Pirates break out of funk, topple Dodgers 11-9  —  PITTSBURGH (AP) Pittsburgh Pirates manager Clint Hurdle had a sense of deja vu while watching his team take and then threaten to blow three four-run leads during an 11-9 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday night.

Judge, Stanton homer in 13th as Yankees beat Blue Jays 3-0  —  TORONTO (AP) In two days, Yankees slugger Aaron Judge went from terrible to triumphant.  —  Judge hit a two-run homer to snap a scoreless tie in the 13th inning, Giancarlo Stanton went deep moments later and New York beat …

Real or not?  Mets can't do much of anything right during brutal slump  —  How's the team song go? … Umm ... about those home runs ... there haven't been enough of them over the past week and definitely not enough of anything else.  The Mets have scored seven runs in their past six games, all losses.

Ibandel Isabel has seven homers in seven games for Daytona Tortugas  —  The Cincinnati Reds couldn't have received that much in return for a pitcher they designated for assignment after he posted a 5.18 ERA and walked 22 in 24 1/3 innings for the team last season and was optioned to Triple-A Louisville in early March, right?

Cardinals manager Mike Matheny frustrated over lack of communication  —  St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Matheny voiced his frustrations Wednesday over the importance of players “being honest with us” about injuries and that he “can't read their minds.”  —  His comments come on the heels …

Twins ride Jose Berrios to 7-2 win over White Sox  —  Jose Berrios is heating up just as the Twins were cooling down.  —  The right-handed starter retired the first 14 White Sox hitters he faced Thursday afternoon en route to a 10-strikeout, complete-game gem as Minnesota cleaned up its act …

What the Yankees are talking about ahead of weekend Subway Series with Mets  —  This isn't exactly the Subway Series everyone was hoping for.  Not with the Yankees surging and the Mets reeling.  Still, at least from a fan perspective, there are bragging rights at stake.

Thor, deGrom to Bronx?  Yankees' hunt for arms just got real  —  NEW YORK — The New York Yankees' hunt for starting pitching just got more intense.  —  When the organization learned this week that left-hander Jordan Montgomery would undergo Tommy John surgery, ending his 2018 season …

Red Sox hope to keep flow going vs. Tigers  —  BOSTON — Jalen Beeks was not the first member of his family to learn the young left-hander was going to the major leagues to start for the Boston Red Sox against the Detroit Tigers on Thursday night.  —  And you can thank social media for that.

Angels hold on to win after Shohei Ohtani leaves with a blister  —  ANAHEIM — Two days in a row, the Angels have gotten a win with an asterisk.  —  The Angels' 4-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday night included Shohei Ohtani walking off the mound with a recurrence of his blister problem.

Buyers, sellers and holders: Where does your team fit?  —  Amazingly, very little has changed since last month's Stock Watch.  —  EDITOR'S PICKS  —  What's the ceiling for these former top prospects whose stats suggest they were touted for more than they could deliver?

Mets will listen to Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard offers if team doesn't turn things around: source  —  The Mets are not listening to offers for Jacob deGrom or Noah Syndergaard — but that doesn't mean they wouldn't.  —  Despite GM Sandy Alderson's recent comments that he is not thinking about a rebuild …

Valiaka brothers reunite at Principal Park for Iowa Cubs series  —  Iowa Cubs hitting coach Chris Valaika talks about his team playing against his brother's Tommy Birch, tbirch@dmreg.com  —  When Iowa Cubs co-hitting coach Chris Valaika walked out to coach third base this week …

Former Grizzlies pitcher Richards set to join Marlins  —  If you look northwest of the Gateway Grizzlies' ballpark, you get a can see a vivid outline of the St. Louis skyline.  It's a 15 minute drive to Busch Stadium, but for most Grizzlies' players, the journey is nearly impossible.

Rangers, Jon Daniels agree to multiyear contract extension  —  The Texas Rangers announced an agreement with Jon Daniels, their president of baseball operations and general manager, on a multiyear contract extension Thursday.  —  Terms were not disclosed.  —  “Coming into this season …

Braves' draft picks include 4 from Georgia  —  The Atlanta Braves drafted 39 players in 2018.  The selections included 22 pitchers (five left-handers, 17 right-handers), four outfielders, four catchers, and nine infielders.  —  » More: How Braves drafted Soroka and Beck

Rutgers baseball adjusting after MLB draft  —  Even before the Major League Baseball draft, Rutgers head baseball coach Joe Litterio had a plan for the future.  But he didn't expect to lose both his catchers.  —  Centerfielder Juwan Harris — who has one season of eligibility remaining …

Olney: My new MLB rule — four pitchers per nine innings, max  —  Over the past 18 months, baseball commissioner Rob Manfred has been all but begging major league players for ideas and input on ways to make the product better.  He seems ready to discuss even radical ideas …