Skipping a start certainly caused Jose Fernandez to be fresh on Thursday night, and that was clear against the first batter the 24-year-old faced. On his fifth pitch of the game, Fernandez hummed a fastball that Pitch/Fx clocked at 99.4 mph. The result, however, typified the frustrating night, as Billy Hamilton singled sharply.

A well-rested Jose Fernandez was unable to slow down the Reds on Thursday night. Ramon Cabrera belted a three-run home run off the All-Star right-hander, and Dan Straily gave up two runs in six innings as Cincinnati was able to hold off the Marlins, 5-4, at Great American Ball Park.

Scoring first in any game has its advantages, and on Day 1 of Little League World Series play on Thursday, that has proven true thus far, as all three teams to get on the board before their opponents have gone on to win their respective contests.

Earlier this week, Alex Rodriguez’s publicist released a statement saying the 14-time All-Star will not play again this season, following his release from the Yankees. Now it seems likely that Rodriguez won’t be suiting up in 2017, either.

Wait, it got stuck where?

Giants right-hander Matt Cain is back on the disabled list for the third time this season, the team announced Thursday.

The great National League MVP Award debate of 2016 is coming, if it is not already raging at your office, on your radio or in your favorite tavern.

Terry Collins didn’t downplay the subject Thursday when discussing the awaited returns of Asdrubal Cabrera and Yoenis Cespedes.

There were 2,400 defensive shifts put on in Major League Baseball five years ago. There are expected to be around 28,000 this season.

Kris Bryant, Ernie Banks, Sammy Sosa, Anthony Rizzo and Ron Santo now have something in common, and it’s not just that they all played for the Cubs. Bryant had five hits, including his 29th and 30th home runs, and five RBIs to lead the Cubs to a 9-6 victory on Thursday over the Brewers that completed a four-game sweep and improved the club’s home record to an MLB-best 45-19.

On Sunday, Twins second baseman Brian Dozier led off with a sharp grounder that Royals third baseman Cheslor Cuthbert grabbed on a dive.

In the eighth inning, during his last at-bat of Thursday’s sweep-capping 9-6 win over the Brewers, the Cubs’ Kris Bryant saw that the flags were still blowing out to center at Wrigley Field, a good sign for hitters. At that point, the third baseman had four hits and needed a triple to complete the first cycle by a Cubs player since Mark Grace did so in 1993.

Johnny Bench — who was scheduled to throw out the first pitch at the opening ceremonies of the 2016 Little League World Series — instead returned to his rightful place behind home plate to catch the offering.

What was already an unusual afternoon for the Red Sox — with a series-opening Thursday matinee against the Tigers at Comerica Park — became a little more strange after a near-catch by Jackie Bradley Jr. that was initially ruled an out and overturned to a single after a Tigers challenge.

Clayton Kershaw will join the Dodgers in Cincinnati and make the next step in his recovery on Saturday.

Braves right-hander Julio Teheran will conclude the first disabled list stint of his career when he is activated to make Friday night’s start against the Nationals at Turner Field.

Here are MLBPipeline.com’s updated rankings of the top 10 fantasy baseball prospects in the Minor Leagues. They’re based solely on expected 2016 fantasy production in the Major Leagues, in contrast to our Top 100 Prospects list, which reflects long-term value in all phases of the game.