CHICAGO (AP) — Hanley Ramirez hit a two-run homer and drove in three runs, and the Boston Red Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles 10-3 on Saturday to get to 12-2 — the best start in their 118-year history.Andrew Benintendi had a two-run single and an RBI double, and J.D. Martinez hit a solo homer for the Red Sox.Only once — in 1918 — had Boston started 11-2.Alex Cobb (0-1) was roughed up in his Orioles debut, giving up eight runs — seven earned — in 3 2/3 innings. Pedro Alvarez had a two-run homer for Baltimore, which has lost four of five.Hector Velazquez (2-0) gave up two runs in five innings. Marcus Walden pitched the final three innings for his first big-league save.BREWERS 5, METS 1NEW YORK (AP) — Chase Anderson breezed into the seventh inning, Jonathan Villar sliced a three-run homer inside the foul pole and Milwaukee stopped the Mets' nine-game winning streak.Jett Bandy also went deep against Matt Harvey (0-1) on a windy Fireworks Night at Citi Field as the Brewers cooled off New York... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Hanley Ramirez hit a two-run homer and drove in three runs, and the Boston Red Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles 10-3 on Saturday to get to 12-2 — the best start in their 118-year history.Andrew Benintendi had a two-run single and an RBI double, and J.D. Martinez hit a solo homer for the Red Sox.Only once — in 1918 — had Boston started 11-2.Alex Cobb (0-1) was roughed up in his Orioles debut, giving up eight runs — seven earned — in 3 2/3 innings. Pedro Alvarez had a two-run homer for Baltimore, which has lost four of five.Hector Velazquez (2-0) gave up two runs in five innings. Marcus Walden pitched the final three innings for his first big-league save.BREWERS 5, METS 1NEW YORK (AP) — Chase Anderson breezed into the seventh inning, Jonathan Villar sliced a three-run homer inside the foul pole and Milwaukee stopped the Mets' nine-game winning streak.Jett Bandy also went deep against Matt Harvey (0-1) on a windy Fireworks Night at Citi Field as the Brewers cooled off New York... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Hanley Ramirez hit a two-run homer and drove in three runs, and the Boston Red Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles 10-3 on Saturday to get to 12-2 — the best start in their 118-year history.Andrew Benintendi had a two-run single and an RBI double, and J.D. Martinez hit a solo homer for the Red Sox.Only once — in 1918 — had Boston started 11-2.Alex Cobb (0-1) was roughed up in his Orioles debut, giving up eight runs — seven earned — in 3 2/3 innings. Pedro Alvarez had a two-run homer for Baltimore, which has lost four of five.Hector Velazquez (2-0) gave up two runs in five innings. Marcus Walden pitched the final three innings for his first big-league save.BREWERS 5, METS 1NEW YORK (AP) — Chase Anderson breezed into the seventh inning, Jonathan Villar sliced a three-run homer inside the foul pole and Milwaukee stopped the Mets' nine-game winning streak.Jett Bandy also went deep against Matt Harvey (0-1) on a windy Fireworks Night at Citi Field as the Brewers cooled off New York... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Hanley Ramirez hit a two-run homer and drove in three runs, and the Boston Red Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles 10-3 on Saturday to get to 12-2 — the best start in their 118-year history.Andrew Benintendi had a two-run single and an RBI double, and J.D. Martinez hit a solo homer for the Red Sox.Only once — in 1918 — had Boston started 11-2.Alex Cobb (0-1) was roughed up in his Orioles debut, giving up eight runs — seven earned — in 3 2/3 innings. Pedro Alvarez had a two-run homer for Baltimore, which has lost four of five.Hector Velazquez (2-0) gave up two runs in five innings. Marcus Walden pitched the final three innings for his first big-league save.BREWERS 5, METS 1NEW YORK (AP) — Chase Anderson breezed into the seventh inning, Jonathan Villar sliced a three-run homer inside the foul pole and Milwaukee stopped the Mets' nine-game winning streak.Jett Bandy also went deep against Matt Harvey (0-1) on a windy Fireworks Night at Citi Field as the Brewers cooled off New York... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Max Scherzer stole the first base of his professional career and allowed only two singles in his fifth big league shutout, and the Washington Nationals ended a five-game losing skid while getting back to .500 with a 2-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Monday night.Scherzer (2-1), the winner of the past two NL Cy Young Awards, did not let the Braves push a runner beyond first base. Kurt Suzuki got a hit in the second, and Nick Markakis did in the fifth, but neither advanced.Scherzer managed to get farther than that: He swiped second after singling off reliever Peter Moylan in the seventh.Howie Kendrick delivered all the offense Washington needed with a two-run double.Scherzer struck out 10 and walked none in his ninth complete game in 299 major league starts. And he needed only 102 pitches, a far more efficient outing than his previous time on the mound: He threw 110 over five innings in a 7-1 loss at Atlanta on April 4.Julio Teheran (0-1) went six innings for the Braves,... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Max Scherzer stole the first base of his professional career and allowed only two singles in his fifth big league shutout, and the Washington Nationals ended a five-game losing skid while getting back to .500 with a 2-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Monday night.Scherzer (2-1), the winner of the past two NL Cy Young Awards, did not let the Braves push a runner beyond first base. Kurt Suzuki got a hit in the second, and Nick Markakis did in the fifth, but neither advanced.Scherzer managed to get farther than that: He swiped second after singling off reliever Peter Moylan in the seventh.Howie Kendrick delivered all the offense Washington needed with a two-run double.Scherzer struck out 10 and walked none in his ninth complete game in 299 major league starts. And he needed only 102 pitches, a far more efficient outing than his previous time on the mound: He threw 110 over five innings in a 7-1 loss at Atlanta on April 4.Julio Teheran (0-1) went six innings for the Braves,... [More]

Capsules of National League East teams, listed in order of finish last year:___Washington Nationals2017: 97-65, first place, lost to Cubs in NLDS.Manager: Dave Martinez (first season).He's Here: 1B-OF Matt Adams, C Miguel Montero, RHP Jeremy Hellickson, RHP Joaquin Benoit, INF Matt Reynolds.He's Outta Here: Manager Dusty Baker, LF Jayson Werth, 1B-LF Adam Lind, C Jose Lobaton, RHP Matt Albers.Projected Lineup: SS Trea Turner (.284, 11 HRs, 45 RBIs, 46 SBs in 98 games), LF Adam Eaton (.297, 2, 13 in 23 games), RF Bryce Harper (.319, 29, 87), 3B Anthony Rendon (.301, 25, 100, 41 2Bs), 2B Daniel Murphy (.322, 23, 93, 43 2Bs; expected to begin season on DL recovering from knee surgery), 1B Ryan Zimmerman (.303, 36, 108, 33 2Bs), CF Michael A. Taylor (.271, 19, 53), C Matt Wieters (.225, 10, 52).Rotation: RH Max Scherzer (16-6, 2.51 ERA, NL-high 268 Ks, 200 2/3 IP, 3rd Cy Young Award), RH Stephen Strasburg (15-4, 2.52, 204 Ks), LH Gio Gonzalez (15-9, 2.96, 79 walks), RH Tanner Roark (13-11,... [More]

Capsules of National League East teams, listed in order of finish last year:___Washington Nationals2017: 97-65, first place, lost to Cubs in NLDS.Manager: Dave Martinez (first season).He's Here: 1B-OF Matt Adams, C Miguel Montero, RHP Jeremy Hellickson, RHP Joaquin Benoit, INF Matt Reynolds.He's Outta Here: Manager Dusty Baker, LF Jayson Werth, 1B-LF Adam Lind, C Jose Lobaton, RHP Matt Albers.Projected Lineup: SS Trea Turner (.284, 11 HRs, 45 RBIs, 46 SBs in 98 games), LF Adam Eaton (.297, 2, 13 in 23 games), RF Bryce Harper (.319, 29, 87), 3B Anthony Rendon (.301, 25, 100, 41 2Bs), 2B Daniel Murphy (.322, 23, 93, 43 2Bs; expected to begin season on DL recovering from knee surgery), 1B Ryan Zimmerman (.303, 36, 108, 33 2Bs), CF Michael A. Taylor (.271, 19, 53), C Matt Wieters (.225, 10, 52).Rotation: RH Max Scherzer (16-6, 2.51 ERA, NL-high 268 Ks, 200 2/3 IP, 3rd Cy Young Award), RH Stephen Strasburg (15-4, 2.52, 204 Ks), LH Gio Gonzalez (15-9, 2.96, 79 walks), RH Tanner Roark (13-11,... [More]

CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) — New Philadelphia Phillies manager Gabe Kapler's progressive approach includes a strategy straight from a slow-pitch softball league.Kapler plans to flip-flop outfielders in the middle of an inning to put his best defensive player in the position where the spray charts indicate a batter is most likely to hit the ball.This isn't the typical infield shift and old-school thinkers will scoff at the idea, but Kapler feels so strongly about it that he has these words written on a white board in his office:"We know that different players have different skills. One hitter may crush fastballs. Another may hammer change-ups. That doesn't mean either is a better hitter. They just have different strengths. Outfielders are similar. Whenever we have a chance to maximize a man's strengths to get an additional out, we'll do so."Strange shifts are nothing new to baseball. The influx of analytics has led managers to try different things.Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon tried a four-man... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Rebuilding time is over for the Philadelphia Phillies.When free-agent ace Jake Arrieta arrived at spring training on co-owner John Middleton's private plane, it signaled the start of a new era for this franchise.Stocked with young talent on the major-league roster and prospects in the minors, management sent a clear message that it will do whatever it takes to start winning after five straight losing seasons and 96 losses last year."I intend to come in here and win right away," Arrieta said.Even before the 2015 NL Cy Young award winner joined the Phillies, players were confident this team could contend this season."We're ready to win right now," third baseman Maikel Franco said. "We have a lot of talent here. We're on the same page."The Phillies signed veteran slugger Carlos Santana away from Cleveland in December and bolstered the bullpen by adding right-handers Pat Neshek and Tommy Hunter. They waited on Arrieta and got him at their price — $75 million over three years... [More]

Capsules of National League East teams, listed in order of finish last year:___Washington Nationals2017: 97-65, first place, lost to Cubs in NLDS.Manager: Dave Martinez (first season).He's Here: 1B-OF Matt Adams, C Miguel Montero, RHP Jeremy Hellickson, RHP Joaquin Benoit, INF Matt Reynolds.He's Outta Here: Manager Dusty Baker, LF Jayson Werth, 1B-LF Adam Lind, C Jose Lobaton, RHP Matt Albers.Projected Lineup: SS Trea Turner (.284, 11 HRs, 45 RBIs, 46 SBs in 98 games), LF Adam Eaton (.297, 2, 13 in 23 games), RF Bryce Harper (.319, 29, 87), 3B Anthony Rendon (.301, 25, 100, 41 2Bs), 2B Daniel Murphy (.322, 23, 93, 43 2Bs, expected to begin season on DL recovering from knee surgery), 1B Ryan Zimmerman (.303, 36, 108, 33 2Bs), CF Michael A. Taylor (.271, 19, 53), C Matt Wieters (.225, 10, 52).Rotation: RH Max Scherzer (16-6, 2.51 ERA, NL-high 268 Ks, 200 2/3 IP, 3rd Cy Young Award), RH Stephen Strasburg (15-4, 2.52, 204 Ks), LH Gio Gonzalez (15-9, 2.96, 79 walks), RH Tanner Roark (13-11,... [More]

CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) — Maikel Franco no longer has to be the man on the Philadelphia Phillies.Expectations for Franco were high after he hit .280 with 14 homers and 50 RBIs in 80 games as a rookie in 2015. Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt said the guy playing his former position had MVP potential and the team hoped the young third baseman would anchor the middle of the order for a decade.But Franco has struggled the past two seasons. He batted only .230 with a .281 on-base percentage in 2017, though he led the team with 24 homers and 76 RBIs.With the emergence of slugger Rhys Hoskins and other young hitters like Aaron Altherr and Nick Williams and the addition of veteran Carlos Santana, Franco won't have to carry the offense."Nobody has to be the guy because we have a lineup that can grind you a bit," new manager Gabe Kapler said. "You're not going to get to the bottom of the lineup without having someone who can do home-run damage."Franco arrived to camp looking leaner and said he added muscle... [More]

CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) — Loud music blares inside the clubhouse and several players gather to watch an intense battle during another round of the team's pingpong tournament.There's a different vibe surrounding the Philadelphia Phillies this spring.New manager Gabe Kapler has brought a new-school philosophy, a ton of energy and plenty of positivity to an organization that needed revitalization after five straight losing seasons."He's the man," shortstop J.P. Crawford said. "He's the reason why this clubhouse is like this. He makes everyone feel comfortable and everyone wants to fight for him. He cares so much about us and that translates to us wanting to play for him and win for him and it's great to have a manager like that."Kapler's only previous managerial experience came in 2007 when he took a season off from playing in the majors to lead Boston's Class A affiliate. He also coached Team Israel during the 2013 World Baseball Classic qualifying period. But his progressive thinking was an... [More]

CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) — Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Nick Williams has set his sights on gaining a full-time role coming out of spring.He's already made quite an impression on Gabe Kapler — and on the new manager's ride, too.Williams dented Kapler's rental SUV with a home run during batting practice Tuesday and tried to ding his favorite target again Wednesday."The breeze coming in from right field did not stop Nick Williams from destroying the baseball and almost hitting my car for the second straight day," Kapler said.Insurance will surely cover the light damage and Kapler is more than happy to see the 24-year-old hitting with power."If he is destroying cars and it happens to be mine, no problem," Kapler added. "We're going to make it a bull's-eye for him."Williams, a former second-round pick for the Texas Rangers in 2012, showed some signs of what the future holds when he hit .288 with 12 home runs and 55 RBIs in 313 at-bats as a rookie last season.Williams spent the offseason working... [More]

A team-by-team look at the National League East 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:___Washington NationalsManager: Dave Martinez (first season).2017: 97-65, first place, lost to Chicago Cubs in NLDS.Training Town: West Palm Beach, Florida.Park: The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches.First Workout: Feb. 16/21.He's Here: 1B-OF Matt Adams, C Miguel Montero.He's Outta Here: Manager Dusty Baker, LF Jayson Werth, C Jose Lobaton, 1B-LF Adam Lind, RHP Matt Albers.Going campin': It's become an all-too-familiar story for the Nationals and their fans: terrific regular season, followed by quick playoff exit, followed by a managerial change. Martinez will be the latest skipper to try to lead the club to postseason success — and GM Mike Rizzo has made it clear that ownership expects nothing less than a World Series championship. Martinez has been Joe Maddon's right-hand man with the Chicago... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Playing meaningful games in September seems attainable for the Philadelphia Phillies.That's a big step forward for a team with five straight losing seasons. Philadelphia won only 66 games in 2017 and finished last in the NL East for a third time in four years.A decade after winning the franchise's second World Series title, the Phillies have a solid group of young players ready to make summers at the ballpark fun again the way Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins did from 2007-11.Slugger Rhys Hoskins, shortstop J.P. Crawford, outfielder Nick Williams and catcher Jorge Alfaro proved they belonged in the majors and will get a chance to showcase their talent over a full season.Outfielders Odubel Herrera and Aaron Altherr and second baseman Cesar Hernandez have been productive for a few years. Veteran first baseman Carlos Santana got big money in free agency to complete a lineup that has a chance to be dynamic.It will be up to new manager Gabe Kapler to maximize their... [More]

OF Nick Williams hit the first inside-the-park home run of his professional baseball career in Sunday's win, capping a strong rookie season. His strikeout issues didn't overshadow his production, as he tallied four triples, 14 doubles, 12 home runs and 55 RBIs despite not getting called up until June 30.

OF Nick Williams registered another hit Monday in a 3-1 Phillies loss to Washington. Williams, who was 1-for-4 with a single, has collected 28 hits in September, the most among any National League rookies for the month. The last Phillies rookie with more hits in September was Marlon Byrd in 2003 (36 hits).

RF Nick Williams drove in both of Philadelphia's runs in Friday's loss. Williams was 2-for-3 and improved to .205 (7-for-34) against the Braves this season. He is 4-for-12 over his last three games.

RF Nick Williams extended his hitting streak to 12 games, going 2-for-4 with a run scored in Thursday night's victory. The rookie is now up to hitting an even .300 this season, and his batting .415 during the hitting streak.