CLEVELAND (AP) — Starling Marte, Gregory Polanco and Josh Bell each hit a two-run homer, and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Cleveland Indians 9-4 on Tuesday night for their 11th straight win.The Pirates routed the Indians for the second straight night. Marte homered in the first inning, drove in three runs and extended his career-high hitting streak to 17 games.Polanco homered and Corey Dickerson tripled in two runs when Pittsburgh scored five times in the second. Bell hit a home run in the fifth. The Pirates have homered in a season-high nine straight games, hitting 22 home runs in that span.Pittsburgh has won 11 in a row for the first time since Sept. 12-22, 1996. The Pirates have won 13 of 14 and are 17-8 since June 24. Pittsburgh has outscored its opponents 43-8 in the last five games.Joe Musgrove (4-4) allowed two runs and five hits in seven innings for his first win since June 29.Shane Bieber (5-2), called up from Triple-A Columbus to make the start, allowed seven runs in 1 2/3 innings.... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Starling Marte, Gregory Polanco and Josh Bell each hit a two-run homer, and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Cleveland Indians 9-4 on Tuesday night for their 11th straight win.The Pirates routed the Indians for the second straight night. Marte homered in the first inning, drove in three runs and extended his career-high hitting streak to 17 games.Polanco homered and Corey Dickerson tripled in two runs when Pittsburgh scored five times in the second. Bell hit a home run in the fifth. The Pirates have homered in a season-high nine straight games, hitting 22 home runs in that span.Pittsburgh has won 11 in a row for the first time since Sept. 12-22, 1996. The Pirates have won 13 of 14 and are 17-8 since June 24. Pittsburgh has outscored its opponents 43-8 in the last five games.Joe Musgrove (4-4) allowed two runs and five hits in seven innings for his first win since June 29.Shane Bieber (5-2), called up from Triple-A Columbus to make the start, allowed seven runs in 1 2/3 innings.... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Starling Marte, Gregory Polanco and Josh Bell each hit a two-run homer, and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Cleveland Indians 9-4 on Tuesday night for their 11th straight win.The Pirates routed the Indians for the second straight night. Marte homered in the first inning, drove in three runs and extended his career-high hitting streak to 17 games.Polanco homered and Corey Dickerson tripled in two runs when Pittsburgh scored five times in the second. Bell hit a home run in the fifth. The Pirates have homered in a season-high nine straight games, hitting 22 home runs in that span.Pittsburgh has won 11 in a row for the first time since Sept. 12-22, 1996. The Pirates have won 13 of 14 and are 17-8 since June 24. Pittsburgh has outscored its opponents 43-8 in the last five games.Joe Musgrove (4-4) allowed two runs and five hits in seven innings for his first win since June 29.Shane Bieber (5-2), called up from Triple-A Columbus to make the start, allowed seven runs in 1 2/3 innings.... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Starling Marte, Gregory Polanco and Josh Bell each hit a two-run homer, and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Cleveland Indians 9-4 on Tuesday night for their 11th straight win.The Pirates routed the Indians for the second straight night. Marte homered in the first inning, drove in three runs and extended his career-high hitting streak to 17 games.Polanco homered and Corey Dickerson tripled in two runs when Pittsburgh scored five times in the second. Bell hit a home run in the fifth. The Pirates have homered in a season-high nine straight games, hitting 22 home runs in that span.Pittsburgh has won 11 in a row for the first time since Sept. 12-22, 1996. The Pirates have won 13 of 14 and are 17-8 since June 24. Pittsburgh has outscored its opponents 43-8 in the last five games.Joe Musgrove (4-4) allowed two runs and five hits in seven innings for his first win since June 29.Shane Bieber (5-2), called up from Triple-A Columbus to make the start, allowed seven runs in 1 2/3 innings.... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Lance McCullers pitched seven strong innings, Jake Marisnick homered and the Houston Astros beat the Tampa Bay Rays 1-0 on Thursday night to tie a franchise record with their 11th straight road win.McCullers (9-3) gave up three hits while striking out seven. The Astros have won his last six starts and have won 18 of 21 overall. Their 11th straight road win matched the club record set last May 14-June 5 on the way to winning the franchise's first World Series title.The Rays, who had won five straight overall and eight straight at home, had runners on first and third with none out in the eighth against reliever Chris Devenski, but Matt Duffy lined into a double play and Jake Bauers grounded out.Hector Rondon pitched the ninth for his fifth save in seven opportunities.Marisnick's homer in the fifth came off Ryan Yarbrough (7-4) and was his seventh of the season. It ended the Rays' streak of 26 scoreless innings, the second-longest in franchise history.RED SOX 4,... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Charlie Morton remained unbeaten this season with six solid innings, Alex Bregman and Jake Marisnick hit three-run homers and the Houston Astros defeated the Cleveland Indians 8-2 on Thursday night.Morton (7-0) allowed two runs and five hits while extending his career-best winning streak to 10 games. The right-hander, who moved into a tie for the AL lead in wins, hasn't lost since Sept. 9, 2017, against Oakland. He walked three and struck out five.Morton fell behind after Michael Brantley's two-run single in the third, but his offense gave him plenty of support. Houston scored three runs in the fifth and added five in the sixth to put the game away.Mike Clevinger (3-2) opened with four scoreless innings, but couldn't hold a 2-0 lead in the fifth. Bregman capped the inning with his fifth homer over the 19-foot high wall in left field that put Houston ahead. He added an RBI double in the sixth.ORIOLES 9, WHITE SOX 3CHICAGO (AP) — Dylan Bundy struck out a career-high 14 and... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Charlie Morton remained unbeaten this season with six solid innings, Alex Bregman and Jake Marisnick hit three-run homers and the Houston Astros defeated the Cleveland Indians 8-2 on Thursday night.Morton (7-0) allowed two runs and five hits while extending his career-best winning streak to 10 games. The right-hander, who moved into a tie for the AL lead in wins, hasn't lost since Sept. 9, 2017, against Oakland. He walked three and struck out five.Morton fell behind after Michael Brantley's two-run single in the third, but his offense gave him plenty of support. Houston scored three runs in the fifth and added five in the sixth to put the game away.Mike Clevinger (3-2) opened with four scoreless innings, but couldn't hold a 2-0 lead in the fifth. Bregman capped the inning with his fifth homer over the 19-foot high wall in left field that put Houston ahead. He added an RBI double in the sixth.ORIOLES 9, WHITE SOX 3CHICAGO (AP) — Dylan Bundy struck out a career-high 14 and... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Dylan Bundy struck out a career-high 14 and pitched a two-hitter for his second complete game in the majors, helping the Baltimore Orioles beat the Chicago White Sox 9-3 on Thursday.Adam Jones and Trey Mancini hit solo home runs as Baltimore took a 9-0 lead after three innings. Jones and Manny Machado each had three hits, and Chance Sisco drove in three runs for the last-place Orioles. They won for just the third time in nine games and improved to 6-21 on the road.Jose Rondon hit a three-run homer with two outs in the fourth for the first hit off Bundy. It was Rondon's second career homer and second in two days.Earlier in the day, White Sox catcher Welington Castillo was suspended for 80 games by Major League Baseball following a positive test for a performance-enhancing substance. The commissioner's office cited use of Erythropoietin (EPO).Bundy (3-6) had been roughed up in losing four of five previous starts, but sparkled once again in an afternoon contest. The 25-year-old... [More]

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Odubel Herrera homered and pinch-hitter Jorge Alfaro hit a go-ahead single in the eighth inning, sending the Philadelphia Phillies over the St. Louis Cardinals 7-6 on Saturday.Alfaro was scratched with right knee soreness after originally being in the lineup. He was removed from Friday night's game.Greg Holland (0-2) surrendered two runs while getting just two outs.Herrera extended his streak of reaching base to 45 consecutive games with his home run in the third inning.Tommy Hunter (1-0) wound up with the win. Seranthony Dominguez pitched two perfect innings for his first career save.DODGERS 4, NATIONALS 1, 1ST GAMEWASHINGTON (AP) — Ross Stripling struck out a career-high nine in six innings as Los Angeles won the opener of a day-night doubleheader.Howie Kendrick, hitting a team-leading .303 for the Nationals, took an awkward step while retreating to catch a deep flyball to left field in the eighth. He was put on the 10-day disabled list with a right Achilles tendon injury.Stripling... [More]

CINCINNATI (AP) — Reds left-hander Amir Garrett and Chicago Cubs second baseman Javier Baez exchanged words after Baez struck out to end the seventh inning, sparking a bench-clearing incident that was quickly defused after a brief scuffle in the first game of a day-night doubleheader Saturday.Baez appeared to take issue with Garrett's slight celebration of the inning-ending strikeout. The two approached each other as Garrett walked off the field toward the first base dugout. The dugouts and bullpens all emptied and the teams converged in foul territory, but order was quickly restored and there were no ejections.The Reds were leading, 4-2.

CINCINNATI (AP) — Reds left-hander Amir Garrett and Chicago Cubs second baseman Javier Baez exchanged words after Baez struck out to end the sixth inning, sparking a bench-clearing incident that was quickly defused after a brief scuffle in the first game of a day-night doubleheader.Baez appeared to take issue with Garrett's slight celebration of the inning-ending strikeout. The two approached each other as Garrett walked off the field toward the first base dugout. The dugouts and bullpens all emptied and the teams converged in foul territory, but order was quickly restored and there were no ejections.The Reds were leading, 4-2.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Not so fast, Cincinnati Reds.Two days after they caught the Mets batting out of order, the Reds were tripped up in a double-switch that Dodgers manager Dave Roberts successfully argued on Friday night.In the seventh inning, Jesse Winker moved from left to right field and Adam Duvall entered the game in left.Scott Schebler made the last out of the inning and assumed he was coming out of the game, so he left the field.Winker was supposed to come off, but instead went to right as Schebler ran off."I didn't know Schebler ran off the field until Dave Roberts alerted the umpire and I realized then, 'Oh boy, we got a mess here,'" interim Reds manager Jim Riggleman said.Roberts said he knew something was wrong when reliever Amir Garrett was in the leadoff spot, but the Reds had him hitting sixth."The wrong player left and the umpires were on it," he said. "They got it right."Winker raised his arms in right as if to ask what was going on while the umpires convened. Eventually, plate umpire Alan Porter beckoned him to leave the field. Winker did and was replaced by Alex Blandino, who had never played right before."It was a mess," Riggleman said.On Wednesday, the Reds hosted the Mets, whose official lineup card had Asdrubal Cabrera batting second and Wilmer Flores third. But Flores hit second and Cabrera third, leading Riggleman to point out the error.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

CINCINNATI (AP) — Left-hander Amir Garrett has been reinstated from the bereavement list by the Cincinnati Reds, who optioned right-hander Tanner Rainey to Louisville of the Triple-A International League.Garrett went on the bereavement list on Thursday, and Rainey was promoted from Louisville on Friday but didn't pitch this weekend.Reds manager Jim Riggleman said Garrett was able to rejoin the team Sunday became of the late-afternoon start against Miami.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

As we enter the last full week of April, perhaps there's a chance that there are only a handful of postponements for the week, instead of a handful each day.Samples at the plate and on the mound are getting larger, but still far too little to put too much emphasis on them. But let's take a look at the week ahead for the best hitter matchups, two-start pitchers and batters you should consider picking up and getting into your lineups.BEST HITTING MATCHUPS: Atlanta, Minnesota, ColoradoWORST HITTING MATCHUPS: Los Angeles Angels, San FranciscoPLAYERS TO PICK UPTeoscar Hernandez, OF, Toronto - In 97 plate appearances last year, Hernandez had eight home runs and a .261 batting average. He's going to strike out a lot (37.9 strikeout percentage last season), but he's a power-speed outfielder with tremendous upside. He needs to be stashed in all category and roto leagues with five outfield spots, as he only has the struggling Randall Grichuk (.088 average, 33.8 strikeout percentage) in his way of... [More]

As we enter the last full week of April, perhaps there's a chance that there are only a handful of postponements for the week, instead of a handful each day.Samples at the plate and on the mound are getting larger, but still far too little to put too much emphasis on them. But let's take a look at the week ahead for the best hitter matchups, two-start pitchers and batters you should consider picking up and getting into your lineups.BEST HITTING MATCHUPS: Atlanta, Minnesota, ColoradoWORST HITTING MATCHUPS: Los Angeles Angels, San FranciscoPLAYERS TO PICK UPTeoscar Hernandez, OF, Toronto - In 97 plate appearances last year, Hernandez had eight home runs and a .261 batting average. He's going to strike out a lot (37.9 strikeout percentage last season), but he's a power-speed outfielder with tremendous upside. Yes, Toronto is noncommittal about him staying up with the team, but he needs to be stashed in all category and roto leagues with five outfield spots, as he only has the struggling Randall... [More]

Chris Sale and his fellow aces are having all sorts of trouble with these tuneup starts.Sale was knocked off the mound by a line drive Saturday and exited with a bruised left hip. He said the injury wasn't serious and wouldn't jeopardize his opening day start Thursday for the AL East champion Boston Red Sox at Tampa Bay."I don't see anything lingering from this," Sale said. "Looked a lot worse than it really is."Sale was hit by a liner off the bat of Houston's J.D. Davis in the first inning. The left-hander crumpled to the ground, then walked off the field under his own power.On Friday, San Francisco ace Madison Bumgarner sustained a broken pinkie on his pitching hand when he was struck by a line drive. He is expected to miss at least two months.The same day, Tampa Bay star Chris Archer — set to pitch against Sale — was hit by a grounder in the forearm of his pitching arm and had to leave a minor league game.Hours after Sale was hurt, Kansas City lefty Danny Duffy exited in the third inning... [More]

Chris Sale and his fellow aces are having all sorts of trouble with these tuneup starts.Sale was knocked off the mound by a line drive Saturday and exited with a bruised left hip. He said the injury wasn't serious and wouldn't jeopardize his opening day start for the AL East champions Thursday at Tampa Bay."I don't see anything lingering from this," Sale said. "Looked a lot worse than it really is."Sale was hit by a liner off the bat of Houston's J.D. Davis in the first inning. He crumpled to the ground, then walked off the field under his own power.On Friday, San Francisco ace Madison Bumgarner sustained a broken finger on his pitching hand when he was struck by a line drive. He will miss at least a month.The same day, Tampa Bay star Chris Archer — set to pitch against Sale — was hit by a grounder in the forearm of his pitching arm and had to leave a minor league game.Hours after Sale was hurt, Kansas City lefty Danny Duffy exited in the third inning because of shoulder tightness. He said... [More]

A big second half by shortstop Jorge Polanco helped push the Minnesota Twins into the playoffs last season. This year, they'll try to start fast without him.Polanco was suspended 80 games on Sunday after testing positive for the performance-enhancing substance Stanozolol. He became the sixth player to be banned this year under the major league drug program — one more than last year.Polanco hit .256 with 13 home runs and 74 RBIs last season while starting 127 games at shortstop. The 24-year-old also stole 13 bases in helping the Twins earn an AL wild-card spot.In a statement released by the players' union, Polanco said he didn't "intentionally consume this steroid."Polanco said he requested a substance from his athletic trainer in the Dominican Republic, but was given something else.ELSEWHERE AROUND THE GRAPEFRUIT AND CACTUS LEAGUESMETS 5, ORIOLES 4The Mets said lefty Jason Vargas will have surgery after his right hand was broken by a line drive in a minor league game Friday. No timetable... [More]

LHP Amir Garrett still could make another start with the Reds, but for now he'll work on the side with manager Bryan Price and pitching coach Mack Jenkins. Garrett walked five in his last start. He has walked 36 in 67 1/3 major league innings this season.

LHP Amir Garrett continued to struggle with command and keeping the ball in the park during his loss Thursday in St. Louis. Garrett lasted only four-plus innings, giving up three hits and four runs with a season-high five walks and seven strikeouts, throwing strikes on 46 of his 89 pitches. He permitted a two-run homer to Tommy Pham in the fifth, giving him 23 in 67 1/3 innings.