Detroit Tigers designate Rule 5 pick Reed Garrett for assignment  —  There was one roster casualty after the Detroit Tigers' blowout loss to the Athletics on Thursday afternoon, one that was a long time coming: Right-hander reliever Reed Garrett, the Tigers' Rule 5 Draft pick in December , was designated for assignment.

Texas Rangers end road trip with offensive onslaught against the Royals  —  The Texas Rangers salvaged what had the makings of becoming a disastrous road trip.  —  After being swept by four games in Houston and losing the opener to the Kansas City Royals, the Rangers responded by taking …

Steven Matz ‘feels good,’ expected to make start in Miami this weekend  —  WASHINGTON - While the Mets remain hush-hush on Steven Matz's next start, the left-hander said he feels good and is waiting for the green light from the team.  —  Matz is forging ahead in his recovery from a nerve irritation in his left forearm.

Cincinnati Reds Beat Podcast: Breaking down the slow start and the slumping offense  —  Cincinnati.com's Bobby Nightengale and John Fay breakdown the Reds' slow start to the season, the offense's slump throughout the season and evaluate David Bell's managerial style.  —  How to listen:

Inconsistent White Sox welcome Jays for 4-game set  —  Cleveland Indians to two runs and two hits in a Chicago victory on Monday night.  —  The following afternoon, the Indians torched White Sox hurlers for nine runs behind a five-homer barrage.  —  Pitching has remained inconsistent as Chicago keeps pushing to reach the .500 mark.

Dodgers' Kenta Maeda carves up Padres behind dominant performance  —  The stuff has rarely wavered.  Since Kenta Maeda joined the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2016, he has relied primarily on a fastball that he throws from between 90 and 93 mph, a slider ranging from 82 to 85 mph and a split-fingered change-up he throws between 83 to 86 mph.

Is the .300 hitter a thing of the past?  —  The history of baseball is so remarkably well chronicled in both statistical and narrative forms that there are countless good stories through the eons that we've forgotten.  They happen every day, even now, events notable enough that they might lead …

C. Martinez will join Cardinals in Texas  —  ATLANTA — The Cardinals will stay with 13 pitchers when they play an interleague series against the Texas Rangers at Arlington, Texas this weekend and one of them will be righthander Carlos Martinez.  —  Martinez returned to St. Louis after pitching …

‘This year is going to be the year’: Adbert Alzolay ready to make big-league debut  —  Adbert Alzolay on coming back to Iowa Cubs and his spring training injury  —  Cubs pitching prospect Adbert Alzolay can't help but think about what could have been in 2018 had injures not slowed him down and even cost him the end of his season.

Mariners recall outfielder Mallex Smith from Class AAA Tacoma, send down Shed Long  —  With the hope that his timing issues at the plate and mistakes in the field that seemed to follow are fixed, outfielder Mallex Smith will return to his center field spot for a Mariners team that desperately needs …

Bruce Willis bounces in first pitch before Phillies game  —  Actor Bruce Willis watched his ceremonial first pitch Die Hard in the air before it could make it to the plate prior to the Philadelphia Phillies' loss to the Milwaukee Brewers.  —  Willis walked out of the dugout to heave …

Ten things to know about new Rays catcher Travis d'Arnaud  —  For one, the name may sound familiar.  For another, he happened to be at the Trop for a pretty big moment in Rays history.  —  NEW YORK — There's an apartment in Manhattan with a rented couch waiting to be picked up, and a couple weeks of mail in the box to be collected.

Real or not?  Mike Soroka the best rookie over first quarter of season  —  Everything about Braves right-hander Mike Soroka is a little funky.  —  He's Canadian, for starters.  That's a rarity.  There are only eight Canadians who have played in the majors this season …