The Marlins have been underdogs at Los Angeles the past three days and won all three, including Tuesday when getting +255 against Clayton Kershaw. Led by former Dodgers manager Don Mattingly, Miami (9-11, -0.7 units) will go for the four-game sweep tonight behind ace Jose Fernandez in what figures to be a low scoring game. The Marlins have won all three of Fernandez’s career starts against the Dodgers (12-10, -2....

MORE: Storylines heading into Spring Training Sho Darvish, Yu’s brother, was arrested in October after being accused by authorities of placing bets on American and Japanese sports. He and seven others were accused of taking 18.5 million yen, or $150,000, worth of bets based on the scores of 16 MLB games and 28 Japanese professional baseball games from May 12-18. It’s not known if any of the games involved the Rangers....

He said Tuesday he supports the idea of an international amateur draft to help MLB teams bring in Cuban players. He said Thursday an exhibition game on Cuban soil could happen as early as 2016. MORE: Latino legends of MLB | Best Cuban-born players “To the extent that we can play a role in helping the United States government effectuate a change in policy, that we’re following their lead and we’re acting in a way that’s consistent with what they want us to do, that’s an honor for us,” Manfred told The Wall Street Journal....

Take a look at a scouting video: MLB DRAFT: Live: Track the first round of the MLB Draft! “Fulmer is an eye-of-the-beholder guy. If you look at the stuff and numbers, he looks like a top-10 talent. I am in that camp. If you look at the effort in his delivery and his size then you think he will be a reliever.” — Jim Ellis, Scout.com “Some fear Fulmer’s effort in his delivery points to the bullpen, but he has been as good as any college pitcher as the spring has unfolded....

Unlike in other sports, though, the flowers of a successful draft do not bloom for several years, so fans of organizations stockpiling talent in the lower minors must be patient. For the Orioles and Royals, who pick first and second respectively this year, escape from a subpar on-field product likely won’t come until at least 2021. Still, the caliber of players available is undeniable. The first round of the 2015 draft, for example, has already graduated Dansby Swanson, Alex Bregman, Andrew Benintendi and Walker Buehler, among others....

He had to keep a secret. A couple minutes past 5 p.m. local time on the stage of the Bellco Theatre, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred — after waiting for the boos to subside — announced that the Pirates were taking Davis as the No. 1 overall pick of the 2021 MLB Draft. The pick wasn’t stunning, but it was at least a bit surprising. MLB DRAFT TRACKER: SN’s live results for Rounds 1-20 Louisville’s star catcher was known to be in the general conversation at 1-1, but most mock drafts leading up to the event had the Pirates taking prep shortstop Marcelo Mayer....

The Blue Jays agreed to deals with both players Friday. Morales will get three years, $33 million, according to Fox Sports . Gurriel, who defected in February, agreed to a seven-year, $22 million deal with the Blue Jays on Friday, MLB.com first reported . MORE: Worst free-agent signings of all time Encarnacion and Bautista are expected to reject the Jays’ qualifying offers and are reportedly seeking $100 million contracts this winter....

Pena, who turns 32 in January, has played for the Braves, Royals and Tigers during his nine-year career. He joins Ryan Hanigan and Devin Mesoraco on the roster, taking the place of catcher Corky Miller. PHOTOS: SN ranks the top 25 free agents Miller was designated outright to the minors after the season and chose free agency rather than accept the assignment. Pena batted .297 in 71 games for the Tigers with four homers and 22 RBIs last season....

Everyone else, though, is very ready for what should be a fascinating offseason to get going already. Here are the five storylines everybody will be talking about — six, if you want to count the Justin Turner discussion that isn’t going away anytime soon. RIVERA: Questions Yankees must answer this offseason The owners will say they have no money This, of course, has already started. And, there’s no denying that the bottom lines for baseball team owners — a group with overall healthy bottom lines — have not been helped by their baseball holdings this year....

MLB betting lines: Live odds from Las Vegas Indians (58-65) vs. Cubs (71-51) Corey Kluber (8-13, 3.52 ERA) vs. Jon Lester (8-9, 3.58 ERA) Line: Cubs -132Total: N/ATime: 2:05 p.m. ET The Indians (58-65) make a rare one-day stop in Chicago to take on the red-hot Cubs (71-51) before settling in Milwaukee for a two-game series against the Brewers. Corey Kluber (8-13, 3.52 ERA) takes the mound for the Indians after a rough outing in Fenway Park last week, earning a loss after gifting the Red Sox six runs in six innings....

This year, though? No photos of players in uniforms, just photos of baseball folks wearing various degrees of business casual, walking to and from meetings as the owners and players try meet on a regular basis this week — finally — to try to end the lockout that’s in its third month and has already scuttled a few weeks’ worth of spring training games. FOSTER: This time, MLB has no saviors to lure fans back if chunk of season is lost...

Safe to say Eduardo Rodriguez was impressive in his MLB debut for the Red Sox. The 22-year-old Venezuelan pitched 7 2/3 shutout innings against the Rangers, allowing just three hits and two walks. One of the players to get a hit off the rookie was Josh Hamilton, who doubled in his first at-bat in Globe Life Park since being traded back to the Rangers in late April. MORE: Boras says Mets’ six-man rotation helps Harvey | Nine potential replacements for Matt Adams...

Marlins ace Jose Fernandez was impressive on the mound and at the plate as he appeared in his first major league game since undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2014. It was an emotional debut for the 2013 National League Rookie of the Year, who pitched six innings of three-run ball. MORE: The most important comeback stories of the playoff race “I almost teared up before I threw my first pitch,” said Fernandez (via MLB....

Now more than ever in Major League Baseball, fans are seeing what the NFL and NBA dream of: true parity. Big-spending teams don’t always win. More franchises are putting together cores of high-quality young players who are leading a new generation of stars, something fans haven’t seen in a long time. MORE: Grading every MLB team’s offseason With so much talent across the sport, teams can come from outta nowhere like a Randy Orton RKO and upend contending squads....

Bobby Witt Jr. (No. 2 2019 pick), Spencer Torkelson (No. 1 2020 pick), and Julio Rodríguez (2017 international signing) have all made the Royals, Tigers, and Mariners rosters – respectively. Here’s a list of all the major names opening the season in the big leagues for the 2022 season. Top prospects opening 2022 on a MLB roster SS/3B Bobby Witt Jr. (21) – Kansas City Royals OF Julio Rodríguez (21) – Seattle Mariners 1B Spencer Torkelson (22) – Detroit Tigers SS C....

The first weekend of the season confirmed things we already knew (the Blue Jays can hit) and gave us new things to monitor. While it’s too early to gather real information about trends, some things are readily apparent, and other things will evolve over the 162-game season. FAGAN: 22 players we really want to see stay healthy for the 2022 MLB season The Sporting News has some incredibly early takeaways from MLB’s opening weekend:...

1. Are the Astros good enough to knock off the Royals? MORE: Top images from Astros’ victory | Postseason TV schedule Beyond “It’s a best-of-five series and anything can happen,” the answer is yes, especially given the way that Johnny Cueto, the Royals’ starter for Game 2, has pitched since getting traded to Kansas City. Cueto’s 6.2 strikeouts per nine innings as a Royal represent a significant drop from his rate of 7....

Collins came to Queens with a reputation as a hard-edged character, but one thing that has been evident, especially this year, is that he has a way of keeping his team calm through tough times. Also, through good times, for that matter. MORE: Top NLDS photos | Kershaw gets another chance | Klapisch: Mets poised to turn back the clock Some of that is with lessons learned in two previous managerial stops in Houston and Anaheim, where Collins had five second-place finishes in six combined seasons but could never get to the playoffs....

The Rangers blew a one-run lead and loaded the bases on those errors — made on consecutive batters — in the seventh inning, but Dyson was most offended by Jose Bautista’s exuberant bat flip after Bautista crushed a go-ahead, three-run home run that traveled an estimated 442 feet. MORE: The five dumbest unwritten rules in baseball | Biggest moments of Game 5 “Jose needs to calm that down, just kind of respect the game a little more,” Dyson told reporters after the game....

Led by National League Cy Young hopeful Kyle Hendricks’ near-flawless performance, the Cubs beat the Dodgers 5-0 in Game 6 of the NLDS Saturday at Wrigley Field with the Dodgers sending the minimum batters to the plate. An electric crowd left the iconic Wrigley Field seats vibrating all night as the Cubs pounced on the Dodgers early and never looked back. Now they’re heading to the World Series to face the Cleveland Indians and have a chance at winning baseball’s biggest series for the first time since 1908....