Yankees' Sonny Gray says tweet ‘an inside joke’ directed at a friend  —  NEW YORK — For nearly three innings Wednesday, New York Yankees starter Sonny Gray turned in one of his worst pitching outings he has had in what has been an inconsistent season.  —  EDITOR'S PICKS

Yankees' J.A. Happ on DL with hand, foot and mouth disease  —  BOSTON — One of the New York Yankees' newest additions, left-handed pitcher J.A. Happ, went on the 10-day disabled list Thursday (retroactive to Monday) after being diagnosed earlier this week with what general manager Brian Cashman called a …

Cincinnati Reds manager Jim Riggleman happy to be back to managing in his hometown  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. - Jim Riggleman was back to where he made a decision that could have ended his chances of managing in the big leagues again.  —  Riggleman walked away from the Washington Nationals managing job …

Column: Time for the Cubs to capitalize on a favorable schedule  —  Chicago Tribune  —  The Cubs are .500 since the All-Star break and remain a game ahead of the Brewers in a tight division race that look like it will be competitive until the end.  —  While August has been a month the Cubs …

Brave new world as Atlanta visits Mets  —  NEW YORK — For the Atlanta Braves, this weekend will be about getting a look at the two new players they acquired in hopes of reaching the playoffs for the first time in five years.  For the New York Mets, this weekend will be about seeing …

Mike Trout misses game with injured wrist  —  Mike Trout suffered a right-wrist injury on an awkward feet-first slide into third base Wednesday night and did not play in a 4-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays.  —  Trout, who started 108 of the team's first 109 games, 94 in center field and 14 …

Writers: Tigers still have pieces to trade in August  —  The Detroit Tigers might not be done dealing just yet.  —  The Tigers swung one deal leading up to Tuesday afternoon's non-waiver trade deadline, shipping outfielder Leonys Martin to the Cleveland Indians for Willi Castro, a Double-A shortstop.

Grandal rallies Dodgers over Brewers 6-4 in 10  —  LOS ANGELES (AP) — Brian Dozier began his first game for the Los Angeles Dodgers with an error and then got better quickly.  —  Yasmani Grandal hit a two-run homer — his second of the game — in the 10th inning, and Dozier homered …

Brad Ziegler's turnaround leads him back to Diamondbacks … CONNECT  —  Brad Ziegler's fourth pitch of the night was blasted into the right-field seats.  As he watched it sail out, a look of defeat flashed across his face.  This was in early June, the last time Ziegler stepped foot …

Why Phillies have confidence in Nick Pivetta |  Extra Innings  —  The Phillies are back tonight after a day off, the first of five this month as they have more off days in August than in any other month this season.  It should be a neat weekend at Citizens Bank Park as Shane Victorino will retire Friday …

Pablo Sandoval To Undergo Hamstring Surgery  —  Pablo Sandoval's season for the Giants is over, as he'll require surgery to repair a “significant” tear in his hamstring, manager Bruce Bochy told reporters (Twitter links via USA Today's Bob Nightengale and NBC Sports Bay Area's Alex Pavlovic).

Eloy Jimenez still waiting for White Sox call-up: 'I'm going to be ready' for opportunity  —  Photos of the White Sox outfielder and No. 4-ranked prosepct by Baseball America.  —  Chicago Tribune  —  Eloy Jimenez insists he is as much in the dark about his possible promotion to the White Sox …

Rick Ankiel finds ‘good place’ and pitches for first time since 2004  —  Rick Ankiel took the mound Wednesday night at Louisville Slugger Field and struck out the only batter he faced on four pitches.  —  On the surface, it was a minor moment in a blowout game in an exhibition tournament played by past-their-prime former MLB players.