Dodgers' opener fizzles like a certain Game 7  —  LOS ANGELES—Matt Kemp began the ninth inning with a single, an afternoon of welcoming cheers still ringing in his ears.  —  The Dodgers trailed the San Francisco Giants by a single run, but that was about to change.

Stanton homers twice in debut, Yankees beat Blue Jays 6-1  —  TORONTO (AP) — Giancarlo Stanton homered twice, doubled and had four RBIs in his New York Yankees debut, a 6-1 win Thursday over the Toronto Blue Jays that gave Aaron Boone in a win in his first game as a professional manager.

Lamb loaded with confidence as D-backs host Rockies  —  PHOENIX — Arizona cleanup hitter Jake Lamb barely bats an eye when he bats with the bases loaded, and his numbers indicate the lack of stress works.  It is all about the repetitions, he said.  —  Lamb had a two-run double …

SEE IT: Mets reveal new ‘salt and pepper shaker’ team celebration in Opening Day win  —  The Mets are shaking things up with their team celebration.  —  During the Mets' 9-4 Opening Day win over the Cardinals, the team unveiled its new “salt and pepper shaker” celebration.

Luis Castillo embodies optimism Cincinnati Reds need in 2018  —  Cincinnati Reds right-hander Luis Casillo made his major league debut in June last season against the Washington Nationals.  —  Saturday he'll get a much earlier start to the season against the same team at Great American Ball Park.

A new day after sickening loss for Phillies |  Extra Innings  —  One down, 161 to go.  The Phillies' difficult-to-digest, season-opening 8-5 loss to the Atlanta Braves gave us a first glimpse of how rookie manager Gabe Kapler plans to run things from the dugout this season.

Albert Almora Jr. gets nod at leadoff spot for Cubs  —  Chicago Tribune  —  Albert Almora Jr.'s past success against left-handed pitchers was too good to pass up as he will bat leadoff Friday night instead of Ian Happ when the Cubs face the Marlins at Marlins Park.

Rays' Blake Snell not tired of talking about 2017  —  ST. PETERSBURG - Blake Snell will throw the first pitch of his 2018 season tonight against the visiting Red Sox.  It is a small act that will bring an end to the parade of questions he faced during spring training about his performance last season.

WATCH: Cleveland Indians SS Francisco Lindor made standout defensive play in 2018 season opener  —  Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor made a standout defensive play in the team's 2018 season opener against the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field Thursday night.

Braves Place Tyler Flowers On DL, Select Contract Of Miguel Socolovich  —  Braves catcher Tyler Flowers has been placed on the 10-day DL with a strained left oblique muscle, the team announced.  No timeline for his return was given, but oblique issues tend to sideline a player for a month or more.

Rough start for Cards, Martinez against Mets  —  NEW YORK  • Often out of sight but never out of mind, Carlos Martinez spent weeks of spring groping for consistency on the back fields against minor-leaguers, and his results were as erratic as his schedule sometimes appeared.

Rangers fan, 7, returns meaningful HR ball to Springer  —  Houston Astros outfielder George Springer became the first player in major league history to slam a leadoff homer on back-to-back Opening Days.  —  ARLINGTON, Texas - Houston Astros outfielder George Springer became the first player …

Attention, Span!  How Tampa's Denard Span made Rays opener his best career moment  —  ST. PETERSBURG - Denard Span first felt the emotions of the day when he ran on to the Tropicana Field turf for the start of the Rays' Thursday season-opener.  —  “It was crazy,” Span said.

MLB average salary drops as new season opens, AP study finds  —  NEW YORK — The average major league salary on opening day dropped slightly following an offseason of slashed contracts for many free agents and the decisions to start three highly paid players in the minor leagues, according to study by The Associated Press.

White Sox GM Rick Hahn is a Michigan man, so how does he feel about Loyola?  —  Chicago Tribune  —  White Sox general manager Rick Hahn wore a yellow and blue tie with his blue suit coat to opening day Thursday against the Royals at Kauffman Stadium.  —  The colors didn't go unnoticed by the media.

Detroit Tigers' new home uniforms draw critique from viewers  —  The Detroit Tigers are tweaking the Old English “D” on their uniform to match the design on the team's hat.  They used the look during 2017 spring training.  Let's look back through history to see how the franchise's uniforms …