SEATTLE (AP) — Charlie Morton pitched seven innings of three-hit ball, Jose Altuve hit a three-run double and the Houston Astros beat the Seattle Mariners 9-2 on Thursday after Evan Gattis hit into a 5-4-3 triple play in the fourth inning.Morton (3-0) retired 15 straight at one stretch and didn't allow a runner to reach second base.Marco Gonzales (1-2) allowed three runs — all unearned because of a throwing error by third baseman Kyle Seager — and four hits in 4 2/3 innings.CUBS 8, CARDINALS 5CHICAGO (AP) — Jon Lester (2-0) was dominant through six innings of two-hit ball in his 100th start as Cub, and Jason Heyward hit a two-run homer.Kris Bryant and Kyle Schwarber each had two RBIs as Chicago took a 6-1 lead after two innings. Every Cubs starter had a hit, including three by Anthony Rizzo and two each by Heyward, Schwarber and Javier Baez.Brandon Morrow pitched a perfect ninth to complete a five-hitter and remain perfect in three save chances.Ten of Chicago's first 16 batters reached... [More]

SEATTLE (AP) — Charlie Morton pitched seven innings of three-hit ball, Jose Altuve hit a three-run double and the Houston Astros beat the Seattle Mariners 9-2 on Thursday after Evan Gattis hit into a 5-4-3 triple play in the fourth inning.Morton (3-0) retired 15 straight at one stretch and didn't allow a runner to reach second base.Marco Gonzales (1-2) allowed three runs — all unearned because of a throwing error by third baseman Kyle Seager — and four hits in 4 2/3 innings.CUBS 8, CARDINALS 5CHICAGO (AP) — Jon Lester (2-0) was dominant through six innings of two-hit ball in his 100th start as Cub, and Jason Heyward hit a two-run homer.Kris Bryant and Kyle Schwarber each had two RBIs as Chicago took a 6-1 lead after two innings. Every Cubs starter had a hit, including three by Anthony Rizzo and two each by Heyward, Schwarber and Javier Baez.Brandon Morrow pitched a perfect ninth to complete a five-hitter and remain perfect in three save chances.Ten of Chicago's first 16 batters reached... [More]

SEATTLE (AP) — Charlie Morton pitched seven innings of three-hit ball, Jose Altuve hit a three-run double and the Houston Astros beat the Seattle Mariners 9-2 on Thursday after Evan Gattis hit into a 5-4-3 triple play in the fourth inning.Morton (3-0) retired 15 straight at one stretch and didn't allow a runner to reach second base.Marco Gonzales (1-2) allowed three runs — all unearned because of a throwing error by third baseman Kyle Seager — and four hits in 4 2/3 innings.CUBS 8, CARDINALS 5CHICAGO (AP) — Jon Lester (2-0) was dominant through six innings of two-hit ball in his 100th start as Cub, and Jason Heyward hit a two-run homer.Kris Bryant and Kyle Schwarber each had two RBIs as Chicago took a 6-1 lead after two innings. Every Cubs starter had a hit, including three by Anthony Rizzo and two each by Heyward, Schwarber and Javier Baez.Brandon Morrow pitched a perfect ninth to complete a five-hitter and remain perfect in three save chances.Ten of Chicago's first 16 batters reached... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — After facing Giancarlo Stanton for the first time, the Miami Marlins got to take on Christian Yelich.Stanton was dealt to the New York Yankees during the Marlins' offseason teardown, and Yelich was sent to the Milwaukee Brewers. Dee Gordon and Marcell Ozuna also were jettisoned as part of the payroll purge under new CEO Derek Jeter."He's a great kid," Marlins manager Don Mattingly said ahead of Thursday's series opener against the Brewers. "I loved having him. He can really hit. He'll be a handful to get out."Milwaukee sent top prospect, Lewis Brinson and three other minor leaguers to the Marlins in January for Yelich, a Gold Glove winner in 2014.Yelich started 10 for 27, then hurt an oblique and went on the disabled list. He returned Wednesday and went 1 for 2."It was definitely frustrating but those things happen," Yelich said. "We've got guys who were able to step in and we were able to win some games. It's good to be back. I'm looking forward to being out there."Yelich and center fielder Lorenzo Cain, who signed a free agent, were together in the batting order for the first time since April 4.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

A look at what's happening around the majors Thursday:SLUMPING STANTONGiancarlo Stanton looks to make an impact in pinstripes when New York opens a series against Toronto at Yankee Stadium. Stanton is 3 for 35 (.086) with 20 strikeouts in the Bronx this season, and he has been regularly booed by the home fans. Manager Aaron Boone said Tuesday he'd consider sliding Stanton slightly down in the batting order to get the 2017 NL MVP rolling.NOT AGAINThe Braves are hoping for good news on star slugger Freddie Freeman a day after a scary — and all-too-familiar looking — hit-by-pitch. Phillies lefty Holby Milner hit Freeman's left wrist with a fastball in nearly the same spot where Freeman had a fracture from a plunking last season. Freeman was on an MVP pace in 2017 before the injury cost him nearly two months. Manager Brian Snitker did not have an update on Freeman's status as of Wednesday night.OHTANI IN ACTION?Two days after exiting a start with a blister on his pitching hand, Shohei Ohtani... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Coming up empty against his former team was hardly what Giancarlo Stanton had in mind.Same is true of the poor first impression he's made in Yankees pinstripes so far.Last year's NL MVP is off to a miserable start with New York — especially at home — and the hulking slugger is hearing it from impatient fans in the Bronx. After going 0 for 4 with two more strikeouts in a 9-1 loss to the last-place Miami Marlins on Tuesday night, the slumping Stanton is 3 for 35 (.086) with 20 strikeouts at Yankee Stadium this season."Obviously, he's frustrated. You want to go out there and perform, especially when you're an MVP, and obviously he expects a lot of himself," rookie manager Aaron Boone said. "But I think his focus is tremendous and I'm really confident that the work he's putting in — and he's a worker, he gets after it — and I'm confident that once he gets rolling it'll be a juggernaut. I want him to, just for peace of mind, to get going a little bit and kind of settle in and... [More]

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Francisco Lindor homered in his native Puerto Rico, Corey Kluber allowed one run in 6 2/3 innings and the Cleveland Indians beat the Minnesota Twins 6-1 on Tuesday night in the first regular-season game on the island commonwealth since 2010.Michael Brantley and Jose Ramirez each had three hits for Cleveland before a sold-out crowd of 19,516 at Hiram Bithorn Stadium. Brantley and Ramirez hit consecutive homers in the sixth, and Yonder Alonso added a solo homer in the eighth.Kluber (2-1) allowed five hits and struck out six, lowering his ERA to 1.52. Minnesota's Jake Odorizzi (1-1) gave up four runs and six hits in five-plus innings.RED SOX 10, ANGELS 1ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Mookie Betts led off with the first of his three homers, and Boston chased Shohei Ohtani just two innings into his third big-league start.Ohtani (2-1) yielded four hits and three runs on 66 pitches before exiting with a blister on his pitching hand. The two-way Japanese sensation couldn't... [More]

A look at what's happening all around the majors today:GOOD COMPANYGerrit Cole can become the first Astros pitcher since Randy Johnson in 1998 to reach double-digit strikeouts in four straight games when Houston faces Seattle. Cole would tie Nolan Ryan for the second-longest double-digit strikeout streak in franchise history — Johnson and J.R. Richard share the team record with five such games in a row. Cole (3-0, 1.29 ERA) has 36 strikeouts in 21 innings and leads all qualified starters with 15.43 strikeouts per nine innings.GIANCARLO DROP?Yankees manager Aaron Boone says he may drop struggling slugger Giancarlo Stanton slightly in the batting order. Stanton struck out twice Tuesday night and drew boos at Yankee Stadium, where he's 3 for 35 (.086) with 20 strikeouts this season. "Track record don't matter in the moment," he said. "You've got to own up to it and understand and find a way to get better, find a way to get out of it."IN SAN JUANPuerto Rican pitcher Jose Berrios will start... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — J.T. Realmuto is back in the lineup for the Miami Marlins and ready to help their rebuild.The athletic catcher was activated from the disabled list Tuesday and hit a three-run homer in his season debut against the New York Yankees. He had been sidelined by a bruised back since March 11.Under new CEO Derek Jeter, the Marlins traded away NL MVP Giancarlo Stanton, Marcell Ozuna, Christian Yelich and Dee Gordon during an offseason payroll purge. That left Realmuto as one of the few proven players left in Miami, and there were rumblings he wanted out, too."That stuff was all over once spring training started, regardless of how the offseason would have went," Realmuto said at Yankee Stadium. "In this situation, when something happens, you want to get back on the field and help the guys. ... I haven't been paying any attention to that. I'm here to play baseball."Realmuto was behind the plate Tuesday night for the last-place Marlins. He batted fifth against Yankees right-hander... [More]

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Francisco Lindor homered in his native Puerto Rico, Corey Kluber allowed one run in 6 2/3 innings and the Cleveland Indians beat the Minnesota Twins 6-1 on Tuesday night in the first regular-season game on the island commonwealth since 2010.Michael Brantley and Jose Ramirez each had three hits for Cleveland before a sold-out crowd of 19,516 at Hiram Bithorn Stadium. Brantley and Ramirez hit consecutive homers in the sixth, and Yonder Alonso added a solo homer in the eighth.Kluber (2-1) allowed five hits and struck out six, lowering his ERA to 1.52. Minnesota's Jake Odorizzi (1-1) gave up four runs and six hits in five-plus innings.DIAMONDBACKS 1, GIANTS 0PHOENIX (AP) — Patrick Corbin lost his no-hit bid on a checked-swing infield single with two outs in the eighth inning but finished a one-hitter to lift Arizona.Corbin (3-0) walked one but otherwise was cruising toward what would have been the franchise's third no-hitter. Brandon Belt ended it with a softly... [More]

A look at what's happening all around the majors Wednesday:GOOD COMPANYGerrit Cole can become the first Astros pitcher since Randy Johnson in 1998 to reach double-digit strikeouts in four straight games when Houston faces Seattle. Cole would tie Nolan Ryan for the second-longest double-digit strikeout streak in franchise history — Johnson and J.R. Richard share the team record with five such games in a row. Cole (3-0, 1.29 ERA) has 36 strikeouts in 21 innings and leads all qualified starters with 15.43 strikeouts per nine innings.IN SAN JUANPuerto Rican pitcher Jose Berrios will start for Minnesota in the finale of a two-game series against Cleveland in San Juan. The crowd there already got a memorable moment from one of its homegrown stars in the opener, when Indians star Francisco Lindor went deep in the fifth inning. Lindor waved on the crowd as he rounded third base, encouraging an ovation powered by pink thundersticks and capped with chants of "Lindor! Lindor!"BACK IN FORMRick Porcello... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — J.T. Realmuto is back in the lineup for the Miami Marlins and ready to help their rebuild.The athletic catcher was activated from the disabled list Tuesday and hit a three-run homer in his season debut against the New York Yankees. He had been sidelined by a bruised back since March 11.Under new CEO Derek Jeter, the Marlins traded away NL MVP Giancarlo Stanton, Marcell Ozuna, Christian Yelich and Dee Gordon during an offseason payroll purge. That left Realmuto as one of the few proven players left in Miami, and there were rumblings he wanted out, too."That stuff was all over once spring training started, regardless of how the offseason would have went," Realmuto said at Yankee Stadium. "In this situation, when something happens, you want to get back on the field and help the guys. ... I haven't been paying any attention to that. I'm here to play baseball."Realmuto was behind the plate Tuesday night for the last-place Marlins, who opened 4-12. He batted fifth against Yankees... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — J.T. Realmuto is back in the lineup for the Miami Marlins and ready to help their rebuild.The athletic catcher was activated from the disabled list Tuesday to make his season debut against the New York Yankees. He had been sidelined by a bruised back since March 11.Under new CEO Derek Jeter, the Marlins traded away NL MVP Giancarlo Stanton, Marcell Ozuna, Christian Yelich and Dee Gordon during an offseason payroll purge. That left Realmuto as one of the few proven players left in Miami, and there were rumblings he wanted out, too."That stuff was all over once spring training started, regardless of how the offseason would have went," Realmuto said at Yankee Stadium. "In this situation, when something happens, you want to get back on the field and help the guys. I haven't been paying any attention to that. I'm here to play baseball."Realmuto was behind the plate Tuesday night for the last-place Marlins, who opened 4-12. He batted fifth against Yankees right-hander Masahiro... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Didi Gregorius homered twice for the second time this season, Gary Sanchez had three hits and three RBIs, and the New York Yankees romped to a 12-1 victory over Derek Jeter's Miami Marlins on Monday night.The only Yankees bopper who didn't join the hit parade was Giancarlo Stanton, who went hitless and got booed again by the hometown fans in his first game against his former team.Aaron Judge became the fastest major leaguer to hit 60 career homers, and Gregorius finished with three RBIs. New York scored in each of the first five innings and built an 11-0 lead for Luis Severino (3-1), who allowed one hit in six scoreless innings and struck out eight.Judge hit his fourth home run this season and reached 60 in 197 games, five fewer than Mark McGwire.Jeter did not attend the game, the first between the teams since the former Yankees captain became Marlins CEO last October.Stanton went 0 for 3 with two strikeouts, a bases-loaded foulout, a walk and was hit by a pitch. The four-time... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Didi Gregorius homered twice for the second time this season, Gary Sanchez had three hits and three RBIs, and the New York Yankees romped to a 12-1 victory over Derek Jeter's Miami Marlins on Monday night.The only Yankees bopper who didn't join the hit parade was Giancarlo Stanton, who went hitless and got booed again by the hometown fans in his first game against his former team.Aaron Judge became the fastest major leaguer to hit 60 career homers, and Gregorius finished with three RBIs. New York scored in each of the first five innings and built an 11-0 lead for Luis Severino (3-1), who allowed one hit in six scoreless innings and struck out eight.Judge hit his fourth home run this season and reached 60 in 197 games, five fewer than Mark McGwire.Jeter did not attend the game, the first between the teams since the former Yankees captain became Marlins CEO last October.Stanton went 0 for 3 with two strikeouts, a bases-loaded foulout, a walk and was hit by a pitch. The four-time... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Didi Gregorius homered twice for the second time this season, Gary Sanchez had three hits and three RBIs, and the New York Yankees romped to a 12-1 victory over Derek Jeter's Miami Marlins on Monday night.About the only Yankees bopper who didn't get in on the fun was Giancarlo Stanton, who went hitless and got booed again by the hometown fans in his first game against his former team.Aaron Judge became the fastest major leaguer to hit 60 career homers, and Gregorius finished with three RBIs. New York scored in each of the first five innings and built an 11-0 lead for Luis Severino (3-1), who allowed one hit in six scoreless innings and struck out eight.Judge hit his fourth home run this season and reached 60 in 197 games, five fewer than Mark McGwire.Jeter did not attend the game, the first between the teams since the former Yankees captain became Marlins CEO last October.Stanton went 0 for 3 with two strikeouts, a bases-loaded foulout, a walk and was hit by a pitch. The... [More]

A look at what's happening all around the majors Monday:REMEMBER ME?Giancarlo Stanton faces his former teammates when the Marlins visit Yankee Stadium. The slugger led the majors with 59 home runs and was the NL MVP last year, then was traded to New York. Stanton is hitting .220 with three homers for the Yankees, striking out 25 times in 59 at-bats. Caleb Smith starts for Miami — he pitched for the Yanks last year, and was sent to the Marlins in a separate deal.Marlins CEO and former Yankees star Derek Jeter will not be attending the two-game series in the Bronx. "I went to a spring training game when we played New York, but it would be an awkward situation for me to actually go to Yankee Stadium," he said last week.A BIT WARMERThe Chicago White Sox begin a series at Oakland, where the gametime temperature for the opener is supposed to be in the low 50s. That's still a lot better than what they left behind in Minnesota, where a blizzard helped wipe out the last three games of their series... [More]

DETROIT (AP) — It may take a while for the New York Yankees to finish their three games in Detroit this season.The Yankees and Tigers were rained out Saturday, with bad weather threatening to wash away most of New York's only scheduled visit to the Motor City this year. The Yankees beat the Tigers 8-6 on Friday night, and the teams will try to play a split doubleheader Sunday to finish this three-game series — but the weather then might not be any better."It doesn't look very good, but we'll just try and have a good day of rest today," New York manager Aaron Boone said. "Some guys getting a little bit of work in now, and prepare ourselves like we are getting ready to go tomorrow, and then we'll see what Mother Nature has for us."The Tigers would send left-handers Francisco Liriano (1-1) and Matthew Boyd (0-1) to the mound Sunday against New York right-handers Luis Severino (2-1) and Luis Cessa (0-0). The games are scheduled for 1:10 and 7:10 p.m.If one or both games are postponed Sunday,... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — The Miami Marlins posted abysmal attendance numbers this week, averaging 6,556 fans in a three-game series with the New York Mets.It was their lowest reported totals since 2006 and the lowest since moving to Marlins Park in 2012.However, reported attendance numbers by the Marlins have been suspect for years. Many games had a noticeably lower number of fans in the stands than the official attendance reported.Having a more accurate count is something the new ownership group, led by CEO Derek Jeter, seeks."One of the qualities of running a first-class organization is honesty, and we have been and we will continue to run this organization, we're going to be transparent and we're going to be honest about it," Jeter said. "And reporting paid attendance as the number of tickets sold is the way we're going to report it. Our focus will continue to be increasing the turnstile numbers here at Marlins Park."Jeter, who will not be returning to Yankee Stadium next week when the Marlins face... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Red Sox pitcher Rick Porcello lost his bid for a no-hitter when Yankees slugger Aaron Judge led off the seventh with a double.Porcello stayed in after a 45-minute rain delay and retired the Yankees in order in the sixth. But Judge got New York's first hit in the seventh, and Giancarlo Stanton followed with a single.Stanton became the Yankees' first baserunner when he was hit by a pitch in the fourth.Porcello got out of the jam in the seventh, preserving Boston's 6-0 lead on Thursday night. He has six strikeouts and no walks.