DUNEDIN, Fla. (AP) — Austin Meadows, Manuel Margot and Mike Brosseau drew consecutive bases-loaded walks with two outs in the ninth inning and the Tampa Bay Rays rallied for their 10th straight win, beating the Toronto Blue Jays 6-4 on Sunday. The Rays trailed 4-2 going into the ninth, but took advantage of five walks by relievers Tyler Chatwood (0-1) and Travis Bergen to send Toronto to its fifth straight loss. After a leadoff walk and a single, Brett Phillips hit an RBI single with one out that made it 4-3. Chatwood retired Randy Arozarena before walking Yandy Díaz to load the bases. Bergen entered and Meadows worked a nine-pitch walk after fouling off three 3-2 pitches, tying the score. Margot walked on five pitches to put Tampa Bay ahead and Brosseau walked on four pitches. Josh Fleming (4-3) got the win, and recently acquired J.P. Feyereisen worked the ninth for his first save. BREWERS 9, REDS 4 CINCINNATI (AP) — Christian Yelich hit his first homer of the season and Kolten Wong had... [More]

A look at what’s happening around the majors today: ___ UP AND DOWN Shohei Ohtani (1-0, 2.10 ERA) makes his sixth pitching start of the season when the Angels face Aaron Civale (5-1, 3.40) and the Indians. Ohtani hit his major league-leading 14th home run during Tuesday night's 6-5 loss to Cleveland, connecting for the third straight day. The two-way star is the first pitcher since 1900 to rack up at least 40 strikeouts and allow 11 or fewer hits over his first five starts of a season. Los Angeles will again be without three-time AL MVP Mike Trout, who was placed on the injured list Tuesday with a strained right calf. Trout could be sidelined past the All-Star break after getting hurt on the bases Monday night. He is expected to miss six to eight weeks. “I felt a pop,” Trout said. "I knew it was bad when it happened. I’ve never felt anything like this before.” Trout leads the majors with a 1.090 OPS. The outfielder is hitting .333 with eight home runs and 18 RBIs. VIRUS UPDATE The streaking... [More]

A look at what’s happening around the majors on Wednesday: ___ TROUT TROUBLE Angels star Mike Trout could be out past the All-Star break after straining his right calf on the bases. Trout is expected to miss six to eight weeks. The three-time AL MVP made an early exit Monday night in a 7-4 win over Cleveland. He came up limping when he ran toward third on a popup that ended the first inning. “I felt a pop,” Trout said. "I knew it was bad when it happened. I’ve never felt anything like this before.” Trout leads the majors with a 1.090 OPS. The outfielder is hitting .333 with eight home runs and 18 RBIs. TICKED-OFF TWINS A riled-up Twins team hosts the White Sox again in a series between AL Central rivals that's turned a little testy. Minnesota reliever Tyler Duffey was ejected Tuesday night after throwing behind the legs of Chicago rookie Yermín Mercedes. Twins manager Rocco Baldelli also was tossed by plate umpire Jim Reynolds. Mercedes got Minnesota’s attention when he homered on a 3-0... [More]

A look at what’s happening around the majors on Wednesday: ___ TROUT TROUBLE Angels star Mike Trout could be out past the All-Star break after straining his right calf on the bases. Trout is expected to miss six to eight weeks. The three-time AL MVP made an early exit Monday night in a 7-4 win over Cleveland. He came up limping when he ran toward third on a popup that ended the first inning. “I felt a pop,” Trout said. "I knew it was bad when it happened. I’ve never felt anything like this before.” Trout leads the majors with a 1.090 OPS. The outfielder is hitting .333 with eight home runs and 18 RBIs. BEEN HERE BEFORE Corey Kluber takes the mound at the Texas Rangers’ retractable roof stadium for the second time, this time starting against them for the New York Yankees. The two-time AL Cy Young Award winner threw just one inning in his only season with the Rangers, tearing a muscle in his shoulder during a start last July in the third game played in the $1.2 billion stadium. The injury... [More]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Milwaukee Brewers activated Christian Yelich from the injured list Tuesday and expect the two-time All-Star to play for just the second time in five weeks when they open a two-game interleague set in Kansas City. Yelich played nine games to start the season before leaving with stiffness in his lower back on April 11 in St. Louis. He tried to return on May 3 in Philadelphia but played just one game before returning to the injured list. “I'm just excited to be back in there and contribute at some level,” Yelich said. Brewers manager Craig Counsell said the 2018 National League MVP underwent some different training methods during his last IL stint and Yelich's back finally showed some improvement. He wound up playing three consecutive rehab games at Triple-A Nashville over the weekend, going 0 for 5 with a pair of walks while playing in the outfield. More importantly than the numbers, Yelich experienced none of the pain that has sidelined him for 31 games this season.... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich is going back on the injured list just one day after getting activated. The Brewers announced Tuesday that Yelich was returning to the IL due to the lower back strain that has bothered the 2018 NL MVP for the last three weeks. The Brewers recalled outfielder Tyrone Taylor from Triple-A Nashville. “I’m just not where I need to be to go out there on an everyday basis and compete in a Major League Baseball game,” Yelich said before the Brewers played Tuesday night at Philadelphia. “I wasn’t where I needed to be yesterday. It just wasn’t good. I was able to make it through the game, but being able to stack them on top of each other health-wise and being able to play a certain level, it just wasn’t there. That’s pretty much why we’re back to where we are," he said. Yelich went 2 for 4 on Monday night at Phiadelphia in his first game since April 11. He is batting .353 with a .463 on-base percentage, no homers and one RBI in just... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich is going back on the injured list just one day after getting activated. The Brewers announced Tuesday that Yelich was returning to the IL due to the lower back strain that has bothered the 2018 NL MVP for the last three weeks. The Brewers recalled outfielder Tyrone Taylor from Triple-A Nashville. Yelich went 2 for 4 on Monday night at Phiadelphia in his first game since April 11. He is batting .353 with a .463 on-base percentage, no homers and one RBI in just 10 games. The back problem caused Yelich to undergo an MRI in late April. Brewers manager Craig Counsell said the MRI showed no structural damage. Taylor has capitalized on his opportunity while Yelich has been hurt. The 27-year-old is batting .323 with a .400 on-base percentage, two homers, seven RBIs and a .981 OPS in 16 games. ___ More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Vince Velasquez threw six sharp innings, J.T. Realmuto hit a two-run homer and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3 Monday night. Velasquez (1-0) allowed one run and four hits, striking out six in his longest outing this season. Hector Neris struck out Lorenzo Cain with the bases loaded in the ninth to preserve the win. Brewers starter Adrian Houser (2-3) gave up four runs — two earned — and four hits in six innings. Cain blasted a solo homer onto the concourse behind the left-center field stands to give the Brewers a 1-0 lead in the first in his first at-bat off the injury list. But NL Central-leading Milwaukee couldn’t do anything else until Philadelphia went to the bullpen. Sam Coonrod struck out the side in the seventh but the Brewers loaded the bases the next two innings. Connor Brogdon walked two and yielded an infield single to Christian Yelich in the eighth. After Travis Shaw’s sacrifice fly cut it to 4-2, Neris entered. Avisail Garcia’s fielder’s... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers are finally starting to get more healthy. Milwaukee activated 2018 NL MVP Christian Yelich and fellow outfielder Lorenzo Cain from the injured list and put both in the starting lineup for Monday night’s game at Philadelphia. The Brewers made room for the two former All-Stars by sending slumping first baseman Keston Hiura and outfielder Tyrone Taylor to the alternate training site. “We haven’t been activating players lately, so just to activate some players is a change of how last week went, that’s for sure,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. The Brewers had 17 players on the injured list Sunday when they lost 16-4 to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Yelich hasn’t played since April 11 due to a lower back strain, Cain had a left quad strain and last played on April 13. Even with all those injuries, the Brewers won three of four from the Dodgers. They're starting a seven-game road trip with a 17-11 mark that tied the San Francisco Giants... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors today: ___ GAMER GONE Athletics left-hander Jesús Luzardo will be off the mound for a while. He might also be staying away from video games. Luzardo is out indefinitely after breaking the pinkie finger on his pitching hand when he thumped a table while playing a video game. The injury occurred before his start Saturday. An X-ray after a loss to Baltimore showed a hairline fracture and Luzardo was put on the 10-day injured list. Oakland manager Bob Melvin said he didn’t know how long Luzardo would be out. Luzardo wound up pitching three innings and allowed six runs, three of them earned. He is 1-3 with a 5.79 ERA in six starts this season. OHTANI’S TURN Shohei Ohtani is a question mark to make his scheduled start on the mound for the Angels when they face Tampa Bay ace Tyler Glasnow in Anaheim. Ohtani was hit on the right elbow by a pitch in the first inning of Sunday's 2-0 loss at Seattle. Los Angeles manager Joe Maddon said the elbow was sore... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors on Monday: ___ GAMER GONE Athletics left-hander Jesús Luzardo will be off the mound for a while. He might also be staying away from video games. Luzardo is out indefinitely after breaking the pinkie finger on his pitching hand when he thumped a table while playing a video game. The injury occurred before his start Saturday. An X-ray after a loss to Baltimore showed a hairline fracture and Luzardo was put on the 10-day injured list. Oakland manager Bob Melvin said he didn’t know how long Luzardo would be out. Luzardo wound up pitching three innings and allowed six runs, three of them earned. He is 1-3 with a 5.79 ERA in six starts this season. OHTANI’S TURN Shohei Ohtani is a question mark to make his scheduled start on the mound for the Angels when they face Tampa Bay ace Tyler Glasnow in Anaheim. Ohtani was hit on the right elbow by a pitch in the first inning of Sunday's 2-0 loss at Seattle. Los Angeles manager Joe Maddon said the elbow was... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors on Monday: ___ GAMER GONE Athletics left-hander Jesús Luzardo will be off the mound for a while. He might also be staying away from video games. Luzardo is out indefinitely after breaking the pinkie finger on his pitching hand when he thumped a table while playing a video game. The injury occurred before his start Saturday. An X-ray after a loss to Baltimore showed a hairline fracture and Luzardo was put on the 10-day injured list. Oakland manager Bob Melvin said he didn’t know how long Luzardo would be out. Luzardo wound up pitching three innings and allowed six runs, three of them earned. He is 1-3 with a 5.79 ERA in six starts this season. OHTANI’S TURN Shohei Ohtani is scheduled to start for the Angels when they face Tampa Bay ace Tyler Glasnow in Anaheim. Ohtani earned his first win in three starts this season in his previous outing, overcoming a rough first inning at Texas. He has a 3.29 ERA in 23 strikeouts in 13 2/3 innings. Ohtani ranks... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Corbin Burnes is going on the injured list after a remarkable April run. The Brewers announced Thursday that they had placed Burnes on the IL without specifying his issue. The move comes as the Brewers begin a four-game home series with the reigning World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. “The only thing I can say is we made an IL placement, (and) we're following Major League Baseball health and safety protocols," president of baseball operations David Stearns said. "I can't comment more than that. I'm not going to speculate on a return timetable or anything along those lines.” Manager Craig Counsell said the team likely will wait until after Saturday’s game before announcing who will take Burnes’ place in the rotation against the Dodgers on Sunday. Burnes is 2-2 with a 1.53 ERA and has recorded 49 strikeouts and no walks through 29 1/3 innings. He allowed one earned run through his first four starts before giving up five runs — four earned... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Corbin Burnes is going on the injured list after a remarkable April run. The Brewers announced Thursday that they had placed Burnes on the IL without specifying his issue. The move comes as the Brewers begin a four-game home series with the reigning World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. Manager Craig Counsell said the team likely will wait until after Saturday’s game before announcing who will take Burnes’ place in the rotation against the Dodgers on Sunday. Burnes is 2-2 with a 1.53 ERA and has recorded 49 strikeouts and no walks through 29 1/3 innings. He allowed one earned run through his first four starts before giving up five runs — four earned — over five innings in an 8-0 loss to the Miami Marlins on Monday. The Brewers have already endured numerous injuries to key players. Outfielder Christian Yelich hasn’t played since April 11 due to a strained lower back. Outfielder Lorenzo Cain has been sidelined since April 13 because of... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Milwaukee Brewers are moving along with their plan for Christian Yelich after an MRI on the slugger's strained lower back showed no major issues. Yelich hasn’t played since April 11. He was eligible to come off the injured list this weekend, but the 2018 NL MVP was sent back to Milwaukee because manager Craig Counsell said the outfielder had hit a “plateau” in his recovery. “We basically just ruled out anything significant structurally that would show up on the MRI,” Counsell said before Sunday's series finale against the Cubs. “We still need to make progress to get him back on the field and so from that perspective not much has changed. But we’ll keep moving forward and see what some activity tomorrow at the field brings.” Milwaukee placed Yelich on the injured list April 17, with the move retroactive to April 14. He is batting .333 (10 for 30) in nine games this season. The Brewers also are without center fielder Lorenzo Cain, who went on the IL on April 14 with a quadriceps... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors today: ___ BAKER'S DOZEN IN THE BOOKS Oakland goes for its 14th consecutive victory when the Athletics take on Baltimore at Camden Yards. Jesús Luzardo (1-1, 5.89 ERA) is on the mound as the A’s look to complete a three-game sweep. This is the third-longest winning streak in Oakland history. The A’s won 14 straight in 1988 and set a then-American League record with 20 consecutive victories in 2002. Cleveland broke that mark with 22 straight wins in 2017 — Oakland’s string is the longest in the majors since that Indians run. The Athletics, who lost their first six games this season, have outscored opponents 83-36 during the winning streak. John Means (1-0, 1.52) starts for the Orioles after getting an additional two days of rest following seven shutout innings Sunday at Texas in his last outing. Oakland has won nine in a row against Baltimore dating to 2019. SUNDAY NIGHT SPOTLIGHT Fernando Tatis Jr. is coming off consecutive two-homer games as... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors today: ___ BAKER'S DOZEN IN THE BOOKS Oakland goes for its 14th consecutive victory when the Athletics take on Baltimore at Camden Yards. Jesús Luzardo (1-1, 5.89 ERA) is on the mound as the A’s look to complete a three-game sweep. This is the third-longest winning streak in Oakland history. The A’s won 14 straight in 1988 and set a then-American League record with 20 consecutive victories in 2002. Cleveland broke that mark with 22 straight wins in 2017 — Oakland’s string is the longest in the majors since that Indians run. The Athletics, who lost their first six games this season, have outscored opponents 83-36 during the winning streak. John Means (1-0, 1.52) starts for the Orioles after getting an additional two days of rest following seven shutout innings Sunday at Texas in his last outing. Oakland has won nine in a row against Baltimore dating to 2019. SUNDAY NIGHT SPOTLIGHT Fernando Tatis Jr. is coming off consecutive two-homer games as... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors on Sunday: ___ BAKER'S DOZEN IN THE BOOKS Oakland goes for its 14th consecutive victory when the Athletics take on Baltimore at Camden Yards. Jesús Luzardo (1-1, 5.89 ERA) is on the mound as the A’s look to complete a three-game sweep. This is the third-longest winning streak in Oakland history. The A’s won 14 straight in 1988 and set a then-American League record with 20 consecutive victories in 2002. Cleveland broke that mark with 22 straight wins in 2017 — Oakland’s string is the longest in the majors since that Indians run. The Athletics, who lost their first six games this season, have outscored opponents 83-36 during the winning streak. John Means (1-0, 1.52) starts for the Orioles after getting an additional two days of rest following seven shutout innings Sunday at Texas in his last outing. Oakland has won nine in a row against Baltimore dating to 2019. AILING ASTROS Houston second baseman José Altuve says he tested positive for COVID-19... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors on Sunday: ___ AILING ASTROS Houston second baseman José Altuve says he’s tested positive for COVID-19 but hasn’t felt badly and hopes to return to the lineup soon. The 2017 AL MVP was among five Astros who were placed on the COVID-19 list on April 14. The four other players were back on the active roster within a few days. It’s unclear how much time Altuve will need before playin again. He said he received the first dose of one of the two-dose COVID-19 vaccines before testing positive, and that he has no idea how he contracted the virus. Altuve is hitting .318 with one homer, three doubles and five RBIs in 11 games. Hours after Altuve spoke, Houston starter Jake Odorizzi was forced to leave after throwing only five pitches against the Angels because of tightness in his right forearm. Odorizzi got a late start to the season after not signing with the Astros until March 8. He entered the game with an 0-2 record and 10.57 ERA in two starts this... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich is returning to Milwaukee for an MRI on his strained lower back. The 2018 NL MVP had been eligible to be activated from the injured list during this weekend’s three-game series with the Chicago Cubs. “Nothing bad happened yesterday,” manager Craig Counsell said. “He did the day of work that we were expecting. We’re just at a plateau, and so we’re just trying to rule everything out and see if we can get any new bit, just another piece of information. It’s frustrating for Christian." The Brewers also said they placed pitchers Brett Anderson and Josh Lindblom on the injured list. Right-hander Phil Bickford and outfielder Corey Ray were recalled from the team's alternate site. Yelich hasn’t played since April 11. The Brewers placed him on the injured list April 17, with the move retroactive to April 14. He is batting .333 with one homer and six RBIs in nine games this season. The Brewers also have been missing center fielder Lorenzo Cain, who... [More]