Mets pitchers scuffle hours after coaching shakeup at Wrigley  —  CHICAGO - The Mets began the day with an enormous disruption to the structure of their coaching staff when Brodie Van Wagenen and his front office made an executive decision to fire pitching coach Dave Eiland.

Dodgers hold off Giants' rally in 9th for 9-8 victory  —  Madison Bumgarner and rode their hot-hitting lineup for the first eight innings of Thursday night's game against San Francisco.  It was their clutch fielding that ended up helping them hold on for a 9-8 win.

If the Montreal idea is bogus, what are the Rays really thinking?  —  St. Petersburg's mayor had already shot down the idea of a shared agreement with Montreal, which means the Rays dropped a bombshell knowing it was a long shot.  —  ST. PETERSBURG — And so it begins.  The dance, if not the departure.

Cameron Maybin Suffers Calf Strain  —  Yankees outfielder Cameron Maybin exited the team's game Friday with a left calf strain, Meredith Marakovits of the YES Network reports.  Maybin will undergo an MRI to determine the severity of the injury.  —  Calf strains often lead to IL stints …

MLB All-Star finalists: No Bryce Harper, but plenty of surprises  —  Major League Baseball's latest attempt to increase interest in the All-Star Game is in full motion.  —  On Friday, the results of the league's three-week Primary phase of the 2019 MLB All-Star Ballot were announced during …

Frankie Montas Gets 80-Game PED Suspension  —  In stunning news, Major League Baseball has issued an 80-game suspension to Athletics ace Frankie Montas for performance-enhancing drug use, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.  Montas tested positive for banned substance Ostarine, according to Sam Dykstra of MLB.com.

Marlins Place Jorge Alfaro On IL, Select Wilkin Castillo  —  The Marlins have placed catcher Jorge Alfaro on the seven-day concussion injured list and selected the contract of fellow backstop Wilkin Castillo from Triple-A New Orleans.  In other moves, the club transferred catcher Chad Wallach …

Royals Activate Hunter Dozier  —  The Royals have activated third baseman Hunter Dozier from the 10-day injured list and optioned outfielder Jorge Bonifacio to Triple-A Omaha.  —  Dozier's back after missing three weeks with chest tightness.  The 27-year-old performed like one of the majors' breakout stars …

The perfect player: Albert Pujols' return to St. Louis a time for celebration  —  ST. LOUIS — Albert Pujols still has a home in the suburbs of St. Louis but hasn't set foot inside Busch Stadium since Dec. 8, 2011.  —  This is the home he helped build, leading the Cardinals …

Reds Reportedly “Open To Adding A Controllable Hitter”  —  The Reds are “open to adding a controllable hitter” this summer, according to a recent report from MLB.com's Jon Morosi (Twitter link).  —  This bit of scuttlebutt seems mostly to reflect a few self-evident realities about the Cincinnati org's situation.