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.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone says Jordan Montgomery out 6-8 weeks with elbow strain  —  HOUSTON — New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Wednesday that left-handed pitcher Jordan Montgomery will miss between six to eight weeks due to a flexor strain in his elbow.

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 …

Fernando Romero wins MLB debut for Twins, 4-0 over Blue Jays  —  MINNEAPOLIS — Fernando Romero's major league debut for Minnesota carried the extra weight of a Twins team that won only once in its previous 12 games.  —  No pressure, kid.  —  Well, he sure didn't appear to feel any.

Slumping Michael Conforto sitting for Mets, but outfielder believes he is close to snapping out of it  —  Michael Conforto was out of the lineup Wednesday night in part to try and snap him out of his start-of-the season slump.  The outfielder was five for his last 31 at-bats (.161) …

C. Martinez sparks Cards to victory over White Sox  —  Cardinals righthander Michael Wacha arrived in the clubhouse in workout gear well after Wednesday's 3-2 Cardinals victory over the Chicago White Sox at Busch Stadium.  The one-run difference could be traced to the first home run struck _ anywhere …

Tom Ricketts looks to stamp 'family's legacy' on Wrigley Field and neighborhood  —  Cubs owner Tom Ricketts talks with members of the press while attending the eighth annual Bricks & Ivy Ball at Navy Pier to benefit Cubs Charities Wednesday April, 18 2018.  (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)

John Hicks surprised both Detroit Tigers and Rays with winning bunt  —  Detroit Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire wasn't expecting it.  —  Neither was JaCoby Jones, the runner at third, or third base coach Dave Clark or almost anyone else in Comerica Park on Wednesday afternoon.

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 …

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.

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.

Iowa Cubs hitting coach Chris Valaika holds onto faith, waits for dad to wake from coma  —  Triple-A baseball came to Des Moines in 1968 with the Iowa Oaks, and the Iowa Cubs have carried the torch since 1982.  Here's a collection of some of the biggest names and best players during that time.

Cincinnati Reds reliever Dylan Floro develops strikeout pitch  —  Riggleman on Reds' loss to Milwaukee Wochit  —  Playing catch with Dylan Floro earlier this year, fellow relief pitcher Amir Garrett noticed all of the late movement on the ball when Floro threw his sinker.

This Date in Baseball  —  1927 — Brooklyn's Jesse Barnes defeated his brother Virgil Barnes for a 7-6 victory over the New York Giants.  It was the first matchup of pitching brothers in major league history.  —  1936 — Joe DiMaggio made his major league debut for the New York Yankees …

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.

Scooter Gennett will test his arm Friday, if it doesn't pass, Cincinnati Reds may be forced to make a move  —  Riggleman on Reds' loss to Milwaukee Wochit  —  Scooter Gennett was out of the lineup again Wednesday as planned.  The Reds' hope is he'll return Friday in the series opener against the Miami Marlins.

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 …