A look at what's happening around the majors today: ___ 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]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — San Francisco's injury woes have now hit arguably its best player during the first half of the season. The Giants placed All-Star shortstop Brandon Crawford on the 10-day injured list Monday due to an oblique strain. The move came as they opened a pivotal four-game series against the rival Los Angeles Dodgers. Manager Gabe Kapler said Crawford's MRI revealed a mild strain, and he was hopeful it would be a short stint on the IL. “We understand we have a big challenge ahead of us. Just knowing he is not going to be available is tough for him,” Kapler said. “If there is a silver lining, it does give him a break and allows us to build him up to full strength.” Crawford is ninth in the NL in batting average (.286) and RBIs (58). He was also on a tear with five games of three hits or more in his last 10, along with going 20 for 39 over the last 11 games. Crawford — who had started 73 of the Giants' first 91 games at shortstop — said he noticed something wrong after his final... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Eduardo Rodriguez shut down the short-handed Yankees into the sixth inning, Christian Arroyo and J.D. Martinez homered and the Boston Red Sox beat their rivals 4-0 on Friday night with New York missing slugger Aaron Judge and five others due to a coronavirus outbreak. A day after the series opener was postponed for testing and contact tracing, Judge, third baseman Gio Urshela and catcher Kyle Higashioka were added to the COVID-19 injured list. They joined Yankees pitchers Jonathan Loaisiga, Nestor Cortes Jr. and Wandy Peralta, who have also tested positive over the past week. New York was also without first baseman Luke Voit, who went on the injured list Friday with a bone bruise in his left knee. Rodriguez (7-5) allowed two hits over 5 2/3 innings, retiring 10 straight during one stretch and finishing with eight strikeouts. Hirokazu Sawamura got the final out of the sixth, and Tanner Houck pitched the final three innings, closing out Boston’s three-hitter for his first... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Eduardo Rodriguez shut down the short-handed Yankees into the sixth inning, Christian Arroyo and J.D. Martinez homered and the Boston Red Sox beat their rivals 4-0 on Friday night with New York missing slugger Aaron Judge and five others due to a coronavirus outbreak. A day after the series opener was postponed for testing and contact tracing, Judge, third baseman Gio Urshela and catcher Kyle Higashioka were added to the COVID-19 injured list. They joined Yankees pitchers Jonathan Loaisiga, Nestor Cortes Jr. and Wandy Peralta, who have also tested positive over the past week. New York was also without first baseman Luke Voit, who went on the injured list Friday with a bone bruise in his left knee. Rodriguez (7-5) allowed two hits over 5 2/3 innings, retiring 10 straight during one stretch and finishing with eight strikeouts. Hirokazu Sawamura got the final out of the sixth, and Tanner Houck pitched the final three innings, closing out Boston’s three-hitter for his first... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Eduardo Rodriguez shut down the short-handed Yankees into the sixth inning, Christian Arroyo and J.D. Martinez homered and the Boston Red Sox beat their rivals 4-0 on Friday night with New York missing slugger Aaron Judge and five others due to a coronavirus outbreak. A day after the series opener was postponed for testing and contact tracing, Judge, third baseman Gio Urshela and catcher Kyle Higashioka were added to the COVID-19 injured list. They joined Yankees pitchers Jonathan Loaisiga, Nestor Cortes Jr. and Wandy Peralta, who have also tested positive over the past week. New York was also without first baseman Luke Voit, who went on the injured list Friday with a bone bruise in his left knee. Rodriguez (7-5) allowed two hits over 5 2/3 innings, retiring 10 straight during one stretch and finishing with eight strikeouts. Hirokazu Sawamura got the final out of the sixth, and Tanner Houck pitched the final three innings, closing out Boston’s three-hitter for his first... [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]

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]

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]

HOUSTON (AP) — Jose Altuve hit a three-run homer to cap a startling six-run rally in the bottom of the ninth inning, getting his jersey yanked off in a frenzied celebration and lifting the Houston Astros over the New York Yankees 8-7 on Sunday. The Astros had been shut out by the Yankees the previous two games, highlighted by ace Gerrit Cole’s three-hitter in a 4-0 win on Saturday night. The win came on Altuve replica jersey giveaway at Minute Maid Park — Houston fans left with a No. 27 shirt, while the All-Star second baseman exited without his. New York led 7-2 after a three-run homer by Gary Sanchez in the eighth inning. After the first two Astros reached base against Domingo Germán in the ninth, Chas McCormick hit a two-run double off Chad Green (3-5). Abraham Toro followed with an RBI double to make it 7-5, still with no outs. Pinch-hitter Jason Castro singled and one out later, Altuve launched his soaring shot to left field. Ralph Garza Jr. (1-2) pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings for... [More]

DENVER (AP) — Atlanta's Ronald Acuña Jr., elected to start Tuesday's All-Star Game as the NL's top vote-getter among outfielders, tore the ACL in his right knee Saturday during Atlanta’s 5-4 win over the Miami Marlins and will miss the rest of the season. Acuña landed awkwardly on his right leg after jumping on the warning track in right field to try to catch a drive from Jazz Chisholm Jr. in the fifth inning at Miami. The 23-year-old slammed into the outfield wall and crumbled on the warning track, immediately grabbing his right knee while Chisholm sprinted out an inside-the-park homer. Acuña needs surgery and was replaced on the All-Star roster by third baseman Manny Machado. Philadelphia’s J.T. Realmuto will take over for injured San Francisco catcher Buster Posey as the NL starter in Tuesday’s All-Star Game at Coors Field. St. Louis catcher Yadier Molina earned his 10th All-Star selection, among 10 replacements announced Saturday by Major League Baseball, then said hours later he would... [More]

DENVER (AP) — Philadelphia's J.T. Realmuto will take over for injured San Francisco catcher Buster Posey as the National League's starter in Tuesday's All-Star Game at Coors Field. St. Louis catcher Yadier Molina earned his 10th All-Star selection, among 10 replacements announced Saturday by Major League Baseball, then said hours later he would also skip the All-Star Game. He was replaced by Milwaukee catcher Omar Narváez. Molina was elected on the players' ballot and filled the spot vacated when Posey was put on the injured list Friday, five days after his left thumb was bruised by a foul tip. Narváez will make his first All-Star appearance. Major League Baseball also said Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts was injured and won't participate, though Betts played an entire nine innings Friday night. “An All-Star Game is definitely an honor, especially being voted in by your peers, so I definitely don’t want to discount that honor. But I do understand that I do have some nagging things going... [More]

DENVER (AP) — Philadelphia's J.T. Realmuto will take over for injured San Francisco catcher Buster Posey as the National League's starter in Tuesday's All-Star Game at Coors Field. St. Louis catcher Yadier Molina earned his 10th All-Star selection, among 10 replacements announced Saturday by Major League Baseball, then said hours later he would also skip the All-Star Game. He was replaced by Milwaukee catcher Omar Narváez. Molina was elected on the players' ballot and filled the spot vacated when Posey was put on the injured list Friday, five days after his left thumb was bruised by a foul tip. Narváez will make his first All-Star appearance. Major League Baseball also said Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts was injured and won't participate, though Betts played an entire nine innings Friday night. Kansas City second baseman Whit Merrifield and Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson also earned selections from the players' ballot, replacing Houston second baseman José Altuve and shortstop... [More]

DENVER (AP) — Philadelphia's J.T. Realmuto will take over for injured San Francisco catcher Buster Posey as the National League's starter in Tuesday's All-Star Game at Coors Field. St. Louis catcher Yadier Molina earned his 10th All-Star selection, among 10 replacements announced Saturday by Major League Baseball. Molina was elected on the players' ballot and filled the spot vacated when Posey was put on the injured list Friday, five days after his left thumb was bruised by a foul tip. Molina said later Saturday that he will also skip the All-Star Game to rest. Major League Baseball also said Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts was injured and won't participate, though Betts played an entire nine innings Friday night. Kansas City second baseman Whit Merrifield and Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson also earned selections from the players' ballot, replacing Houston second baseman José Altuve and shortstop Carlos Correa. Altuve said he needed time off to deal with unspecified issues with... [More]

DENVER (AP) — Philadelphia's J.T. Realmuto will take over for injured San Francisco catcher Buster Posey as the National League's starter in Tuesday's All-Star Game at Coors Field. St. Louis catcher Yadier Molina earned his 10th All-Star selection, among 10 replacements announced Saturday by Major League Baseball. Molina was elected on the players' ballot and filled the spot vacated when Posey was put on the injured list Friday, five days after his left thumb was bruised by a foul tip. Molina said later Saturday that he will also skip the All-Star Game to rest. Kansas City second baseman Whit Merrifield and Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson also earned selections from the players' ballot, replacing Houston second baseman José Altuve and shortstop Carlos Correa. Altuve said he needed time off to deal with unspecified issues with his left leg, and Correa said he wanted to spend time with wife Daniella, who is pregnant with the couple’s first child. Merrifield became a two-time All-Star.... [More]

DENVER (AP) — Philadelphia's J.T. Realmuto will take over from injured San Francisco catcher Buster Posey as the National League's starter in Tuesday's All-Star Game at Coors Field. St. Louis catcher Yadier Molina earned his 10th All-Star selection, among 10 replacements announced Saturday by Major League Baseball. Molina was elected on the players' ballot and filled the spot vacated when Posey was put on the injured list Friday, five days after his left thumb was bruised by a foul tip. Kansas City second baseman Whit Merrifield and Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson also earned selections from the players' ballot, replacing Houston second baseman José Altuve and shortstop Carlos Correa. Altuve said he needed time off to deal with unspecified issues with his left leg, and Correa said he wanted to spend time with wife Daniella, who is pregnant with the couple’s first child. Merrifield became a two-time All-Star. Anderson, the 2019 AL batting champion, earned his first All-Star trip.... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Pete Alonso broke a seventh-inning tie with a two-run double off All-Star Brandon Woodruff, and the New York Mets beat the Milwaukee Brewers 4-2 on Monday night in a matchup of National League division leaders. Edwin Díaz pitched out of trouble in the ninth, retiring three straight batters with two on after giving up an RBI single to Tyrone Taylor. Michael Conforto added an RBI single and Dominic Smith had a sacrifice fly for the Mets, who managed only one hit against an efficient Woodruff (7-4) through six innings. Omar Narváez homered for the Brewers, who won 11 straight before a 2-0 loss Sunday in Pittsburgh. Seth Lugo (2-1) struck out two in a perfect seventh, and Díaz earned his 18th save in 19 opportunities. Woodruff (7-4) allowed four hits, four earned runs, with six strikeouts and a walk in 6 1/3 innings. RED SOX 5, ANGELS 4 LOS ANGELES (AP) — Rafael Devers hit a two-run homer and drove in three runs, and Boston retired Shohei Ohtani on a grounder to right field... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Pete Alonso broke a seventh-inning tie with a two-run double off All-Star Brandon Woodruff, and the New York Mets beat the Milwaukee Brewers 4-2 on Monday night in a matchup of National League division leaders. Edwin Díaz pitched out of trouble in the ninth, retiring three straight batters with two on after giving up an RBI single to Tyrone Taylor. Michael Conforto added an RBI single and Dominic Smith had a sacrifice fly for the Mets, who managed only one hit against an efficient Woodruff (7-4) through six innings. Omar Narváez homered for the Brewers, who won 11 straight before a 2-0 loss Sunday in Pittsburgh. Seth Lugo (2-1) struck out two in a perfect seventh, and Díaz earned his 18th save in 19 opportunities. Woodruff (7-4) allowed four hits, four earned runs, with six strikeouts and a walk in 6 1/3 innings. RED SOX 5, ANGELS 4 LOS ANGELES (AP) — Rafael Devers hit a two-run homer and drove in three runs, and Boston retired Shohei Ohtani on a grounder to right field... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Pete Alonso broke a seventh-inning tie with a two-run double off All-Star Brandon Woodruff, and the New York Mets beat the Milwaukee Brewers 4-2 on Monday night in a matchup of National League division leaders. Edwin Díaz pitched out of trouble in the ninth, retiring three straight batters with two on after giving up an RBI single to Tyrone Taylor. Michael Conforto added an RBI single and Dominic Smith had a sacrifice fly for the Mets, who managed only one hit against an efficient Woodruff (7-4) through six innings. Omar Narváez homered for the Brewers, who won 11 straight before a 2-0 loss Sunday in Pittsburgh. Seth Lugo (2-1) struck out two in a perfect seventh, and Díaz earned his 18th save in 19 opportunities. Woodruff (7-4) allowed four hits, four earned runs, with six strikeouts and a walk in 6 1/3 innings. CARDINALS 5, GIANTS 3 SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Kwang Hyun Kim pitched seven scoreless innings, Matt Carpenter hit a two-run triple in the seventh for the first runs... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Pete Alonso broke a seventh-inning tie with a two-run double off All-Star Brandon Woodruff, and the New York Mets beat the Milwaukee Brewers 4-2 on Monday night in a matchup of National League division leaders. Edwin Díaz pitched out of trouble in the ninth, retiring three straight batters with two on after giving up an RBI single to Tyrone Taylor. Michael Conforto added an RBI single and Dominic Smith had a sacrifice fly for the Mets, who managed only one hit against an efficient Woodruff (7-4) through six innings. Omar Narváez homered for the Brewers, who won 11 straight before a 2-0 loss Sunday in Pittsburgh. Seth Lugo (2-1) struck out two in a perfect seventh, and Díaz earned his 18th save in 19 opportunities. Woodruff (7-4) allowed four hits, four earned runs, with six strikeouts and a walk in 6 1/3 innings. CARDINALS 5, GIANTS 3 SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Kwang Hyun Kim pitched seven scoreless innings, Matt Carpenter hit a two-run triple in the seventh for the first runs... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Pete Alonso broke a seventh-inning tie with a two-run double off All-Star Brandon Woodruff, and the New York Mets beat the Milwaukee Brewers 4-2 on Monday night in a matchup of National League division leaders. Edwin Díaz pitched out of trouble in the ninth, retiring three straight batters with two on after giving up an RBI single to Tyrone Taylor. Michael Conforto added an RBI single and Dominic Smith had a sacrifice fly for the Mets, who managed only one hit against an efficient Woodruff (7-4) through six innings. Omar Narváez homered for the Brewers, who won 11 straight before a 2-0 loss Sunday in Pittsburgh. Seth Lugo (2-1) struck out two in a perfect seventh, and Díaz earned his 18th save in 19 opportunities. Woodruff (7-4) allowed four hits, four earned runs, with six strikeouts and a walk in 6 1/3 innings. CARDINALS 5, GIANTS 3 SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Kwang Hyun Kim pitched seven scoreless innings, Matt Carpenter hit a two-run triple in the seventh for the first runs... [More]