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 …

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 …

Kevin Gausman set to start Saturday after suspension  —  Braves starter Kevin Gausman will return from his suspension and start Saturday, though he jokes the team might not need him back.  —  Gausman was suspended for intentionally throwing at Marlins starter Jose Urena earlier this month.

First-place Twins put Cruz on IL with wrist injury  —  The Minnesota Twins put designated hitter Nelson Cruz on the injured list with a left wrist strain Friday.  —  Cruz was pulled from Sunday's game against the Detroit Tigers after aggravating the wrist on a swinging strike.  He has since missed four games.

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 …

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 …

Freddie Freeman on Austin Riley: He's working counts and not missing  —  Braves face-of-franchise first baseman Freddie Freeman is sold on Austin Riley.  —  Riley has played two games in the majors, both manning left field rather than his natural position of third base.

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.

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.

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 …

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.

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.

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 …

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 …