ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Mike Trout instantly figured something was wrong. And the Angels star was right — he's now out for the longest stretch of his major league career because of a strained right calf. The three-time AL MVP is expected to miss six to eight weeks, which would sideline the Los Angeles outfielder through the All-Star break. “It is not just a little bump in the road. I mean, I’m really crushed about it,” Trout said Tuesday. The Angels put Trout on the injured list, a day after he came up limping when he headed toward third base on a popup that ended the first inning. Trout said when he put his head down to run, he thought he'd been hit by a line drive. “I knew it was bad when it happened. I felt the pop and was just hoping for the best,” Trout said. “I wanted to make sure it wasn't my Achilles. So I guess if there’s any positive that comes out of this, at least it wasn't that. It was just a freak thing.” Trout slammed down his batting helmet as he exited the field, an injury... [More]

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Albert Pujols was cut by the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday, abruptly ending the 41-year-old superstar slugger's decade with his second major league team. The Angels surprisingly announced the move to designate Pujols for assignment one day after he wasn't in the lineup for the slumping club's fourth consecutive loss. The decision was made after Pujols, dissatisfied with irregular playing time, had a late-night meeting with general manager Perry Minasian and team president John Carpino. Pujols, who is batting .198 this season, is determined to play first base regularly for another team after he clears waivers, Angels manager Joe Maddon said. Pujols is fifth in major league history with 667 career homers and 13th with 3,253 hits. “He wants to play, and he wants to be in the field,” Maddon said. “Hopefully he’s going to get that opportunity somewhere else, and believe me, we’re all going to be rooting for him.” The three-time NL MVP for St. Louis was in the final season... [More]

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Albert Pujols was cut by the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday, abruptly ending the 41-year-old superstar slugger's decade with his second major league team. The Angels surprisingly announced the move to designate Pujols for assignment a day after he wasn't in their lineup for the slumping club's fourth consecutive loss. The three-time NL MVP for St. Louis was in the final season of a 10-year, $240 million contract with Los Angeles. Pujols is fifth in major league history with 667 career homers, and the first baseman is 13th in major league history with 3,253 hits. A 10-time All-Star and the oldest active player in the majors, he is batting .198 this season with five homers and 12 RBIs while playing in 24 of the Angels' 29 games. “The Angels organization proudly signed Albert Pujols in 2011, and are honored that he has worn an Angels jersey for nearly half of his Hall of Fame career," Angels owner Arte Moreno said in a statement. "Albert’s historical accomplishments,... [More]

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Adam Wainwright came off the COVID-19 injured list and hung tough, St. Louis got a lights-out performance from its bullpen and the Cardinals beat New York for their fifth straight win. After the game, the Mets fired hitting coach Chili Davis and assistant hitting coach Tom Slater. New York has struggled badly with runners in scoring position this season, a trouble spot last year as well when Davis worked remotely because of coronavirus concerns. Several accomplished hitters are off to slow starts for the Mets, including $341 million newcomer Francisco Lindor. The Cardinals were clinging to a one-run lead in the ninth with two outs and a runner on base when the lights at Busch Stadium flickered, then went out for a moment. When play resumed, reliever Alex Reyes walked Pete Alonso before retiring Dom Smith on a flyball for the final out. Nolan Arenado and Harrison Bader homered to back Wainwright’s first win of the season. Four Cardinals relievers combined for 3 1/3 hitless... [More]

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Adam Wainwright came off the COVID-19 injured list and hung tough, St. Louis got a lights-out performance from its bullpen and the Cardinals beat New York for their fifth straight win. After the game, the Mets fired hitting coach Chili Davis and assistant hitting coach Tom Slater. New York has struggled badly with runners in scoring position this season, a trouble spot last year as well when Davis worked remotely because of coronavirus concerns. Several accomplished hitters are off to slow starts for the Mets, including $341 million newcomer Francisco Lindor. The Cardinals were clinging to a one-run lead in the ninth with two outs and a runner on base when the lights at Busch Stadium flickered, then went out for a moment. When play resumed, reliever Alex Reyes walked Pete Alonso before retiring Dom Smith on a flyball for the final out. Nolan Arenado and Harrison Bader homered to back Wainwright’s first win of the season. Four Cardinals relievers combined for 3 1/3 hitless... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Michael Conforto hit a tiebreaking home run in the ninth inning and the New York Mets benefited from a very questionable call by the second base umpire to beat the Philadelphia Phillies 5-4 Saturday night. Conforto led off the ninth by connecting against Hector Neris (1-3). Conforto also had a two-run double in a four-run first inning against former teammate Zack Wheeler. The Mets squandered the 4-0 lead but recovered to win for just the fourth time in 12 games — even after center fielder Brandon Nimmo and third baseman J.D. Davis exited with hand injuries. Alec Bohm tied it with a two-run homer for the Phillies, who have alternated wins and losses in their last 10 games. Philadelphia hasn’t won consecutive games since a three-game sweep of Atlanta to open the season. With one out in the bottom of the seventh, second base umpire Jose Navas ruled Andrew McCutchen ran out of the baseline to avoid an attempted tag by shortstop Francisco Lindor on what became an inning-ending... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Clayton Kershaw yielded four hits over seven innings, Justin Turner homered and the Los Angeles Dodgers ended their three-game losing streak with an 8-0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday. Kershaw (4-2) struck out eight and walked one never allowing Cincinnati to get a runner to third base. Matt Beaty drove in two runs with a pinch single on his 28th birthday during a six-run eighth. Nick Senzel matched his career high with four hits as the Reds were shut out for the fourth time. Sonny Gray (0-2) pitched four-hit ball into the sixth while striking out 11 and allowing four hits and three walks. CARDINALS 5, PHILLIES 3 ST. LOUIS (AP) — Andrew McCutchen returned to the lineup and drove in the go-ahead run, helping Philadelphia beat St. Louis after Bryce Harper was hit in the face by a pitch. Harper left the game in the sixth inning after getting hit in his left cheek on a 96.9 mph fastball from left-handed reliever Génesis Cabrera (0-1). Cabrera hit the next batter,... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Clayton Kershaw yielded four hits over seven innings, Justin Turner homered and the Los Angeles Dodgers ended their three-game losing streak with an 8-0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday. Kershaw (4-2) struck out eight and walked one never allowing Cincinnati to get a runner to third base. Matt Beaty drove in two runs with a pinch single on his 28th birthday during a six-run eighth. Nick Senzel matched his career high with four hits as the Reds were shut out for the fourth time. Sonny Gray (0-2) pitched four-hit ball into the sixth while striking out 11 and allowing four hits and three walks. CARDINALS 5, PHILLIES 3 ST. LOUIS (AP) — Andrew McCutchen returned to the lineup and drove in the go-ahead run, helping Philadelphia beat St. Louis after Bryce Harper was hit in the face by a pitch. Harper left the game in the sixth inning after getting hit in his left cheek on a 96.9 mph fastball from left-handed reliever Génesis Cabrera (0-1). Cabrera hit the next batter,... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Clayton Kershaw yielded four hits over seven innings, Justin Turner homered and the Los Angeles Dodgers ended their three-game losing streak with an 8-0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday. Kershaw (4-2) struck out eight and walked one never allowing Cincinnati to get a runner to third base. Matt Beaty drove in two runs with a pinch single on his 28th birthday during a six-run eighth. Nick Senzel matched his career high with four hits as the Reds were shut out for the fourth time. Sonny Gray (0-2) pitched four-hit ball into the sixth while striking out 11 and allowing four hits and three walks. CARDINALS 5, PHILLIES 3 ST. LOUIS (AP) — Andrew McCutchen returned to the lineup and drove in the go-ahead run, helping Philadelphia beat St. Louis after Bryce Harper was hit in the face by a pitch. Harper left the game in the sixth inning after getting hit in his left cheek on a 96.9 mph fastball from left-handed reliever Génesis Cabrera (0-1). Cabrera hit the next batter,... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Clayton Kershaw yielded four hits over seven innings, Justin Turner homered and the Los Angeles Dodgers ended their three-game losing streak with an 8-0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday. Kershaw (4-2) struck out eight and walked one never allowing Cincinnati to get a runner to third base. Matt Beaty drove in two runs with a pinch single on his 28th birthday during a six-run eighth. Nick Senzel matched his career high with four hits as the Reds were shut out for the fourth time. Sonny Gray (0-2) pitched four-hit ball into the sixth while striking out 11 and allowing four hits and three walks. MARLINS 6, BREWERS 2 MILWAUKEE (AP) — Jesús Aguilar homered for the fifth time in six games, a tiebreaking three-run shot off Eric Yardley in the fourth. Sandy Alcantara (1-2) gave up two runs and five hits in seven innings. Zack Godley (0-1) walked five, threw two wild pitches, committed a balk and hit a batter in an eventful Brewers debut. He was charged with four runs,... [More]

A look at what’s happening around the majors today: ___ POSTPONED The Red Sox and Twins were scheduled to begin their series in Minnesota a day late. Monday's opener of a four-game set at Target Field was postponed because of safety concerns following the fatal police shooting of a Black man in Minnesota and the potential for unrest in the area. The NBA's Timberwolves and NHL's Wild also postponed their games a day after the shooting of 20-year-old Daunte Wright following a traffic stop in a nearby suburb of Minneapolis. The Twins said their decision was made in consultation with Major League Baseball and state and local officials. FINGERS CROSSED The Chicago Cubs are concerned about a possible COVID-19 outbreak after two coaches tested positive for the virus and three relievers were placed on the COVID-19-related injured list. The team announced the positive test for bullpen coach Chris Young before its 6-3 loss at Milwaukee. First base coach Craig Driver already was away from the club... [More]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Los Angeles Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon was placed on the 10-day injured list Monday because of a strained groin. Rendon was hurt while making a throw late in a 15-1 loss to Toronto on Saturday. The Angels made the roster move retroactive to Sunday. Angels manager Joe Maddon said he hopes Rendon will be sidelined for the minimum 10 days. Rendon, 30, is starting his second season with the Angels after signing a $245 million, seven-year contract. He hit his first home run of the season on Saturday and is batting .290 with three RBIs. Los Angeles selected the contract of right-hander Ben Rowen from its alternate training site and recalled infielder Jack Mayfield from its alternate training site. Right-hander Jaime Barria was optioned to the alternate training site. Jose Rojas was at third base in the opener of a three-game series against the Kansas City Royals on Monday night, batting sixth. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

DUNEDIN, Fla. (AP) — Los Angeles Angels outfielder Dexter Fowler has a torn ACL in his left knee that requires season-ending surgery. A date for the procedure has not been set. Recovery time is expected to be six to nine months. “Comeback season has commenced,” Fowler said Sunday. “The cards I've been dealt, so you've got to deal with them and go at it like that.” Fowler was hurt when he took an awkward step on second base in Friday night’s game against Toronto. At first he thought he was hit by a thrown ball. The Angels initially thought Fowler had avoided a serious injury but an MRI exam on Saturday found the tear. “The preliminary tests were fine,” Fowler said. “Thought the ACL and everything was fine, and then woke up the next morning and it was kind of sore. ... Went and got an MRI and the doc told me that I tore my ACL and my medial meniscus and strained my MCL.” Fowler doesn't think the injury is career-ending. “I want to continue to play,” the 35-year-old said. “I think I've still... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit a stunning homer off an otherwise dominant Jacob deGrom, Trevor Rogers beat the two-time Cy Young Award winner for the second time and the Miami Marlins blanked the New York Mets 3-0 on Saturday. DeGrom (0-1) matched a career best with 14 strikeouts over eight innings, Rogers fanned 10 in six and the teams combined for 28 overall. The 23-year-old Rogers (1-1) outpitched deGrom for the second time in nine major league starts. The left-hander got his first big league win against deGrom in a 5-3 victory last Aug. 31. This was his second. A 2017 first-round draft pick, Rogers cruised in his third career outing against New York. He scattered three hits and two walks, retiring 11 straight during one stretch. Rogers mixed a fastball averaging 95 mph with a slider and changeup, inducing 19 swing-and-misses among his 82 pitches. He ended his outing with strikeouts of Michael Conforto and Pete Alonso, stranding two runners to preserve a 1-0 lead. Dylan Floro... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit a stunning homer off an otherwise dominant Jacob deGrom, Trevor Rogers beat the two-time Cy Young Award winner for the second time and the Miami Marlins blanked the New York Mets 3-0 on Saturday. DeGrom (0-1) matched a career best with 14 strikeouts over eight innings, Rogers fanned 10 in six and the teams combined for 28 overall. The 23-year-old Rogers (1-1) outpitched deGrom for the second time in nine major league starts. The left-hander got his first big league win against him in a 5-3 victory last Aug. 31. This was his second. A 2017 first-round draft pick, Rogers cruised in his third career outing against New York. He scattered three hits and two walks, retiring 11 straight in one stretch. Rogers mixed a fastball averaging 95 mph with a slider and changeup, inducing 19 swing-and-misses among his 82 pitches. He ended his outing with strikeouts of Michael Conforto and Pete Alonso, stranding two runners to preserve a 1-0 lead. Dylan Floro followed... [More]

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]

CINCINNATI (AP) — Nick Castellanos stood over, flexed and jawed at St. Louis pitcher Jake Woodford after scoring, setting off a series of scuffles that included relievers shoving in the outfield as the Cincinnati Reds beat the Cardinals 9-6 Saturday. St. Louis starter Adam Wainwright was knocked around for six runs and chased in the third. The next inning, the teams started tagging each other. Castellanos, who homered on opening day and hopped out of the box before tossing his bat, was plunked by Woodford with two outs and none on in the fourth. Castellanos retrieved the ball and offered to toss it back to Woodford before flipping it out of play. A wild pitch soon sent Castellanos scampering home from third and he scored with a headfirst slide for a 7-2 lead as he bumped into Woodford, who took the throw from catcher Yadier Molina at the plate. As Castellanos began walking away, Molina rushed up and tapped him from behind, and the benches and bullpens emptied in a wild scene. There was... [More]

CINCINNATI (AP) — Nick Castellanos stood over, flexed and jawed at St. Louis pitcher Jake Woodford after scoring, setting off a series of scuffles that included relievers shoving in the outfield as the Cincinnati Reds beat the Cardinals 9-6 Saturday. St. Louis starter Adam Wainwright was knocked around for six runs and chased in the third. The next inning, the teams started tagging each other. Castellanos, who homered on opening day and hopped out of the box before tossing his bat, was plunked by Woodford with two outs and none on in the fourth. Castellanos retrieved the ball and offered to toss it back to Woodford before flipping it out of play. A wild pitch soon sent Castellanos scampering home from third and he scored with a headfirst slide for a 7-2 lead as he bumped into Woodford, who took the throw from catcher Yadier Molina at the plate. As Castellanos began walking away, Molina rushed up and tapped him from behind, and the benches and bullpens emptied in a wild scene. There was... [More]

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — David Fletcher agreed to a five-year, $26 million contract with the Angels on Thursday, capping his rise from an unheralded infield prospect to a key figure in Los Angeles' future. The Halos announced the deal with their homegrown talent before taking the field for their season opener against the Chicago White Sox with Fletcher batting leadoff and playing second base. Fletcher, who would have been eligible for arbitration for the first time after this season, agreed to a new deal that stretches through his arbitration years and across his first two potential seasons of free agency. The contract could be worth up to $41 million because it includes two club options worth $8 million in 2026 and $8.5 million in 2027. “It’s exciting to me to know I’m going to be playing at home for a while now,” Fletcher said. “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. Ideally, if it was up to me, I’d play here my whole career, and I have a lot of work to do to make that happen, but I'm excited.”... [More]

Kohei Arihara finished what he started this time. The Texas Rangers newcomer bounced back from a shaky spring training debut, pitching three solid innings Monday in a 9-0, seven-inning loss to the Chicago Cubs. Arihara retired his final seven batters, setting down Ian Happ, Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant to end his outing. Overall, he allowed a run on two singles without a strikeout or walk. Signed to a $6.2 million, two-year contract after six seasons in Japan, the 28-year-old right-hander allowed a three-run homer in the first inning of his initial spring start against the Chicago White Sox last week. He worked two innings, both of them cut short before the third out because of high pitch counts. After his three innings against the Cubs, Arihara went to the bullpen to throw additional pitches to get him up to 50 for the day. All in all, a bit different than the adrenaline and excitement of his first game against big league hitters last week. Arihara said he was just thinking about doing... [More]