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.

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 …

Chapman, A's break through in 6th to beat Royals 4-1  —  OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) Athletics pitcher Paul Blackburn couldn't wait for the postgame meal following his first start of the season.  Jittery nerves kept the right-hander from eating beforehand, and he was anxious to dig in.

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 …

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 …

Blue Jays try to make it two straight vs. Orioles  —  TORONTO — The Toronto Blue Jays and the Baltimore Orioles are offensively challenged teams looking for something good to happen during their four-game series at the Rogers Centre.  —  The bottom two clubs in the American League East deserve each other.

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.

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 …

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.

Remember hero MLB umpire Steve Palermo?  Here's how he is still being honored  —  A stretch of road in Steve Palmero's hometown of Oxford, Mass., was dedicated to the former major-league umpire who died of cancer in 2017.  —  Palermo, who made his home in Kansas City …

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 …

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 …

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 …