Cardinals want to make some hay vs. Reds  —  The St. Louis Cardinals can't seem to find any traction in the National League Central race, unable to pull past the Milwaukee Brewers or Chicago Cubs or develop any consistency.  —  Maybe they can generate some this weekend in Cincinnati …

Astros' Verlander goes for eighth win vs. Rangers  —  The Texas Rangers, mired in last place in the American League West while acknowledging they are in a rebuilding mode, announced Thursday that they've reached an agreement with general manager Jon Daniels on a multi-year contract extension.

Nationals play host to Giants, who begin road stretch  —  WASHINGTON — The San Francisco Giants will look to build on a solid homestand when they begin a 10-game road trip Friday night against the Washington Nationals.  —  The Giants (31-31) won five of six games to move within 1 1/2 games …

Athletics' Blackburn sharp; beats Royals in 2018 debut  —  OAKLAND — With an expedited return to a ravaged rotation, the Athletics weren't sure exactly what they'd get out of starting pitcher Paul Blackburn Thursday night.  —  Blackburn surpassed all expectations in his 2018 season debut …

Phillies return home seeking more offense from shortstop, third base |  Extra Innings  —  Close your eyes, Phillies fans.  Now, click your heels and repeat after me: There's no place like home.  After 11 days on the road — and a 3-7 record in 10 games against the Dodgers, Giants and Cubs …

Orioles ‘slugger’ Chris Davis is having a mind-bogglingly bad season  —  It was a relatively slow day of baseball on Thursday, so indulge me as I go down the rabbit hole with Chris Davis.  Hopefully we'll all come out alive.  —  Davis is having a terrible season.

To shift or not, the bullpen shuttle and MLB's next big thing  —  My working assumption about shifts in baseball has been that they work so often that when they don't, it sticks in our minds.  I also kind of figured pitchers who get burned by a shift now and again tend to see it the same way.

Gibson, McCarver, Shannon remember Red as tough, no-nonsense manager  —  St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Famers Red Schoendienst (left) and Bob Gibson return to the dugout after pregame festivities before a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday, April 13, 2015, at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.

Marlins hope to contain Padres' turnaround  —  MIAMI — The San Diego Padres and Miami Marlins are rebuilding.  —  The Padres' effort is starting to pay off.  —  They have won three straight series for the first time in 11 months.  Their bullpen's 3.29 ERA ranks seventh in the majors.

Keith Law's draft recap: AL team-by-team breakdown  —  After our breakdown of the 2018 draft began with a recap of the National League's most notable picks, it's now time to examine — you guessed it — the American League.  —  Baltimore Orioles  —  The Orioles started their draft …

Mets' Yoenis Cespedes not expected to play against Yankees in Subway Series  —  Check back for updates  —  The Mets will have to wait a little longer for Yoenis Cespedes.  —  Sources confirmed Thursday that the Mets are not expecting their slugger to return in time to play against the Yankees …

Top prospect Adbert Alzolay out with injury but promotion to Cubs is ‘close’  —  Cubs' senior vice president of player development/scouting Jason McLeod on the Cubs' draft.  (Mark Gonzales/Chicago Tribune)  —  Chicago Tribune  —  The Cubs hope Adbert Alzolay will be wiser once he returns …

Kris Bryant to lead off for Cubs against Pirates on Friday at Wrigley Field  —  Chicago Tribune  —  The Cubs enter Friday's game against the Pirates a season-high 11 games over .500, and they have installed a new leadoff hitter.  —  Kris Bryant will get the first look at Pirates right-hander Chad Kuhl …

Seven deserving first-time MLB All-Stars  —  More than a month remains before the Major League Baseball All-Star Game is set to be played, but it's never too early to forecast the rosters.  —  The regulars — Mike Trout, Kris Bryant, Bryce Harper, Max Scherzer - figure to return …

Report: Nationals checked in with the Marlins about J.T. Realmuto recently  —  In his latest notes column, Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reports that the Nationals checked in with the Marlins a couple weeks ago about catcher J.T. Realmuto.  The two sides didn't get anywhere …

Rockies' first-round pick regrets 2012 tweet calling for Obama assassination  —  Was it a character flaw or just high school immaturity?  —  Either way, University of Mississippi pitcher Ryan Rolison addressed the issue of his controversial tweet from 2012 when he was introduced to the media …

Jake Bauers' promotion to majors continues Rays' youth movement  —  ST. PETERSBURG — The promotion of Jake Bauers is just one more part of the Rays' youth movement this season.  The 22-year-old made his major-league debut Thursday night, starting at first base and batting sixth in the order against the Mariners.

Rangers, Jon Daniels agree to multiyear contract extension  —  ARLINGTON, Texas — The Texas Rangers have given general manager Jon Daniels a multiyear contract extension at a time when the team is focused on developing young players at the big league level.

Indians Release Richie Shaffer  —  The Indians announced that they've released corner infielder Richie Shaffer from their Triple-A affiliate in Columbus.  The 27-year-old former first-round pick had been in his second season with the organization.  —  Selected 25th overall by the Rays back in 2012 …