BOSTON (AP) — Rafael Devers hit two home runs, including a go-ahead blast in the fifth inning, to help the Boston Red Sox best New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole for the second straight time at Fenway Park in a 6-2 victory Friday night. Devers followed his two-run with a three-run homer in the seventh — the 100th of his career — to help Boston improve to 9-2 against New York this season. The Red Sox maintained their one-game AL East lead over Tampa Bay and increased their lead to nine games over the third-place Yankees. Yacksel Rios (3-0) got the victory, pitching two scoreless innings to cap a strong night from the bullpen after starter Eduardo Rodriguez left in the second inning after experiencing migraine symptoms. Cole (10-5) started strong for New York, but was pulled after fiving innings, giving up three runs off six hits, striking out eight and walking two. METS 3, BLUE JAYS 0 NEW YORK (AP) — Tylor Megill threw six scoreless innings for his first big league victory and got his first... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Rafael Devers hit two home runs, including a go-ahead blast in the fifth inning, to help the Boston Red Sox best New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole for the second straight time at Fenway Park in a 6-2 victory Friday night. Devers followed his two-run with a three-run homer in the seventh — the 100th of his career — to help Boston improve to 9-2 against New York this season. The Red Sox maintained their one-game AL East lead over Tampa Bay and increased their lead to nine games over the third-place Yankees. Yacksel Rios (3-0) got the victory, pitching two scoreless innings to cap a strong night from the bullpen after starter Eduardo Rodriguez left in the second inning after experiencing migraine symptoms. Cole (10-5) started strong for New York, but was pulled after fiving innings, giving up three runs off six hits, striking out eight and walking two. METS 3, BLUE JAYS 0 NEW YORK (AP) — Tylor Megill threw six scoreless innings for his first big league victory and got his first... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Rafael Devers hit two home runs, including a go-ahead blast in the fifth inning, to help the Boston Red Sox best New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole for the second straight time at Fenway Park in a 6-2 victory Friday night. Devers followed his two-run with a three-run homer in the seventh — the 100th of his career — to help Boston improve to 9-2 against New York this season. The Red Sox maintained their one-game AL East lead over Tampa Bay and increased their lead to nine games over the third-place Yankees. Yacksel Rios (3-0) got the victory, pitching two scoreless innings to cap a strong night from the bullpen after starter Eduardo Rodriguez left in the second inning after experiencing migraine symptoms. Cole (10-5) started strong for New York, but was pulled after fiving innings, giving up three runs off six hits, striking out eight and walking two. METS 3, BLUE JAYS 0 NEW YORK (AP) — Tylor Megill threw six scoreless innings for his first big league victory and got his first... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors on Saturday: ___ GUARDIANS OF THE GAME After more than 100 years, the Cleveland Indians are getting a new name — the team will be called the Guardians next season. The name change, which has its supporters and critics among Cleveland’s fan base, ends months of internal discussions triggered by a national reckoning for institutions and teams to drop logos and names considered racist. “We do feel like we’re doing the right thing and that’s what’s driving this,” club owner Paul Dolan said Friday. “I know some people disagree, but if anything I’ve gotten more and more comfortable that we’re headed in the right direction.” The organization spent most of the past year whittling down a list of potential names that was at nearly 1,200. Cleveland’s new name was inspired by the large landmark stone edifices — referred to as traffic guardians — that flank both ends of the Hope Memorial Bridge, which connects downtown to Ohio City. ADDING AN ARM The pitching-depleted... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Tylor Megill threw six scoreless innings for his first big league victory and got his first career hit, Pete Alonso homered twice and the New York Mets beat the Toronto Blue Jays 3-0 on Friday night. Megill (1-0) allowed two hits, walked one and struck out five as the rookie right-hander lowered his ERA to 2.10 a few hours after the Mets bolstered their injury-plagued rotation by acquiring Rich Hill from Tampa Bay. New York has eight starters on the injured list, including ace Jacob deGrom. Alonso continued his post-Home Run Derby surge, hitting a two-run shot off former teammate Steven Matz (8-5) in the first inning and adding a solo blast off Ryan Borucki in the eighth. Alonso has four homers in his last four games. Seth Lugo tossed a one-hit seventh, Trevor May threw a perfect eighth and Edwin Diaz snapped a streak of three straight blown saves by striking out one in a perfect ninth for his 20th save. CUBS 8, DIAMONDBACKS 3 CHICAGO (AP) — Javier Báez homered, Robinson... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The pitching-thin New York Mets on Friday acquired left-hander Rich Hill from the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays got right-hander Tommy Hunter and minor league catcher Matt Dyer in return. The 41-year-old Hill is 6-4 with a 3.89 ERA in 19 starts for the contending Rays. “I think a lot of people in the game know the name — guy that’s been around, pitching good baseball, pitching playoff baseball,” Mets manager Luis Rojas said. “It’s a great fit, great acquisition. Our front office is being diligent. One of the needs we’ve talked about is our starting pitching need and this is a guy that fits right in.” New York started the day with a four-game division lead over Philadelphia and Atlanta despite a banged-up rotation. Ace Jacob deGrom and starter David Peterson are on the injured list. Starters Noah Syndergaard and Carlos Carrasco haven’t pitched this year while recovering from injuries. Rojas said he didn’t know yet when Hill could slot into the Mets’ rotation. New York does not... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The pitching-thin New York Mets on Friday acquired left-hander Rich Hill from the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays are getting right-hander Tommy Hunter and minor league catcher Matt Dyer in return. The 41-year-old Hill is 6-4 with a 3.89 ERA in 19 starts for the contending Rays. “I think a lot of people in the game know the name — guy that’s been around, pitching good baseball, pitching playoff baseball,” Mets manager Luis Rojas said. “It’s a great fit, great acquisition. Our front office is being diligent. One of the needs we’ve talked about is our starting pitching need and this is a guy that fits right in.” New York started the day with a four-game division lead over Philadelphia and Atlanta despite a banged-up rotation. Ace Jacob deGrom and starter David Peterson are on the injured list. Starters Noah Syndergaard and Carlos Carrasco haven’t pitched this year while recovering from injuries. Rojas said he didn’t know yet when Hill could slot into the Mets’ rotation. New York... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The pitching-thin New York Mets on Friday acquired left-hander Rich Hill from the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays are getting right-hander Tommy Hunter and minor league catcher Matt Dyer in return. The 41-year-old Hill is 6-4 with a 3.89 ERA in 19 starts for the contending Rays. “I think a lot of people in the game know the name — guy that’s been around, pitching good baseball, pitching playoff baseball,” Mets manager Luis Rojas said. “It’s a great fit, great acquisition. Our front office is being diligent. One of the needs we’ve talked about is our starting pitching need and this is a guy that fits right in.” New York started the day with a four-game division lead over Philadelphia and Atlanta despite a banged-up rotation. Ace Jacob deGrom and starter David Peterson are on the injured list. Starters Noah Syndergaard and Carlos Carrasco haven’t pitched this year while recovering from injuries. Rojas said he didn’t know yet when Hill could slot into the Mets’ rotation. New York... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The pitching-thin New York Mets on Friday acquired left-hander Rich Hill from the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays are getting right-hander Tommy Hunter and minor league catcher Matt Dyer in return. The 41-year-old Hill is 6-4 with a 3.89 ERA in 19 starts for the contending Rays. New York started the day with a four-game division lead over Philadelphia and Atlanta despite a banged-up rotation. Ace Jacob deGrom and starter David Peterson are on the injured list. Starters Noah Syndergaard and Carlos Carrasco haven’t pitched this year while recovering from injuries. Hill has pitched just 95 1/3 innings this year under limits imposed under the Rays’ pitching strategy. This will be his 11th big league team in a 17-season career. The NL East leaders made the deal on the day Hill was supposed to start at Cleveland, and a week before the trade deadline. This was the second trade by the Rays in two days. They acquired All-Star slugger Nelson Cruz from the Minnesota Twins on Thursday. Tampa... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The pitching-thin New York Mets have acquired left-hander Rich Hill from the Tampa Bay Rays, a person familiar with the trade told The Associated Press on Friday. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal hadn’t been announced. The 41-year-old Hill is 6-4 with a 3.89 ERA in 19 starts for the contending Rays. New York started the day with a four-game division lead over Philadelphia and Atlanta despite a banged-up rotation. Ace Jacob deGrom and starter David Peterson are on the injured list. Starters Noah Syndergaard and Carlos Carrasco haven’t pitched this year while recovering from injuries. Hill has pitched just 95 1/3 innings this year under limits imposed under the Rays’ pitching strategy. This will be his 11th big league team in a 17-season career. The NL East leaders made the deal on the day Hill was supposed to start at Cleveland, and a week before the trade deadline. This was the second trade by the Rays in two days. They acquired All-Star slugger Nelson Cruz from the Minnesota Twins on Thursday. Tampa Bay began the day one game behind Boston in the AL East.

In a matchup between two of the American League's top teams, Lucas Giolito and Carlos Rod�n helped the Chicago White Sox fight back against Houston's powerful offense. Giolito pitched a three-hitter in Chicago's 10-1 victory Saturday, then Rod�n allowed one hit in seven innings Sunday as the White Sox blanked Houston 4-0. Those two victories came after the Astros swept a four-game series against the White Sox last month and beat Chicago 7-1 on Friday night. The White Sox (56-36) now have the best record in the American League, and they lead the AL Central by eight games. Houston (56-38) has a 3 1/2-game advantage atop the AL West. The Astros lead the major leagues in runs despite Alex Bregman's injury problems and George Springer's offseason departure. Houston finished the 2020 regular season with a sub-.500 record but still came within a victory of reaching the World Series thanks to the expanded playoffs. The Astros again look formidable this year. If they face Chicago in the playoffs,... [More]

A look at what’s happening around the majors today: SUSPENSION AFTER SHOOTING The San Diego Padres and Washington will resume their game after it was suspended because of a shooting outside Nationals Park. The game Saturday night was halted in the sixth inning with the Padres ahead 8-4. The shooting caused echoes of gunfire inside the stadium and prompted many fans to clear the seats and sent some scrambling for safety in the San Diego dugout. The shooting, an exchange of gunfire between people in two cars, left three people injured, according to Ashan Benedict, the Metropolitan Police Department’s executive assistant police chief. One of the people who was shot was a woman who was attending the game and who was struck while she was outside the stadium, he said. Her injuries weren’t considered life-threatening. Two people who were in one of the cars later walked into a local hospital with gunshot wounds and were being questioned by investigators, Benedict said, and the extent of their injuries... [More]

A look at what’s happening around the majors Sunday: SUSPENSION AFTER SHOOTING The San Diego Padres and Washington will resume their game after it was suspended because of a shooting outside Nationals Park. The game Saturday night was halted in the sixth inning with the Padres ahead 8-4. The shooting caused echoes of gunfire inside the stadium and prompted many fans to clear the seats and sent some scrambling for safety in the San Diego dugout. The shooting, an exchange of gunfire between people in two cars, left three people injured, according to Ashan Benedict, the Metropolitan Police Department’s executive assistant police chief. One of the people who was shot was a woman who was attending the game and who was struck while she was outside the stadium, he said. Her injuries weren’t considered life-threatening. Two people who were in one of the cars later walked into a local hospital with gunshot wounds and were being questioned by investigators, Benedict said, and the extent of their... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — The game between the San Diego Padres and Washington was suspended in the sixth inning Saturday night after police said there was a shooting outside Nationals Park. The shooting, an exchange of gunfire between people in two cars, left three people injured, according to Ashan Benedict, the Metropolitan Police Department’s executive assistant police chief. One of the people who was shot was a woman who was attending the game and who was struck while she was outside the stadium, he said. Her injuries weren’t considered life-threatening. Two people who were in one of the cars later walked into a local hospital with gunshot wounds and were being questioned by investigators, Benedict said, and the extent of their injuries wasn’t immediately clear. Investigators were still trying to locate the second vehicle involved in the shooting. The gunshots caused panic among fans inside the stadium, some of whom ducked for cover, hiding underneath tables and behind seats as announcers... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — The game between the San Diego Padres and Washington was suspended in the sixth inning Saturday night after police said there was a shooting outside Nationals Park. The shooting, an exchange of gunfire between people in two cars, left three people injured, according to Ashan Benedict, the Metropolitan Police Department’s executive assistant police chief. One of the people who was shot was a woman who was attending the game and who was struck while she was outside the stadium, he said. Her injuries weren’t considered life-threatening. Two people who were in one of the cars later walked into a local hospital with gunshot wounds and were being questioned by investigators, Benedict said, and the extent of their injuries wasn’t immediately clear. Investigators were still trying to locate the second vehicle involved in the shooting. The gunshots caused panic among fans inside the stadium, some of whom ducked for cover, hiding underneath tables and behind seats as announcers... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — The game between the San Diego Padres and Washington was suspended in the sixth inning Saturday night after police said there was a shooting outside Nationals Park. Two people were shot, according to a spokesman for the Metropolitan Police Department. Based on preliminary information, investigators believe that one of the victims was an employee at the stadium. Washington police later tweeted that “two additional victims associated with this incident walked into area hospitals for treatment of gunshot wounds.” The Padres had just taken the field for the bottom of the sixth when several loud pops were heard from the left field side of the ballpark. Fans sitting in left field quickly began leaving through the center field gate. A short time later, fans along the first base side began briskly leaving their seats. Some fans crowded into the Padres’ dugout on the third base side for safety. The Padres led 8-4 when the game was halted. It will be resumed Sunday afternoon, followed... [More]

A look at what’s happening around the majors Sunday: ANOTHER CHANCE Washington ace Max Scherzer gets another look at Fernando Tatis Jr. and the Padres when the Nationals close out a weekend series against San Diego. Scherzer was hit hard by the Padres on July 8, giving up a grand slam to reliever Daniel Camarena during Washington's 9-8 loss. Scherzer (7-4, 2.66 ERA) had been pitching well before that no-decision, going 6-2 with a 1.68 ERA in his previous 11 outings. He started the All-Star Game for the National League on Tuesday and tossed a perfect inning. Joe Musgrove (5-7, 2.93) takes the ball for San Diego. A-OK Athletics All-Star Chris Bassitt (10-2, 3.28 ERA) takes a 10-game winning streak into a matchup with Cleveland at the Coliseum. The 32-year-old righty dropped his first two starts of the year and hasn’t lost in 17 outings since. Bassitt’s streak is the longest by an Oakland pitcher since Mike Fiers won 12 straight in 2019. Indians right-hander Zach Plesac (4-3, 4.11) has won... [More]

PITTSBURGH (AP) — New York Mets star shortstop Francisco Lindor is out indefinitely with a strained oblique and ace Jacob deGrom is sidelined with forearm tightness, the NL East leaders announced Saturday in their latest round of health setbacks. The Mets didn't put a timetable on Lindor's return, but such injuries can often take a month or more to heal. “I’d love to say I’m day-to-day, but I’m not," Lindor said. DeGrom felt discomfort Friday while throwing a bullpen in Pittsburgh. An MRI hours later revealed forearm tightness but no structural damage. The two-time Cy Young Award winner hasn't yet been slotted back into the rotation and there is no projection on when he might pitch again. “Right now, we’re treating the player for what he feels,” manager Luis Rojas said. “That’s how we’re approaching day to day until he feels good and can throw." DeGrom is 7-2 with a major league-leading 1.08 ERA in 15 starts this season despite being hampered by multiple ailments. The right-hander last... [More]

PITTSBURGH (AP) — New York Mets star shortstop Francisco Lindor is out indefinitely with a strained oblique and ace Jacob deGrom is sidelined with forearm tightness, the NL East leaders announced Saturday in their latest round of health setbacks. The Mets didn't put a timetable on Lindor's return, but such injuries can often take a month or more to heal. “I’d love to say I’m day-to-day, but I’m not," Lindor said. DeGrom felt discomfort Friday while throwing a bullpen season at Pittsburgh. An MRI hours later showed there was forearm tightness but no structural damage. The right-hander hasn't yet been slotted back into the rotation and there is no projection on when deGrom might pitch again. “Right now, we’re treating the player for what he feels,” manager Luis Rojas said. “That’s how we’re approaching day to day until he feels good and can throw." DeGrom is 7-2 with a major league-leading 1.08 ERA in 15 starts this season despite being hampered by multiple ailments. He last pitched July... [More]

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Across the globe, everybody is watching Shohei Ohtani in awe and intrigue. Major League Baseball can only love the attention from around the world surrounding the Angels' two-way star and the spotlight he's brought to the sport. Can Ohtani keep this up? An encore to a sensational first half? He leads the majors with 33 home runs and has shown no signs of slowing down or slumping — and should soon have a healthy Mike Trout back in the lineup with him. Pitchers across the big leagues are doing their part so far, too. There have already been seven no-hitters in the majors this season, matching the mark for most in one year during the modern era. The record of eight was set in 1884, the first season overhand pitching was allowed. Will Jacob deGrom, Walker Buehler and Gerrit Cole join the list soon? And will the uproar over sticky substances tamp down? Manager Torey Lovullo and the Arizona Diamondbacks are eager for a fresh start, determined to forget that record 24-game... [More]