Astros second. Carlos Correa doubles to deep center field. Abraham Toro singles to center field. Carlos Correa scores. Kyle Tucker homers to center field. Abraham Toro scores. Myles Straw flies out to deep center field to Starling Marte. Martin Maldonado flies out to deep left center field to Starling Marte. George Springer flies out to Kole Calhoun.3 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 0 left on. Astros 3, Diamondbacks 0.Astros fourth. Carlos Correa called out on strikes. Abraham Toro homers to left field. Kyle Tucker strikes out swinging. Myles Straw flies out to right field to Kole Calhoun.1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 left on. Astros 4, Diamondbacks 0.Diamondbacks fourth. Ketel Marte singles to right center field. Kole Calhoun homers to deep right field. Ketel Marte scores. Starling Marte singles to shallow infield. Christian Walker doubles to deep left center field. Starling Marte to third. Eduardo Escobar hit by pitch. David Peralta triples to deep right field. Eduardo Escobar scores. Christian Walker... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Daniel Bard won in his first major league game in more than seven years, pitching 1 1-3 scoreless innings in relief for the Colorado Rockies in a 3-2 win over the Texas Rangers on Saturday. The 35-year-old Bard (1-0), whose control troubles ran him out of baseball, got the Rockies out of a jam when he took over for starter Jon Gray with two on and two outs in the fifth. The right-hander worked around two more base runners in the sixth, getting Willie Calhoun on an inning-ending flyout to cap an 11-pitch at-bat.Wade Davis worked the ninth for his first save since July 25, 2019. He gave up a run.Colorado went ahead to stay with two runs in the fourth off Mike Minor (0-1), helped by two fielder’s choice plays and two errors. Bard threw 20 of 25 pitches for strikes Saturday, including his first one before Elvis Andrus flied out to end the fifth. ANGELS 4, ATHLETICS 1OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Dylan Bundy pitched shutout ball into the seventh inning in his Angels debut and... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Daniel Bard won in his first major league game in more than seven years, pitching 1 1-3 scoreless innings in relief for the Colorado Rockies in a 3-2 win over the Texas Rangers on Saturday. The 35-year-old Bard (1-0), whose control troubles ran him out of baseball, got the Rockies out of a jam when he took over for starter Jon Gray with two on and two outs in the fifth. The right-hander worked around two more base runners in the sixth, getting Willie Calhoun on an inning-ending flyout to cap an 11-pitch at-bat.Wade Davis worked the ninth for his first save since July 25, 2019. He gave up a run.Colorado went ahead to stay with two runs in the fourth off Mike Minor (0-1), helped by two fielder’s choice plays and two errors. Bard threw 20 of 25 pitches for strikes Saturday, including his first one before Elvis Andrus flied out to end the fifth. ANGELS 4, ATHLETICS 1OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Dylan Bundy pitched shutout ball into the seventh inning in his Angels debut and... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Daniel Bard won in his first major league game in more than seven years, pitching 1 1-3 scoreless innings in relief for the Colorado Rockies in a 3-2 win over the Texas Rangers on Saturday. The 35-year-old Bard (1-0), whose control troubles ran him out of baseball, got the Rockies out of a jam when he took over for starter Jon Gray with two on and two outs in the fifth. The right-hander worked around two more base runners in the sixth, getting Willie Calhoun on an inning-ending flyout to cap an 11-pitch at-bat.Wade Davis worked the ninth for his first save since July 25, 2019. He gave up a run.Colorado went ahead to stay with two runs in the fourth off Mike Minor (0-1), helped by two fielder’s choice plays and two errors. Bard threw 20 of 25 pitches for strikes Saturday, including his first one before Elvis Andrus flied out to end the fifth. ANGELS 4, ATHLETICS 1OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Dylan Bundy pitched shutout ball into the seventh inning in his Angels debut and... [More]

Astros first. George Springer pops out to Evan White. Jose Altuve walks. Alex Bregman singles to shallow left field. Jose Altuve to second. Michael Brantley singles to right field. Alex Bregman to third. Jose Altuve scores. Yuli Gurriel grounds out to shortstop. Michael Brantley out at second.1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on. Astros 1, Mariners 0.Astros fourth. Michael Brantley flies out to deep center field to Kyle Lewis. Yuli Gurriel homers to left field. Carlos Correa hit by pitch. Josh Reddick singles to right field. Carlos Correa to second. Kyle Tucker doubles. Josh Reddick to third. Carlos Correa scores. Martin Maldonado singles to deep left field. Kyle Tucker scores. Josh Reddick scores. George Springer grounds out to shortstop. Martin Maldonado out at second.4 runs, 4 hits, 0 errors, 0 left on. Astros 5, Mariners 0.Mariners fifth. J.P. Crawford triples to deep center field. Mallex Smith grounds out to shortstop, Carlos Correa to Yuli Gurriel. J.P. Crawford scores. Shed Long Jr.... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — Robbie Ray already knew 2020 would be a big season for his financial future because it's his last one before becoming a free agent.Now the Arizona Diamondbacks left-hander has less time to make a strong impression.Major League Baseball's coronavirus-delayed 60-game season is much shorter than the usual 162-game grind. That means pitchers like Ray will probably make about 11 or 12 starts instead of the typical 30-plus.Because of the compressed calendar, the 28-year-old Ray made sure he kept in shape during the spring hiatus from baseball. In his first live work off the mound Sunday, he threw nearly 80 pitches and said he's very close to being ready for the regular season, which begins July 24 against the Padres.The motivation is obvious: A bad start to the season could cost him millions of dollars in what's expected to be a tight free-agent market during the offseason. Conversely, two good months might lead to a big payoff this winter.“I had the assumption that once everything... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — Gerrit Cole’s departure to join the New York Yankees in free agency left a gaping hole in Houston’s rotation entering the season. The Astros hope the return of Lance McCullers will help lessen the blow. The 26-year-old McCullers is healthy and ready to go after missing last season following Tommy John surgery. “He’s going to be a big part of our success,” manager Dusty Baker said Friday after Houston resumed workouts for the first time since the coronavirus interrupted spring training on March 12. “Losing Gerrit Cole, hopefully he can step in and give us some quality starts, because before he got hurt the guy was one of the best around.”McCullers had become an important part of Houston’s rotation before his injury. He was 10-6 with a 3.86 ERA in 25 games with 22 starts in 2018. He struck out a career-high 142 in 128 1/3 innings, which was also the most in his career. The right-hander is 29-22 with a 3.67 ERA in four seasons with the Astros after being drafted in the first... [More]

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Houston ace Justin Verlander has a mild strain of a back muscle and said it would “probably take a miracle” for him to pitch on opening day at home against the Los Angeles Angels on March 26.In an effort to remain positive, Verlander quickly added, “but I don't want to leave miracles off the table.”The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner was hurt on his second-to-last pitch in Sunday's exhibition game against the New York Mets. He had an MRI on Monday and was diagnosed with a strained latissimus dorsi muscle. There is not a timetable for his return.“Talking with doctors and looking at the scans, it's definitely not worst-case scenario,” the Astros right-hander said. “Best-case scenario would be nothing. It's just probably somewhere in the middle of that.”The 37-year-old's velocity was down from his previous start, and he was removed after two scoreless innings of what had been scheduled as a four-inning outing. “Hardly noticed it to be honest,” Verlander said... [More]

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Houston ace Justin Verlander has a mild strain of a back muscle and said it would “probably take a miracle” for him to pitch in the Astros' opener at Oakland on March 26.In an effort to remain positive, Verlander quickly added, “but I don't want to leave miracles off the table.”The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner was hurt on his second-to-last pitch in Sunday's exhibition game against the New York Mets. He had an MRI on Monday and was diagnosed with a strained latissimus dorsi muscle. There is not a timetable for his return.“Talking with doctors and looking at the scans, it's definitely not worst-case scenario,” Verlander said, “Best-case scenario would be nothing. It's just probably somewhere in the middle of that.”The 37-year-old right-hander's velocity was down from his previous start, and he was removed after two scoreless innings of what had been scheduled as a four-inning outing. “Hardly noticed it to be honest,” Verlander said of the injury-inducing... [More]

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Lance McCullers spun a curveball that Paul Goldschmidt swung over for strike three, then looked toward the Houston dugout.That was enough on this day.So McCullers smiled, bounced the ball in and out of his glove a couple times, got a handshake from catcher Martin Maldonado, waited for manager Dusty Baker and walked off the mound.After being out of the game for more than a year, 16 pitches were plenty.Sidelined since having Tommy John surgery in November 2018, McCullers started in a spring training game against St. Louis on Sunday and faced three batters. He retired leadoff man Kolten Wong on a soft comebacker, gave up a double to Paul DeJong and fanned Goldschmidt with an 84 mph curve.“Out of the 16 pitches I threw, really only maybe one or two that I didn't execute the way I was hoping to pre-pitch,” McCullers said. “Really happy with just the way I felt overall and just being out there with the guys.”“I really wanted to face the last batter, but I think we... [More]

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — As the Houston Astros put together their rotation for this season, they're faced with a Texas-sized hole after Gerrit Cole left as a free agent to sign with the New York Yankees. New manager Dusty Baker is looking for somebody to step up and help make up for the loss. But more than likely no one player will be able to replace Cole, and Baker will need multiple pitchers or "somebodies" to take a step forward.“It's not easy to replace his quality of work, or his innings pitched,” Baker said. “So, we're looking for somebody to replace him or somebodies as a group.”Justin Verlander and Cole provided a powerful 1-2 atop Houston’s rotation last season to help the Astros win the American League pennant. Cole led the AL with a career-best 2.50 ERA and finished second in the majors to Verlander with 20 wins, also a career-best.Cole was the runner up to Verlander in Cy Young Award voting before leaving Houston to sign a $324 million deal with the Yankees. Zack Greinke,... [More]

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Justin Verlander elected not to throw his scheduled bullpen session and No. 2 starter Zack Greinke isn't even in camp yet, adding to an unusual start to Houston's spring training.Verlander's name appeared on Houston's daily schedule as a thrower, but a team spokesman said Verlander threw a 60-pitch bullpen on Tuesday before camp opened and requested “a little extra time before he threw again.”Greinke isn't expected to arrive in camp until Feb. 22 — opening day of the Astros' Grapefruit League schedule. His absence is not a surprise to the club.Astros manager Dusty Baker said Greinke is 100% healthy.“He’s working out and is in contact with our training staff and (pitching coach) Brent Strom,” Baker said. “We’re not worried about him. This guy is a guy who works and so when he comes to camp we expect him to fall back in place with everybody else.”Verlander and Greinke have three Cy Young Awards between them, with Verlander claiming the award last season.This will... [More]

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Justin Verlander elected not to throw his scheduled bullpen session and No. 2 starter Zack Grienke isn't even in camp yet, adding to an unusual start to Houston's spring training.Verlander's name appeared on Houston's daily schedule as a thrower, but a team spokesman said Verlander threw a 60-pitch bullpen on Tuesday before camp opened and requested “a little extra time before he threw again.”Grienke isn't expected to arrive in camp until Feb. 22 — opening day of the Astros' Grapefruit League schedule. His absence is not a surprise to the club.Astros manager Dusty Baker said Grienke is 100% healthy.“He’s working out and is contact with our training staff and (pitching coach) Brent Strom,” Baker said. “We’re not worried about him. This guy is a guy who works and so when he comes to camp we expect him to fall back in place with everybody else.”Verlander and Grienke have three Cy Young Awards between them, with Verlander claiming the award last season.This will... [More]

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Alex Bregman spoke for about 30 seconds and said he was sorry, but did not say why. He said he had learned, but did not say what.On a patch of grass between the Houston Astros' spring training building and fields, under a sun obscured by clouds, the star third baseman stepped to a microphone at a news conference, becoming the first player Thursday to apologize —-- without really discussing with any detail—-- for the sign-stealing scheme from the club's 2017 World Series championship season."I am really sorry about the choices that were made by my team, by the organization and by me. I have learned from this and I hope to regain the trust of baseball fans," Bregman began, before thanking Astros fans and saying he and his teammates "are totally focused on moving forward to the 2020 season."And thus the script was set. The most eyebrow-raising statement came soon thereafter, when Astros owner Jim Crane replied to a question from a reporter by saying: "Our opinion... [More]

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Alex Bregman spoke for about 30 seconds and said he was sorry, but did not say why. He said he had learned, but did not say what.On a patch of grass between the Houston Astros' spring training building and fields, under a sun obscured by clouds, the star third baseman stepped to a microphone at a news conference, becoming the first player Thursday to apologize -- without really discussing with any details -- for the sign-stealing scheme from the club's 2017 World Series championship season."I am really sorry about the choices that were made by my team, by the organization and by me. I have learned from this and I hope to regain the trust of baseball fans," Bregman began, before thanking Astros fans and saying he and his teammates "are totally focused on moving forward to the 2020 season."And thus the script was set. The most eyebrow-raising statement came soon thereafter, when Astros owner Jim Crane replied to a question from a reporter by saying: "Our opinion... [More]

A team-by-team look at the American League West entering spring training, including key players each club acquired and lost, and dates of the first workout for pitchers and catchers, and the full squad:___Houston Astros Manager: Dusty Baker (first season). 2019: 107-55, first place, lost to Nationals in World Series. Training Town: West Palm Beach, Florida. Park: Ballpark of Palm Beaches. First Workout: Feb. 13/17. He's Here: Manager Dusty Baker, RHP Austin Pruitt, C Dustin Garneau.He's Outta Here: Manager AJ Hinch, RHP Gerrit Cole, RHP Will Harris, C Robinson Chirinos, OF Tony Kemp. Going campin': The Astros enter the spring reeling from a sign-stealing scandal that cost manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow their jobs. They brought in Baker to steady the team, and it gives the 70-year-old another chance to chase his first World Series title as a manager. He’ll get a crash course learning his new team this spring after being hired less than three weeks before pitchers and catchers... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — The Astros agreed to deals with five of their seven arbitration-eligible players Friday but are headed toward a hearing with star outfielder George Springer.The 30-year-old Springer has requested a salary of $22.5 million and Houston has offered $17.5 million, the largest gap among the 20 major league players who swapped figures in arbitration. Springer made $12.15 million last season. A three-person panel would rule on the case next month if the sides cannot come to an agreement. Houston reached an $8 million, one-year deal with shortstop Carlos Correa after he earned $5 million last season, and All-Star closer Roberto Osuna got a raise from $6.5 million to $10 million.Pitchers Lance McCullers Jr. ($4.1 million), Brad Peacock ($3.9 million) and Chris Devenski ($2 million) also agreed to one-year deals. Utility infielder Aledmys Díaz joined Springer in filing for arbitration and requested $2.6 million. Houston offered $2 million.Springer is a three-time All-Star and the 2017... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — The Latest on Game 7 of the World Series (all times local):10:50 p.m.Howie Kendrick and Anthony Rendon homered in the seventh inning as the Washington Nationals overcame a two-run deficit and rocked the Houston Astros 6-2 Wednesday night in Game 7 to claim the first World Series title in franchise history.With all eyes on Max Scherzer and his remarkable recovery following an injection, the Nationals embraced their shot in a Series where the road team won every game. Even more against the odds: Juan Soto and Washington rallied from behind to win five elimination games this postseason.Stephen Strasburg, Patrick Corbin and the Nats brought the first World Series championship to the nation's capital since Walter Johnson delivered the crown for the Senators in 1924.___10:22 p.m.The Washington Nationals added to their lead going into the ninth inning of Game 7 after another hit by their young slugger.Juan Soto's RBI single in the eighth inning extended Washington's lead over the... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — The Latest on Game 7 of the World Series (all times local):10:22 p.m.The Washington Nationals added to their lead going into the ninth inning of Game 7 after another hit by their young slugger.Juan Soto's RBI single in the eighth inning extended Washington's lead over the Houston Astros to 4-2.Houston will have the top of its order coming up in the bottom of the ninth, needing at least two runs as they try to win their second World Series title in three years.Washington, with the Nationals in their 15th season, will try to take a World Series title with the visiting team winning every game.Soto, who turned 21 last Friday, has two hits in the Series finale and 18 this postseason, with only one player younger than him matching that. Miguel Cabrera had 18 hits as a 20-year-old rookie for the World Series champion Marlins in 2003.___9:53 p.m.Anthony Rendon homered off Zack Greinke and Howie Kendrick followed with a go-ahead, two-run drive against Will Harris in the seventh inning,... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — The Latest on Game 7 of the World Series (all times local):9:53 p.m.Anthony Rendon homered off Zack Greinke and Howie Kendrick followed with a go-ahead, two-run drive against Will Harris in the seventh inning, giving the Washington Nationals a 3-2 lead over the Houston Astros in Game 7.Greinke cruised through six innings with a one-hit shutout, needing just 67 pitchesWith Washington trailing 2-0, Rendon drove a changeup into the left-field Crawford boxes with one out in the seventh, then Juan Soto walked on five pitches.Harris relieved and Kendrick swung past a curveball, then drove a cutter to the opposite field, where it hit off the screen attached to the right-field foul pole, stunning the crowd at Minute Maid Park.Yuli Gurriel singled off Patrick Corbin with two outs in the bottom half but became the Astros' 10th stranded runner when Yordan Álvarez grounded out.___9:16 p.m.Zack Greinke put up another zero in the sixth while Patrick Corbin took over for Max Scherzer in... [More]