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.

Is Trevor Bauer hinting that the Astros are doctoring baseballs?  —  Cleveland Indians pitcher Trevor Bauer seemingly implied via Twitter on Tuesday that the world champion Houston Astros are using nefarious means to improve the performance of their pitching staff.

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

Chris Archer strong, but Rays bats fail in loss to Tigers  —  DETROIT — Good, but not good enough.  —  That pretty much sums up Chris Archer's start in Tuesday's 2-1 loss to the Tigers.  —  Good, but needs to be better.  —  That pretty much sums up the performance of the Rays' vaunted starting pitching thus far.

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.

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.

Yankees' Didi Gregorius named AL Player of the Month  —  HOUSTON — Didi Gregorius was named AL Player of the Month for April.  —  The Yankee shortstop leads the majors with 10 homers, 30 RBI and a 1.159 OPS after the first full month of the season.  He batted .330 in an April filled with clutch hitting …

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 …

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.

Sammy Sosa would welcome Wrigley return ‘for fans,’ says criticism is ‘devil talking’  —  Photos of former Cubs and White Sox slugger Sammy Sosa.  —  Chicago Tribune  —  Sammy Sosa says he someday would like to be invited back to Wrigley Field.  —  The former slugger's reported use …

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 …

Cubs' Yu Darvish surrenders 2-run HR in 1st  —  Chicago Tribune  —  Albert Almora Jr. and Javier Baez returned to the topfof the Cubs' lineup Wednesday in the series finale against the Rockies at warm Wrigley Field.  —  Neither Almora nor Baez played in Tuesday's 3-1 loss that snapped a five-game winning streak.