Cleveland Indians in 1997.  Since his MLB debut 21 years ago, he has won a Cy Young Award …

Eugenio Suarez blasts grand slam, Luis Castillo solid in Cincinnati Reds win over Pittsburgh Pirates  —  Utility player Brandon Dixon was promoted from Triple-A Louisville to the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday.  He discusses how he found out and what he expects his role will be in the big leagues.

Astros' Josh Reddick placed on DL with leg infection  —  An itsy, bitsy spider bite may be to blame for Houston Astros outfielder Josh Reddick landing on the disabled list with a leg infection.  —  Reddick, who went on the DL on Wednesday, had been bothered by discomfort from a skin infection near …

Memo to the Braves: The National League is there to be seized  —  The Braves moved into first place May 2.  They've been there since.  They were there when they left Philadelphia.  Their lead has never been more than 1-1/2 games, but it remains a lead.  —  It's not as if the Braves sit atop a division of mediocrities.

Plutko, Miller pitch Indians past Cubs 1-0  —  Adam Plutko carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning and Andrew Miller provided stellar relief work, helping the Cleveland Indians beat the Chicago Cubs 1-0 on Wednesday night.  —  CHICAGO (AP) - Adam Plutko carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning …

Iowa baseball: A look at what could be next for the Hawkeyes' top stars  —  Rick Heller: 'We put ourselves in a position to control our own destiny, & we didn't get it done' Dargan Southard, msouthard@gannett.com  —  Thursday's 2- loss to Ohio State brought a disappointing end …

ON DECK: Blue Jays at Phillies  —  STARTING PITCHERS  —  Series kickoff features two hurlers with a combined four starts this season.  How Gaviglio fares after a terrific, but heartbreaking, first start for the Jays last Saturday against the A's, will be important to the team's immediate pitching plans.

Will Trevor Bauer-Gerrit Cole beef ever die?  ‘Not going to happen,’ says one  —  Gerrit Cole and Trevor Bauer won't bother to sugarcoat it: They can't stand one another.  —  These two celebrated pitchers, former collegiate teammates at UCLA, still don't talk to one another.

Jacob deGrom has been stellar, but NY Mets haven't taken advantage  —  Chris Iseman, Staff Writer, @chrisiseman  —  NEW YORK — Jacob deGrom has delivered solid outing after solid outing this season, but the Mets haven't been able to take advantage.  —  Wednesday's start was the latest example.

Real or not?  Justin Verlander off to one of best starts in past decade  —  Sometimes you just have to sit back, enjoy the performance and admire the gift that is Justin Verlander's right arm.  He's 35 years old, on the wrong end of the timeline for most professional baseball players …

New study: ‘The MLB home run surge is not due to a juiced ball’  —  Attendance was down.  The games were taking too long.  But the balls were flying.  —  That led to this suspicion: Major League Baseball had secretly put a little more punch into its balls.  More home runs were hit last year than in any other year in MLB history.

Yankees need their veteran pitching to step up in support of hot bats  —  ARLINGTON, Tex. — CC Sabathia and David Robertson needed to be better on Wednesday night — and both standup veterans took responsibility for their poor performances on the mound.  —  Despite being gifted leads of 4-0 and 10-5 …

Minor league report: Mercado stays hot in Memphis win  —  Cardinals outfielder Oscar Mercado slides into second during the Cardinals' 6-4 loss to the Miami Marlins in their 2018 exhibition season opener Friday at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter Fla. (David Santiago photo/Miami Herald via AP)

Prospectus Feature: MLB Commission Confirms That The Baseball Has Changed  —  For extended interviews with Committee Chair Dr. Alan Nathan and Committee Member Dr. Dan Brooks, download or stream Episode 24 of The Stolen Signs Podcast.  —  On July 17, 2015, Mike Trout hit one of the first home runs after the All-Star break.

What has motivated Cubs pitcher Duane Underwood Jr. in his first Triple-A season?  He's not telling.  —  The secret to Duane Underwood Jr.'s success this season is just that: a secret.  —  The Iowa Cubs pitcher is keeping under wraps what has motivated him during his first season in Triple-A.

Daily Dose: Iglesias Injured  —  An injury to his non-pitching arm will keep Raisel Iglesias from doing just that — pitching — for at least the next week.  —  Iglesias hit the 10-day disabled list Wednesday with a strained left biceps.  Iglesias said it's an issue he's been living …

Next Slide  —  Welcome to the weekly Free Press Detroit Tigers prospects mailbag, which is now open to any of your questions.  Submit questions on Twitter @GeorgeSipple or by e-mail at gsipple@freepress.com. … Right-handed pitcher Bryan Garcia will miss the entire 2018 season.

Dick Fowler's no-hitter for the Philadelphia A's comes back to life (sort of)  —  His name appeared in the eighth paragraph of a story a few weeks ago.  It was a sentence related to the no-hitter thrown by James Paxton of the Seattle Mariners.  But, boy, was there more to it than that.