Maddon: Take check swing calls away from umps  —  CHICAGO — The check-swing call in baseball has always been one of the most difficult for umpires to make.  After a late Chicago Cubs rally was thwarted on a strike-three, check-swing call on Kyle Schwarber, Chicago manager Joe Maddon suggested …

Mets give Robinson Cano his first day off of the season  —  ATLANTA - Saturday is Robinson Cano's first day off of the season - and he hates it.  If it was up to the veteran second baseman, he would play all 162 games for the Mets.  —  “I don't like days off but sometimes you have to go with it,” Cano said.

Fantasy baseball daily notes: Pitcher and hitter rankings for Sunday  —  A quartet of division matchups highlight the streaming pitchers, giving head-to-head one last chance to make up ground.  With several aces on the card, choosing the right arm to keep up with your opponent is even more important.

Baseball roundup: Sabathia is solid in return to Yankees  —  CC Sabathia began his 19th and final big league season with five stellar innings, pinch-hitter Luke Voit (Lafayette High) came through with a broken-bat RBI single in the seventh and the New York Yankees beat the Chicago White Sox 4-0 Saturday to end a four-game slide.

Athletics-Rangers game postponed after long day of rain  —  ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Oakland slugger Khris Davis had to wait another day for the chance to homer again against the Texas Rangers, who were rained out at home for the first time in three years.  —  After a long rainy day in North Texas …

MLB Headlines  —  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) Erik Kratz wasn't tired after catching 18 innings.  The 38-year-old San Francisco Giants backup had done it once before in his career, in 2016 with the Pittsburgh Pirates.  —  San Francisco's bullpen was just as sturdy on a night when manager Bruce Bochy used every reliever.

Why Dellin Betances just found out about bone spur and Yankees knew since 2006  —  NEW YORK — Yankees reliever Dellin Betances started his Saturday morning by getting a painful cortisone shot with a long needle.  —  “It hurt,” the four-time All-Star righty said.  “I didn't look.”

Seattle Mariners defy expectations with a homer-powered surge  —  A look at who's hot and who's not in Major League Baseball this week:  —  THREE UP  —  1. Are the Seattle Mariners for real?  Probably not, but ... they do keep winning games and hitting home runs.

Christin Stewart homers, but Detroit Tigers beaten by Twins, 4-3  —  MINNEAPOLIS - Michael Pineda labored through six innings, Eddie Rosario drove in two runs and the Minnesota Twins beat the Detroit Tigers 4-3 Saturday.  —  Byron Buxton and Jorge Polanco added RBI singles for Minnesota.

Orioles' Chris Davis singles in 1st, ending record hitless streak at 54  —  BOSTON (AP) — Baltimore's Chris Davis ended his streak of futility in his first at-bat on Saturday when he lined a bases-loaded, two-run single to right in the first inning against the Boston Red Sox.

Cardinals are expanding their brand  —  MONTERREY, MEXICO  • When Mike Shildt first joined the Cardinals in 2004 and began coaching and managing in the minors soon after, he quickly learned the geography the team's fan base — it was not bound by state lines, time zone, or level.

Mets analyst Darling: Surgery set for ‘large mass’ in chest  —  SHARE URL EMAIL FBMSNGR WHATSAPP SMS  —  ATLANTA (AP) — New York Mets announcer Ron Darling says he will have surgery next week to remove a “large mass in my chest” and hopes to return to the broadcast booth in May.

Diamondbacks rookie Yoan Lopez hasn't allowed a run since disastrous MLB debut last September  —  On Sept. 9, 2018, Yoan Lopez allowed two home runs and a triple without recording an out in his major-league debut.  —  He hasn't allowed a run since.  —  Cheekily clinging to superstition …

RedsXtra: Wave of contract extensions could be the future for young stars  —  MONTERREY, Mexico - It's too early to judge whether it's a trend or a one-year blip, but 27 Major League players have signed lucrative contract extensions since mid-February.  Fourteen extensions were signed by players younger than 26.