Morton helps Astros beat Orioles 6-1 in home opener  —  HOUSTON (AP) — Charlie Morton pitched six scoreless innings, Marwin Gonzalez homered and the Houston Astros unveiled their World Series banner before defeating the Baltimore Orioles 6-1 on Monday night in their home opener.

Indians hoping to maintain dominance over Angels  —  The Cleveland Indians will try to extend their winning streak against the Los Angeles Angels to 13 games when they meet Tuesday night at Angel Stadium.  —  The Indians (2-2) beat the Angels 6-0 in the opener of their three-game series Monday night …

Bryce Harper is on a home-run-hitting tear  —  Washington Nationals slugger Bryce Harper hit his third home run in two days in an 8-1 win against the Atlanta Braves.  —  Harper's latest bomb was a 425-foot shot off of Sean Newcomb in the second inning Monday at SunTrust Park in Atlanta.

Mets outfielder Michael Conforto appears primed to make season debut Thursday against Nationals  —  Michael Conforto has cleared all the necessary hurdles, and barring some unforeseen setback or unfortunate weather development, it appears he will be in the lineup Thursday when the Mets open …

Yankees' Jacoby Ellsbury shut down ‘for a couple of days’ with hip issue  —  NEW YORK — Injured veteran Jacoby Ellsbury's return has hit a snag as the New York Yankees' banged-up outfield waits on a couple of key players to come off the disabled list.  —  According to manager Aaron Boone …

The story behind White Sox coach Daryl Boston's whistle and Josh Donaldson's reaction  —  Chicago Tribune  —  Daryl Boston tried to learn how to whistle on his own.  —  He even turned to YouTube to watch instructional videos.  But the White Sox first-base coach couldn't get the sound …

Mariners place DH Nelson Cruz on 10-day DL with sprained ankle  —  SAN FRANCISCO — The Seattle Mariners have placed designated hitter Nelson Cruz on the 10-day disabled list after he suffered a sprained right ankle in the season-opening series against Cleveland.

Detroit Tigers can't shake off bad weather in 1-0 loss to K.C. Royals  —  This is one way to speed up the pace of play in baseball.  —  The Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals played in terrible weather conditions on Tuesday afternoon at Comerica Park; the temperature was in the high-30's …

Cardinals recall Bader as Gyorko (hamstring) goes on 10-day disabled list  —  MILWAUKEE  • The Cardinals have recalled outfielder Harrison Bader from Class AAA Memphis to fill the roster spot vacated by third baseman Jedd Gyorko, who went on the 10-day disabled list Tuesday …

Commanding the strike zone is key for the young pitchers in the Cincinnati Reds rotation  —  Next time you watch Tyler Mahle pitch, watch Tucker Barnhart's mitt.  If it's not moving, Mahle is likely going to be good.  If Barnhart is reaching for pitches, Mahle is probably going to be in trouble.

Tommy Pham Waited Forever to Make It.  Now, He's Got Plenty to Say About His Journey.  —  Created with Sketch.  — The Cardinals may have cost Tommy Pham millions by stashing him in the minor leagues, but that won't stop the outfielder from maximizing his time in the big leagues …

Should Shohei Ohtani stay a two-way player?  Exactly 100 years ago, the Red Sox faced the same question with Babe Ruth  —  Now we've seen it for real: Shohei Ohtani got a hit in his first major league at-bat, and then he got a win in his major league debut.

Ross returns to Padres' rotation to face Rockies  —  SAN DIEGO — When Tyson Ross was healthy and at his best, the 6-foot-6 right-hander was an All-Star for the Padres.  —  He had a 23-26 record over the 2014-15 seasons with a 3.03 ERA in 64 starts covering 391 1/3 innings.

Fans at Yankee Stadium react to added protective netting following Todd Frazier foul ball last season  —  Yankee fans from Sydney, Australia, Ben and Claire Saw had come a long way to be here for Opening Day, and they were surprised to find themselves protected by extended netting in their seats behind the first-base dugout.

Ramirez, Betts homer as Red Sox top Marlins  —  Fish fall 7-3  —  MIAMI - Brian Johnson gave the Boston Red Sox their fifth solid start in five games, allowing one run in six innings in a 7-3 victory over the Miami Marlins on Monday night.  —  All five Boston starters have allowed less than two runs …

MLB legend Keith Hernandez returns to Twitter  —  Former St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets star Keith Hernandez has returned to Twitter after nearly a two-year absence.  —  The 64-year-old first baseman-turned-SNY broadcaster composed his first tweet since October of 2015 on March 30 …

Aces have their place in Rangers-A's matchup  —  OAKLAND, Calif. — Two teams struggling on offense will find themselves challenged by staff pitching aces Tuesday night when the Texas Rangers and Oakland Athletics meet for the second time in their four-game series.

Angels place Matt Shoemaker on the disabled list  —  ANAHEIM — The Angels have placed Matt Shoemaker on the disabled list with a strained right forearm, the second of their starters go down with an injury in the past three weeks.  —  There was no immediate word on the nature or severity of Shoemaker's injury.

Angels Acquire Akeel Morris, Designate Troy Scribner  —  The Angels announced on Tuesday that they've acquired righty Akeel Morris from the Braves in exchange for a player to be named later or cash.  Atlanta designated Morris for assignment over the weekend.