SAN DIEGO (AP) — Joc Pederson and Sergio Alcantara homered, and Jake Arrieta threw five strong innings for the Chicago Cubs, who beat former teammate Yu Darvish and the San Diego Padres 3-1 Wednesday to take two of three. The Cubs beat the Padres five times in six games in a 10-day stretch, including a three-game sweep at Wrigley Field last week. Darvish (6-2) retired the first nine Cubs batters before Pederson hit a towering home run to right-center field leading off the fourth to tie it at 1. Darvish pitched well but took the hard-luck loss when the Cubs scored the go-ahead run in the seventh on Anthony Rizzo’s double-play ball. Arrieta allowed one run and four hits in five innings, struck out six and walked one. He allowed Manny Machado’s RBI single in the third. Rex Brothers (2-0) pitched a perfect sixth for the win. Craig Kimbrel pitched a perfect ninth for his 15th save in 17 chances. ATHLETICS 4, DIAMONDBACKS 0 OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Sean Manaea pitched six innings of two-hit ball,... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors today: ___ STICKY SITUATION Yankees ace Gerrit Cole has found himself in a sticky situation. Days after Twins third baseman Josh Donaldson off-handedly alleged that Cole had been using foreign substances to sharpen his stuff, the pair will go head to head with Cole on the mound for New York at Minnesota. The pitches Cole threw in his previous outing didn’t rotate as much as usual, and Donaldson casually wondered aloud last week whether Cole had suddenly stopped using substances that could spike his spin rates, fearing an MLB crackdown. Cole said the spin issues were due to mechanical flaws. “I understand this topic is important to everybody that cares about the game,” Cole said. “In regards to Josh, I kind of felt like it was a bit of a low-hanging fruit, but he’s entitled to his opinion and to voice his opinion, so I just have other things that I need to keep my focus on.” HEAVYWEIGHT BOUT Burly, bearded right-handers Lance Lynn and Alek Manoah... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors on Wednesday: ___ STICKY SITUATION Yankees ace Gerrit Cole has found himself in a sticky situation. Days after Twins third baseman Josh Donaldson off-handedly alleged that Cole had been using foreign substances to sharpen his stuff, the pair will go head to head with Cole on the mound for New York at Minnesota. The pitches Cole threw in his previous outing didn’t rotate as much as usual, and Donaldson casually wondered aloud last week whether Cole had suddenly stopped using substances that could spike his spin rates, fearing an MLB crackdown. Cole said the spin issues were due to mechanical flaws. “I understand this topic is important to everybody that cares about the game,” Cole said. “In regards to Josh, I kind of felt like it was a bit of a low-hanging fruit, but he’s entitled to his opinion and to voice his opinion, so I just have other things that I need to keep my focus on.” HEAVYWEIGHT BOUT Burly, bearded right-handers Lance Lynn and Alek... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors on Wednesday: STICKY SITUATION Yankees ace Gerrit Cole has found himself in a sticky situation. Days after Twins third baseman Josh Donaldson off-handedly alleged that Cole had been using foreign substances to sharpen his stuff, the pair will go head to head with Cole on the mound for New York at Minnesota. The pitches Cole threw in his previous outing didn’t rotate as much as usual, and Donaldson casually wondered aloud last week whether Cole had suddenly stopped using substances that could spike his spin rates, fearing an MLB crackdown. Cole said the spin issues were due to mechanical flaws. “I understand this topic is important to everybody that cares about the game,” Cole said. “In regards to Josh, I kind of felt like it was a bit of a low-hanging fruit, but he’s entitled to his opinion and to voice his opinion, so I just have other things that I need to keep my focus on.” HEAVYWEIGHT BOUT Burly, bearded right-handers Lance Lynn and Alek... [More]

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Brandon Crawford homered and drove in four runs, Anthony DeSclafani pitched six solid innings and hit an RBI double, and the San Francisco Giants beat the Chicago Cubs 7-2 on Thursday night. Buster Posey and Alex Dickerson added two hits apiece to help the Giants win the opener of a four-game series between two of the hottest teams in the National League. DeSclafani (5-2) allowed two runs and four hits for his first win at home since April 26. San Francisco has won seven of nine to improve to an NL-best 35-21. Joc Pederson hit his fifth homer for the Cubs, who had won nine of 10 before losing in their first trip to the West Coast since 2019. Zach Davies (2-3) lost for the first time since April 16, allowing four runs in 4 1/3 innings. RAYS 9, YANKEES 2 NEW YORK (AP) — Ryan Yarbrough ended a 24-start winless skid with Tampa Bay’s first complete game in more than five years. Austin Meadows homered off Gerrit Cole and drove in five runs for Tampa Bay. Yarbrough (3-3) hadn’t... [More]

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Brandon Crawford homered and drove in four runs, Anthony DeSclafani pitched six solid innings and hit an RBI double, and the San Francisco Giants beat the Chicago Cubs 7-2 on Thursday night. Buster Posey and Alex Dickerson added two hits apiece to help the Giants win the opener of a four-game series between two of the hottest teams in the National League. DeSclafani (5-2) allowed two runs and four hits for his first win at home since April 26. San Francisco has won seven of nine to improve to an NL-best 35-21. Joc Pederson hit his fifth homer for the Cubs, who had won nine of 10 before losing in their first trip to the West Coast since 2019. Zach Davies (2-3) lost for the first time since April 16, allowing four runs in 4 1/3 innings. RAYS 9, YANKEES 2 NEW YORK (AP) — Ryan Yarbrough ended a 24-start winless skid with Tampa Bay’s first complete game in more than five years. Austin Meadows homered off Gerrit Cole and drove in five runs for Tampa Bay. Yarbrough (3-3) hadn’t... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Ryan Yarbrough ended a 24-start winless skid with Tampa Bay’s first complete game in more than five years, and the Rays beat the New York Yankees 9-2 on Thursday. Austin Meadows homered off Gerrit Cole and drove in five runs for Tampa Bay. Yarbrough (3-3) hadn’t won a start since Aug. 11, 2019, when he threw a career-high 8 2/3 innings in a 1-0 win over Seattle. The AL East-leading Rays salvaged a four-game split, improving to 10-3 at Yankee Stadium since the start of last season. New York fell 4 1/2 games back of Tampa Bay. It has dropped seven of 10 entering a weekend series against the rival Red Sox. Brett Gardner and Miguel Andújar homered for the Yankees. Cole (6-3) matched a season worst by allowing five runs in five innings. Tampa Bay had not thrown a complete game since Matt Andriese’s two-hit shutout of Oakland on May 14, 2016, a major league-record streak of 731 games. BRAVES 5, NATIONALS 1 ATLANTA (AP) — Dansby Swanson kept up his power surge with a two-run homer... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Ryan Yarbrough ended a 24-start winless skid with Tampa Bay’s first complete game in more than five years, and the Rays beat the New York Yankees 9-2 on Thursday. Austin Meadows homered off Gerrit Cole and drove in five runs for Tampa Bay. Yarbrough (3-3) hadn’t won a start since Aug. 11, 2019, when he threw a career-high 8 2/3 innings in a 1-0 win over Seattle. The AL East-leading Rays salvaged a four-game split, improving to 10-3 at Yankee Stadium since the start of last season. New York fell 4 1/2 games back of Tampa Bay. It has dropped seven of 10 entering a weekend series against the rival Red Sox. Brett Gardner and Miguel Andújar homered for the Yankees. Cole (6-3) matched a season worst by allowing five runs in five innings. Tampa Bay had not thrown a complete game since Matt Andriese’s two-hit shutout of Oakland on May 14, 2016, a major league-record streak of 731 games. BRAVES 5, NATIONALS 1 ATLANTA (AP) — Dansby Swanson kept up his power surge with a two-run homer... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cleveland Indians have postponed Wednesday’s game against the Chicago White Sox because of rain. The teams will play a split doubleheader on Sept. 23. The Indians had been given permission by the state of Ohio to return to full capacity at Progressive Field starting Wednesday. Cleveland’s next home game is June 11 against Seattle. Chicago leads Cleveland by 2½ games in the AL Central. The teams split a doubleheader Monday with the White Sox winning the first game 8-6 in eight innings and the Indians taking the second game 3-1. Cleveland hung on for a 6-5 win Tuesday. The rainout comes at an opportune time for both teams. Chicago played a doubleheader Saturday against Baltimore while Cleveland had a doubleheader Sunday against Toronto. The White Sox were scheduled to pitch ace right-hander Lance Lynn (6-1, 1.37 ERA) on three days' rest against the Indians. Chicago opens a four-game series at home against Detroit on Thursday. The Indians would have gone with a bullpen game. J.C. Mejia was scheduled to make his first major league start followed by Eli Morgan. Both pitchers are rookie right-handers. Cleveland has a day off Thursday and starts a three-game series at Baltimore on Friday. The Indians also have scheduled days off on Monday and Thursday. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CLEVELAND (AP) — AL MVP Jose Abreu grounded out with the bases loaded to blunt a ninth-inning rally against Cleveland closer James Karinchak, giving Shane Bieber and the Indians a 6-5 win over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night. Bieber (6-3) allowed two earned runs in seven innings, striking out seven to beat the AL Central-leading White Sox for the fifth straight time. The reigning Cy Young winner is 3-0 with a 2.05 ERA in three starts against Chicago this season. “All in all, I was pretty happy with the way I pitched,” Bieber said. “I had to settle in and not let them get the best of me. So did James at the end, and down the road, these kind of outings can be beneficial for a young pitcher.” Down 6-3 in the ninth, Chicago scored twice as Zack Collins and Nick Madrigal hit RBI singles off Karinchak. A walk to Yoán Moncada loaded the bases for Abreu, who grounded out to shortstop to give Karinchak his seventh save. “Abreu is probably the last guy you want up there in that situation,”... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — AL MVP Jose Abreu grounded out with the bases loaded to blunt a ninth-inning rally against Cleveland closer James Karinchak, giving Shane Bieber and the Indians a 6-5 win over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night. Bieber (6-3) allowed two earned runs in seven innings, striking out seven to beat the AL Central-leading White Sox for the second time this season. Down 6-3, Chicago rallied in the ninth. Zack Collins and Nick Madrigal hit RBI singles off Karinchak and a walk loaded the bases for Abreu, who grounded out to shortstop. Austin Hedges’ two-run homer off Dylan Cease (3-2) landed on the porch in left field and gave the Indians a 5-3 lead in the fourth. José Ramírez’s second double of the evening drove in Amed Rosario later in the frame, charging Cease with all six runs in 3 1/3 innings. Ramírez was removed from the game in the eighth as a precaution due to dehydration. Harold Ramírez had two hits with two RBIs and a stolen base for Cleveland, which has won two in... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Austin Meadows drove in his third run on a tiebreaking RBI infield single during a two-run eighth inning and the Tampa Bay Rays won for the 14th time in 15 games, 5-3 over the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday. Randy Arozarena had a leadoff single in the eighth and advanced to third on a wild pitch by Sam Coonrod (0-2). After Yandy Díaz was intentionally walked with one out, Meadows made it 4-3 with his hit off José Alvarado. Tampa Bay took a two-run lead when Alvarado walked pinch-hitter Mike Brosseau with the bases load. Diego Castillo (1-3) worked out of a two-on, two-out jam in the eighth for the Rays, who have won three in a row after Kansas City stopped their 11-game winning streak on Tuesday. J.P. Feyereisen worked the ninth to get his second save. Philadelphia starter Zack Wheeler gave up three runs, four hits, two walks and struck out a career-high 14 over seven innings. Matt Joyce homered for the Phillies, who struck out 15 times. Tampa Bay struck out... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Austin Meadows drove in his third run on a tiebreaking RBI infield single during a two-run eighth inning and the Tampa Bay Rays won for the 14th time in 15 games, 5-3 over the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday. Randy Arozarena had a leadoff single in the eighth and advanced to third on a wild pitch by Sam Coonrod (0-2). After Yandy Díaz was intentionally walked with one out, Meadows made it 4-3 with his hit off José Alvarado. Tampa Bay took a two-run lead when Alvarado walked pinch-hitter Mike Brosseau with the bases load. Diego Castillo (1-3) worked out of a two-on, two-out jam in the eighth for the Rays, who have won three in a row after Kansas City stopped their 11-game winning streak on Tuesday. J.P. Feyereisen worked the ninth to get his second save. Philadelphia starter Zack Wheeler gave up three runs, four hits, two walks and struck out a career-high 14 over seven innings. Matt Joyce homered for the Phillies, who struck out 15 times. Tampa Bay struck out... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Austin Meadows drove in his third run on a tiebreaking RBI infield single during a two-run eighth inning and the Tampa Bay Rays won for the 14th time in 15 games, 5-3 over the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday. Randy Arozarena had a leadoff single in the eighth and advanced to third on a wild pitch by Sam Coonrod (0-2). After Yandy Díaz was intentionally walked with one out, Meadows made it 4-3 with his hit off José Alvarado. Tampa Bay took a two-run lead when Alvarado walked pinch-hitter Mike Brosseau with the bases load. Diego Castillo (1-3) worked out of a two-on, two-out jam in the eighth for the Rays, who have won three in a row after Kansas City stopped their 11-game winning streak on Tuesday. J.P. Feyereisen worked the ninth to get his second save. Philadelphia starter Zack Wheeler gave up three runs, four hits, two walks and struck out a career-high 14 over seven innings. Matt Joyce homered for the Phillies, who struck out 15 times. Tampa Bay struck out... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Austin Meadows drove in his third run on a tiebreaking RBI infield single during a two-run eighth inning and the Tampa Bay Rays won for the 14th time in 15 games, 5-3 over the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday. Randy Arozarena had a leadoff single in the eighth and advanced to third on a wild pitch by Sam Coonrod (0-2). After Yandy Díaz was intentionally walked with one out, Meadows made it 4-3 with his hit off José Alvarado. Tampa Bay took a two-run lead when Alvarado walked pinch-hitter Mike Brosseau with the bases load. Diego Castillo (1-3) worked out of a two-on, two-out jam in the eighth for the Rays, who have won three in a row after Kansas City stopped their 11-game winning streak on Tuesday. J.P. Feyereisen worked the ninth to get his second save. Philadelphia starter Zack Wheeler gave up three runs, four hits, two walks and struck out a career-high 14 over seven innings. Matt Joyce homered for the Phillies, who struck out 15 times. Tampa Bay struck out... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Austin Meadows drove in his third run on a tiebreaking RBI infield single during a two-run eighth inning and the Tampa Bay Rays won for the 14th time in 15 games, 5-3 over the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday. Randy Arozarena had a leadoff single in the eighth and advanced to third on a wild pitch by Sam Coonrod (0-2). After Yandy Díaz was intentionally walked with one out, Meadows made it 4-3 with his hit off José Alvarado. Tampa Bay took a two-run lead when Alvarado walked pinch-hitter Mike Brosseau with the bases load. Diego Castillo (1-3) worked out of a two-on, two-out jam in the eighth for the Rays, who have won three in a row after Kansas City stopped their 11-game winning streak on Tuesday. J.P. Feyereisen worked the ninth to get his second save. Philadelphia starter Zack Wheeler gave up three runs, four hits, two walks and struck out a career-high 14 over seven innings. Matt Joyce homered for the Phillies, who struck out 15 times. Tampa Bay struck out... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Austin Meadows drove in his third run on a tiebreaking RBI infield single during a two-run eighth inning and the Tampa Bay Rays won for the 14th time in 15 games, 5-3 over the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday. Randy Arozarena had a leadoff single in the eighth and advanced to third on a wild pitch by Sam Coonrod (0-2). After Yandy Díaz was intentionally walked with one out, Meadows made it 4-3 with his hit off José Alvarado. Tampa Bay took a two-run lead when Alvarado walked pinch-hitter Mike Brosseau with the bases load. Diego Castillo (1-3) worked out of a two-on, two-out jam in the eighth for the Rays, who have won three in a row after Kansas City stopped their 11-game winning streak on Tuesday. J.P. Feyereisen worked the ninth to get his second save. Philadelphia starter Zack Wheeler gave up three runs, four hits, two walks and struck out a career-high 14 over seven innings. Matt Joyce homered for the Phillies, who struck out 15 times. Tampa Bay struck out... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Austin Meadows drove in his third run on a tiebreaking RBI infield single during a two-run eighth inning and the Tampa Bay Rays won for the 14th time in 15 games, 5-3 over the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday. Randy Arozarena had a leadoff single in the eighth and advanced to third on a wild pitch by Sam Coonrod (0-2). After Yandy Díaz was intentionally walked with one out, Meadows made it 4-3 with his hit off José Alvarado. Tampa Bay took a two-run lead when Alvarado walked pinch-hitter Mike Brosseau with the bases load. Diego Castillo (1-3) worked out of a two-on, two-out jam in the eighth for the Rays, who have won three in a row after Kansas City stopped their 11-game winning streak on Tuesday. J.P. Feyereisen worked the ninth to get his second save. Philadelphia starter Zack Wheeler gave up three runs, four hits, two walks and struck out a career-high 14 over seven innings. Matt Joyce homered for the Phillies, who struck out 15 times. Tampa Bay struck out... [More]

DUNEDIN, Fla. (AP) — Francisco Mejía hit a tiebreaking, two-run single during a seven-run burst in the 11th inning and the Tampa Bay Rays won their 11th straight game, outlasting the Toronto Blue Jays 14-8 on Monday. Tampa Bay moved within one win of the team record for consecutive victories. In 2004, playing as the Devil Rays, they won 12 in a row under manager Lou Piniella. After both teams scored twice in the 10th to make it 7-all, the Rays broke loose. Mejía’s hit came off Joel Payamps (0-2) with the bases loaded. Randy Arozarena doubled home a run, Austin Meadows had an RBI grounder, Manuel Margot knocked in two with a triple and Mike Brosseau added an RBI single against Tim Mayza. Joey Wendle hit a grand slam as Tampa Bay took a 5-0 lead in the first. The Rays wound up with a four-game sweep and took over sole possession of first place in the AL East. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit two of Toronto’s five home runs. The Blue Jays lost their sixth in a row. Tampa Bay scored twice in the 10th,... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The birds-on-the-bat uniforms, the players in the other dugout, the opposing manager, it all looked familiar to Tony La Russa. Too familiar. The 76-year-old Hall of Fame manager of the Chicago White Sox found himself in a strange spot Monday night: Leading his club against the team he guided to a pair of World Series titles during a long, prosperous portion of his career, the St. Louis Cardinals. “It’s definitely a different series,” La Russa said Monday night before the teams started a three-game set. “It’s uncomfortable, it’s distracting and you just try to tune it out, but I know it’s a different series.” “I used to say this about managing against Jim Leyland: When you’re friends, you don’t want your friends to have a bad day. That’s why you’re glad when the three games are over,” he said. La Russa's new team got off to a good start, beating St. Louis 5-1 in the opener. La Russa was with the Cardinals from 1996-2011, reaching the playoffs nine times. He left as the club’s... [More]