The road to Omaha began Friday with regional action around the country in the NCAA Division I baseball tournament, including some first-round thrills and some possible future Major League talent on display.

Pablo Sandoval’s season-long durability ran out Friday, as manager Bruce Bochy announced that the third baseman will be sidelined for two to three days — and perhaps up to a week — with a strained left foot.

It started with a tweet from a fan and a clip of a home run he hit over the Green Monster at Fenway Park during batting practice last season. Now, Justin Verlander is casually campaigning for write-in votes at MLB.com’s Home Run Derby Fan Poll.

Scott Hairston (grand slam), Alfonso Soriano (two-run homer) and Cody Ransom (solo shot) each went deep for the Cubs, who won their fifth straight game, beating the D-backs, 7-2, on Friday afternoon at Wrigley Field. In his 2013 home debut, Matt Garza picked up the win, allowing two runs over seven sharp innings.

Bryce Harper missed the entire four-game Interleague series with Baltimore with continued soreness in his left knee, was not in the lineup for Friday’s series opener with Atlanta and, according to Davey Johnson, is a no-go the rest of the weekend.

Major League Baseball will not implement an international draft in 2014, it was announced Friday. The idea will not be revisited until the current Collective Bargaining Agreement expires after the 2016 season, a source told MLB.com.

Forty-two youth baseball fields across the U.S. have received makeovers in the last three years thanks to Chevrolet’s Diamonds & Dreams program, and entries are underway through July 31 to find the next targets for refurbishing and supporting America’s communities.

Former Marlins skipper Jack McKeon is hoping to be back at the ballpark before the All-Star break after having heart bypass surgery on Monday.

What exactly happens to keepsake players acquire to represent achievements and milestones? That all depends on which player you ask. Some have them stowed away in a box in the garage, collecting dust. Others have them proudly on display for visitors to see. It’s truly a personal preference.

Major League Baseball Advanced Media announced on Friday that the annual subscription cost has been lowered to $99.99 for MLB.TV Premium and $84.99 for basic MLB.TV.

Jonathan Gray is no stranger to the Draft. In fact, this will be his third time going through the process, but it’s a whole different ballgame now.

The All-Star Game ought to have a place for the players who still have star power. Hey, that’s one reason the fans have a say. If it’s only for the players who’ve had the best 3 1/2 months of one season, then we can have a computer spit out the rosters.

The All-Star Game is an event that should be about which players are playing at the highest level right now, not about which players have the biggest reputations.

In the midst of a ninth-inning rally that gave the Royals a 4-2 lead over the Cardinals on Thursday night, heavy rain forced the game to stop. The Cards hoped the umpires would wave off the game after a lengthy delay, but the game wasn’t suspended thanks to a new rule put in place for this season.

The Royals came from behind to beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 4-2, on a bizarre Thursday night and Friday morning at Busch Stadium that featured baseball at past 3 a.m. CT.

The Angels are 25-29, 8 1/2 games behind the front-running Rangers. As Mike Trout put it, beaming, “We’re getting there.” He’s no grizzled veteran, but the kid knows that 54 games played means 108 remain — and that’s a lot of time to make up ground.

Jason Vargas continued his dominance in the month of May, Howie Kendrick scored three times and the Angels defeated the Dodgers, 3-2, on Thursday night at Angel Stadium.