HOUSTON (AP) — Rafael Devers homered off Justin Verlander, and the Boston Red Sox took advantage of two errors by the Houston Astros to avoid a series sweep with a 4-1 victory Sunday.Eduardo Rodriguez (5-3) held Houston to one run and four hits in six innings, improving to 5-1 in his last eight starts.The Astros lost for just the fifth time in 22 games and finished the regular season 4-2 against the Red Sox, who beat them 4-1 in the ALCS last season on the way to a World Series championship.Devers' solo shot in the fourth gave the Red Sox a 2-1 lead. It was Devers' seventh homer of the season and fourth in six games.Marcus Walden earned his second major league save and first this season.Verlander (8-2) permitted three runs and six hits in seven innings, striking out six.ATHLETICS 7, MARINERS 1OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Matt Chapman homered for the second consecutive day, Josh Phegley also went deep and had three RBIs, and the streaking Oakland Athletics won their ninth straight, beating Seattle... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — Rafael Devers homered off Justin Verlander, and the Boston Red Sox took advantage of two errors by the Houston Astros to avoid a series sweep with a 4-1 victory Sunday.Eduardo Rodriguez (5-3) held Houston to one run and four hits in six innings, improving to 5-1 in his last eight starts.The Astros lost for just the fifth time in 22 games and finished the regular season 4-2 against the Red Sox, who beat them 4-1 in the ALCS last season on the way to a World Series championship.Devers' solo shot in the fourth gave the Red Sox a 2-1 lead. It was Devers' seventh homer of the season and fourth in six games.Marcus Walden earned his second major league save and first this season.Verlander (8-2) permitted three runs and six hits in seven innings, striking out six.ATHLETICS 7, MARINERS 1OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Matt Chapman homered for the second consecutive day, Josh Phegley also went deep and had three RBIs, and the streaking Oakland Athletics won their ninth straight, beating Seattle... [More]

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Gary Sánchez hit his first career grand slam in a five-run fifth inning for his first hit following nearly two weeks on the injured list, and the New York Yankees beat the San Francisco Giants 6-4 on Saturday for their 10th win in 12 games.Sánchez had been 0 for 9 with seven strikeouts since returning Wednesday from a strained left calf. His batting average down to .220, he crushed a high sinker from Derek Holland (1-4) that traveled 467 feet deep into the left-field seats for a 6-0 lead.J.A. Happ (1-2) allowed five hits in seven scoreless innings. Aroldis Chapman struck out Pablo Sandoval for his fifth save.RAYS 2, RED SOX 1BOSTON (AP) — Yandy Diaz hit the second pitch from David Price (1-2) over the Green Monster and Mike Zunino added a fourth-inning RBI single off the Monster for the AL East-leading Rays.Charlie Morton (3-0) gave up two hits in six shutout innings. Five relievers completed a five-hitter, with Emilio Pagán pitching the ninth for his third save.Mookie... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Christian Vazquez hit a sacrifice fly in the 11th inning, and the Boston Red Sox completed an uplifting three-game sweep of the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays with a 4-3 victory Sunday.Rafael Devers singled off Jose Alvarado (0-2) to start the 11th and went to second when Michael Chavis walked.Both runners moved up a base on Jackie Bradley's sacrifice bunt and Vazquez followed with his fly that Kevin Kiermaier ran down in center field.Marcus Walden (3-0) allowed an infield hit over two scoreless innings and Ryan Brasier worked the 11th to get his sixth save.After starting the season by losing eight of 10, the defending World Series champions are 7-5 over the last 12 games and went from eight to five games behind the Rays.DODGERS 6, BREWERS 5MILWAUKEE (AP) — Cody Bellinger reached over the right field wall to rob Christian Yelich in the eighth inning of yet another home run, then hit a solo drive off Josh Hader with two outs in the ninth to lift Los Angeles over... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Christian Vazquez hit a sacrifice fly in the 11th inning, and the Boston Red Sox completed an uplifting three-game sweep of the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays with a 4-3 victory Sunday.Rafael Devers singled off Jose Alvarado (0-2) to start the 11th and went to second when Michael Chavis walked.Both runners moved up a base on Jackie Bradley's sacrifice bunt and Vazquez followed with his fly that Kevin Kiermaier ran down in center field.Marcus Walden (3-0) allowed an infield hit over two scoreless innings and Ryan Brasier worked the 11th to get his sixth save.After starting the season by losing eight of 10, the defending World Series champions are 7-5 over the last 12 games and went from eight to five games behind the Rays.DODGERS 6, BREWERS 5MILWAUKEE (AP) — Cody Bellinger reached over the right field wall to rob Christian Yelich in the eighth inning of yet another home run, then hit a solo drive off Josh Hader with two outs in the ninth to lift Los Angeles over... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — Carson Kelly drilled a single into the left field corner, scoring Nick Ahmed with two outs in the ninth inning to lift the Arizona Diamondbacks over the struggling Boston Red Sox 5-4 Saturday night.Boston has dropped three straight and fell to 2-8 overall, a lousy start to their World Series championship defense.Colten Brewer (0-1) allowed consecutive singles to Eduardo Escobar, Ahmed and Kelly in the ninth. Right fielder Mookie Betts threw out Escobar at home on Ahmed's hit, but Kelly's rip to left allowed Ahmed to score easily.Kelly had two hits and three RBIs. The walkoff knock was the first of his career.Greg Holland (1-0) pitched a scoreless top of the ninth.PADRES 6, CARDINALS 4ST. LOUIS (AP) — Austin Hedges and Manny Machado each hit a two-run homer off Andrew Miller in the eighth inning, helping San Diego beat St. Louis for its third consecutive win.Fernando Tatis Jr. opened the eighth with a walk and Hedges followed with a go-ahead drive over the wall on in left.... [More]

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Austin Hedges and Manny Machado each hit a two-run homer off Andrew Miller in the eighth inning, helping the San Diego Padres beat the St. Louis Cardinals 6-4 on Saturday for their third consecutive win.Fernando Tatis Jr. opened the eighth with a walk and Hedges followed with a go-ahead drive over the wall on in left. With two out and Ian Kinsler on first via another walk, Machado made it 6-3 with his second homer of the season.It was the first time that Miller (0-1) allowed multiple homers in a game since Sept. 22, 2015 for the New York Yankees at Toronto.Matt Wisler (1-0) pitched two scoreless innings for the win in his first outing with the Padres. Kirby Yates worked the ninth for his fifth save in five chances.ANGELS 5, RANGERS 1ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Mike Trout hit a grand slam for his fourth homer in three days, and Los Angeles beat Texas for its first back-to-back victories of the season.Trout's 458-foot blast in the fourth inning off Drew Smyly (0-1) cleared the... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Bryce Harper homered deep into the second deck in right-center field for his first hit with Philadelphia and celebrated with an emphatic curtain call, highlighting the Phillies' 8-6 win over the Atlanta Braves on Saturday.Hitless over five at-bats this season after signing a $330 million, 13-year deal, Harper crushed Jesse Biddle's fastball 465 feet with two outs in the seventh. Fans gave Harper a standing ovation and chanted "MVP! MVP!"After getting high fives in the dugout, Harper climbed out for a curtain call, throwing both fists in the air and shouting "Let's go!"Maikel Franco and J.T. Realmuto also went deep for Philadelphia. The game was tied at 4 in the fifth when Realmuto lined a two-run drive off Wes Parsons (0-1).Adam Morgan (1-0) faced one batter in the fifth inning.Dansby Swanson and Charlie Culberson homered, and Freddie Freeman had four hits and drove in two for the Braves.BREWERS 4, CARDINALS 2MILWAUKEE (AP) — Christian Yelich became the first MVP to... [More]

With opening day just around the corner, the list of notable players who are going to be absent keeps growing.World Series MVP Steve Pearce will start the season on the injured list for the Boston Red Sox, and Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Steven Souza Jr. went down with a knee injury Monday night when he slipped on home plate.Earlier in the day, Baltimore put scheduled opening-day starter Alex Cobb on the 10-day injured list with a strained right groin.Pearce exited an exhibition game last weekend due to discomfort in his left calf. The right-handed batter normally platoons with lefty-hitting Mitch Moreland at first base, but the Red Sox will begin defense of their championship Thursday in Seattle without Pearce."We have to do it that way," manager Alex Cora said. "It makes sense for us, it makes sense for him. He should be back sooner rather than later but he won't be ready for Seattle, so why take a chance?"Sam Travis will likely make the team and take Pearce's spot on the opening-day... [More]

SEATTLE (AP) — Seattle Mariners manager Scott Servais didn't need long to come up with one immediate advantage to playing exhibition games after having already opened the regular season."Yeah, the fact we're 2-0 is not a bad thing," Servais joked.Servais could joke because the atmosphere around the Seattle clubhouse was relaxed, if not a little jet-lagged still, before beginning an awkward two-day stretch on Monday night with the first of two exhibition games against the San Diego Padres.After the fanfare and excitement of traveling across the Pacific to Japan, opening the season with a pair of victories over Oakland, and bidding farewell to the professional career of Ichiro Suzuki, the Mariners returned home for a pair of games with little-to-no meaning that don't count in the standings.Seattle still appeared to be feeling the effects of the trip. The Padres scored six runs in the first inning on their way to an 8-0 victory. Manny Machado doubled, Franmil Reyes hit a three-run homer and... [More]

PEORIA, Ariz. (AP) — Felix Hernandez doesn't think he could have changed the mind of Seattle Mariners manager Scott Servais about opening day, even by pitching well this spring.With his ERA approaching 16, it's a moot point.King Felix is royally agitated anyway.Hernandez was tagged for seven runs in three-plus innings against the Cleveland Indians on Sunday, raising his spring ERA to 15.95 a day after Servais announced that Marco Gonzales would start Seattle's season opener against Oakland in Tokyo on March 20.Seattle's decision ends Hernandez's run of 10 consecutive opening day starts.Hernandez spoke publicly after the game for the first time since Servais' announcement. Asked if he was upset, Hernandez said simply, "Yeah," but declined to elaborate on his emotions."I knew it was going to happen," he added.Hernandez was also asked if he could have convinced Servais to give him the opening day nod with a better spring camp."No," he said while shaking his head.The 32-year-old has been losing... [More]

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez is headed for Tommy John surgery and out for the season. New York Yankees ace Luis Severino is shut down, too — at least through opening day.Hours after Severino stopped warming up in the bullpen because of an inflamed right shoulder, the Royals announced more damaging news Tuesday: Perez will have surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right elbow, keeping the six-time All-Star off the field for the entire year.Perez hurt the elbow during a workout last week and said over the weekend that he was harboring a slim hope he might be able to play through it. Instead, he is expected to undergo surgery Wednesday."There was nothing that can prepare us for this. There was no information we had that led us this direction," Royals general manager Dayton Moore said. "Salvy was having no issues. He's asymptomatic. He has wear and tear, just like any 28-year-old catcher who's been squatting and catching since he was 12 years old. There was no warning sign... [More]

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez is headed for Tommy John surgery and out for the season. New York Yankees ace Luis Severino is shut down, too — at least through opening day.Hours after Severino stopped warming up in the bullpen because of an inflamed right shoulder, the Royals announced more damaging news Tuesday: Perez would have surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right elbow, keeping the six-time All-Star off the field for the entire year.Perez hurt the elbow during a workout last week and said over the weekend that he was harboring a slim hope that he might be able to play through it. Instead, he is expected to undergo surgery on Wednesday."There was nothing that can prepare us for this. There was no information we had that led us this direction," Royals general manager Dayton Moore said. "Salvy was having no issues. He's asymptomatic. He has wear and tear, just like any 28-year-old catcher who's been squatting and catching since he was 12 years old. There was no warning... [More]

New York Yankees ace Luis Severino will miss opening day because of an inflamed right shoulder that acted up while he was getting loose for his first spring training start.Severino felt something wrong when he threw his first slider in the bullpen and was immediately scratched. He won't throw for two weeks, manager Aaron Boone said after a 5-1 win over Atlanta."Obviously, anytime a starting pitcher and a guy like Sevie walks off while he's warming up to start a game, you always get worried and concerned about that," Boone said. "But it sounds like the shoulder is pretty clean, it's just the inflammation issue. So if that's the case, then hopefully two weeks is something that will do the trick, then he can start ramping back up with his throwing program, but we'll re-evaluate it also at the same time."Masahiro Tanaka, James Paxton, CC Sabathia and J.A. Happ are also projected to be in the Yankees' rotation. Luis Cessa, Jonathan Loaisiga and Domingo German are possible short-term replacements... [More]

PEORIA, Ariz. (AP) — Left-hander Marco Gonzales is considered one of the Seattle Mariners' building blocks after a breakout 2018 season, but he does not define his role in those terms.He just wants to do his job and let the results speak for themselves."In my mind, it has always been that I have to earn everything that I get," Gonzales said. "We'll see where we are at when the season starts, but I am going to do everything I can to help us win games. Whatever you want to call that, that's what I'll be doing."Gonzales did it well a year ago, when he went 13-9 with a 4.00 ERA in 29 starts in his first full season with the Mariners after being acquired from St. Louis for outfielder Tyler O'Neil at the 2017 trade deadline.Gonzales was among the best pitchers in the American League during a 10-week midseason stretch, when he was 9-6 with a 2.61 ERA in 12 starts beginning May 23.After spending three weeks on the injured list with a neck strain in late August, he picked it up again, going 1-0... [More]

PEORIA, Ariz. (AP) — Every day for several years, Felix Hernandez has walked past large photos of himself and Randy Johnson — the Seattle Mariners' only Cy Young Award winners — in the hallway leading to the clubhouse of their spring training complex.King Felix will make those walks for perhaps the last time this year, with a bigger goal as motivation."I know this is my final year, but I don't think I am done," the 33-year-old Hernandez said on Tuesday following Seattle's first spring training workout. "I think I can do a lot of good things, and it is going to be a push for my Hall of Fame career. It means a lot. Now Edgar (Martinez) is in the Hall of Fame. We'll see."Hernandez, who has 168 victories and a career 3.34 ERA, is trying to reverse recent trends entering the final season of a seven-year contract that calls for a $27 million salary.His fastball average velocity dropped to a career-low 90.4 mph last season as calculated by Fangraphs, and his ERA was a career-high 5.55 in 29 outings.... [More]

SEATTLE (AP) — Japanese left-hander Yusei Kikuchi has finalized four-year contract with the Seattle Mariners that guarantees $56 million and incudes club options that could make it worth $109 million over seven seasons.Seattle announced the agreement Wednesday, just ahead of the deadline for the 27-year-old to sign with a major league club.He receives a $6 million signing bonus and salaries of $8 million this year, $14 million in 2020 and $15 million in 2021. The agreement includes a $13 million player option for 2022, and Seattle has options worth $16.5 million annually for 2022-25.Seattle has until the third day after the 2021 World Series to exercise all four team options. If the Mariners decline, Kikuchi has until the fifth day after the 2021 World Series to exercise his player option."Yusei's combination of character, talent, experience and relative age made him a primary target in our roster building plans," Seattle general manager Jerry Dipoto said. "He is an exciting young pitcher... [More]

SEATTLE (AP) — Japanese left-hander Yusei Kikuchi has finalized four-year contract with the Seattle Mariners that guarantees $56 million and incudes club options that would be make it worth $109 million over seven seasons.Seattle announced the agreement Wednesday, just ahead of the deadline for the 27-year-old to sign with a major league club or be forced to return to Japan for another season.He receives a $6 million signing bonus, salaries of $8 million this year, $14 million in 2020 and $15 million in 2021, and the agreement includes a $13 million player option for 2022. Seattle has options worth $16.5 million annually for 2002-25.Seattle has until the third day after the 2021 World Series to exercise all four team options. If the Mariners decline, Kikuchi has until the fifth day after the 2021 World Series to exercise his player option."Yusei's combination of character, talent, experience and relative age made him a primary target in our roster building plans," Seattle general manager... [More]

SEATTLE (AP) — Japanese left-hander Yusei Kikuchi has finalized four-year contract with the Seattle Mariners that guarantees $50 million and incudes club options that would be make it worth $103 million over seven seasons.Seattle announced the agreement Wednesday, just ahead of the deadline for the 27-year-old to sign with a major league club or be forced to return to Japan for another season.He receives salaries of $8 million this year, $14 million in 2020 and $15 million in 2021, and the agreement includes a $13 million player option for 2022. Seattle has options worth $16.5 million annually for 2002-25.Seattle has until the third day after the 2021 World Series to exercise all four team options. If the Mariners decline, Kikuchi has until the fifth day after the 2021 World Series to exercise his player option."Yusei's combination of character, talent, experience and relative age made him a primary target in our roster building plans," Seattle general manager Jerry Dipoto said. "He is... [More]

SEATTLE (AP) — The Seattle Mariners have signed Japanese left-handed pitcher Yusei Kikuchi to a four-year deal just ahead of the deadline for him to sign with a major league club or be forced to return to Japan for another season.Seattle made the signing official Wednesday after word first surfaced of an agreement late on New Year's Eve. Kikuchi was one of the few starter options remaining on the market and he will be joining a team with a long history of success with Japanese players."Yusei's combination of character, talent, experience and relative age made him a primary target in our roster building plans," Seattle general manager Jerry Dipoto said. "He is an exciting young pitcher with the ability to impact the Mariners, both in the present and future."Kikuchi was posted by the Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan in early December. Under new posting rules, he had until Wednesday afternoon Seattle time to sign with a major league team or be forced to return to Japan... [More]