MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee Brewers third baseman Mike Moustakas is becoming a free agent again, and so is reliever Joakim Soria.Moustakas declined a $15 million mutual option Tuesday.He rejected a $17.4 million qualifying offer and left Kansas City after the 2017 season but was unable to find a long-term deal he liked. He returned to the Royals in mid-March for a one-year contract that included a guaranteed $6.5 million: a $5.5 million salary and $1 million option buyout. Moustakas earned an additional $2.2 million in performance bonuses based on plate appearances, raising his total earnings for 2018 to $8.7 million.A 30-year-old left-handed hitter, Moustakas had a .251 average with 28 homers and 95 RBIs. He hit .256 with eight homers and 33 RBIs in 54 games for Milwaukee, which acquired him from the last-place Royals on July 27."I think he provided our team with what we were looking for when we acquired him: a powerful left-handed bat, he played a really quality third base and we had a... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — David Stearns doesn't expect wholesale change for the Milwaukee Brewers after they fell a game short of the World Series.Milwaukee is set to return most of its roster after winning the NL Central in a tiebreaking 163rd game and pushing the Dodgers to Game 7 of the NL Championship Series. Christian Yelich and Lorenzo Cain headline the group, with Ryan Braun, Travis Shaw, Jesus Aguilar and Orlando Arcia all under contract, too. That gives Milwaukee's general manager reason for optimism long-term."Those are players that performed on a big stage in October and have the ability to continue performing as Brewers in the future," Stearns said. "We genuinely believe we are set up to succeed going forward."Stearns also pointed to an abundance of young pitching. Rookie right-handers Brandon Woodruff, Corbin Burnes and Freddy Peralta pitched well down the stretch, and Woodruff and Burnes played crucial roles in the postseason. All three will be in the mix for a rotation spot with Jhoulys... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Craig Counsell and the Milwaukee Brewers relied on their bullpen all season long.Those hard-throwing relievers finally ran out of gas in the NL Championship Series.Josh Hader was brilliant as usual, but Jeremy Jeffress was tagged for a crucial three-run homer by Yasiel Puig and the Brewers never recovered, losing 5-1 to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 7 on Saturday night."Devastated. We were right there," Jeffress said.Milwaukee's deep bullpen played a key role in its closing push to a surprising NL Central title. Led by Hader, Jeffress and Corey Knebel, the Brewers led the National League with 42 wins by their relievers and finished second in the league with a 3.47 bullpen ERA.Counsell continued to lean on Hader and Co. in the playoffs, with the Milwaukee manager putting his own spin on the "opener" strategy most notably employed by Tampa Bay this season. Brandon Woodruff replaced Gio Gonzalez after two innings in Game 1 against Los Angeles. Counsell had Wade Miley pitch... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Craig Counsell and the Milwaukee Brewers relied on their bullpen all season long.Those hard-throwing relievers finally ran out of gas in the NL Championship Series.Josh Hader was brilliant as usual, but Jeremy Jeffress was tagged for a crucial three-run homer by Yasiel Puig and the Brewers never recovered, losing 5-1 to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 7 on Saturday night."Devastated. We were right there," Jeffress said.Milwaukee's deep bullpen played a key role in its closing push to a surprising NL Central title. Led by Hader, Jeffress and Corey Knebel, the Brewers led the National League with 42 wins by their relievers and finished second in the league with a 3.47 bullpen ERA.Counsell continued to lean on Hader and Co. in the playoffs, with the Milwaukee manager putting his own spin on the "opener" strategy most notably employed by Tampa Bay this season. Brandon Woodruff replaced Gio Gonzalez after two innings in Game 1 against Los Angeles. Counsell had Wade Miley pitch... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Craig Counsell and the Milwaukee Brewers relied on their bullpen all season long.Those hard-throwing relievers finally ran out of gas in the NL Championship Series.Josh Hader was brilliant as usual, but Jeremy Jeffress was tagged for a crucial three-run homer by Yasiel Puig and the Brewers never recovered, losing 5-1 to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 7 on Saturday night.Milwaukee's deep bullpen played a key role in its closing push to a surprising NL Central title. Led by Hader, Jeffress and Corey Knebel, the Brewers led the National League with 42 wins by their relievers and finished second in the league with a 3.47 bullpen ERA.Counsell continued to lean on Hader and Co. in the playoffs, with the Milwaukee manager putting his own spin on the "opener" strategy most notably employed by Tampa Bay this season. Brandon Woodruff replaced Gio Gonzalez after two innings in Game 1 against Los Angeles. Counsell had Wade Miley pitch to just one batter in Game 5 before pulling him,... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Cody Bellinger is leading off for the Dodgers in Game 5 of the NL Championship Series on Wednesday, hours after his game-winning single pulled Los Angeles into a 2-all tie with Milwaukee in the best-of-seven series.Bellinger singled home the winning run with two outs in the 13th inning of a 2-1 victory Tuesday night that lasted more than five hours. The Dodgers primarily have been using Chris Taylor in the leadoff spot.Manager Dave Roberts said he made the change to "shake things up" and because he likes Bellinger's at-bats against Brewers left-handed starter Wade Miley.Bellinger started Games 1 and 3 and entered as a pinch-hitter in the sixth inning of Game 4.Max Muncy is starting at second base and hitting fifth for the Dodgers. Austin Barnes is starting at catcher for the second straight game while Yasmani Grandal continues to struggle.The Brewers are starting Hernan Perez at second base, his first start since Game 1 of the series. He will hit fifth.Erik Kratz is back... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors today:SPYGATE, THE SEQUELThe Houston Astros might find themselves defending more than their World Series title. The champions are under scrutiny after Cleveland filed a complaint to Major League Baseball about a man associated with Houston attempting to film in the Indians' dugout during Game 3 of the AL Division Series last week, according to a person familiar with the situation. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Tuesday night because of the sensitivity of the matter. MLB also says it is aware of a report by Metro Boston that a man claiming to be an Astros employee was removed from a credentialed area near the Red Sox dugout during the AL Championship Series opener at Fenway Park.In a statement, MLB said the matter "will be handled internally" and offered no other details.Astros manager AJ Hinch was questioned about the Metro report following Tuesday's game and said he was aware of the alleged incident but said... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Dodgers are tied 1-1 after 12 innings in Game 4 of the NL Championship Series.With the Brewers leading 2-1 in the best-of-seven series, the defending NL champion Dodgers went ahead when Brian Dozier singled home a run in the first inning off Gio Gonzalez.Milwaukee, seeking its first World Series appearance since 1982, tied the score in the fifth when pinch-hitter Domingo Santana hit an RBI double against Rich Hill.Both teams used all their position players and both teams wasted plenty of chances. The Brewers were 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position and the Dodgers 1 for 9.This matched the longest postseason game this year, Colorado's 2-1, 13-inning victory over the Chicago Cubs in the NL wild-card matchup.It will be a quick turnaround. Game 5 is Wednesday afternoon at Dodger Stadium.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/tag/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Dodgers are tied 1-1 after 10 innings in Game 4 of the NL Championship Series.With the Brewers leading 2-1 in the best-of-seven series, the defending NL champion Dodgers went ahead when Brian Dozier singled home a run in the first inning off Gio Gonzalez.Milwaukee, seeking its first World Series appearance since 1982, tied the score in the fifth when pinch-hitter Domingo Santana hit an RBI double against Rich Hill.Both teams wasted plenty of chances. The Brewers were 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position and the Dodgers 1 for 9.It will be a quick turnaround. Game 5 is Wednesday afternoon at Dodger Stadium.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/tag/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Dodgers are tied 1-1 after nine innings in Game 4 of the NL Championship Series.With the Brewers leading 2-1 in the best-of-seven series, the defending NL champion Dodgers went ahead when Brian Dozier singled home a run in the first inning off Gio Gonzalez.Milwaukee, seeking its first World Series appearance since 1982, tied the score in the fifth when pinch-hitter Domingo Santana hit an RBI double against Rich Hill.Both teams wasted plenty of chances. The Brewers were 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position and the Dodgers 1 for 9.It will be a quick turnaround. Game 5 is Wednesday afternoon at Dodger Stadium.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/tag/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Infielder Jonathan Schoop is getting his first start for the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 4 of the NL Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.He is hitting sixth on Tuesday. Schoop replaces Travis Shaw, who started the previous two games.The Brewers lead the best-of-seven series 2-1.Brewers catcher Manny Pina is getting his first start since the opener and will hit seventh, replacing veteran Erik Kratz.Catcher Austin Barnes returns to the Dodgers' lineup in place of Yasmani Grandal, who has struggled on offense and defense. Barnes also started Game 2 in Milwaukee.Enrique Hernandez moves to center field and is hitting sixth for Los Angeles after making three consecutive starts at second base. Brian Dozier gets his first start of the series at second base and will hit fifth.Left fielder Chris Taylor is back in the leadoff position for the Dodgers, where he was in Games 1 and 2. Center fielder Joc Pederson hit first in Game 3, his first and so far only start of the series.Gio Gonzalez takes the mound for the Brewers against fellow lefty Rich Hill for the Dodgers.___More AP MLB: www.apnews.com/tag/MLB and www.twitter.com/AP_Sports

MILWAUKEE (AP) — David Freese is hitting third for the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 of the NL Championship Series against the Milwaukee Brewers, returning to a city where he enjoyed postseason success in 2011.Freese was the 2011 NLCS MVP after hitting .545 with three homers and nine RBIs for St. Louis in the Cardinals' six-game series victory over the Brewers.The Dodgers acquired Freese this season in August from the Pittsburgh Pirates. He hit .385 in 19 games in the regular season with Los Angeles.The right-handed hitting Freese is in the lineup at first base against Brewers left-handed starter Gio Gonzalez. Lefty slugger Max Muncy, who leads the Dodgers with 35 homers, will come off the bench.Chris Taylor and Justin Turner hit ahead of Freese, who is followed by cleanup hitter Manny Machado, Matt Kemp and Kike Hernandez.Cody Bellinger, the only left-handed hitter in the lineup, is seventh. Switch-hitter Yasmani Grandal hits eight, followed by starter Clayton Kershaw.The Brewers are going... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors today:STARTING OFFClayton Kershaw starts for the Dodgers in Game 1 of the NL Championship Series against Brewers left-hander Gio Gonzalez and — more notably — Milwaukee's deep bullpen. Josh Hader and the rest of the club's lights-out relievers have helped the Brewers win 11 straight games. The bullpen's 3.47 ERA was second in the NL only to the Chicago Cubs, and it began to peak down the stretch. The relievers went 2-0 with a 1.17 ERA in the three-game Division Series sweep against Colorado. Gonzalez probably won't need to go more than four or five innings before Hader and crew take over.Los Angeles' pitching approach will be more traditional. The Dodgers have gotten a higher percentage of outs from their starters this postseason than any other team, led by Kershaw's eight innings of two-hit ball in a 3-0 Game 2 win over Atlanta. Kershaw has thrown 12 consecutive scoreless innings in the postseason dating to last year's World Series.The ALCS... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors Friday:STARTING OFFClayton Kershaw starts for the Dodgers in Game 1 of the NL Championship Series against Brewers left-hander Gio Gonzalez and — more notably — Milwaukee's deep bullpen. Josh Hader and the rest of the club's lights-out relievers have helped the Brewers win 11 straight games. The bullpen's 3.47 ERA was second in the NL only to the Chicago Cubs, and it began to peak down the stretch. The relievers went 2-0 with a 1.17 ERA in the three-game Division Series sweep against Colorado. Gonzalez probably won't need to go more than four or five innings before Hader and crew take over.Los Angeles' pitching approach will be more traditional. The Dodgers have gotten a higher percentage of outs from their starters this postseason than any other team, led by Kershaw's eight innings of two-hit ball in a 3-0 Game 2 win over Atlanta. Kershaw has thrown 12 consecutive scoreless innings in the postseason dating to last year's World Series.The ALCS... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Gio Gonzalez will start for the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 1 of the NL Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night.Brewers manager Craig Counsell announced his rotation on Thursday. Gonzalez was 3-0 with a 2.13 ERA in five starts for the Brewers after being acquired in a deal with the Washington Nationals.The Brewers have chosen Wade Miley to start in Game 2 on Saturday, meaning that Milwaukee will open the NLCS with two straight lefties.The Dodgers will line up the same way. They had already picked ace left-hander Clayton Kershaw as their starter for the opener.Manager Dave Roberts on Thursday night said lefty Hyun-Jin Ryu will be his Game 2 starter.Brewers right-hander Jhoulys Chacin will go in Game 3 on Monday in Los Angeles against Dodgers right-hander Walker Buehler.Roberts said he will turn to left-hander Rich Hill to start Game 4.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Gio Gonzalez will start for the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 1 of the NL Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night.The Brewers have chosen Wade Miley to start in Game 2 on Saturday, meaning that Milwaukee will open up the NLCS with two straight lefties. Right-hander Jhoulys Chacin will go in Game 3 on Monday in Los Angeles.Brewers manager Craig Counsell announced his rotation on Thursday.Gonzalez was 3-0 with a 2.13 ERA in five starts for the Brewers after being acquired in a deal with the Washington Nationals.The Dodgers have already picked ace left-hander Clayton Kershaw as their starter for the opener, but have yet to announce the rest of their rotation.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Gio Gonzalez will start for the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 1 of the NL Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night.The Brewers have chosen Wade Miley to start in Game 2 on Saturday, meaning that Milwaukee will open up the NLCS with two straight lefties. Right-hander Jhoulys Chacin will go in Game 3 on Monday in Los Angeles.Brewers manager Craig Counsell announced his rotation on Thursday.Gonzalez was 3-0 with a 2.13 ERA in five starts for the Brewers after being acquired in a deal with the Washington Nationals.The Dodgers have already picked ace left-hander Clayton Kershaw as their starter for the opener, but have yet to announce the rest of their rotation.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

A look at the best-of-seven National League Championship Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers:___Schedule: (All times EDT) Game 1, Friday, at Milwaukee, 8:09 p.m.; Game 2, Saturday, at Milwaukee, 4:09 p.m.; Game 3, Monday, Oct. 15, at Los Angeles, 7:39 p.m.; Game 4, Tuesday, Oct. 16 at Los Angeles, 9:09 p.m.; x-Game 5, Wednesday, Oct. 17, at Los Angeles, 5:05 p.m.; x-Game 6, Friday, Oct. 19, at Milwaukee, 8:39 p.m.; x-Game 7, Saturday, Oct. 20, at Milwaukee, 9:09 p.m.. (Game 2 Fox, all others FS1).x-if necessary.___Season Series: Dodgers won 4-3.___Projected Lineups:Dodgers: LF Joc Pederson (.248, 25 HRs, 56 RBIs) or Matt Kemp (.290, 21, 85, 115 Ks in 146 games), 3B Justin Turner (.312, 14, 52), 1B Max Muncy (.263, 35, 79, .958 OPS), SS Manny Machado (.315, 24, 65, .963 OPS with Orioles; .273, 13, 42, .825 OPS with Dodgers), C Yasmani Grandal (.241, 24, 68), CF-1B Cody Bellinger (.260, 25, 76, 151 Ks in 162 games), RF Yasiel Puig (.267, 23, 63), 2B Enrique Hernandez... [More]

A look at the best-of-seven National League Championship Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers:___Schedule: (All times EDT) Game 1, Friday, at Milwaukee, 8:09 p.m.; Game 2, Saturday, at Milwaukee, 4:09 p.m.; Game 3, Monday, Oct. 15, at Los Angeles, TBA; Game 4, Tuesday, Oct. 16 at Los Angeles, TBA; x-Game 5, Wednesday, Oct. 17, at Los Angeles, TBA; x-Game 6, Friday, Oct. 19, at Milwaukee, TBA; x-Game 7, Saturday, Oct. 20, at Milwaukee, TBA. (All games on Fox and FS1).x-if necessary.___Season Series: Dodgers won 4-3.___Projected Lineups:Dodgers: LF Joc Pederson (.248, 25 HRs, 56 RBIs) or Matt Kemp (.290, 21, 85, 115 Ks in 146 games), 3B Justin Turner (.312, 14, 52), 1B Max Muncy (.263, 35, 79, .958 OPS), SS Manny Machado (.315, 24, 65, .963 OPS with Orioles; .273, 13, 42, .825 OPS with Dodgers), C Yasmani Grandal (.241, 24, 68), CF-1B Cody Bellinger (.260, 25, 76, 151 Ks in 162 games), RF Yasiel Puig (.267, 23, 63), 2B Enrique Hernandez (.256, 21, 52) or Brian Dozier... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Young right-hander Brandon Woodruff not only made the Milwaukee Brewers' playoff roster, but he's starting Game 1 of the National League Division Series against the Colorado Rockies.The Brewers' playoff roster announced before the series opener on Thursday features an 11-man pitching staff that includes rookie right-handers Corbin Burnes and Freddy Peralta. Like Woodruff, they are promising starters who have been pitching out of the bullpen.Woodruff leads off what manager Craig Counsell called a bullpen day on Thursday against the Rockies, who are starting right-hander Antonio Senzatela (6-6, 4.38 ERA).Woodruff is 3-0 with a 3.61 ERA in 19 games this year with four starts. The 25-year-old has pitched exclusively in relief after Sept. 1, going 1-0 with a 0.73 ERA over 12 1/3 innings in seven appearances."He's just throwing the ball really well, and two, I think he has the potential to do a little more than a reliever, maybe," Counsell said.One of Woodruff's four starts came... [More]