Two-time AL Cy Young winner Corey Kluber could be done for the season after only one inning for the Texas Rangers.He has a tear in a small muscle in his right shoulder that won't require surgery, but even in the best-case scenario in this shortened season he won't throw again for at least four weeks, which is when he will be evaluated again. “It’s a blow, there’s no getting around it,” said Jon Daniels, the team president and general manager.Daniels said Monday an MRI revealed a grade 2 tear. The 34-year-old right-hander will receive a platelet-rich plasma injection this week. “Given the time frame here and the nature of a 60-game schedule and everything that goes with it, the timeline is not on our side,” Daniels said. “We will give him his period to rest, and then if it’s recovered, or the injury is healed to the point where he can begin throwing, he’ll do so with the potential to possibly be ready for the end of the season. If that is the case, it’d probably be more likely as a reliever,... [More]

Two-time AL Cy Young winner Corey Kluber could be done for the season.He is headed to the injured list after just one inning of work in his debut as a Texas Rangers starter. He has a tear in a small muscle in his right shoulder and is not expected to make another start this season — if he pitches at all.He does not need surgery but will receive a platelet-rich plasma injection. The right-hander will then be evaluated in about four weeks to determine if he can start throwing again. Team president and general manager Jon Daniels said Monday an MRI revealed a grade 2 tear.“Given the time frame here and the nature of a 60-game schedule and everything that goes with it, the timeline is not on our side,” Daniels said. “We will give him his period to rest, and then if it’s recovered, or the injury is healed to the point where he can begin throwing, he’ll do so with the potential to possibly be ready for the end of the season. If that is the case, it’d probably be more likely as a reliever, given... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Daniel Bard won in his first major league game in more than seven years, pitching 1 1-3 scoreless innings in relief for the Colorado Rockies in a 3-2 win over the Texas Rangers on Saturday. The 35-year-old Bard (1-0), whose control troubles ran him out of baseball, got the Rockies out of a jam when he took over for starter Jon Gray with two on and two outs in the fifth. The right-hander worked around two more base runners in the sixth, getting Willie Calhoun on an inning-ending flyout to cap an 11-pitch at-bat.Wade Davis worked the ninth for his first save since July 25, 2019. He gave up a run.Colorado went ahead to stay with two runs in the fourth off Mike Minor (0-1), helped by two fielder’s choice plays and two errors. Bard threw 20 of 25 pitches for strikes Saturday, including his first one before Elvis Andrus flied out to end the fifth. ANGELS 4, ATHLETICS 1OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Dylan Bundy pitched shutout ball into the seventh inning in his Angels debut and... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Daniel Bard won in his first major league game in more than seven years, pitching 1 1-3 scoreless innings in relief for the Colorado Rockies in a 3-2 win over the Texas Rangers on Saturday. The 35-year-old Bard (1-0), whose control troubles ran him out of baseball, got the Rockies out of a jam when he took over for starter Jon Gray with two on and two outs in the fifth. The right-hander worked around two more base runners in the sixth, getting Willie Calhoun on an inning-ending flyout to cap an 11-pitch at-bat.Wade Davis worked the ninth for his first save since July 25, 2019. He gave up a run.Colorado went ahead to stay with two runs in the fourth off Mike Minor (0-1), helped by two fielder’s choice plays and two errors. Bard threw 20 of 25 pitches for strikes Saturday, including his first one before Elvis Andrus flied out to end the fifth. ANGELS 4, ATHLETICS 1OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Dylan Bundy pitched shutout ball into the seventh inning in his Angels debut and... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Daniel Bard won in his first major league game in more than seven years, pitching 1 1-3 scoreless innings in relief for the Colorado Rockies in a 3-2 win over the Texas Rangers on Saturday. The 35-year-old Bard (1-0), whose control troubles ran him out of baseball, got the Rockies out of a jam when he took over for starter Jon Gray with two on and two outs in the fifth. The right-hander worked around two more base runners in the sixth, getting Willie Calhoun on an inning-ending flyout to cap an 11-pitch at-bat.Wade Davis worked the ninth for his first save since July 25, 2019. He gave up a run.Colorado went ahead to stay with two runs in the fourth off Mike Minor (0-1), helped by two fielder’s choice plays and two errors. Bard threw 20 of 25 pitches for strikes Saturday, including his first one before Elvis Andrus flied out to end the fifth. ANGELS 4, ATHLETICS 1OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Dylan Bundy pitched shutout ball into the seventh inning in his Angels debut and... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — The Rangers now get to play inside deep in the heart — and heat — of Texas. They're 1-0 under their new roof. Lance Lynn struck out nine over six solid innings and the Texas Rangers inaugurated their retractable-roof stadium with a 1-0 win over the Colorado Rockies on Friday night. “Feels pretty good right now, haven’t lost a game in our new ballpark,” second-year manager Chris Woodward said. After 48 seasons of playing home games outside, it was a pleasant 72 degrees at first pitch in the air-conditioned $1.2 billion Globe Life Field — and 94 outside. The Rangers didn't get their first hit off Rockies starter German Marquez until after Lynn (1-0) had thrown the last of his 108 pitches in his first opening day start.“The first three innings of the game was probably the most uncomfortable I’ve ever felt on a mound,” Lynn said, later adding that he was just jacked up wanting to win the opener of a shortened season starting four months later. "I told everybody when... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Lance Lynn struck out nine in six sharp innings and the Texas Rangers inaugurated their new retractable-roof stadium with a 1-0 win over the Colorado Rockies on Friday night. After 48 seasons of playing home games outside in the Texas heat, the Rangers had the roof closed for their first game at $1.2 billion Globe Life Field. It was a pleasant 72 degrees at first pitch inside the air-conditioned building — and 94 outside. The Rangers didn't get their first hit off Rockies starter German Marquez until after Lynn (1-0) had thrown the last of his 108 pitches in his first opening day start.Danny Santana had a one-out double in the sixth, and scored on a two-out double by Rougned Odor that chased Marquez (0-1). The Rockies right-hander, who retired the first 12 batters, struck out six and walked three. Even with no fans allowed in the sparkling new 40,000-seat park, longtime PA guy Chuck Morgan gave his emphatic “It’s Baseball Time in Texas!” that echoed through the stadium... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors today:BIGGER PLAYOFFSBaseball may be embarking on a smaller regular-season schedule, but the postseason just got bigger.Major League Baseball and the players' union agreed Thursday to an expanded playoff structure that includes 16 teams instead of the usual 10. Since 16 of 30 teams will make the postseason, there's a very good chance that teams with a losing record will be included.It's just another quirk in a season that's sure to be full of them.“It’s such a unique season, why not try a little something different and make it as exciting as possible,” Colorado shortstop Trevor Story said. “I know it’s going to be such a sprint with the 60-game season; adding more playoff teams will just add to the fire and the excitement and the fandom around the game. Anything can happen in a 60-game season. I’m all for it.”Sixteen of the 30 teams will advance to a best-of-three first round: the first- and second-place teams in every division and the next two... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors Friday:BIGGER PLAYOFFSBaseball may be embarking on a smaller regular-season schedule, but the postseason just got bigger.Major League Baseball and the players' union agreed Thursday to an expanded playoff structure that includes 16 teams instead of the usual 10. Since 16 of 30 teams will make the postseason, there's a very good chance that teams with a losing record will be included.It's just another quirk in a season that's sure to be full of them.“It’s such a unique season, why not try a little something different and make it as exciting as possible,” Colorado shortstop Trevor Story said. “I know it’s going to be such a sprint with the 60-game season; adding more playoff teams will just add to the fire and the excitement and the fandom around the game. Anything can happen in a 60-game season. I’m all for it.”The division winners in each league will be the 1-3 seeds, the second-place teams in each division will be 4-6 and the two more wild cards... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — The Texas Rangers were supposed to be all settled in and fully acquainted with their new stadium by now, ready to spend the July 4 holiday weekend playing games at home. But instead of preparing Friday to play their 44th home game of the season, and 89th overall, they opened an unprecedented summer camp. Their first official workout in the new $1.2 billion Globe Life Field, and under the closed retractable roof, came nearly four months after they were in Arizona when MLB shut down spring training because of the coronavirus pandemic, and three weeks before they expect to finally play the home opener. “I’m kind of expecting weird, expecting things to be different,” manager Chris Woodward said after the workout. “I just think the whole situation is different. And that’s kind of our theme ... we’ve got to stay positive and just kind of like roll with the punches, take things head on, deal with it."While four other relievers took the mound for a simulated game, left-hander... [More]

Veteran right-hander Lance Lynn has been named the Texas Rangers' starter on opening day, a game that will be played more than four months after manager Chris Woodward actually made that decision.Woodward revealed his choice Thursday. The hard-throwing Lynn got the nod ahead of All-Star lefty Mike Minor and Corey Kluber, the two-time AL Cy Young winner Texas acquired in a December trade from Cleveland.The manager had planned to make the announcement March 13, but that ended up being the day after MLB abruptly shut down spring training because of the coronavirus. The season opener will be July 23 or 24, but the Rangers don't know where or who they will play since baseball hasn't released the 60-game schedule for the pandemic-delayed and shortened season. "I can announce it now," Woodward said when discussing the upcoming resumption of spring training, which will take place at the team's new home ballpark instead of Arizona. “I've talked to all of them before this thing. I was actually going... [More]

SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) — After Corey Kluber was traded to Texas, his new manager got a lot of texts and calls from people saying what a phenomenal pitcher and person the Rangers got. The only message that surprised Chris Woodward was the one he got from the two-time Cy Young Award winner. “One of the first texts he sent me, 'I've got a lot to prove,'” Woodward said Friday. “You don't expect that to come from a guy who's had so much success."While the 33-year-old right-hander had an injury-plagued final season in Cleveland last year, he was coming off an extended stretch as one of baseball's best pitchers. He was a 20-game winner in 2018, and the American League Cy Young winner in 2014 and 2017 — all that during a five-year span when he threw at least 203 innings with 222 strikeouts or more each season.Kluber was the Indians' opening day starter for the fifth season in a row last year, but suffered a broken right forearm when he was hit by a comeback liner in his seventh start. When he was... [More]

All-Star lefty Mike Minor feels like the Texas Rangers will be in pretty good shape if he and hard-throwing right-hander Lance Lynn can do again what they did last season. The workhorse starters now have some veteran help in the rotation with the additions of a two-time AL Cy Young Award winner and a pair of right-handers coming off career highs in wins while pitching for playoff teams.“Last year there was a lot of pressure on me and Lance to win the games that we pitched,” Minor said. “And there were some young guys in there just getting some time up there just to see how it was.”While Lynn and Minor combined for 30 wins and each pitched 208 1-3 innings with at least 200 strikeouts, there were 17 other pitchers who started games for Texas. Nine of them were rookies, some relievers pitching in an “opener” role. The Rangers got started this offseason by signing free-agent right-handers Kyle Gibson and Jordan Lyles, but weren't finished there. They acquired Texas native and former Cy Young... [More]

A team-by-team look at the American League West 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:___Houston Astros Manager: Dusty Baker (first season). 2019: 107-55, first place, lost to Nationals in World Series. Training Town: West Palm Beach, Florida. Park: Ballpark of Palm Beaches. First Workout: Feb. 13/17. He's Here: Manager Dusty Baker, RHP Austin Pruitt, C Dustin Garneau.He's Outta Here: Manager AJ Hinch, RHP Gerrit Cole, RHP Will Harris, C Robinson Chirinos, OF Tony Kemp. Going campin': The Astros enter the spring reeling from a sign-stealing scandal that cost manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow their jobs. They brought in Baker to steady the team, and it gives the 70-year-old another chance to chase his first World Series title as a manager. He’ll get a crash course learning his new team this spring after being hired less than three weeks before pitchers and catchers... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Alex Cora has already been identified as a ringleader in an illegal system of sign stealing when he was with the Houston Astros.The Red Sox didn't wait to see what punishment Major League Baseball might give him for possibly bringing a similar scheme with him to Boston.Cora was fired by the team he led to the 2018 World Series title on Tuesday night, one day after baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said he was “an active participant” in the Astros' cheating when he was a bench coach in Houston.Manfred mentioned Cora by name 11 times in a nine-page report, saying he "originated and executed" the scheme in which Houston used a center field camera to decode catchers' signals to pitchers, then banged on a trash can to relay the signs to batters so they would know what type of pitch was coming. The Astros fired manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow, making that announcement an hour after Manfred suspended them for the 2020 season for their roles in the cheating scheme.... [More]

Robinson Chirinos and the Texas Rangers were close Wednesdayto a $6.5 million, one-year contract to reunite after the veteran catcher spent a season with the AL West rival Houston Astros.A person familiar with the deal said the agreement was contingent on a successful physical. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because there had been no official announcement.Chirinos would have a $5.5 million salary this season. The deal includes a $6.5 million option for 2021 with a $1 million buyout. After six seasons with the Rangers, Chirinos became a free agent when Texas declined a $4.5 million option after the 2019 season and he signed a $5.75 million deal with Houston. He hit .238 with 17 homers and 58 RBIs in 114 games for the American League champions, while catching for AL Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander and runner-up Gerrit Cole. He homered in Games 3 and 4 of the World Series, including a pair in Game 4.The 35-year-old likely will become the Rangers starting... [More]

Robinson Chirinos and the Texas Rangers were close Wednesdayto a $6.5 million, one-year contract to reunite after the veteran catcher spent a season with the AL West rival Houston Astros.A person familiar with the deal said the agreement was contingent on a successful physical. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because there had been no official announcement.Chirinos would have a $5.5 million salary this season. The deal includes a $6.5 million option for 2021 with a $1 million buyout. After six seasons with the Rangers, Chirinos became a free agent when Texas declined a $4.5 million option after the 2019 season and he signed a $5.75 million deal with Houston. He hit .238 with 17 homers and 58 RBIs in 114 games for the American League champions, while catching for AL Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander and runner-up Gerrit Cole. He homered in Games 3 and 4 of the World Series, including a pair in Game 4.The 35-year-old likely will become the Rangers starting... [More]

DALLAS (AP) — Corey Kluber is returning to Texas to pitch for the Rangers.The two-time Cy Young Award winner will leave it to others to say whether his hometown team has its next ace.“I think having a starting pitcher you can rely on every fifth day to give your team a chance to win, keep you in the ballgame, I think that stuff carries just as much weight,” Kluber said Tuesday, two days after the Rangers acquired him in a trade with Cleveland that sent outfielder Delino DeShields and reliever Emmanuel Clase to the Indians.“As far as expecting myself to be a No. 1 starter, I feel like if you do that stuff in between starts and you prepare yourself and you do the things I talked about, I think that stuff just kind of falls in line. But that’s not what I set out to do.”Kluber missed most of last season after breaking his right forearm when he was struck by a line drive during a start at Miami. The 33-year-old came close to returning to the Indians' rotation but injured an oblique during a... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Corey Kluber led by example and excellence in Cleveland. The Texas Rangers are hoping he can do the same for them.The Indians traded the two-time Cy Young Award winner — and their unquestioned ace — over the past six seasons to the Rangers on Sunday, a blockbuster deal that could dramatically change both teams.In exchange for the 33-year-old Kluber, Cleveland received outfielder Delino DeShields and pitching prospect Emmanuel Clase, a hard-throwing 21-year-old reliever with “electric stuff.”Indians president Chris Antonetti said he received calls from numerous teams with interest in Kluber. But the offer from Texas made the most sense for Cleveland because it included players who can have an immediate impact and “help us be a better team in 2020.”But dealing the stoic and steady Kluber wasn't easy.Since the Indians acquired him in a 2010 trade with San Diego, he has blossomed into one of baseball's most dominant pitchers. Kluber won his first Cy Young in 2014, when he went... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Corey Kluber led by example and excellence in Cleveland. The Texas Rangers are hoping he can do the same for them.The Indians traded the two-time Cy Young Award winner — and their unquestioned ace — over the past six seasons to the Rangers on Sunday, a blockbuster deal that could dramatically change both teams.In exchange for the 33-year-old Kluber, Cleveland received outfielder Delino DeShields and pitching prospect Emmanuel Clase, a hard-throwing 21-year-old with huge potential.The stoic and steady Kluber has been one of baseball's most dominant pitchers since 2014, when he went 18-9 and won his first Cy Young. He got his second in 2017, going 18-4 and leading the AL with a 2.25 ERA. But his future with the money-conscious Indians grew more uncertain last season when the club managed to stay in the playoff chase until late September despite not having him after May 1.Kluber broke his right forearm when he was struck by a line drive during a start at Miami and never made... [More]