The crowd on Thursday night was buzzing about the fast starts of the Mets and Yankees at MLB.com correspondent Ed Randall’s Fans for the Cure First Annual Celebrity Dinner, an event designed to help fight prostate cancer.

Royals left-hander Danny Duffy delivered his longest outing of the season, seven-plus innings, and his offense banged out 14 hits in an 8-1 victory over Detroit on Thursday in the first meeting between the American League Central rivals this season.

Robinson Cano has been the American League’s All-Star starter at second base since 2010, but the Astros’ Jose Altuve has far outperformed him by every measure this season and deserves to take the torch on July 14 in Cincinnati.

With more players being signed to long-term deals, teams must look to the trade market more than ever to drastically change their long-term outlook. Here are five franchise-changing trades that are currently impacting clubs in 2015.

Braves third baseman Chris Johnson’s frustrating season took a downturn when he fractured his left hand while sliding headfirst into second base during an unsuccessful steal attempt in the fourth inning of Thursday night’s 5-1 loss to the Reds.

Cincinnati’s Mike Leake and Atlanta’s Shelby Miller locked up in an old-school pitching duel Thursday night at Turner Field, with the Reds pulling out a 5-1 victory in the opener of a four-game set. Leake, Tucker Barnhart, Todd Frazier and Billy Hamilton homered.

Mike Trout’s game-ending catch in Thursday’s series finale was so good, it nearly sent the Angels’ closer to the disabled list. “I almost pulled an oblique doing a fist pump,” Huston Street said after the Angels’ nail-biting, hair-raising 6-5 victory over the A’s at the Coliseum. “That’s why he’s an MVP.”

Despite the less-than-desirable debut from lefty Tim Cooney, the Cardinals ended a four-game series against the Phillies with a 9-3 win at Busch Stadium on Thursday behind a blitz attack from the top half of their lineup.

The Orioles — who played Wednesday’s game, an 8-2 win over the White Sox, in front of no fans for the first time in MLB history — are headed south to host a “home” series at Tropicana Field this weekend.

Balloting is underway for the 86th All-Star Game on July 14 at Great
American Ball Park in Cincinnati, with Wednesday’s launch of the 2015 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Ballot. It begins your annual privilege to decide starters for the American and National League rosters, but there is one big difference now: It’s online-only.

The Dodgers rolled out the heavy artillery Wednesday night, and Andre Ethier, no longer on the outside looking in, was delighted to be part of the fireworks display.

So much has changed since we first tried to prognosticate the top 10 picks in the First-Year Player Draft back in December that it’s time to start over. Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo make their predictions for the top 10 picks in the 2015 First-Year Player Draft.

Albert Pujols’ left hamstring tightened up as he ran out a sixth-inning single on Wednesday night, prompting the first baseman to exit early in the Angels’ eventual 6-3 win over the A’s. He’s expected to avoid the disabled list, but will have to sit out a few games.

With a rearranged batting order, the Dodgers blasted four home runs in the first three innings Wednesday night and coasted to a 7-3 win in the rubber game of their three-game series against the Giants at Dodger Stadium.

Mike Trout isn’t one to let slumps linger. He turns the page quickly, adjusts frequently and hardly ever lets a bad night roll into the next one. Since his first full season in 2012, he has gone hitless in four or more at-bats 68 times. In the following games, he’s a combined .337 hitter with 15 homers, 48 RBIs and 27 walks.

One night after an 0-for-4, three-strikeout performance at the Coliseum, Mike Trout came back with a vengeance, blasting a 454-foot home run in the third inning and a two-run double in the seventh to lead the Angels to a 6-3 win over the A’s.

Felix Hernandez improved to 4-0 and Nelson Cruz drove a solo shot into the upper deck for his 10th home run of the season as the Mariners finished off a three-game sweep of the Rangers.