Twins right-hander Ricky Nolasco flew back to the Twin Cities to get his right elbow examined after feeling discomfort on a pitch to Tigers catcher Alex Avila on Wednesday.

With their decision to deal Sam Freeman on March 28, the Cardinals offered the evidence that they were ready to go all-in with Kevin Siegrist as the team’s primary lefty reliever. But while the club cleared the spot as a vote of confidence for a pitcher trying to regain his 2013 form, Siegrist still had much to prove — mostly to himself.

Cael Brockmeyer, who will open his season Thursday at Class A South Bend, was slated to arrive in Minor League camp in early March. But Minor League coordinator Tim Cossins asked if the catcher could come to Arizona early to help with the big league pitchers, and Brockmeyer jumped at the chance.

Mike Witt, who pitched a perfect game on the final day of the 1984 season, will signal the start of the Angels’ home schedule in 2015, by throwing out the ceremonial first pitch from Angel Stadium on Friday night.

With the 2015 season officially under way, MLB Pipeline takes a look at where the Braves’ top 30 prospects are starting the season.

Every lineup, every day, as they are made public by the clubs.

As a professional athlete, Rays outfielder Brandon Guyer treats his body to the fuel he feels will afford him the best chance for reaching peak performance. Eating whole, fresh foods will bring an altogether different look than eating junk. But following Guyer’s path doesn’t mean he limits his diet to tree bark and figs.

Every week, the MLBPipeline.com crew will rank the top 10 fantasy baseball prospects in the Minor Leagues. These rankings are based solely on expected 2015 fantasy production in the Major Leagues, in contrast to the MLBPipeline Top 100 Prospects list, which reflects long-term value in all phases of the game.

It’s throwback time. Each Thursday, we’ll turn back the baseball clock to a significant event in the annals of the sport that took place on the same day. For our first #TBT installment, we’re headed backbackback, and we’re talking waaaaaay back, to April 9, 1993.

Wilin Rosario’s pinch-hit homer in the 10th completed a season-opening sweep for the Rockies after the Brewers rallied to tie in the ninth thanks to RBIs from Ryan Braun and Carlos Gomez. Corey Dickerson and Carlos Gonzalez also homered for Colorado in the series finale.

Albert Pujols hit his 521st home run on Wednesday night in the Angels’ win over the Mariners, tying him with Ted Williams, Willie McCovey and Frank Thomas for 18th on the all-time list.

With three home runs Wednesday night, Adrian Gonzalez became the first player in MLB history to hit five home runs through his team’s first three games of a season, according to Elias Sports.

An RBI single by Joey Votto in the bottom of the 11th inning was the difference maker in the Reds’ 5-4 victory over the Pirates as Wednesday night turned into Thursday morning. Cincinnati has taken the first two games of the three-game series.

DraftKings participants will find plenty of terrific hitter options on Thursday, as there are several mediocre starters working in hitter-friendly venues. But with so few solid hurlers on the schedule, starting-pitcher choices will be important on this day. The following players deserve a close look when filling out DraftKings lineups.

Let’s take a look at a few facts and figures in the wake of Adrian Gonzalez’s three-home-run night in the Dodgers’ 7-4 win over the Padres on Wednesday.

Right-hander Jordan Zimmermann was solid for six innings, while first baseman Ryan Zimmerman was the hitting hero with a two-run homer as the Nationals edged the Mets, 2-1, on Wednesday night at Nationals Park.

Lorenzo Cain hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning to give the Royals a 7-5 victory over the visiting White Sox on Wednesday night at Kauffman Stadium. Chicago’s Tyler Flowers and Kansas City’s Eric Hosmer traded three-run homers earlier.