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.

Pham returns to the lineup, but former Padre Gyorko does not  —  SAN DIEGO  • If there was one bat, one hitter, one Cardinal that the San Diego Padres were braced to see early and often during this four-day visit to Petco Park, it was the one they knew best.

It's not just Arizona - hitters seem to be slumping across MLB.  What gives? … CONNECT  —  You think Paul Goldschmidt has been slumping?  Well, he has, but he's not alone.  (Also, he's going to be fine.)  —  Nobody in Arizona seems to be able to hit.

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 …

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.

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.

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.

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

Gonzalez hits grand slam, leads Augusta over Rome  —  NORTH AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Jacob Gonzalez hit a grand slam in the seventh inning, leading the Augusta GreenJackets to a 15-1 win over the Rome Braves on Thursday.  The win snapped a three-game losing streak for the GreenJackets and a three-game winning streak for the Braves.

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.

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.

Rafael Palmeiro, 53, singles in first action with independent team  —  CLEBURNE, Texas — Rafael Palmeiro isn't playing for a minor league team at age 53 just so he can be teammates with his son.  —  Palmeiro said he knows there are people who think he has lost his mind …