NEW YORK (AP) — The Yankees' post-All-Star break opener against the Boston Red Sox on Thursday night was postponed because of positive COVID-19 tests among vaccinated New York pitchers Jonathan Loaisiga, Nestor Cortes Jr. and Wandy Peralta. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said three additional tests were pending and he assumed they would come back positive. Loaisiga went on the COVID-19 injured list Saturday, when the Yankees were in Houston, and he did not travel home with the team Sunday. Cashman said all three were fully vaccinated, as are most of the players on the team. While vaccinations do not prevent a person from contracting COVID, it prevents severe effects. “As of right now, everybody’s OK,” he said. Cashman said Major League Baseball had not yet decided whether to postpone Friday's second scheduled game of the four-game series. “We’re in a very fluid situation right now,” he said. This was the eighth COVID-related postponement this season but the first in nearly three... [More]

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Shohei Ohtani hit his major league-leading 32nd homer, a season high by a Japanese player in the major leagues, helping the Los Angeles Angels beat the Boston Red Sox 5-4 on Wednesday. Fellow All-Star Jared Walsh homered twice for the Angels, who won for the sixth time in seven games and took two of three from the AL-leading Red Sox. Ohtani topped Hideki Matsui’s total with the 2004 Yankees by hitting a 433-foot shot to right off Eduardo Rodríguez (6-5), putting the Angels ahead to stay in the fifth inning. The two-way star has 15 homers in his past 20 games. Andrew Heaney (5-6) pitched six-hit ball into the sixth, and Raisel Iglesias struck out the side in the ninth for his 18th save. RAYS 4, INDIANS 0 RAYS 8, INDIANS 1 ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Five Tampa Bay pitchers combined for seven hitless innings to finish a doubleheader sweep. Collin McHugh (two perfect innings), Josh Fleming (7-4 after allowing one walk in 2 2/3 innings), Diego Castillo (one out), Matt... [More]

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Shohei Ohtani hit his major league-leading 32nd homer, a season high by a Japanese player in the major leagues, helping the Los Angeles Angels beat the Boston Red Sox 5-4 on Wednesday. Fellow All-Star Jared Walsh homered twice for the Angels, who won for the sixth time in seven games and took two of three from the AL-leading Red Sox. Ohtani topped Hideki Matsui’s total with the 2004 Yankees by hitting a 433-foot shot to right off Eduardo Rodríguez (6-5), putting the Angels ahead to stay in the fifth inning. The two-way star has 15 homers in his past 20 games. Andrew Heaney (5-6) pitched six-hit ball into the sixth, and Raisel Iglesias struck out the side in the ninth for his 18th save. RAYS 4, INDIANS 0 RAYS 8, INDIANS 1 ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Five Tampa Bay pitchers combined for seven hitless innings to finish a doubleheader sweep. Collin McHugh (two perfect innings), Josh Fleming (7-4 after allowing one walk in 2 2/3 innings), Diego Castillo (one out), Matt... [More]

SEATTLE (AP) — New York Yankees starter Domingo Germán was scratched from his scheduled start on Wednesday night against the Seattle Mariners after undergoing an emergency root canal. Nick Nelson started in place of Germán for the Yankees. Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Germán underwent the procedure on Wednesday morning and may be available to pitch out of the bullpen if needed. It may be that Germán slots back into the rotation on Friday when the Yankees open a three-game series in Houston heading into the All-Star break. New York is currently without a starter for the opener of that series. Germán is 4-5 with a 4.50 ERA in 15 starts. “Depending on what happens tonight, what happens tomorrow, it could be he’s in play potentially Friday,” Boone said. Gleyber Torres was back in the lineup for New York after missing the series opener with concern about his left hamstring, but the Yankees expect to be without reliever Darren O’Day for a while. Boone said O’Day injured his hamstring going through his pregame routine before Tuesday’s game. “He hasn’t got the MRI yet, but it does look like it’s significant,” Boone said. Boone said he was also encouraged by the bullpen session on Tuesday of injured reliever Zack Britton, who has been out since June 26 with a hamstring strain. Boone said the next step for Britton would probably be throwing a live batting practice. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

SEATTLE (AP) — New York Yankees shortstop Gleyber Torres was out of the lineup for Tuesday’s series opener against Seattle due to issues with his left hamstring. New York manager Aaron Boone said Torres felt cramping in the hamstring during the second game of Sunday’s doubleheader against the New York Mets. Torres didn’t play in the second game but was bothered by the hamstring while warming up for a possible pinch-hit appearance. Boone said he had Torres in the original lineup for Tuesday but pulled him after Torres said he was still feeling something in the leg. Boone said the team wanted to see Torres go through pregame work before deciding if the Yankees need to take more extensive action. “I’m hoping it’s not anything too serious but we’ll just have to see where he’s at,” Boone said. Torres is hitting a career-low .238 with three homers and 26 RBIs in 72 games. He’s also committed 12 errors, second among shortstops in the American League. Boone also said Clint Frazier is going through... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Shohei Ohtani's debut on the Yankee Stadium mound sure didn't last long. Babe Ruth, he was not. At least on this night. The two-way phenom got only two outs Wednesday for the Los Angeles Angels during his highly anticipated first pitching appearance in the Bronx. Ohtani, who leads the majors with 28 home runs, was chased after four early walks and charged with a career-worst seven runs in a game later delayed more than two hours by rain during a pair of stoppages. Making his career-high 12th pitching start of the season on a 92-degree night, Ohtani flopped long before the showers arrived. He was handed a 2-0 lead on Phil Gosselin's two-run homer in the top of the first but quickly gave it back. The 26-year-old right-hander walked his first three batters and crossed up catcher Kurt Suzuki, resulting in a passed ball that advanced two runners. A visit from pitching coach Matt Wise didn't do the trick, either. Giancarlo Stanton and Gleyber Torres hit consecutive RBI singles... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Shohei Ohtani's debut on the Yankee Stadium mound sure didn't last long. Babe Ruth, he was not. At least on this night. The two-way phenom got only two outs Wednesday for the Los Angeles Angels during his highly anticipated first pitching appearance in the Bronx. Ohtani, who leads the majors with 28 home runs, was chased after four early walks and charged with a career-worst seven runs in a game delayed twice by rain. Making his career-high 12th pitching start of the season on a 92-degree night, Ohtani flopped long before the showers arrived. He was handed a 2-0 lead on Phil Gosselin's two-run homer in the top of the first but quickly gave it back. The 26-year-old right-hander walked his first three batters and crossed up catcher Kurt Suzuki, resulting in a passed ball that advanced two runners. A visit from pitching coach Matt Wise didn't do the trick, either. Giancarlo Stanton and Gleyber Torres hit consecutive RBI singles to tie it before Ohtani struck out Rougned Odor... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Shohei Ohtani's debut on the Yankee Stadium mound sure didn't last long. Babe Ruth, he was not. At least on this night. The two-way phenom got only two outs Wednesday for the Los Angeles Angels during his highly anticipated first pitching appearance in the Bronx. Ohtani, who leads the majors with 28 home runs, was chased after four early walks and charged with a career-worst seven runs in a game delayed by rain in the third inning. Making his career-high 12th pitching start of the season on a 92-degree night, Ohtani flopped long before the showers arrived. He was handed a 2-0 lead on Phil Gosselin's two-run homer in the top of the first but quickly gave it back. The 26-year-old right-hander walked his first three batters and crossed up catcher Kurt Suzuki, resulting in a passed ball that advanced two runners. A visit from pitching coach Matt Wise didn't do the trick, either. Giancarlo Stanton and Gleyber Torres hit consecutive RBI singles to tie it before Ohtani struck out... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Shohei Ohtani's debut on the Yankee Stadium mound sure didn't last long. Babe Ruth, he was not. At least on this night. The two-way phenom got only two outs Wednesday for the Los Angeles Angels during his highly anticipated first pitching appearance in the Bronx. Ohtani, who leads the majors with 28 home runs, was chased after four early walks and charged with a career-worst seven runs in a game that was delayed by rain in the third inning. Making his career-high 12th pitching start of the season, Ohtani flopped long before the showers arrived. He was handed a 2-0 lead on Phil Gosselin's two-run homer in the top of the first inning but quickly gave it back. The 26-year-old right-hander walked his first three batters and crossed up catcher Kurt Suzuki on one pitch, resulting in a passed ball that advanced two runners. An early visit from pitching coach Matt Wise didn't do the trick, either. Giancarlo Stanton and Gleyber Torres hit consecutive RBI singles to tie it before... [More]

For a third straight year, the Washington Nationals have dug themselves an early hole. Two seasons ago, they recovered and won the World Series. In 2020, they couldn't overcome their poor start, finishing under .500 in that 60-game season. They have more time to rebound this year, but there aren't many positive signs at the moment. The Nationals are in last place in the NL East, and although their mediocrity has company — only one team in that division has a winning record — Washington's run differential of minus-31 suggests this team has earned its current predicament. The Nationals are 24-32 — the same record they had after 56 games during their championship season. Last year, they were 23-33 at this stage, and the season was almost over. Only two teams have scored fewer runs than Washington this season. Last year, the Nationals struggled as a team but still got stellar production from Trea Turner and Juan Soto. This year Turner is hitting .311 with 10 homers, but Soto is batting a more... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Tony La Russa moved past John McGraw into sole possession of second on baseball’s career manager wins list, directing the Chicago White Sox to a 3-0 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Sunday. It was win No. 2,764 for La Russa, who was hired by Chicago in October for his first managerial job since he led St. Louis to the World Series championship in 2011. It has been a bit of a bumpy ride so far, but the 76-year-old Hall of Famer has the White Sox on top of the AL Central. Second on the list is almost assuredly the highest finish for La Russa, who also began his managerial career with the White Sox in 1979. The top spot belongs to Connie Mack with 3,731 victories. La Russa watched as Chicago won for the 10th time in 14 games. Dylan Cease (4-2) struck out 10 in seven sparkling innings, Liam Hendriks worked the ninth for his 15th save and Tim Anderson had two hits and two RBIs. José Ureña (2-5) allowed three runs and six hits in five innings. PHILLIES 12, NATIONALS 6 PHILADELPHIA... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Kiké Hernández snapped an 0-for-27 skid with a tiebreaking double in the eighth inning and the Boston Red Sox completed their major league-best 20th come-from-behind victory, beating the New York Yankees 5-3 Saturday night. Hernández got his first RBI since May 20 by roping a two-out fastball from Chad Green (0-4) to the wall in left, scoring Rafael Devers from first. Christian Vázquez scored Hernández a batter later with a grounder that skipped over the first-base bag, and Bobby Dalbec followed with a two-run homer. Former Yankees minor leaguer Garrett Whitlock (1-1) was credited with his first major league win. Closer Matt Barnes earned his 14th save. Gleyber Torres hit a two-run homer for New York and added a sacrifice fly. GIANTS 4, CUBS 3 SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Unbeaten Kevin Gausman struck out 10 in seven innings, Alex Dickerson homered for the second consecutive game and San Francisco beat Chicago. San Francisco won its third straight over the Cubs. The Giants have... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Kiké Hernández snapped an 0-for-27 skid with a tiebreaking double in the eighth inning and the Boston Red Sox completed their major league-best 20th come-from-behind victory, beating the New York Yankees 5-3 Saturday night. Hernández got his first RBI since May 20 by roping a two-out fastball from Chad Green (0-4) to the wall in left, scoring Rafael Devers from first. Christian Vázquez scored Hernández a batter later with a grounder that skipped over the first-base bag, and Bobby Dalbec followed with a two-run homer. Former Yankees minor leaguer Garrett Whitlock (1-1) was credited with his first major league win. Closer Matt Barnes earned his 14th save. Gleyber Torres hit a two-run homer for New York and added a sacrifice fly. GIANTS 4, CUBS 3 SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Unbeaten Kevin Gausman struck out 10 in seven innings, Alex Dickerson homered for the second consecutive game and San Francisco beat Chicago. San Francisco won its third straight over the Cubs. The Giants have... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Kiké Hernández snapped an 0-for-27 skid with a tiebreaking double in the eighth inning and the Boston Red Sox completed their major league-best 20th come-from-behind victory, beating the New York Yankees 5-3 Saturday night. Hernández got his first RBI since May 20 by roping a two-out fastball from Chad Green (0-4) to the wall in left, scoring Rafael Devers from first. Christian Vázquez scored Hernández a batter later with a grounder that skipped over the first-base bag, and Bobby Dalbec followed with a two-run homer. Former Yankees minor leaguer Garrett Whitlock (1-1) was credited with his first major league win. Closer Matt Barnes earned his 14th save. Gleyber Torres hit a two-run homer for New York and added a sacrifice fly. GIANTS 4, CUBS 3 SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Unbeaten Kevin Gausman struck out 10 in seven innings, Alex Dickerson homered for the second consecutive game and San Francisco beat Chicago. San Francisco won its third straight over the Cubs. The Giants have... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Kiké Hernández snapped an 0-for-27 skid with a tiebreaking double in the eighth inning and the Boston Red Sox completed their major league-best 20th come-from-behind victory, beating the New York Yankees 5-3 Saturday night. Hernández got his first RBI since May 20 by roping a two-out fastball from Chad Green (0-4) to the wall in left, scoring Rafael Devers from first. Christian Vázquez scored Hernández a batter later with a grounder that skipped over the first-base bag, and Bobby Dalbec followed with a two-run homer. Former Yankees minor leaguer Garrett Whitlock (1-1) was credited with his first major league win. Closer Matt Barnes earned his 14th save. Gleyber Torres hit a two-run homer for New York and added a sacrifice fly. GIANTS 4, CUBS 3 SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Unbeaten Kevin Gausman struck out 10 in seven innings, Alex Dickerson homered for the second consecutive game and San Francisco beat Chicago. San Francisco won its third straight over the Cubs. The Giants have... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kevin Gausman pitched six shutout innings and Mauricio Dubón hit one of two homers off Clayton Kershaw, helping the San Francisco Giants beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-4 on Sunday. Gausman (6-0) allowed two hits, struck out seven and walked none before he was removed because of left hip tightness. He also helped himself with an RBI single in the fifth inning. Jake McGee worked the ninth for his 12th save in 14 opportunities. Austin Slater also connected against Kershaw (7-4), sending the Giants to their third win in the four-game set after Los Angeles posted a three-game sweep last weekend. San Francisco has the second-best record in the majors at 33-20 and is a half-game behind San Diego in the NL West. Albert Pujols and Max Muncy each hit a two-run homer for Los Angeles. BREWERS 3, NATIONALS 0 WASHINGTON (AP) — Brandon Woodruff outpitched Max Scherzer and Avisaíl García homered again, leading Milwaukee to its fourth straight win. The Brewers collected four of the game’s... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Brandon Woodruff outpitched Max Scherzer, Avisaíl García homered again and the Milwaukee Brewers blanked the Washington Nationals 3-0 Sunday. The Brewers won their fourth in a row, getting four of the game’s seven hits. Washington totaled three runs in getting swept in the three-game series. Woodruff (4-2) struck out 10, allowing only two hits in seven innings and leaving with a 1.27 ERA. Woodruff has not allowed an earned run in four of his 11 starts this season. He became the eighth pitcher in franchise history to record 10 consecutive quality starts. Scherzer (4-4) also struck out 10 and gave up two hits in six innings. García’s 10th homer was a two-run drive in the first inning. Omar Narváez connected in the ninth, and Josh Hader earned his 12th save. RAYS 6, PHILLIES 2 ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Mike Zunino and Brett Phillips homered as AL East-leading Tampa Bay won for the 15th time in 16 games. The Rays have won four consecutive games, including a two-game sweep... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Brandon Woodruff outpitched Max Scherzer, Avisaíl García homered again and the Milwaukee Brewers blanked the Washington Nationals 3-0 Sunday. The Brewers won their fourth in a row, getting four of the game’s seven hits. Washington totaled three runs in getting swept in the three-game series. Woodruff (4-2) struck out 10, allowing only two hits in seven innings and leaving with a 1.27 ERA. Woodruff has not allowed an earned run in four of his 11 starts this season. He became the eighth pitcher in franchise history to record 10 consecutive quality starts. Scherzer (4-4) also struck out 10 and gave up two hits in six innings. García’s 10th homer was a two-run drive in the first inning. Omar Narváez connected in the ninth, and Josh Hader earned his 12th save. RAYS 6, PHILLIES 2 ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Mike Zunino and Brett Phillips homered as AL East-leading Tampa Bay won for the 15th time in 16 games. The Rays have won four consecutive games, including a two-game sweep... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Rays’ 11-game winning streak came to an end Tuesday night when Brad Keller pitched seven strong innings and Salvador Perez hit a tiebreaking RBI single to give the Kansas City Royals a 2-1 victory. Rich Hill struck out a career-high 13 for the Rays. Tampa Bay’s winning string was the second-longest in club history, one shy of the record set in 2004 by the then-Devil Rays managed by Lou Piniella. Keller (4-4) allowed one run, four hits, four walks and struck out seven. Jake Brentz went 1 1/3 innings before Kyle Zimmer got two outs to get his second save. Perez put the Royals up 2-1 on a sixth-inning single off Hill (3-2). Hill became the oldest player to appear in a game with the Rays at 41 years, 75 days. Hall of Famer Wade Boggs was 41 years, 73 days old when he played his final game on Aug. 27, 1999. WHITE SOX 8, CARDINALS 3 CHICAGO (AP) — Lucas Giolito beat Jack Flaherty in a major league matchup of former high school teammates, leading Chicago... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Rays’ 11-game winning streak came to an end Tuesday night when Brad Keller pitched seven strong innings and Salvador Perez hit a tiebreaking RBI single to give the Kansas City Royals a 2-1 victory. Rich Hill struck out a career-high 13 for the Rays. Tampa Bay’s winning string was the second-longest in club history, one shy of the record set in 2004 by the then-Devil Rays managed by Lou Piniella. Keller (4-4) allowed one run, four hits, four walks and struck out seven. Jake Brentz went 1 1/3 innings before Kyle Zimmer got two outs to get his second save. Perez put the Royals up 2-1 on a sixth-inning single off Hill (3-2). Hill became the oldest player to appear in a game with the Rays at 41 years, 75 days. Hall of Famer Wade Boggs was 41 years, 73 days old when he played his final game on Aug. 27, 1999. WHITE SOX 8, CARDINALS 3 CHICAGO (AP) — Lucas Giolito beat Jack Flaherty in a major league matchup of former high school teammates, leading Chicago... [More]