The Yankees are who we thought they were  —  HOUSTON — So, about the hype surrounding this year's New York Yankees?  —  Time to buy in.  —  With a nod to the late Dennis Green, these Bombers are proving they are who we thought they were before the season began.  —  That is to say, they are good — real good.

Next Slide  —  At Comerica Park on Tuesday night.  —  What happened: The Detroit Tigers (12-16) defeated the Tampa Bay Rays, 2-1. ...  James McCann scored on an RBi single to right by Leonys Martin in the fifth to give the Tigers a 2-1 lead. ...  The Tigers took a 1- lead in the third …

Cardinals bring same lineup, plus Carlos Martinez, for afternoon game with White Sox  —  Coming off their 3-2 walk-off win over the White Sox on Tuesday night, the Cardinals will trot out the same lineup for their Wednesday afternoon rematch.  —  The White Sox, meanwhile …

Mookie Betts returns to starting lineup for Red Sox  —  Boston Red Sox outfielder Mookie Betts, who returned to action in the ninth inning Tuesday, is in the starting lineup for Wednesday's game against the Kansas City Royals.  —  Betts had not played since suffering right hamstring tightness …

Cleveland Indians, Corey Kluber try to turn homestand around vs. Texas Rangers  —  CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Indians are letting their longest homestand of the season slip away without taking advantage of it.  But reigning American League Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber …

Cruz's homer leads Mariners to 6-3 win over Athletics  —  Nelson Cruz's loud and towering two-out, three-run homer on the first pitch he saw in the fifth inning broke a taut tie and propelled Seattle to a 6-3 win over the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday night.  —  The Mariners held …

Phillies' Jake Arrieta: ‘I bet on myself to get the job done’  —  After an offseason of uncertainty, pitcher Jake Arrieta has a new home and a new outlook.  —  “There's not many like me.  That's just how it is, man,” Arrieta told the Chicago Sun-Times.  “I view myself as very different than most.

Justin Upton's walk-off single puts Angels past Orioles, 3-2  —  ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Baltimore Orioles intentionally walked Mike Trout three times to get to Justin Upton.  Each time, Upton couldn't make them pay.  —  When Trout drew his fourth walk to load the bases in the ninth inning …

Moved to top of order, slumping Harper homers for Nationals  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Slumping Bryce Harper was moved to the leadoff spot for the first time since 2013 and responded with a three-run homer that helped Max Scherzer win his fifth straight start as the Washington Nationals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 12-4 Wednesday night.

Voit comes up, Mayers goes down  —  The Cardinals reduced their number of relievers from nine to eight Tuesday when Mike Mayers was sent back to Memphis and first baseman Luke Voit was recalled as an extra hitter.  Greg Holland, signed to a one-year, $14 million contract when the season opened …

Orioles not yet willing to consider trading Machado; shortstop says he'd like to stay all year  —  Orioles beat writer Eduardo Encina on the season-ending injury to Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager and the speculation that Orioles Manny Machado could be a potential fit.  (Kevin Richardson / Baltimore Sun video)

Alex Bregman, baseball's best sixth-best player  —  Alex Bregman had no other path.  It was baseball or the imponderable.  —  The Astros' blossoming third baseman was born into the game, with ties that extend back to the Splendid Splinter himself.  His grandfather, Stanley …

Mets GM isn't thrilled with reliever Matt Harvey partying in Los Angeles  —  NEW YORK — Matt Harvey can't stay out of the headlines.  —  The embattled starter-turned-reliever partied in Los Angeles on Thursday night, a day before the Mets faced the Padres in San Diego, as first reported by the New York Post.

Radical Ideas Series: What if MLB players were paid on commission?  —  Welcome back to the Radical Ideas Series, in which we “fix” baseball not merely by limiting mound visits or even instituting pitch clocks but by revolutionizing the game's competitive structure with way-out-there — yet at least vaguely plausible — changes.

Mets and Noah Syndergaard can't solve Braves, lose to debuting Michael Soroka  —  Mets manager Mickey Callaway discusses Amed Rosario's at-bat in the ninth inning of the 3-2 loss Matt Ehalt, Staff Writer, @MattEhalt  —  NEW YORK — Before the season began, any road that projected the Mets …

Morales, Blue Jays speed past Twins 7-4 in 10th inning  —  MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Twelve years into his major league career, Toronto Blue Jays slugger Kendrys Morales has the self-assurance to endure a weeklong slump.  —  The Minnesota Twins are starting to lose some of theirs, more than one month into this once-promising season.

Remember me?  Five guys on the comeback trail  —  Especially in April and May, much of baseball fandom comes down to recognizing and appreciating what's shiny and new.  We're forever on the hunt for the best new rookies, or the most improved young players.

Alex Blandino's first home run snagged by ballhawk Zack Hample at GABP  —  Riggleman on Reds' loss to Milwaukee Wochit  —  Zack Hample is at Great American Ball Park for the Reds-Brewers series, and it's going better than it did for the notorious ballhawk last June in Cincinnati …