Now that Major League Baseball has a start date for its pandemic-shortened season, it faces hard realities in markets where COVID-19 is spiking, notably Houston, where a top health official says he might object to games if current trends aren't reversed -- and soon. The rate of coronavirus cases is rising in 15 of 27 U.S. markets that have teams, with significant surges in Phoenix and Houston, according to COVID-19 Case Mapper, a Stanford University-led collaborative project tracking national trends. The quickening spread increases pressure not only on MLB's plan to protect players and staff but also on government officials who could shut down gatherings, including baseball. In Texas on Friday, Gov. Greg Abbott re-imposed limits on businesses he reopened in May. His order closes bars and limits restaurants to 50% capacity. In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered a county adjacent to San Diego back into stay-at-home mode Friday. In two other hotspot states, Florida and Arizona,...