CHICAGO (AP) — After every injury — each one of his surgeries, each of his long stays on the injured list — Carlos Rodón had to convince himself he was healthy again. He had to pick up a ball and throw like a carefree kid, like he did long before he became a major leaguer. “It's hard to get that ‘Am I going feel something when I throw?’ out of your mind," Rodón said. “It's not easy. I don't know how to put it. It's just, you just got to do it.” So you better believe Rodón is enjoying every pitch at the moment. Every 98-mph fastball for the Chicago White Sox. Every wicked slider. Every moment of a surprising start for the only big league team he has ever known, the same one that was ready to let him go over the winter. More than most, he knows it can all go away in a hurry. “Being hurt and not being able to play, you don't take the game for granted anymore,” Rodón told The Associated Press in a phone interview. Returning to the promise he showed after he was selected with the No. 3 pick... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — Yusei Kikuchi took a no-hit bid into the the seventh inning, Taylor Trammell homered and the Seattle Mariners beat the Houston Astros 1-0 on Thursday to stop a four-game losing streak. Kikuchi (1-1) did not allow a hit until Carlos Correa doubled to deep right-center field with one out in the seventh. That was the only hit allowed by Kikuchi, who pitched seven innings, struck out seven and walked two. Anthony Misiewicz pitched a perfect eighth and Kendall Graveman a one-hit ninth for his third save, completing a two-hitter. Trammell hit his fourth home run of the season in the third inning off Luis Garcia (0-3), a ball that appeared to graze the glove of a leaping Chas McCormick at the right-field wall. ORIOLES 4, YANKEES 3 BALTIMORE (AP) — Cedric Mullins delivered a winning sacrifice fly in the 10th inning against Jonathan Loaisiga (2-1). Trey Mancini had his first three-hit game since returning from colon cancer surgery, including had an RBI single in the first and a tying... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — Yusei Kikuchi took a no-hit bid into the the seventh inning, Taylor Trammell homered and the Seattle Mariners beat the Houston Astros 1-0 on Thursday to stop a four-game losing streak. Kikuchi (1-1) did not allow a hit until Carlos Correa doubled to deep right-center field with one out in the seventh. That was the only hit allowed by Kikuchi, who pitched seven innings, struck out seven and walked two. Anthony Misiewicz pitched a perfect eighth and Kendall Graveman a one-hit ninth for his third save, completing a two-hitter. Trammell hit his fourth home run of the season in the third inning off Luis Garcia (0-3), a ball that appeared to graze the glove of a leaping Chas McCormick at the right-field wall. ORIOLES 4, YANKEES 3 BALTIMORE (AP) — Cedric Mullins delivered a winning sacrifice fly in the 10th inning against Jonathan Loaisiga (2-1). Trey Mancini had his first three-hit game since returning from colon cancer surgery, including had an RBI single in the first and a tying... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors today: ___ HEADS UP Phillies star Bryce Harper says he's feeling fine after being hit in the face by a 96.9 mph fastball Wednesday. Harper was drilled in the left cheek by Cardinals left-hander Génesis Cabrera’s first pitch in the sixth inning of a 5-3 victory. The All-Star slugger picked himself up and walked off the field, blood dripping from a cut on the side of his nose. “Everything feels good,” Harper said in a video he posted to Instagram. He said he got a CT scan and other testing and “Everything came back good.” He appeared to have only minor swelling and bruising in the video he sent to social media. Philadelphia is slated to wrap up a four-game series in St. Louis. NATIONAL POWERS The Dodgers and Brewers begin a four-game set between NL division leaders in Milwaukee. NL West-leading Los Angeles swept the Brewers in a first-round postseason series last year en route to a World Series title and also knocked out Milwaukee in the 2018 NL... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors Thursday: ___ HEADS UP Phillies star Bryce Harper says he's feeling fine after being hit in the face by a 96.9 mph fastball Wednesday. Harper was drilled in the left cheek by Cardinals left-hander Génesis Cabrera’s first pitch in the sixth inning of a 5-3 victory. The All-Star slugger picked himself up and walked off the field, blood dripping from a cut on the side of his nose. “Everything feels good,” Harper said in a video he posted to Instagram. He said he got a CT scan and other testing and “Everything came back good.” He appeared to have only minor swelling and bruising in the video he sent to social media. Philadelphia is slated to wrap up a four-game series in St. Louis. NATIONAL POWERS The Dodgers and Brewers begin a four-game set between NL division leaders in Milwaukee. NL West-leading Los Angeles swept the Brewers in a first-round postseason series last year en route to a World Series title and also knocked out Milwaukee in the 2018... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors Thursday: ___ NATIONAL POWERS The Dodgers and Brewers begin a four-game set between NL division leaders in Milwaukee. Los Angeles swept the Brewers in a first-round postseason series last year en route to a World Series title and also knocked out Milwaukee in the 2018 NL Championship Series. Reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Trevor Bauer (3-0, 2.53) will start the opener for the Dodgers against Eric Lauer (0-0, 0.00). WELCOME BACK Rays left-hander Shane McClanahan is set for his first regular season appearance after making his big league debut during last year’s postseason. Among the top prospects in Tampa Bay’s loaded farm system, McClanahan will start against Oakland a day after his 24th birthday. He allowed four earned runs in 4 1/3 relief innings in the 2020 playoffs for the AL champions. Prior to that, he’d made just four starts above Class A. TAKE TWO The Tigers and White Sox are slated for a straight doubleheader after their game Wednesday... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors Thursday: ___ NATIONAL POWERS The Dodgers and Brewers begin a four-game set between NL division leaders in Milwaukee. Los Angeles swept the Brewers in a first-round postseason series last year en route to a World Series title and also knocked out Milwaukee in the 2018 NL Championship Series. Reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Trevor Bauer (3-0, 2.53) will start the opener for the Dodgers against Eric Lauer (0-0, 0.00). WELCOME BACK Rays left-hander Shane McClanahan is set for his first regular season appearance after making his big league debut during last year’s postseason. Among the top prospects in Tampa Bay’s loaded farm system, McClanahan will start against Oakland a day after his 24th birthday. He allowed four earned runs in 4 1/3 relief innings in the 2020 playoffs for the AL champions. Prior to that, he’d made just four starts above Class A. TAKE TWO The Tigers and White Sox are slated for a straight doubleheader after their game Wednesday... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox had their game Wednesday night postponed by rain and will make it up as part of a straight doubleheader Thursday. Detroit took the first game of the series 5-2 on Tuesday. The Tigers overcame five errors to snap a five-game losing streak. The doubleheader will be the second of four scheduled for the White Sox this season. It will also be the Tigers' second. Detroit right-hander Casey Mize and Chicago left-hander Carlos Rodón were pushed back to pitch in the first game Thursday while left-hander Matthew Boyd and right-hander Dylan Cease will start in the second game. Chicago will try to reverse its luck against Detroit after losing their first matchup of the season. The White Sox are 21-8 against the Tigers dating to 2019. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Red Sox have postponed Friday night's game against the Chicago White Sox because of snow and rain. The series opener will be rescheduled as part of a day-night doubleheader on Sunday. Bostonians woke up Friday morning to an inch or two of snow in the city, with other areas of New England expecting as many as six inches. Rain and snow were expected to continue through the night. The Red Sox were returning home from their first trip of the season, seven games over eight days in Baltimore and Minnesota. After losing their first three games of the season, the Red Sox won nine in a row before losing to the Twins on Thursday. Boston will send Nick Pivetta to the mound Saturday against Dylan Cease in a matchup of right-handers. Cease was reinstated from the injured list Friday following a series of negative COVID-19 tests, and right-hander Zack Burdi was optioned to Chicago's alternate training site. Dallas Keuchel will start one of Sunday's games for the White Sox, and the team hasn't announced its other starter. Martín Pérez will start one of the doubleheader games for the Red Sox. Lucas Giolito pitches Monday against Boston's Nathan Eovaldi. Although the Boston Marathon has been postponed until October because of the pandemic, the series finale will be the traditional Patriots Day game, with an 11:10 a.m. first pitch. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Red Sox have postponed Friday night's game against the Chicago White Sox because of snow and rain. The series opener will be rescheduled as part of a day-night doubleheader on Sunday. Bostonians woke up on Friday morning to an inch or two of snow in the city, with other areas of New England expecting as many as six inches. Rain and snow were expected to continue through the night. The Red Sox were returning home from their first trip of the season, seven games over eight days in Baltimore and Minnesota. After losing their first three games of the season, the Red Sox won nine in a row before losing to the Twins on Thursday. Nick Pivetta (2-0) had been scheduled to face Dylan Cease (0-0) on Friday night and will instead pitch on Saturday. Lucas Giolito will face Martín Pérez in Sunday's first game; neither team has announced a starter for the late game. Carlos Rodón, who no-hit Cleveland in his previous start on Wednesday night, will try to match Johnny Vander Meer as the only pitchers to throw back-to-back no-hitters when he faces Nathan Eovaldi on Monday. Although the Boston Marathon has been postponed until October because of the pandemic, the series finale will be the traditional Patriots Day game, with an 11:10 a.m. first pitch. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Red Sox have postponed Friday night's game against the Chicago White Sox because of snow and rain. The series opener will be rescheduled as part of a day-night doubleheader on Sunday. Bostonians woke up on Friday morning to a heavy snow that dropped an inch or two on the city, with other areas of New England expecting as many as six inches. Rain and snow were expected to continue through the night. The Red Sox were returning home from their first road trip of the season, seven games over eight days in Baltimore and Minnesota. After losing their first three games of the season, the Red Sox won nine in a row before losing to the Twins on Thursday. Nick Pivetta (2-0) had been scheduled to face Dylan Cease (0-0) on Friday night. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago White Sox placed right-hander Dylan Cease on the injured list Wednesday in a precautionary move after he exhibited some symptoms associated with COVID-19. General manager Rick Hahn said Cease has not tested positive for COVID-19. “However, out of an abundance of caution, or arguably the appropriate amount of caution, we are going to keep Dylan away from the club until he can be cleared, based on the fact that he does have a couple of symptoms at this time,” Hahn said. “The length of Dylan's stay on the injured list is still to be determined. We're obviously hoping ... that it will be a brief one.” Right-hander Zack Burdi was recalled from the team's alternate site before its matchup with Cleveland. The 26-year-old Burdi made his big league debut last summer, going 0-1 with an 11.05 ERA in eight relief appearances. Cease, 25, has no record and a 3.86 ERA in two starts this year. He permitted one run in 4 2/3 innings during Sunday's 10-inning loss to the Royals. Cease's next turn in the rotation is scheduled for Friday at Boston. The team is hoping he can go, and coming up with a plan in case he isn't cleared to pitch against the Red Sox. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Shohei Ohtani hit a 451-foot homer and pitched two-hit ball into the fifth inning in a historic two-way performance, and Jared Walsh hit a walkoff homer in the Los Angeles Angels’ 7-4 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Sunday night. Walsh hit two homers, including a big three-run shot off Matt Foster to end the Angels’ third win over Chicago in their four-game, season-opening series. Ohtani reached another milestone in his unique career when he took the mound and occupied the No. 2 slot in the batting order for the Angels. He was just the third pitcher in 45 seasons to hit for himself in a game with the designated hitter available, and the first to bat second since Jack Dunleavy did it for the Cardinals in 1903. In the first inning alone, Ohtani both threw the hardest pitch by any starting pitcher in baseball this season and produced the hardest hit by any batter this season. Ohtani touched 101 mph with a fastball, and his first-pitch homer off Chicago’s Dylan... [More]

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Shohei Ohtani both hit the hardest homer and threw the hardest pitch by a starter in the majors this season in an extraordinary two-way performance for the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday night. Ohtani pitched and hit in the same game for the first time since moving to the majors, and the Japanese star had memorable moments in both of his endeavors against the Chicago White Sox. Ohtani hit 100.6 mph with a fastball in the first inning, and his 451-foot homer on the first pitch he saw as the Angels' No. 2 hitter moments later went 115 mph off the bat. Those are both tops this season among starting pitchers and hitters — and Ohtani had a 101.1-mph fastball later. Ohtani went 1 for 3 at the plate with his massive homer and a hard-hit lineout off Chicago starter Dylan Cease, showing off the powerful swing that makes him the Angels' everyday designated hitter. Ohtani also was excellent in the first four innings of his first mound start of the season, holding Chicago scoreless... [More]

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Shohei Ohtani both hit the hardest homer and threw the hardest pitch by a starter in the majors this season in an extraordinary two-way performance for the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday night. Ohtani pitched and hit in the same game for the first time since moving to the majors, and the Japanese star had memorable moments in both of his endeavors against the Chicago White Sox. Ohtani hit 100.6 mph with a fastball in the first inning, and his 451-foot homer on the first pitch he saw as the Angels' No. 2 hitter moments later went 115 mph off the bat. Those are both tops this season among starting pitchers and hitters — and Ohtani had a 101.1-mph fastball later. Ohtani went 1 for 3 at the plate with his massive homer and a hard-hit lineout off Chicago starter Dylan Cease. Ohtani was excellent in the first four innings of his first mound start of the season, holding Chicago scoreless and allowing just one hit. But his frequent control problems intensified in the fifth,... [More]

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Left-hander José Quintana finalized his $8 million, one-year contract with the Los Angeles Angels on Friday. Los Angeles was looking to boost its rotation following a fourth-place finish in the AL West at 26-34, 10 games behind first-place Oakland. Angels starters had a 5.52 ERA in the shortened 2020 season, 29th among the 30 major league teams and ahead of only Detroit’s 6.37. Quintana joined a rotation projected to include left-hander Andrew Heaney and right-handers Shohei Ohtani, Dylan Bundy and Griffin Canning. Quintana was limited to one start and three relief appearances during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, when he started late after surgery July 2 to repair nerve damage caused by a cut on the thumb of his pitching hand. The Cubs said Quintana was hurt while washing dishes at his home in Miami and that he needed five stitches. Quintana made relief appearances on Aug. 25 and 30, and then was sidelined again by an inflamed muscle on the left side of his... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Left-hander José Quintana has agreed to an $8 million, one-year contract with the Los Angeles Angels, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Tuesday night. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the agreement is subject to a successful physical. Los Angeles was looking to boost its rotation following a fourth-place finish in the AL West at 26-34, 10 games behind first-place Oakland. Angels’ starters had a 5.52 ERA in the shortened 2020 season, 29th among the 30 major league teams and ahead of only Detroit’s 6.37. Quintana joins a rotation projected to include left-hander Andrew Heaney and right-handers Shohei Ohtani, Dylan Bundy and Griffin Canning. Quintana was limited to one start and three relief appearances during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, when he started late after surgery July 2 to repair nerve damage caused by a cut on the thumb of his pitching hand. The Cubs said Quintana was hurt while washing dishes at his home... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The White Sox finally got back to October — and they liked it. They are hoping for a longer stay as soon as next year. Chicago's breakout season was stopped by a three-game loss at Oakland in the AL wild-card round. But it looks as if the White Sox have a bright future after stopping a string of seven consecutive losing records with their first playoff appearance since 2008. “It’s just the start of something. I think it was good for us to get in," shortstop Tim Anderson said. “Guys got a taste of it, and I think it’s just going to make them more hungry to get back there.” The 27-year-old Anderson leads a young core playing under team-friendly deals, and José Abreu is one of the front-runners for AL MVP after driving in 60 runs during the pandemic-shortened season. Lucas Giolito, who pitched his first no-hitter in August, fronts the rotation, and the bullpen has promising options. Manager Rick Renteria said he started thinking about next year right after Thursday's season-ending... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Major League Baseball suspended Chicago White Sox reliever Jimmy Cordero for three games Saturday and fined him an undisclosed amount for hitting the Cubs' Willson Contreras with a pitch. Manager Rick Renteria was suspended for one game, and he and pitching coach Don Cooper were also fined. Renteria, who served his suspension on Saturday, expected Cordero to appeal his punishment. “They did what they had to do,” Renteria said. “They have a protocol that they instituted this year. They're trying to stay consistent and follow it, so just abide by it.” Cordero, Renteria and Cooper were ejected from Friday's 10-0 loss by plate umpire Dan Bellino after Cordero hit Contreras with a pitch in the seventh inning. Cordero said after the game it was unintentional and he simply threw a bad pitch. Contreras hit a three-run shot off Dylan Cease in the third, then exited the batter’s box with sky-high bat flip. He also greeted White Sox utilityman Yolmer Sanchez, who pitched the ninth, with a solo shot for his eighth career multihomer game. The playoff-bound White Sox had lost six straight and were tied with Cleveland for second place in the AL Central behind Minnesota entering Saturday's game. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

A look at what's happening around the majors today: ___ CRUNCH TIME Eight teams in the National League are vying for four available postseason spots heading into the regular season’s final weekend, and Cardinals ace Jack Flaherty can get St. Louis a crucial win in the opener of a doubleheader against Milwaukee. The clubs opened a five-game series Thursday that could have huge implications on the race, as none of the six other contenders are facing each other. The Marlins, Phillies, Cardinals, Reds, Brewers and Giants are the top teams still in contention -- and they’re packed tightly with slots available for one team from the NL East, another from the NL Central and then two wild cards. The Mets (26-31) and Rockies (25-31) are mathematically eligible but need to win out just to have a shot. AL-MOST OVER Only one playoff spot remains open in the AL, and Michael Brantley and the Astros are on the verge of clinching it. Houston is visiting the Rangers this weekend. The Twins are trying to... [More]