Shohei Ohtani seeking second opinion on elbow as he faces the Mets: 'It sounds like he'll continue to hit'  —  Shohei Ohtani will continue to swing the bat until he's told not to, or until he decides he can't.  Mike Trout, however, will not be active this weekend when the Los Angeles Angels face …

Stephen Strasburg, the Nats' World Series MVP, plans to retire  —  Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg plans to retire, according to three people familiar with the matter, ending a career that started with unprecedented hype, peaked with a World Series MVP award in 2019, and ultimately was derailed by injury.

Cincinnati Reds suffer rare blown lead in 8th, lose to Arizona Diamondbacks  —  PHOENIX — In a wild-card-race showcase of rookies Thursday night in the desert, the Cincinnati Reds' Brandon Williamson got the first word but National League Rookie of the Year favorite Corbin Carroll got …

Gunnar Henderson's 2-run homer in 8th lifts Orioles to 5-4 comeback win over Rockies, extending AL East lead  —  The players in the Orioles' clubhouse let out a collective groan.  —  Before their game Thursday against the Toronto Blue Jays, the Tampa Bay Rays' matchup against the Colorado Rockies …

Guardians Down Jays 5-2  —  The Jays lost this one the way they lose most of them, with bad hitting (especially with men on base).  We joked in the game thread that it's getting so predictable that an AI could write the recap.  At the risk of giving SB Nation ideas, I've decided to ask ChatGPT …

MLB's toughest division has undergone radical makeover with Yankees, Red Sox out of power  —  For the first time since 1992, neither of the AL East's top two teams will be the Yankees or Red Sox.  —  BALTIMORE - For 30 years, there has been no surer bet in baseball than playing the ponies in the American League East.

Mets to retire numbers of Dwight Gooden, Darryl Strawberry next season  —  NEW YORK — Dwight Gooden's No. 16 and Darryl Strawberry's No. 18 will be retired by the New York Mets in separate pregame ceremonies next year honoring players who were keys to the team's most recent World Series title in 1986.

'We didn't get the job done:' White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf's patience finally runs out  —  There were hugs.  —  There were tears.  —  There were emotional good-byes.  —  And there were screams of angst.  —  Tuesday was one of the most emotional and gut-wrenching days Chicago White …

A's owner: Relocation application done; team will lose $40M this year  —  The Oakland Athletics have officially submitted their Las Vegas relocation application to Major League Baseball, and team owner John Fisher is breaking his silence on the years-long stadium saga.

Alex Cora cursed at by Justin Verlander, ejected in Red Sox loss  —  Alex Cora was on the receiving end of an expletive from Astros ace Justin Verlander and later was ejected for arguing balls and strikes during a contentious game Tuesday night for the Red Sox manager.