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Associated Press 8y

LEADING OFF: Baker back in Cincy, X-Man goes for 27 straight

MLB, Cincinnati Reds, Pittsburgh Pirates, Washington Nationals, Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, Texas Rangers, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles

A look at what's happening all around the majors Friday:

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WELCOME BACK

Dusty Baker manages a game in Cincinnati for the first time since the Reds let him go after a loss to the Pirates in the 2013 NL wild-card game. Now guiding the first-place Nationals, Baker will see whether star Bryce Harper is able to play. The reigning NL MVP has been out of the lineup since being hit on the side of the right knee by a pitch on Monday.

THE X FACTOR

Xander Bogaerts takes a 26-game hitting streak for the Red Sox into the series opener at Fenway Park against Toronto. Bogaerts faces a tricky task to extend it -- knuckleballer R.A. Dickey pitches for the Blue Jays against David Price, the lefty ace who led Toronto to the AL East title last season.

STRONG START

Healthy ace Yu Darvish and the Rangers host Seattle in a matchup between the top teams in the AL West. Out of the majors last year while recovering from elbow surgery, Darvish gave up one run in five innings vs. Pittsburgh last weekend in his season debut.

DECISION TIME

The Mets are expected to decide whether to put third baseman David Wright on the disabled list before they open a 10-game trip in Miami. Wright has missed five straight games with a herniated disk in his neck. He was scheduled to remain in New York for treatment Thursday, an off day for the team. "We'll assess the situation when he gets down there," manager Terry Collins said Wednesday.

BOTH ON A ROLL

Two streaking pitchers take the mound when the Yankees open a three-game series in Baltimore. New York right-hander Nathan Eovaldi (6-2) has won a career-best five consecutive starts going into his matchup with Chris Tillman (7-1), who is 6-0 in his last seven.

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