Phillies demote Zac Curtis, going with right-handed pitchers only  —  PHILADELPHIA — The Phillies have demoted their only left-handed pitcher, optioning reliever Zac Curtis to Triple-A Lehigh Valley and recalling right-hander Jake Thompson.  —  The move Thursday left the Phillies with 13 right-handed pitchers on the 25-man roster.

Right lat strain lands Cardinals ace Carlos Martinez on DL  —  St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Carlos Martinez in the dugout during a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Minnesota Twins at Busch Stadium on Tuesday, May 8, 2018, in St. Louis, Mo. Photo by Chris Lee, clee@post-dispatch.com

Matt Harvey's fresh start with the Cincinnati Reds will start with a start Friday  —  LOS ANGELES — The Reds were vague about their plans for Matt Harvey after trading for him.  They cleared that up in a big way Thursday.  —  Harvey will start Friday night against the Los Angeles Dodgers here.

Evan Longoria suggests it might be best for Rays to move, and maybe not to Tampa  —  One of the greatest players in Tampa Bay Rays history is no fan of the only place the franchise has called home.  And he suggests it might be time to move.  —  Evan Longoria spent the first 10 seasons …

Reds Promote Nick Krall To General Manager  —  The Reds announced this afternoon that assistant general manager Nick Krall has been named the club's new general manager.  President of baseball operations Dick Williams will continue to oversee the club's entire baseball operations department, per the announcement.

Diamondbacks right-hander Jimmie Sherfy waiting in the wings at Triple-A Reno  —  When the Diamondbacks return a player to the minors, manager Torey Lovullo usually likes to send that player off with an inspirational message and a goal to be accomplished.  —  With right-hander Jimmie Sherfy, such a parting gift wasn't necessary.

Is Fortnite to blame for David Price's carpal tunnel syndrome?  —  Boston Red Sox left-hander David Price was diagnosed Wednesday with carpal tunnel syndrome after twice experiencing numbness in his pitching hand this season.  —  Red Sox manager Alex Cora confirmed the diagnosis prior …

Column: Sorry White Sox fans, but there's no guarantee your rebuild will turn out like the Cubs'  —  Cubs' Anthony Rizzo on upcoming series vs. the White Sox: “You can't take them for granted.”  (Mark Gonzales/Chicago Tribune)  —  Chicago Tribune  —  As James Shields looked around …

MLB Hires Chris Young As VP Of On-Field Operations  —  Former MLB hurler Chris Young has joined Major League Baseball as vice president of on-field operations, initiatives, and strategy, per a league announcement.  It seems fair to presume, then, that his playing days are over.

Craig Kimbrel Blows Save Vs. Yankees After Red Sox Lean On Closer In Playoff-Type Atmosphere  —  BOSTON (CBS) — Craig Kimbrel is going to have to start being comfortable in uncomfortable situations if the Red Sox are going to make anything out of the 2018 season.

Rays calling up LHP Anthony Banda  —  Left-hander Anthony Banda, the promising prospect acquired from Arizona in the Steven Souza Jr. trade, has been called up, the Times has learned.It was not immediately clear if he would be added to t

Mendoza, Fiedler lead Palm Beach to 7-5 win over Bradenton  —  BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — Evan Mendoza hit a two-run homer in the fifth inning, and Matt Fiedler hit a two-run home run and had two hits as the Palm Beach Cardinals defeated the Bradenton Marauders 7-5 on Thursday.

Nationals' Adam Eaton has ankle surgery, no return timetable  —  PHOENIX (AP) — Washington Nationals center fielder Adam Eaton had surgery on his troublesome left ankle Thursday with no timetable given for his return.  —  The arthroscopic surgery was performed in Green Bay by the Packers' orthopedist …

Franco scores winning run in 10th, St. Lucie beats Lakeland 4-3 in walk-off finish  —  PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) — J.J. Franco scored the winning run on a wild pitch with one out in the 10th inning, as the St. Lucie Mets beat the Lakeland Flying Tigers 4-3 on Thursday.

Cards-Cubs marathon was tough on TV ratings  —  The Cardinals-Cubs endurance race that stated Sunday night and ended just before 1 a.m. Monday was rough on television ratings as well as those fans in attendance who had to get up in the morning.  —  Nationally, Nielsen reported that ESPN's telecast …

Iowan Tony Watson on Giants: ‘I thought it was a special group and something I wanted to be a part of.’  —  Iowan Tony Watson saw what kind of team the San Francisco Giants were putting together during the offseason and realized he wanted to be a part of it.