Four things the Yankees have learned about the Rays  —  NEW YORK — Since April 1, one team has stood alone atop the American League East standings.  —  It might not after this weekend.  —  Many around baseball thought that might have happened last weekend, when the division-leading Tampa …

Mets To Select Carlos Gomez  —  The Mets have informed veteran outfielder Carlos Gomez that they will select his contract from Triple-A Syracuse, per Mike Puma of the New York Post (Twitter link).  He'll join the club as Michael Conforto lands on the injured list due to a concussion.

Cards trampled by Braves 10-2, lose fourth consecutive series  —  ATLANTA — Manager Mike Shildt almost always looks for a positive spin he can put on a Cardinals defeat, if there is one.  And there have been plenty lately, 11 losses in 14 games, which would test even college graduate Shildt's ample vocabulary.

Twins hit 4 HRs, pound stumbling Mariners 11-6  —  SEATTLE — Sometime during a fourth inning in which the Minnesota Twins sent 13 batters to the plate, their confidence really started to soar.  —  Viral video star C.J. Cron and Byron Buxton homered in an error-fueled outburst …

Ian Kinsler says emotional response wasn't directed at Padres fans  —  Padres second baseman denies his profane reaction after homer was due to fans' displeasure with him  —  Ian Kinsler arrived in San Diego with the dream that he could accomplish at the end of his career something like what he had at the beginning.

Rangers belt 5 home runs in 16-1 rout of Royals  —  KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Rougned Odor and the rest of the Texas Rangers had been using the Kansas City Royals' beleaguered pitching staff for batting practice most of the sun-splashed afternoon.  —  Then the Rangers used their backup second baseman for it, too.

Cincinnati Reds third baseman Eugenio Suárez ignites the middle of the lineup  —  Eugenio Suárez saw an elevated fastball in the middle of the strike zone and launched the pitch onto the concourse behind the left-field seats in San Francisco last weekend.

Warriors steal Game 2, literally, thanks to Andre Iguodala  —  Golden State takes 2-0 lead in Western Conference Finals as series shifts to Portland  —  OAKLAND — Andre Iguodala first raised his left pointer finger high in the air, then flung both arms to his side, streaking straight for the tunnel from the opposite end of the court.

Five things to know about the Braves on Friday  —  Here are five things to know about the Braves on Friday:  — Riley remains hot: Austin Riley homered in his first major-league game Wednesday and added three hits in his second game, Thursday's 10-2 victory over the Cardinals.

Red Sox Designate Chandler Shepherd For Assignment  —  The Red Sox announced Friday morning that they've designated right-hander Chandler Shepherd for assignment in order to open a spot on the 40-man roster for catcher Oscar Hernandez, whose contract has been selected from Triple-A Pawtucket.

How the Royals' Nicky Lopez became one of modern baseball's rarest talents  —  Long before he became the perfect fit for the Royals at this moment (and more on that soon), Nicky Lopez argued with air.  —  That is not a metaphor.  That is not a slick way of describing something.  That is literally what he did.

As bullpen workloads increase, MLB teams are struggling to find relief  —  When the Seattle Mariners brought in right-hander Austin Adams to pitch the eighth inning Monday night against the Oakland A's, they quietly reached a grim milestone: Adams was the 20th pitcher to appear in relief …

Quarter-Season Notebook: An Epic NL MVP Race, MLB's Elite Youth and Mike Trout's Greatness  —  The latest Weekend Read dives into Tom Verducci's quarter-season notebook and unearths the story behind an epic Kawhi Leonard snapshot. … The first quarter of the season has shown us where baseball is …

Fantasy baseball daily notes: Pitcher and hitter rankings for Saturday  —  Full 15-game slates usually offer up plenty of quality starting pitchers to stream.  Well, that's not the case this Saturday.  This one is pretty ugly, folks!  There are a lot of potential land mines out there.

MLB Weekend Watch: Picks, analysis on the top matchups  —  Believe it or not, we're already a quarter of the way through the MLB regular season, and it seems teams are starting to settle in where they'll be for the long haul (maybe).  That's particularly true in the American League …