WASHINGTON (AP) — The Milwaukee Brewers last made the playoffs seven years ago. With a chance to end that rut, they've been aggressive in remaking their roster.Milwaukee brought in three more veterans on Friday, the deadline for traded players to be eligible to postseason play. They snagged left-handed starter Gio Gonzalez from the Washington Nationals, steady outfielder Curtis Granderson from the Toronto Blue Jays and lefty reliever Xavier Cedeno from the Chicago White Sox.Milwaukee was active, too, ahead of the non-waiver trade deadline on July 31, acquiring infielders Mike Moustakas and Jonathan Schoop. The Brewers hold the second NL wild-card spot and trail the first-place Chicago Cubs by four games in the NL Central.Gonzalez and Granderson both have postseason experience. Gonzalez won four NL East titles in a six-year stretch with the Nationals, and Granderson has reached the playoffs with four teams in his career — Detroit, the Yankees, the Mets and the Los Angeles Dodgers.Gonzalez... [More]

Andrew McCutchen is shaving his beard for a possible World Series run. Ryan Madson is switching bullpens, trying to help another team win a title. And Josh Donaldson is hoping he's healthy enough to contribute.The Milwaukee Brewers? They were a busy bunch, swinging trades to get starter Gio Gonzalez, outfielder Curtis Granderson and reliever Xavier Cedeno.Several contending teams swung into action Friday, making trades to bolster potential playoff rosters. A player must be on a club by Aug. 31 to be eligible for the postseason."I think what happens in September is that the whole calculus of this thing changes," Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell said.Counsell spoke after the Brewers acquired Cedeno, and before they beat Washington 4-1 at Nationals Park. After the win, Milwaukee said it had gotten Gonzalez from the Nats and Granderson from Toronto.All three of the Milwaukee trades were for minor leaguers. So, too, were the swaps that sent Donaldson from Toronto to Cleveland, Madson from Washington... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — It didn't take Gio Gonzalez long to get to his new team.The Milwaukee Brewers got a proven left-handed starter for their stretch run, acquiring Gonzalez from the Washington Nationals on Friday night for two minor leaguers and international slot money.The deal was announced after the Brewers beat Washington 4-1, and Gonzalez, who began the game in a Nationals uniform, spoke to reporters afterward in Brewers gear.In Gonzalez, Milwaukee gets a durable 32-year-old with postseason experience. Gonzalez, who will be a free agent after the season, has a career record of 124-97 with a 3.71 ERA in 308 games (302 starts) with Oakland and Washington. This year, he's 7-11 with a 4.57 ERA in 27 starts."I grew up here. I had my family here, my wife and my kids. It's just sad but I'm happy," Gonzalez said. "I'm really happy. I'm getting a second chance to redeem myself and I think this is a perfect opportunity with a team like the Brewers. I see there's a hopefully a brighter future for... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Milwaukee Brewers added bullpen help for the final stretch, acquiring veteran Xavier Cedeno from the Chicago White Sox for two minor leaguers on Friday.Cedeno is 2-0 with a 2.84 ERA in 33 appearances after signing with Chicago as a minor league free agent in January. The left-hander is 10-7 with a 3.81 ERA in eight seasons with Houston, Washington, Tampa Bay and the White Sox."We're just trying to fortify the roster as best we can and give ourselves options and depth for whatever happens in this month," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said.Later Friday, the Brewers added a lefty to their rotation, acquiring Gio Gonzalez from the Washington Nationals for two minor leaguers and international slot money.Milwaukee entered Friday holding the second NL wild card spot. The Brewers were third in the NL Central behind the Cubs and Cardinals.The White Sox got outfielder Bryan Connell and right-hander Johan Dominguez in the deal. They also purchased promising reliever Ian Hamilton's... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Milwaukee Brewers got a proven left-handed starter for their stretch run, acquiring Gio Gonzalez from the Washington Nationals on Friday night for two minor leaguers and international slot money.The deal was announced after the Brewers beat Washington 4-1.In Gonzalez, Milwaukee gets a durable 32-year-old starter with postseason experience. Gonzalez, who will be a free agent after the season, has a career record of 124-97 with a 3.71 ERA in 308 games (302 starts) with Oakland and Washington. This year, he's 7-11 with a 4.57 ERA in 27 starts.The deal was finalized during the game at Nationals Park and at the end of a busy day for the Brewers, who hold the second NL wild-card spot and trail the Central-leading Chicago Cubs by four games. Milwaukee got left-hander Xavier Cedeno from the Chicago White Sox earlier in the day to give the team more options out of the bullpen.Gonzalez has been a mainstay of Washington's rotation through its run of regular-season success, including... [More]

Andrew McCutchen is shaving his beard for a possible World Series run. Ryan Madson is switching bullpens, trying to help another team win a title.And Gio Gonzalez? He might be moving across the diamond at Nationals Park.A bunch of contenders got busy Friday, making trades to bolster potential playoff rosters. A player must be on a club by Aug. 31 to be eligible for the postseason.Relievers are always in demand, and the Milwaukee Brewers fortified themselves by acquiring veteran left-hander Xavier Cedeno from the Chicago White Sox for two minor leaguers.The Brewers also seemed to be close to getting Gonzalez from Washington to boost their rotation. Milwaukee was playing at Washington, so a trade would mean simply swapping dugouts."I think what happens in September is that the whole calculus of this thing changes," Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell said.Clubs can start calling up reinforcements from the minors on Saturday. But it's who they added before September that could really count in... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Jay Bruce is back in the lineup for the New York Mets and ready to try something different.The veteran outfielder was reinstated from the disabled list Friday after missing more than two months with an aching right hip, and the Mets plan to audition him at first base down the stretch.A three-time All-Star, the 31-year-old Bruce returned to the Mets as a free agent last winter and signed a $39 million, three-year contract. Also bothered by plantar fasciitis in his feet, however, he batted only .212 with three homers and 17 RBIs in 62 games before going on the DL. His paltry .613 OPS was well below his career mark of .783 in 11 major league seasons."Obviously, I've been injured and I've underperformed," Bruce said. "Neither of those things were on my list of things to do coming back to New York. So it's not something I'm happy about or proud of, but I can only move forward."I have a little over a month this year and I have two more seasons to right the ship and be the player... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Ronald Acuna Jr. became the youngest player in major league history to homer in five straight games, hitting a leadoff shot on the first pitch and later adding a three-run drive to help the surging Atlanta Braves beat the Miami Marlins 10-6 on Tuesday night.The 20-year-old Acuna homered on Miami's first pitch for the second straight night and became the first player to hit a leadoff homer in three consecutive games since Baltimore's Brady Anderson went deep in four straight in 1996. On Monday, he became the fourth player in major league history to hit leadoff homers in both games of a doubleheader.Acuna connected in the first off Trevor Richards and homered to right-center, his 19th of the year, off Adam Conley (3-3) to give the Braves a 10-6 lead in the seventh.Freddie Freeman hit his 20th homer to tie it in the sixth, and Dansby Swanson had a tiebreaking RBI single in the seventh as the NL East-leading Braves won for the 13th time in 17 games.Acuna, who has homered in seven... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Ronald Acuna Jr. became the youngest player in major league history to homer in five straight games, hitting a leadoff shot on the first pitch and later adding a three-run drive to help the surging Atlanta Braves beat the Miami Marlins 10-6 on Tuesday night.The 20-year-old Acuna homered on Miami's first pitch for the second straight night and became the first player to hit a leadoff homer in three consecutive games since Baltimore's Brady Anderson went deep in four straight in 1996. On Monday, he became the fourth player in major league history to hit leadoff homers in both games of a doubleheader.Acuna connected in the first off Trevor Richards and homered to right-center, his 19th of the year, off Adam Conley (3-3) to give the Braves a 10-6 lead in the seventh.Freddie Freeman hit his 20th homer to tie it in the sixth, and Dansby Swanson had a tiebreaking RBI single in the seventh as the NL East-leading Braves won for the 13th time in 17 games.Acuna, who has homered in seven... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Corey Kluber pitched a three-hitter for his first shutout this season and new arrival Leonys Martin homered again as the Cleveland Indians beat the Los Angeles Angels 3-0 Saturday night.After the game, there was a report that Los Angeles Angels manager Mike Scioscia is expected to step down at the end of this season. The report by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic cited unidentified major league sources.The 59-year-old Scioscia is the longest-tenured manager in the majors and has guided the Angels since 2000. They are 55-57 this year.Kluber (14-6) matched zeros for five innings with Felix Pena (1-3), who carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning before Martin led off with a homer. Martin has two homers in three games since coming to Cleveland in a trade with Detroit.The Angels were again without All-Star outfielder Mike Trout, who missed his third straight game with a sore right wrist.ASTROS 14, DODGERS 0LOS ANGELES (AP) — Josh Reddick's three-run homer highlighted Houston's... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Corey Kluber pitched a three-hitter for his first shutout this season and new arrival Leonys Martin homered again as the Cleveland Indians beat the Los Angeles Angels 3-0 Saturday night.After the game, there was a report that Los Angeles Angels manager Mike Scioscia is expected to step down at the end of this season. The report by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic cited unidentified major league sources.The 59-year-old Scioscia is the longest-tenured manager in the majors and has guided the Angels since 2000. They are 55-57 this year.Kluber (14-6) matched zeros for five innings with Felix Pena (1-3), who carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning before Martin led off with a homer. Martin has two homers in three games since coming to Cleveland in a trade with Detroit.The Angels were again without All-Star outfielder Mike Trout, who missed his third straight game with a sore right wrist.REDS 7, NATIONALS 1, 1ST GAMENATIONALS 6, REDS 2, 2ND GAMEWASHINGTON (AP) — Nationals slugger... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon more than doubled his salary going into 2018, reaching agreement on a $12.3 million contract Friday to avoid salary arbitration.Rendon made $5.8 million last season, his first year of arbitration eligibility. He finished sixth in NL MVP voting last season and ranked seventh in WAR among the league's position players, helping carry an injury-depleted Washington team to a second consecutive NL East title by batting .301 with 25 homers, 100 RBIs, 41 doubles, a .403 on-base percentage and .533 slugging percentage.At third base, he made seven errors and had a .979 fielding percentage. Asked at the Nationals' fan festival in December whether he would be open to staying with the team for the long term under a multiyear contract, he replied: "Yeah, for sure. Why not stay with one organization?"As for whether he expects his agents, Scott Boras and Co., to negotiate this offseason with the Nationals about a long-term contract, Rendon joked:... [More]

LHP Gio Gonzalez was given a 4-1 lead in the second inning Thursday in Game 5 of the NL Division Series against the Cubs, but he allowed two runs in the third. He was pulled after giving up three runs in three innings, and the Nationals eventually lost 9-8. Gonzalez was the starting pitcher in Game 5 of the 2012 NLDS, also at Nationals Park, as the Nationals blew a 6-0 lead and lost 9-7 to the St. Louis Cardinals. He was the choice Thursday instead of RHP Tanner Roark, who was the No. 4 starter this year for Washington but did not pitch in the series.

LHP Gio Gonzalez was selected as the starter for the Washington Nationals for Thursday's winner-take-all Game 5 of the National League Division Series against the visiting Chicago Cubs. Gonzalez, who was given the nod over right-hander Tanner Roark, will be opposed by Cubs righty Kyle Hendricks. The 32-year-old Gonzalez allowed three runs on as many hits in five innings of a no-decision in Game 2 on Saturday. He struck out six and walked two.

LHP Gio Gonzalez is an option to start Thursday's deciding Game 5 against the Cubs, according to manager Dusty Baker. Gonzalez took a no-decision in Game 2 of the NLDS against the Cubs when he allowed three runs and three hits, struck out six and walked two in five innings in his last outing. Gonzalez is 3-3 in 10 career starts against the Cubs.

LHP Gio Gonzalez went five innings Saturday in his fifth postseason start and gave up three on three hits, including a two-run homer to Anthony Rizzo and a solo shot by Willson Contreras. Gonzalez has averaged less than five innings per start in the playoffs. It was his first playoff start since Game 5 of the NLDS in 2012 when the Nationals could not hold a 6-0 lead against the St. Louis Cardinals.

LHP Gio Gonzalez is slated to face the Cubs in game 2 of NLDS on Saturday. In his career, he is 3-3 with a 3.06 ERA in 10 games (all starts) against Chicago and has allowed 44 hits in 61 2/3 innings. Gonzalez has fanned 63 batters and given up 24 walks and three homers to the Cubs. He last beat them in 2014 when he was 2-0 against the Cubs. This year he faced them one time and was the hard-luck loser as he gave up just two hits and one earned run in six innings. Gonzalez was 15-9 with a 2.96 ERA in 32 starts this season. "He's had a really good season and he's very tough of lefties," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said Friday after his team won Game 1 by a score of 3-0. "He's extremely tough. We've had a couple guys with not very good numbers against him."

LHP Gio Gonzalez had a rough start Sunday as he gets ready for the playoffs. The lefty gave up seven hits and six runs in 4 1/3 innings and took the loss against the Pirates. He said he "took a step back" but is prepared for his playoff start against the Cubs.

LHP Gio Gonzalez will make the start Sunday in the series finale. Gonzalez is on track to pitch Game 3 against the Chicago Cubs in the NLDS, though the Nationals have not announced a playoff rotation. The lefty from Miami is having one of the best years of his career and is 15-7 with a 2.68 ERA.

LHP Gio Gonzalez struggled with his command Tuesday and dropped what is likely to be his final start of 2017 as the Nationals fell 4-1 in Philadelphia. Gonzalez allowed three runs, all in one inning, on five hits in five innings. He struck out seven Phillies but walked five. Gonzalez is likely to be held out of his last start Sunday to be preserved for a playoff start.