Sweet!  Harper's hitting streak hits 16 games  —  ATLANTA — The beat goes on for Bryce Harper.  —  The Nationals' first-round Draft pick singled in the third inning on Thursday night to extend his hitting streak to 16 games.  —  Harper lined a single to right field off Delmarva Shorebirds …

Bondy: Girardi hoping for BoSox boost  —  The Yankee-Red Sox rivalry never dies, but it has cooled to a hypothermic state best described as dormant.  —  That's what we get Friday, when Boston arrives in the Bronx with a sub-.500 record, a pitching staff ranked 12th in the American League and a very recent history of non-contention.

Beltran's homers suggest a new home  —  Here's how much the sport of baseball has changed in just a few short years: On Thursday, Carlos Beltran became the first player in 2011 to hit three home runs in a game.  —  From 1995 through 2010, this happened 178 times (including three four-homer games) …

Dodgers being carried by starting pitching  —  Injuries have knocked out leadoff hitter, third baseman and two top relievers, but Clayton Kershaw and Co. have kept the Dodgers in the race.  Game against Pirates is rained out.  —  Reporting from Pittsburgh — Only two of the players in their lineup present real threats.

AP Interview: Schieffer says ‘complexity daunting’  —  NEW YORK—The man charged by Major League Baseball with sorting through the finances of the Los Angeles Dodgers is finding a complex jigsaw of companies.  As Tom Schieffer traces the money from the baseball team to Frank McCourt …

Tale of salvation: Formerly a tormented teen, RiverDogs star and top Yankee prospect Slade Heathcott has turned his life around  —  Slade Heathcott aimed the shotgun at his father.  —  “I was ready to do it,” the Charleston RiverDogs' 20-year-old millionaire center fielder said.  “Had my finger on the trigger.”

Former Toronto Blue Jays pitching coach Mel Queen dies  —  TORONTO — Mel Queen, the Toronto Blue Jays former pitching coach and manager who rejoined the organization in 2008 at its player development senior advisor, has died.  He was 69.  —  The cause of death was not divulged.

Agent puts kibosh on Royals locking up Hosmer  —  Agent Scott Boras on Thursday shot down any hopes the Kansas City Royals had of signing burgeoning star Eric Hosmer  —  to a long-term extension, telling Yahoo! Sports he expects massive increases in television revenue to change the landscape of salaries in baseball.

White Sox need Juan Pierre to be the repair man  —  OAKLAND, Calif. — The White Sox are going to need better defense in left field and better production at the top of the batting order if they plan to climb their way into contention in the American League Central.

Who will Pirates take No. 1 overall in Draft?  —  Bucs' selection draws intrigue with no clear-cut top pick this year  —  As exciting as the past two First-Year Player Drafts have been, who the No. 1 pick would be had all the drama and intrigue of a trip to the accountant.

Orioles Rally to Beat Mariners 2-1 in 12 Innings  —  BALTIMORE (AP) — J.J. Hardy singled in two runs in the 12th inning Thursday night, and the Baltimore Orioles rallied to beat the Seattle Mariners 2-1 for a three-game sweep.  —  After Seattle scored the game's first run in the top half of the 12th …

Harmon Killebrew: “My battle with esophageal cancer is coming to an end”  —  Hall of Famer and Twins great Harmon Killebrew has entered into hospice care following unsuccessful treatments for esophageal cancer and issued a very sad and equally brave statement: … Damn.