Top News:
Coley Harvey / ESPN:
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 …
Discussion:
MLB Baseball News …, DRaysBay and Pinstripe Alley
RELATED:
Marc Topkin / Tampa Bay Times:
Rays at Yankees lineups, on a Friday with first place on the line — Ryne Stanek is opening for Rays, CC Sabathia starting for Yankees with one-half game between them. — The Rays roll into a three-game weekend series against the Yankees with a half-game lead in the AL East.
Kristie Ackert / New York Daily News:
Will this Yankees and Rays series devolve into more grudges and hit batsmen? — Last weekend, Luke Voit was pissed. The Yankees slugger was hit in the back of his left shoulder by Rays reliever Yonny Chirinos in a loss at Tampa Bay Saturday night and he'd had about enough.
Mike Puma / New York Post:
Carlos Gomez coming back to Mets — for real this time — Carlos Gomez's second stint with the Mets will begin Friday. — The veteran outfielder was informed following Thursday's game for Triple-A Syracuse that the Mets were selecting his contract. It was unclear whether Gomez …
Discussion:
MLB Baseball News …, Amazin' Avenue and UPI
RELATED:
Steve Adams / MLB Trade Rumors:
Mets To Select Carlos Gomez
Mets To Select Carlos Gomez
Discussion:
Amazin' Avenue, Newsday and Newsday
Rick Hummel / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
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.
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Rick Hummel / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
C. Martinez will join Cardinals in Texas
C. Martinez will join Cardinals in Texas
Discussion:
MLB Baseball News …
Associated Press:
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 …
Discussion:
sports.MyNorthwest.com
RELATED:
Matthew Florjancic / WKYC-TV:
Indians 2B Jason Kipnis ‘going in right direction’ after early-season struggles — Cleveland Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis believes he is ‘going in the right direction’ after early-season struggles at the plate. — CLEVELAND — While the Cleveland Indians fought their way through …
Discussion:
Sports Illustrated
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Kevin Acee / San Diego Union-Tribune:
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.
Discussion:
NBCSports.com, Kansas City Star, USA Today, Gaslamp Ball and baseballmusings.com
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Bernie Wilson / MLB Baseball News, Scores …:
Kinsler's 3-run homer lifts Padres to 4-3 win vs Pirates
Kinsler's 3-run homer lifts Padres to 4-3 win vs Pirates
Discussion:
Bucs Dugout
Mark Schmetzer / Cincinnati.com:
Top games in Cincinnati Reds history: No. 45 - June 18, 1947 - Ewell Blackwell's no-hitter — Ewell Blackwell's nickname was “The Whip” for two reasons. — At 6-foot-6 and 195 pounds, he was as thin as one. Then there was his delivery - a right-handed sidearm, whip-like motion …
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Bobby Nightengale / Cincinnati.com:
Cincinnati Reds third baseman Eugenio Suárez ignites the middle of the lineup
Cincinnati Reds third baseman Eugenio Suárez ignites the middle of the lineup
Discussion:
Red Reporter and Bleed Cubbie Blue
Associated Press:
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.
Discussion:
Halos Heaven
RELATED:
Steve Adams / MLB Trade Rumors:
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.
Discussion:
MLB Baseball News … and Over the Monster
Matt Schneidman / Mercury News:
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.
Discussion:
Marin Independent Journal
RELATED:
Jon Becker / Mercury News:
Live playoff updates: Warriors vs. Blazers, Game 2 Thursday
Live playoff updates: Warriors vs. Blazers, Game 2 Thursday
Discussion:
Marin Independent Journal and Chico Enterprise-Record
Sam Mellinger / Kansas City Star:
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.
Discussion:
Royals Review
Joe Kay / MLB Baseball News, Scores …:
Dodgers put Kenta Maeda on injured list — Kenta Maeda on the 10-day injured list after he hurt his left thigh, costing them one of their best starters in May. — Maeda gave up only three hits in 6 2/3 innings of a 2-0 win over the — Padres on Wednesday. The right-hander is 5-2 in nine starts with a 3.52 ERA.
Discussion:
Dodger Blue and McCovey Chronicles
Dave Sheinen / Boston Globe:
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 …
Mike Sheets / ESPN:
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.
ESPN:
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 …