Each night we'll provide you with the nine top story lines from the day's action, beginning with the stars of the day, and look ahead to the next day's matchups.
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.
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Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez tied Barry Bonds for second on baseball's all-time RBI list with a fifth-inning sacrifice fly against A's starter Kendall Graveman. He is now is 301 short of the all-time RBI leader, Hank Aaron.
Here are more highlights from Thursday's games:
Impact players
C — Chris Iannetta, Angels: Iannetta was 2 for 4 with a grand slam as the Angels pounded the Tigers 12-2.
1B — Adam LaRoche, White Sox: LaRoche was 4 for 7 in the White Sox-Orioles twin bill, finishing with a homer and three RBIs.
2B — Jason Kipnis, Indians: Staying red-hot, Kipnis was 2 for 4 with two RBIs. He is now batting .345/.416/.536 this season.
SS — Jung Ho Kang, Pirates: Kang blasted an upper-deck, three-run homer in the first inning for his only hit of the game.
3B — Chris Davis, Orioles: The 2013 AL home run champion was 2 for 6 in the doubleheader, finishing with a homer and three RBIs.
OF — Andrew McCutchen, Pirates: McCutchen had two doubles and a single. He finished with two RBIs and two runs scored as the Pirates won their seventh straight.
DH —Hanley Ramirez, Red Sox: Ramirez was 2 for 4 with a double and his first homer of May.
SP — Chris Sale, White Sox: The three-time All-Star pitched 7 2/3 innings of shutout ball in Thursday's opener, allowing just four hits and no walks while striking out 12.
Key injuries
Nationals outfielder Jayson Werth will be out until at least August after a CT scan of his left wrist revealed two small fractures.
The Red Sox placed outfielder Daniel Nava on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to May 26, because of a left thumb sprain.
Nava's teammate Xander Bogaerts was diagnosed with a bruised left forearm after being hit by a 91 mph fastball from Texas starter Nick Martinez.
Yankees manager Joe Girardi said that as long as Masahiro Tanaka feels well, he will start in Seattle on Tuesday or Wednesday, with a pitch count of about 80.
Angels shortstop Erick Aybar was removed with an apparent hamstring injury while trying to reach base on a bunt.
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Surprise performers
Good: Yankees catcher Brian McCann was 3 for 4 with a two singles and a solo homer, his seventh long ball of the season.
Bad: A's shortstop Marcus Semien committed his 18th error of the season. Next most is the Nationals' Ian Desmond with 13.
Web gems
Orioles All-Star outfielder Adam Jones catches a fly ball in center and rockets a long throw to retire LaRoche at third for a double play:
Facts of the day
The Rangers have lost 11 of their last 15 games at home and have just six wins in Arlington this season. That's the second-worst home record after 20 games in club history, when they were 5-15 after 20 games in 1985.
Sale extended his club record by recording double-digit strikeouts for the 21st time. It is the 11th time in Sale's career that he recorded 12 or more strikeouts, which is the most in MLB since 2012.
According to Elias Sports Bureau, Rodriguez is the first pitcher in Red Sox history to pitch at least 7 2/3 innings with zero runs, seven strikeouts and three or fewer hits in his MLB debut.
Reactions
"Why would it be (a concern)? I've got hopefully 20 more years in my pocket to play baseball," Orioles third baseman Manny Machado said, via The Baltimore Sun, about being ejected. "There's going to be more where that came from. You still have got to keep grinding and keep your head up and keep playing some baseball."
Off the field
Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre met with baseball commissioner Rob Manfred in New York and asked to hold three or four regular-season games in his city next season.
The Dodgers will have a Juan Uribe bobblehead night on July 11, even though the club traded Uribe to the Braves.
With Diamondbacks catcher Tuffy Gosewisch dealing with an injury, the club will recall Jarrod Saltalamacchia from Triple-A Reno on Friday, MLB.com reports.
The Indians placed first baseman Carlos Santana on paternity leave after his daughter was born in the morning.
Santana placed on paternity list, Sands called up from Triple-A: http://t.co/z4qoorD1cv pic.twitter.com/g6TcnHv0pX
— Jordan Bastian (@MLBastian) May 29, 2015Players are permitted to be on leave for 24 to 72 hours.
Scores
American League
White Sox 3, Orioles 2 (Game 1)
Orioles 6, White Sox 3 (Game 2)
Red Sox 5, Rangers 1
Indians 5, Mariners 3
Athletics 5, Yankees 4
Angels 12, Tigers 2
National League
Giants 7, Braves 0
Pirates 11, Padres 5
A look ahead
The three best games Friday (all times Eastern):
Royals (28-18) at Cubs (25-21), 4:05 p.m.: The Royals head to Wrigley Field for the first time since 2001. Edinson Volquez (4-3, 2.77 ERA) will take the mound for the Royals against Jake Arrieta (4-4, 2.95 ERA) and the Cubs. The first game of the series may be a low-scoring affair; Volquez is 7-0 with a 2.90 ERA in 11 starts in his career vs. the Cubs, while Arrieta owns a 2.41 ERA at home this season.
Dodgers (28-18) at Cardinals (31-16), 8:15 p.m.: Mike Bolsinger (3-0, 0.71 ERA) will toe the rubber for the Dodgers hoping to continue his hot start to the season. In his last outing, Bolsinger allowed one hit in eight innings against the Padres. He will face the best team in baseball, which will send John Lackey (2-3, 3.18 ERA) to the mound in a rematch of the 2014 NLDS. St. Louis won that series in four games.
Pirates (25-22) at Padres (23-26), 10:10 p.m.: James Shields, who leads the NL with 82 strikeouts, will try to become the second NL pitcher to reach 7-0 this season (St. Louis' Michael Wacha was the first). Francisco Liriano (2-4, 3.86 ERA) will look to shut down the Padres' lineup; in his his last start, against the Mets, he allowed one earned run and struck out 12 over six innings.