Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner blames players for slow start  —  NEW YORK — Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner has backed manager Joe Girardi and his coaching staff and has blamed players for the team's slow start.  —  With New York last in the AL East at 16-22 before its 4-2 win over Arizona on Wednesday …

Braves' Erick Aybar sedated, has chicken bone removed from throat  —  Erick Aybar's tough 2016 season didn't get any better Thursday.  —  The Atlanta Braves shortstop was removed from the starting lineup for Thursday night's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates after a chicken bone got stuck in his throat.

Lind Homers to Propel Mariners Over Orioles 7-2  —  By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSMAY 19, 2016, 3:55 P.M. E.D.T.  —  BALTIMORE — Adam Lind broke open a close game with a three-run homer in the sixth inning, and the Seattle Mariners beat the Baltimore Orioles 7-2 Thursday to complete another successful road series.

Notes: MLB's diversity issue back in spotlight, brawl fallout and more  —  Baseball is down to just two minority managers, final questions on the Jays-Rangers brawl and much more in Ken Rosenthal's latest notes.  —  After the Braves' dismissal of manager Fredi Gonzalez on Tuesday, I tweeted this:

Draft prep: Top 30 baseball prospects in June draft  —  With the baseball's draft approaching on June 9-11, USA TODAY Sports looks at the top 30 draft-eligible prospects.  The rankings were compiled by Frankie Piliere, a national prospect writer for D1Baseball.com.

Guerra Strikes Out 11 as Brewers Slow Cubs With 5-3 Win  —  By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSMAY 19, 2016, 5:20 P.M. E.D.T.  —  MILWAUKEE — Junior Guerra struck out a career-high 11, Kirk Nieuwenhuis and Chris Carter homered and the Milwaukee Brewers slowed the Chicago Cubs with a 5-3 victory Thursday.

Believe it or not, these are still Theo Epstein's Red Sox  —  It's not Dave Dombrowski.  It's not Ben Cherington, either.  It's not Mike Hazen.  It's not ownership.  It's certainly not Bill James.  —  None of the above.  —  No. This Red Sox team you have come to love early …

Lindor's Homer in 12th Sends Indians Over Reds 8-7  —  By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSMAY 18, 2016, 11:42 P.M. E.D.T.  —  CINCINNATI — Rajai Davis hit a tying, two-run homer in the ninth inning, and Francisco Lindor led off the 12th with another homer, powering the Cleveland Indians to an 8-7 victory …

Nationals draw 11 walks to back Gio, beat Colon and Mets 7-1 … NEW YORK — Limited to two runs over the previous three games, the Washington Nationals used their eyes even more than their bats to break out at the plate.  —  Daniel Murphy drove in two runs against his former team …

Powerful Rays Beat Blue Jays 6-3 to Complete 3-Game Sweep  —  By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSMAY 18, 2016, 11:18 P.M. E.D.T.  —  TORONTO — The Tampa Bay Rays have a reputation for defense and great pitching.  —  After another big win over the Blue Jays, the Rays have something else, too: the major league lead in home runs.

Angels' 5-Run 5th Inning Helps Beat Dodgers 8-1  —  By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSMAY 19, 2016, 1:36 A.M. E.D.T.  —  ANAHEIM, Calif. — Mike Trout homered and the Los Angeles Angels broke the game open with five runs in the fifth inning to beat the Dodgers 8-1 on Wednesday night in the Freeway Series.