Jim Bouton Opened Up the Major Leagues to Everyone  —  Through both his everyman path to professional baseball and his revealing memoir “Ball Four,” Bouton, who died on Wednesday, made a gilded world seem attainable.  —  In high school they called him Warm-Up, because he only ever pitched in the bullpen.

Mitch Moreland injury: Boston Red Sox first baseman starts rehab assignment  —  Red Sox first baseman Mitch Moreland began a rehab assignment at Triple-A Pawtucket on Thursday night, going 0-for-4 with a strikeout as the designated hitter.  —  Moreland hadn't seen game action since June 7 …

Cardinals Place Yadier Molina On 10-Day IL; Activate Matt Carpenter  —  5:22pm: Molina will likely miss around three weeks and surgery won't be required, Cardinals manager Mike Shildt told MLB.com's Anne Rogers and other media.  —  4:14pm: The Cardinals have announced (Twitter links) …

White Sox prospect Luis Robert has a grand Triple-A debut with Charlotte Knights  —  They say you only have one chance to make a good first impression.  —  It's safe to say that Luis Robert made more than a good impression with the  —  Charlotte Knights.  In his Triple-A debut on Thursday,

40 years ago, Disco Demolition Night stirred culture war still being fought  —  Forty years ago today, when Dan Petry was a rookie pitcher for the DetroitTigers, his second road trip took him to Chicago's Comiskey Park for a scheduled twi-night doubleheader against the White Sox on Disco Demolition Night.

Royals Promote Bubba Starling  —  The Royals announced Thursday that they will select the contract of outfielder Bubba Starling prior to tomorrow's game.  A corresponding 40-man roster move will be announced tomorrow.  —  Starling, 27 next month, was the fifth overall draft pick by the Royals back in 2011.

The MLB trade deadline is quickly approaching.  Who are the Marlins' top trade assets?  —  The All-Star Game is over.  The second half of the season resumes on Friday.  —  And while the Miami Marlins look to climb out of the National League cellar on the field, the front office will be busy …

Lynn gets MLB-best 12th win as Rangers beat Astros 5-0  —  Lance Lynn matched his season high with 11 strikeouts in seven stellar innings for his major league-best 12th victory and the  —  Texas Rangers beat the AL West-leading  —  Houston Astros 5- in the only game Thursday night …

Kyle Freeland expected to return to Rockies rotation on Saturday against Cincinnati  —  Kyle Freeland is expected to make his return to the Rockies' rotation on Saturday against the Reds at Coors Field, per sources, after the club's opening day starter spent nearly six weeks in Triple-A Albuquerque.

Second half: Tigers trust darkest hour is right before the dawn  —  Kansas City, Mo. — Don't think it can't get any worse.  Because it can.  Of course it can.  —  The Tigers limped into the break, pun intended, with eight players still on the injured list, including four starting pitchers …

‘Robot umpires’ debut in Atlantic League ASG  —  YORK, Pa. — “Robot umpires” have arrived.  —  The independent Atlantic League became the first American professional baseball league to let a computer call balls and strikes on Wednesday at its All-Star Game.

Padres Interested In Matt Boyd  —  You can add Matt Boyd to the long list of starting pitchers on the Padres' radar, as MLB.com's Jon Paul Morosi reports that San Diego is “evaluating” the southpaw as a potential trade acquisition.  Things still seem to be in the exploratory phase, however …

Even Baseball's Best Players Are Hopelessly Overmatched in CBA Negotiations  — The best players in the world, selected to represent their sport at this week's All-Star Game, want to fix free agency.  But there's little consensus from these All-Stars about how they're going to do that when the current CBA expires.