Bryce Harper's game-ending grand slam and sprint around the bases gave a jolt to the Philadelphia Phillies and could be the prelude to a fascinating National League playoff scramble.As thrilling as the win was for the Phillies , the 7-5 final Thursday night was a kick in the gut for the Chicago Cubs, since both teams are in a tenuous playoff position.The drama is becoming a daily occurrence for many of the NL hopefuls.It's mid-August and the only sure bet to make the postseason is the Los Angeles Dodgers, who continue to barrel through their schedule with an 82-44 record and 18 1/2-game lead over second-place San Francisco.Atlanta's still in a good spot at 74-52, but a rash of injuries makes a spot in October feel a little less inevitable. The Braves' lineup is without Nick Markakis (wrist), Austin Riley (knee), Dansby Swanson (foot) and Ender Inciarte (hamstring) and the revamped bullpen has been a little shaky.After that, the race is a mess with six weeks remaining.The Phillies, Nationals,... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Braves center fielder Ender Inciarte says he will miss four to six weeks after straining his right hamstring while running the bases in Friday's game.It's the second serious injury this year for Inciarte, who returned July 27 from a lumbar strain that sidelined him for 55 games. He hopes to return before the end of the regular season and be ready for the postseason.Atlanta began Saturday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers with a 4½-game lead in the NL East."We're still going to play in October, and I want to be a part of that," Inciarte said. "It's just bad timing, but you've got to try and think positive. ... I just wanted to stay with the team and keep playing."The Braves recalled Adam Duvall after a one-day trip to Triple-A Gwinnett to take Inciarte's spot on the roster. Ronald Acuña Jr. started in center field Saturday with Duvall starting in left.Inciarte is the latest everyday player to get hurt in Atlanta. Right fielder Nick Markakis is out until mid-September,... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — With a second straight trip to the playoffs firmly in their sights, the Atlanta Braves had plenty of options for improving their roster at the trade deadline.They could've pursued a position player to replace the injured Nick Markakis. Another starting pitcher would've fit nicely in a rotation that has been shaky at times.In the end, the Braves decided to focus on the bullpen.Atlanta pulled off a couple of deals at the trade deadline Wednesday, picking up closer Shane Greene from the Detroit Tigers and former closer Mark Melancon from the San Francisco Giants.The acquisitions by the first-place Braves came after Tuesday's trade that brought another reliever, Chris Martin of the Texas Rangers."We engaged everything — position players, starting pitchers, the bullpen — right up until the end," general manager Alex Anthopoulos said. "At the end of the day, where we thought there were deals that made sense for us and what we had to give up and so on, the bullpen made the most... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — With a second straight trip to the playoffs firmly in their sights, the Atlanta Braves had plenty of options for improving their roster at the trade deadline.They could've pursued a position player to replace the injured Nick Markakis. Another starting pitcher would've fit nicely in a rotation that has been shaky at times.In the end, the Braves decided to focus on the bullpen.Atlanta pulled off a couple of deals at the trade deadline Wednesday, picking up closer Shane Green from the Detroit Tigers and former closer Mark Melancon from the San Francisco Giants.The acquisitions by the first-place Braves came after Tuesday's trade that brought another reliever, Chris Martin of the Texas Rangers."We engaged everything — position players, starting pitchers, the bullpen — right up until the end," general manager Alex Anthopoulos said. "At the end of the day, where we thought there were deals that made sense for us and what we had to give up and so on, the bullpen made the most sense.... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — The NL East-leading Atlanta Braves have gotten some bullpen help, acquiring hard-throwing reliever Chris Martin from the Texas Rangers for former first-round draft pick Kolby Allard.Martin, whose fastball has averaged 96 mph this season, has 24 strikeouts and only one walk over his last 19 appearances since May 24 for his hometown Rangers. The 6-foot-8 Martin has four saves and a 3.08 ERA in 38 games this year, with 43 strikeouts and four walks in 38 innings."We felt he had as much upside as anybody on the trade market," Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos said Tuesday night after the deal was announced.Allard, a 21-year-old lefty, was the 14th overall pick by the Braves in the 2015 amateur draft and signed for a $3,042,400 bonus. That was the same year that Dansby Swanson, now Atlanta's shortstop, was the first overall pick by Arizona before Houston used the second pick to get Alex Bregman, the All-Star third baseman for the Astros.The Rangers were playing a... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Atlanta Braves placed right fielder Nick Markakis and infielder Dansby Swanson on the 10-day injured list before Saturday night's game against the Philadelphia Phillies.Markakis suffered a broken left wrist when he was hit by a pitch Friday night. Manager Brian Snitker said Markakis won't need surgery and could return in six to eight weeks.Markakis is batting .284 with nine homers and 53 RBIs. He hadn't missed a game since 2017 and has played at least 155 in each of his five seasons in Atlanta.Swanson has a bruised right foot. Snitker is hopeful Swanson will return when he's eligible to come off the injured list. His stint is retroactive to Wednesday.Outfielder Adam Duvall was recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett and lefty Max Fried was reinstated from the injury list.Duvall has 29 homers in 94 games in the minors. Duvall was an All-Star with the Reds in 2016 when he hit .241 with 33 homers and 103 RBIs. He had 31 homers and 99 RBIs in 2017.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

PITTSBURGH (AP) — A fan casually walked to home plate and approached Philadelphia hitter Brad Miller for a handshake before being apprehended, and the Phillies later beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 2-1 Sunday on Rhys Hoskins' home run in the 11th inning.Moments after Bryce Harper argued a called third strike and Hoskins spiked his bat after being hit by a pitch, things turned bizarre in the sixth inning at PNC Park.That's when a man carrying a cellphone came out of the crowd and strolled toward Miller in the batter's box. Miller backed away and the man kept walking, leisurely getting near the Phillies' dugout on the first base side, where he was handcuffed by security personnel and led away.Miller then grounded into an inning-ending double play.Hoskins hit his 21st home run, connecting off Chris Stratton (1-3). The drive came right after Harper again seemed displeased with plate umpire Ben May when striking out looking to start the inning.Phillies reliever Ranger Suárez (3-0) got Starling Marte... [More]

June 301908 — At 41 years, 3 months, Cy Young of the Boston Red Sox pitched the third no-hitter of his career, an 8-0 win over the New York Highlanders.1948 — Cleveland's Bob Lemon pitched a 2-0 no-hitter against the Detroit Tigers for the first American League no-hitter at night.1962 — Sandy Koufax of the Los Angeles Dodgers struck out 13 New York Mets en route to the first of four career no-hitters, a 5-0 victory at Dodger Stadium.1970 — Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati was dedicated, but Henry Aaron spoiled the show for the crowd of 51,050 with a first-inning homer off Jim McGlothlin as Atlanta beat the Reds 8-2.1978 — Willie McCovey became the 12th player in major league history to hit 500 home runs. His milestone shot off Atlanta's Jamie Easterly wasn't enough, as the Braves beat the San Francisco Giants 10-5 in the second game of a doubleheader at Fulton County Stadium.1995 — Eddie Murray of the Cleveland Indians became the second switch-hitter and the 20th player in baseball history... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Gleyber Torres lined a game-winning single in the ninth inning and the New York Yankees hit two more homers to beat the Toronto Blue Jays 8-7 Wednesday.Didi Gregorius and DJ LeMahieu connected as the Yankees extended their major league record to 29 straight games with a home run. The AL East leaders overcame two homers and a double by Lourdes Gurriel Jr., plus an early 5-0 deficit, to finish a power-packed 9-1 homestand.Now, they'll head straight from Yankee Stadium to England, where they'll enjoy two days off before playing the Boston Red Sox at London Stadium on Saturday and Sunday in the first major league games in Europe.Zack Britton wasn't so great in giving up Cavan Biggio's RBI single in the ninth that made it 7-all. But Britton (3-1) wound up with the win to close out a three-game sweep.Gregorius got an infield hit off Nick Kingham (3-2) with one out in the ninth, Aaron Hicks walked and Torres followed with his hit.ATHLETICS 2, CARDINALS 0ST. LOUIS (AP) — Beau Taylor... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Washington Nationals outfielder Victor Robles left the game against the Atlanta Braves on Saturday with symptoms of dehydration in the second inning.The Nationals said Robles was receiving intravenous fluid.Robles went down to a knee in center during Nick Markakis' at-bat Saturday, and manager Dave Martinez and an athletic trainer soon jogged to the outfield. Robles, who walked off the field, was not involved in any fielding plays in the first two innings, and had yet to take a turn at the plate.The rookie is hitting .243 with 11 homers and 33 RBIs. He was replaced in center by Michael A. Taylor.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Cody Bellinger was the top vote-getter in the major leagues and Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout led the AL in the first stage of Major League Baseball's new two-phase fan balloting to determine All-Star Game starters.Bellinger got 3.69 million votes and finished about 39,000 ahead of Milwaukee outfielder Christian Yelich, the commissioner's office said Friday. Trout received 3.37 million, well ahead of Houston outfielder George Springer at 2.57 million,Candidates to start for the July 9 game at Cleveland were narrowed to three at infield positions in each league and AL designated hitter, and nine in the outfield. The remaining contenders will start from zero for phase two, which begins at noon EDT Wednesday and ends at 4 p.m. EDT Thursday.Texas' Joey Gallo beat Minnesota's Max Kepler by 138 votes for the ninth AL outfield spot, and the Yankees' Gleyber Torres edged Cleveland's Francisco Lindor by fewer than 14,000 votes for the third... [More]

DETROIT (AP) — Charlie Morton allowed five hits in seven innings, extending his unbeaten streak to 20 starts and leading the Tampa Bay Rays to a 4-0 win over the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday night.Morton (7-0) hasn't lost since Aug. 11, and only Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers, at 21 starts, has a longer active unbeaten streak. Morton struck out eight with no walks and needed just 83 pitches to complete seven innings.Austin Meadows tripled and scored on a throwing error in the third to open the scoring. Tampa Bay scored two more runs in the fifth and snapped its four-game losing streak.Spencer Turnbull (3-5) allowed three runs in five innings.METS 7, GIANTS 0NEW YORK (AP) — Jason Vargas pitched his first shutout in two years, Amed Rosario hit a three-run homer and New York won despite losing Robinson Canó hours after his return from the injured list.Michael Conforto and Adeiny Hechavarría each had a solo homer for the Mets, who ended a three-game skid with their second win in seven games.Canó... [More]

DETROIT (AP) — Charlie Morton allowed five hits in seven innings, extending his unbeaten streak to 20 starts and leading the Tampa Bay Rays to a 4-0 win over the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday night.Morton (7-0) hasn't lost since Aug. 11, and only Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers, at 21 starts, has a longer active unbeaten streak. Morton struck out eight with no walks and needed just 83 pitches to complete seven innings.Austin Meadows tripled and scored on a throwing error in the third to open the scoring. Tampa Bay scored two more runs in the fifth and snapped its four-game losing streak.Spencer Turnbull (3-5) allowed three runs in five innings.METS 7, GIANTS 0NEW YORK (AP) — Jason Vargas pitched his first shutout in two years, Amed Rosario hit a three-run homer and New York won despite losing Robinson Canó hours after his return from the injured list.Michael Conforto and Adeiny Hechavarría each had a solo homer for the Mets, who ended a three-game skid with their second win in seven games.Canó... [More]

DETROIT (AP) — Charlie Morton allowed five hits in seven innings, extending his unbeaten streak to 20 starts and leading the Tampa Bay Rays to a 4-0 win over the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday night.Morton (7-0) hasn't lost since Aug. 11, and only Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers, at 21 starts, has a longer active unbeaten streak. Morton struck out eight with no walks and needed just 83 pitches to complete seven innings.Austin Meadows tripled and scored on a throwing error in the third to open the scoring. Tampa Bay scored two more runs in the fifth and snapped its four-game losing streak.Spencer Turnbull (3-5) allowed three runs in five innings.METS 7, GIANTS 0NEW YORK (AP) — Jason Vargas pitched his first shutout in two years, Amed Rosario hit a three-run homer and New York won despite losing Robinson Canó hours after his return from the injured list.Michael Conforto and Adeiny Hechavarría each had a solo homer for the Mets, who ended a three-game skid with their second win in seven games.Canó... [More]

DETROIT (AP) — Charlie Morton allowed five hits in seven innings, extending his unbeaten streak to 20 starts and leading the Tampa Bay Rays to a 4-0 win over the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday night.Morton (7-0) hasn't lost since Aug. 11, and only Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers, at 21 starts, has a longer active unbeaten streak. Morton struck out eight with no walks and needed just 83 pitches to complete seven innings.Austin Meadows tripled and scored on a throwing error in the third to open the scoring. Tampa Bay scored two more runs in the fifth and snapped its four-game losing streak.Spencer Turnbull (3-5) allowed three runs in five innings.METS 7, GIANTS 0NEW YORK (AP) — Jason Vargas pitched his first shutout in two years, Amed Rosario hit a three-run homer and New York won despite losing Robinson Canó hours after his return from the injured list.Michael Conforto and Adeiny Hechavarría each had a solo homer for the Mets, who ended a three-game skid with their second win in seven games.Canó... [More]

DETROIT (AP) — Charlie Morton allowed five hits in seven innings, extending his unbeaten streak to 20 starts and leading the Tampa Bay Rays to a 4-0 win over the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday night.Morton (7-0) hasn't lost since Aug. 11, and only Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers, at 21 starts, has a longer active unbeaten streak. Morton struck out eight with no walks and needed just 83 pitches to complete seven innings.Austin Meadows tripled and scored on a throwing error in the third to open the scoring. Tampa Bay scored two more runs in the fifth and snapped its four-game losing streak.Spencer Turnbull (3-5) allowed three runs in five innings.METS 7, GIANTS 0NEW YORK (AP) — Jason Vargas pitched his first shutout in two years, Amed Rosario hit a three-run homer and New York won despite losing Robinson Canó hours after his return from the injured list.Michael Conforto and Adeiny Hechavarría each had a solo homer for the Mets, who ended a three-game skid with their second win in seven games.Canó... [More]

Using the search engine at Baseball-Reference.com, The Associated Press evaluated each team's draft performance from 1996 through 2018, adding up wins above replacement (WAR) figures for drafted players.For each pick, the player's career WAR was added to the appropriate total for the team, depending on whether or not the player signed with the team after being drafted. Some players had their WAR totals included multiple times, if they were drafted more than once.Stats are through May 25. Compensation picks were considered part of the first round where applicable.___ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKSTotal WAR for all drafted players: 581.8 (MLB rank: 4th)Total WAR for drafted players who signed: 440.1 (rank: 5th)Total WAR for drafted players who did not sign: 141.7Impact players (10 WAR or more) drafted: 17 (rank: tie-9th)Impact players drafted and signed: 13 (rank: 12th)Most recent impact player drafted and signed: Trevor Bauer, 2011, first round, pick No. 3 (15.2 WAR)Lowest pick for impact player drafted... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — Rafael Devers homered off Justin Verlander, and the Boston Red Sox took advantage of two errors by the Houston Astros to avoid a series sweep with a 4-1 victory Sunday.Eduardo Rodriguez (5-3) held Houston to one run and four hits in six innings, improving to 5-1 in his last eight starts.The Astros lost for just the fifth time in 22 games and finished the regular season 4-2 against the Red Sox, who beat them 4-1 in the ALCS last season on the way to a World Series championship.Devers' solo shot in the fourth gave the Red Sox a 2-1 lead. It was Devers' seventh homer of the season and fourth in six games.Marcus Walden earned his second major league save and first this season.Verlander (8-2) permitted three runs and six hits in seven innings, striking out six.ATHLETICS 7, MARINERS 1OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Matt Chapman homered for the second consecutive day, Josh Phegley also went deep and had three RBIs, and the streaking Oakland Athletics won their ninth straight, beating Seattle... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell took a perfect game into the sixth inning and Tommy Pham hit his first career grand slam, leading the Tampa Bay Rays over the Arizona Diamondbacks 12-1 on Monday night.Snell (3-3) rebounded from allowing a career-high seven runs over three innings of an 8-2 loss at Kansas City last week to hold the Diamondbacks without a hit until Ildemaro Vargas singled with two outs in the sixth. Snell got out of the inning and finished with nine strikeouts in an 83-pitch outing.Chaz Roe relieved to start the seventh and Casey Sadler allowed an unearned run in the ninth to finish a two-hitter before 8,124, the lowest at Tropicana Field since September 2017.Pham's grand slam off Merrill Kelly (3-3) finished a five-run second inning that put the AL East leaders up 6-0.PADRES 4, METS 0SAN DIEGO (AP) — Pumped-up rookie Chris Paddack struck out a career-high 11 to outduel NL Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom, and Hunter Renfroe homered... [More]

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Pinch-hitter Hunter Renfroe hit a grand slam with two outs in the ninth inning off Kenley Jansen to give the San Diego Padres a thrilling 8-5 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday.Renfroe drove an 0-1 pitch into a balcony on the Western Metal Supply Co. Building in the left-field corner. He dropped his bat and raised his arms before beginning his trot.The Padres, who avoided a three-game sweep, started the winning rally with three straight singles off Jansen (2-1), who was trying for his third save in three games. Eric Hosmer hit a leadoff single to left and Manuel Margot and Wil Myers followed with bunt singles to load the bases. Jansen struck out Greg Garcia and got rookie Francisco Mejia to pop up before Renfroe's slam.Adam Warren (2-0) pitched a perfect ninth for the win.CUBS 13, CARDINALS 5CHICAGO (AP) — Kris Bryant hit his fourth career grand slam in Chicago's six-run eighth inning and the Cubs pounded St. Louis for their season-high seventh consecutive victory.Willson... [More]