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.

Sale, Red Sox square off with White Sox  —  BOSTON — Chris Sale, in his second year with the Red Sox, carries a 22-11 record with Boston into Friday night's start against his old team, the Chicago White Sox.  —  But while Sale has a .667 winning percentage with his new team …

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 …

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.

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.

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.

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.

Infield coach explains why Phillies are confident in run-prevention strategy |  Scott Lauber  —  Last Sunday, after giving up four singles in a row as part of a five-run sixth inning in a 6-1 loss at San Francisco, veteran pitcher Jake Arrieta leveled a scathing critique of the way the Phillies position their infielders.

Mariners Place Nicasio, Altavilla On Disabled List, Select Morin  —  The Mariners announced Friday that they've placed right-handers Juan Nicasio and Dan Altavilla on the disabled list, recalled first baseman Dan Vogelbach from Triple-A Tacoma and selected the contract of right-hander Mike Morin.

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 …

Shohei Ohtani placed on DL with a sprained UCL, will miss weeks  —  Shohei Ohtani may or may not be placed on the disabled list due to a recurring blister problem.  That was half right.  —  The correct part: the Angels have placed Ohtani on the disabled list.  The unexpected part: it's because he has a sprained elbow ligament:

Mets Place Jeurys Familia On 10-Day DL  —  The Mets have placed closer Jeurys Familia on the 10-day DL, per a club announcement.  He'll be replaced on the roster by right-hander Jacob Rhame.  —  Familia is said to be dealing with right shoulder soreness.  There's no further information available …

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 …

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 …