Steady Starlin Castro adds another milestone to his MLB career  —  Starlin Castro ripped a 93 mph fastball from Atlanta Braves pitcher Mike Soroka to center field to lead off the second inning on Friday with a double.  —  As the Miami Marlins second baseman finished his trot to second base …

How Danny Duffy is recovering from being hit with a line drive, and a Dozier update  —  A day after the back of his knee absorbed a baseball traveling 109.6 miles per hour, Royals left-hander Danny Duffy hobbled through the clubhouse.  As manager Ned Yost spotted him, he asked for an update.

Choo returns to lineup but bruised left wrist still painful  —  Shin-Soo Choo was back in the Texas Rangers' lineup after missing two games with a hand injury.  —  Choo was hit by a pitch on his left wrist in Wednesday's game against the Orioles.  It's the 57th time Choo has been hit …

In even defeat, Detroit Tigers know Ron Gardenhire has their backs  —  Detroit Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire had his frustrations boil over in Friday night's 6-3 loss to the visiting Minnesota Twins.  —  With his team trying to break out of a tough stretch at Comerica Park — the Tigers …

Cardinals notebook: Banged-up Carpenter out of lineup, but expected back Saturday  —  CHICAGO — A series of foul balls over the past week tenderized Matt Carpenter's right shin so much that it left the Cardinals' leadoff hitter comparing the nagging pain to an ingrown toenail and wondering …

There's a chance Robinson Cano will be heading back to IL  —  Robinson Cano was hopeful he would return to the Mets' lineup on Saturday, but less decisive when asked if he was confident he could avoid another stint on the injured list with reoccurring left quad tightness.  —  “Well, I don't want to say confident.

Kevin Cron's first career home run sparks Diamondbacks' win over Blue Jays  —  TORONTO - The Cron family group texts tend to light up on days when either C.J. Cron or his younger brother, Kevin, connect for a home run.  It's happened from time to time over the years, with C.J. playing …

Gregorius returns to Yankees after offseason elbow surgery  —  CLEVELAND (AP) — Didi Gregorius taught himself to play piano while recovering from elbow surgery.  —  The Yankees are counting on his other talents.  —  Eight months after undergoing Tommy John surgery, Gregorius was activated …

Giants beat Kershaw, Dodgers 2-1 to end 5-game skid  —  Kevin Pillar hit an RBI single in a two-run sixth inning and San Francisco dealt Los Angeles ace Clayton Kershaw his first loss of the season as the Giants snapped a five-game home losing streak with a 2-1 win over the NL West-leading Dodgers on Friday night.

Pirates To Activate Corey Dickerson, Jung Ho Kang  —  The Pirates will activate outfielder Corey Dickerson and infielder Jung Ho Kang for tomorrow's game, skipper Clint Hurdle told reporters including MLB.com's Adam Berry (via Twitter).  Corresponding roster moves aren't yet known.

Rays at Red Sox lineups at the start of a long Saturday in the Park  —  Ryan Yarbrough will start the opening game of the day-night doubleheader, and Tommy Pham is back in leftfield.  —  UPDATE, 11:48: Cash raved more today about what Yonny Chirinos did last night, but said he still …

Cleveland Indians: Should Brad Hand be traded?  —  WHAT COMES NEXT?  —  The Indians plan to make some trades before the July 31 deadline.  —  That much is certain.  —  And one of them is likely to involve Trevor Bauer.  —  Or at least, that's my opinion.

Chirinos has RBI in 11th to lift Astros over Orioles 4-3  —  Robinson Chirinos hit an RBI double with two outs in the 11th inning to lift the  —  Baltimore Orioles on Friday night.  —  Yuli Gurriel singled with one out in the 11th before Chirinos hit a line drive to left field off

How baby boomer managers reach these dang millennial players  —  Ron Washington signed his first baseball contract in 1970.  He played his final game in the major leagues in 1989.  He became a coach in the 1990s.  The Texas Rangers hired him to manage their team in 2006.

June 8, 1989: When the Pirates blew a 10-0 lead, forcing announcer Jim Rooker to walk 327 miles  —  Think before you speak, even in baseball, and even when something seems, well, unthinkable.  Think before you speak, especially when you speak to hundreds of thousands of people for a living.

Hedges caps Padres' rally in 5-4 win vs Nationals  —  Austin Hedges' RBI single with two outs in the ninth capped a two-run rally off Sean Doolittle and gave the San Diego Padres a 5-4 victory over the Washington Nationals on Friday night.  —  Hedges' single brought in rookie Josh Naylor …

Cincinnati Reds' Scooter Gennett moving closer to return, will head to Arizona next week  —  PHILADELPHIA - Sidelined with a strained right groin since the end of spring training, Scooter Gennett will soon move into the next phase of rehab.  Gennett will report to the Cincinnati Reds' spring training complex …