Bader hits his way into leadoff spot as Carpenter, Wong catch a getaway break  —  ARLINGTON, TEXAS — Once Cardinals manager Mike Shildt committed to getting Jedd Gyorko into the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rangers and their lefty Drew Smyly, the question became who would hit leadoff in Matt Carpenter's place.

Giants bounce back from a shutout loss to beat Arizona, 8-5  —  PHOENIX - For the last decade, the San Francisco Giants have consistently counted on Madison Bumgarner in times of need.  —  They won't have that luxury for much longer, but after turning in their worst performance of the season …

MLB notes: Cubs drop protest over delivery of Nationals' Sean Doolittle  —  The Chicago Cubs have dropped their protest over the pitching delivery of Washington reliever Sean Doolittle.  —  Cubs manager Joe Maddon made the announcement before Sunday night's game against the Nationals.

Yankees walk to half game lead in AL East  —  In a season they never quite envisioned, the Yankees broke loose for their biggest inning of the year in a way they didn't imagine.  —  Brett Gardner homered early, then got two hits during a seven-run burst in the sixth inning fueled by five walks …

Griffin Canning showcases his prolific promise in Angels' 6-3 win over Royals  —  ANAHEIM, Calif. - He's barely 23 years old, a freshly minted major league starter.  —  But Griffin Canning, the Angels' most heralded pitching prospect in recent years, took the Angel Stadium mound for the second …

Alcantara pitches 2-hitter, Miami beats reeling Mets 3-0 … MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. - Sandy Alcantara threw a two-hitter in a pitching duel with Noah Syndergaard, and the Miami Marlins beat the reeling New York Mets 3-0 Sunday to complete a three-game sweep.  —  A day after being shut …

Rockies bear witness to Phillies' hit parade, swept on the road  —  The City of Brotherly Love once again gave the Colorado Rockies the cold shoulder in their 7-5 loss on Sunday to the Philadelphia Phillies.  —  Another pitching performance to forget for the starting rotation and an explosive …

Guerrero Jr. homers again, Blue Jays beat White Sox 5-2  —  Following a slow start, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is showing why he's one of the top prospects in the majors.  —  Guerrero hit another home run, Danny Jansen and Billy McKinney also connected and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Chicago White Sox 5-2 on Sunday.

Cleveland Indians' pitching depth comes through again in 4-1 win over Baltimore Orioles  —  Gallery: Cleveland Indians vs. Baltimore Orioles, May 18, 2019  —  CLEVELAND, Ohio — Once again the Indians reached down into the minors to help their injured starting rotation and once again they found a quality starting performance.

Cincinnati Reds' Scott Schebler hopes to break out of ‘storm’ with Louisville Bats  —  After optioning Scott Schebler to the Louisville Bats this month, the Cincinnati Reds gave their veteran outfielder a road map back to the majors.  —  “Go down, get your swing right, become the player we know you are …

Jake Cronenworth is the Rays latest two-way experiment  —  Having pitched in college at Michigan, Cronenworth was asked in spring about trying it again and made his debut Saturday at Triple-A.  —  NEW YORK - The Rays have another two-way experiment player in the works …

Detroit Tigers' offensive woes remind us what's missing in rebuild  —  Free Press sports writer Anthony Fenech breaks down the Tigers' 6th straight loss, 4-1, to A's, an improvement.  Filmed Saturday, May 18, 2019.  —  CONNECT  —  The Detroit Tigers hope to be them one day …