LEADING OFF: Yankees-Red Sox ramp up, Ohtani could return  —  A look at what's happening all around the majors today:  —  BEST OF 19  —  Giancarlo Stanton and J.D. Martinez get their first swings in the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry when aces Luis Severino and Chris Sale start at Fenway Park …

Arizona Diamondbacks vs. San Francisco Giants … Two of the top three vote-getters for the National League MVP award are off to rough starts to the 2018 season.  —  Both New York Yankees outfielder Giancarlo Stanton and Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt entered play Tuesday …

Cardinals notebook: Holland assumes late-game duties  —  Cardinals manager Mike Matheny, explaining before the season how he planned to deploy his bullpen, said any number of his pitchers could turn up as closers.  “We didn't have an idea of who was going to close out games,” admitted Matheny on Monday night.

Baseball roundup: Scherzer steals base, throws 5th shutout  —  Scherzer steals base, throws 5th shutout  —  Max Scherzer stole the first base of his professional career and allowed only two singles in his fifth big league shutout, and the Nationals ended a five-game losing skid while getting …

Cubs postpone game due to snow while White Sox play  —  The Chicago Cubs caught some grief from Chicago White Sox fans for postponing Monday's home opener due to snow while their cross-town rivals played, but a South Side groundskeeper said that the North Side team made the right call.

Verlander dominates over 7 innings, Astros beat Twins 2-0  —  MINNEAPOLIS — Facing Joe Mauer with runners at the corners and no outs, Justin Verlander reached back for a fastball that broke in to strike out the lefty-hitting Mauer.  —  Verlander said he yanked the four-seam fastball and was fortunate Mauer swung over it.

Reds Designate Yovani Gallardo  —  The Reds announced today that they have designated veteran righty Yovani Gallardo for assignment.  His roster spot will go to fellow right-hander Tanner Rainey, whose contract was selected.  —  Gallardo, 32, spent camp with the division-rival Brewers but was cut loose before the start of the season.

Sources: Mets promoting minor league pitcher of the year, Corey Oswalt  —  MIAMI — The Mets are set to promote their minor league pitcher of the year, righty Corey Oswalt, according to sources.  The corresponding move is not yet known.  —  Oswalt is the team's No. 16 prospect, according to MLB.com.

From here to the Hall: Predicting 40 active players who will wind up in Cooperstown  —  How many active major leaguers are future Hall of Famers?  —  This is not a trick question.  But it is a difficult question, one requiring thought and analysis, and maybe a crazy guess or two.

For starters: Rays at White Sox, with no Kevin Kiermaier again  —  Coming off a win for the first time in more than 10 days, the Rays take on the White Sox again this afternoon.And they again will be without CF Kevin Kiermaier, who remains out of the lineup du

‘Subpar’ Syndergaard, Mets flirt with history in 6th straight win  —  https://embed.sendtonews.com/player2/ embedcode.php?SC=Dj0uazoAn4-389735- 6761&autoplay=off&sound= on  —  MIAMI — Noah Syndergaard is almost there, but remains an unfinished product.  —  Even so, the Mets can take comfort knowing …

Mark McGwire is delusional for saying he could've hit 70 homers in '98 without PEDs  —  Mark McGwire truly believes he would have hit 70 home runs in 1998 without using steroids.  —  Right, and Alex Rodriguez would have left $100 million or more on the table from Texas to sign with the Mets in 2001.

Dodgers will host 2020 MLB All-Star Game, their first since 1980  —  Major League Baseball's All-Star Game will return to Dodger Stadium in 2020, a move that will end the Midsummer Classic's a 40-year absence from the nation's second-largest city.  —  The Dodgers and Major League Baseball …

Detroit Tigers podcast: Talkin' Tigers with catcher James McCann  —  Are you subscribed to our “Talkin' Tigers” podcast?  If not, you should be: Subscribe via iTunes or Google Play now.  —  It's time for the third episode of the 2018 season of the Talkin' Tigers podcast.

Rockies hope to end rocky start at home vs. Padres  —  DENVER — The path to the postseason for the Colorado Rockies is fairly straightforward.  They must dominate at Coors Field and stay around .500 or a tad better on the road.  —  Indeed, the two times the Rockies had a winning record …