A look at what's happening around the majors Saturday:PHILLY SPECIALOdubel Herrera has homered in five straight games, tying a Philadelphia record. Chase Utley (twice in 2008), Bobby Abreu (2005), Mike Schmidt (1979) and Dick Allen (1969) also connected five in row for the Phillies. Ken Griffey, Jr. (1993), Don Mattingly (1987) and Dale Long (1956) share the major league record with homers in eight consecutive games.Herrera now takes aim against rookie right-hander Erick Fedde (0-2, 5.63 ERA) at Nationals Park.CITI SURPRISEClayton Kershaw is set to make an unexpected return from the disabled list, starting for the Dodgers in a marquee matchup against Mets ace Jacob deGrom. Kershaw has been sidelined since June 1 with a lower back strain. The three-time Cy Young Award winner and 2014 NL MVP originally was scheduled to make a rehab start Saturday with Triple-A Oklahoma City at Omaha, but heavy rain in the forecast caused the Dodgers to change plans. There's rain forecast at Citi Field, too,... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors today:HOT HOUSTONThe Astros aim for their 12th straight victory, which would tie for the longest winning streak in franchise history set in 1999 and duplicated in 2004. Fresh off a 10-0 road trip to Texas, Oakland and Kansas City in which they outscored opponents 74-35, the World Series champions return to Minute Maid Park to take on Tampa Bay. Houston starter Gerrit Cole (8-1, 2.40 ERA) leads the AL with 130 strikeouts; the Rays will start a reliever for the third straight game, with Ryne Stanek opening up.DOUBLING UPThe New York Yankees and Washington meet for a doubleheader — sort of — at Nationals Park. The teams were tied at 2 in the sixth inning on May 15 when their game was stopped because of rain, and they were postponed the next night. So the Yanks and Nats will pick up in the sixth, with both clubs expected to start out with relievers. Sonny Gray will start Game 2 for the New York against rookie Erick Fedde.TRY AGAINBartolo Colon goes... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors Monday:HOT HOUSTONThe Astros aim for their 12th straight victory, which would tie for the longest winning streak in franchise history set in 1999 and duplicated in 2004. Fresh off a 10-0 road trip to Texas, Oakland and Kansas City in which they outscored opponents 74-35, the World Series champions return to Minute Maid Park to take on Tampa Bay. Houston starter Gerrit Cole (8-1, 2.40 ERA) leads the AL with 130 strikeouts; the Rays will start a reliever for the third straight game, with Ryne Stanek opening up.DOUBLING UPThe New York Yankees and Washington meet for a doubleheader — sort of — at Nationals Park. The teams were tied at 2 in the sixth inning on May 15 when their game was stopped because of rain, and they were postponed the next night. So the Yanks and Nats will pick up in the sixth, with both clubs expected to start out with relievers. Sonny Gray will start Game 2 for the New York against rookie Erick Fedde.TRY AGAINBartolo Colon goes... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — Justin Verlander got some run support for the first time in nearly a month and led the Houston Astros over the San Francisco Giants 4-1 on Wednesday.Verlander (6-2) struck out nine and walked one in six innings, allowing one run and three hits as his major league-leading ERA rose slightly to 1.08. He had given up just three runs over 29 innings during his previous four starts, but the Astros had scored just three runs in that span, getting shut out twice.Ken Giles pitched the ninth to remain perfect in nine save chances.George Springer hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer in the fifth on a 93 mph fastball from Jeff Samardzija (1-3), driving the ball off the facade above the left-field seats. Carlos Correa added an RBI single later in the inning.INDIANS 1, CUBS 0CHICAGO (AP) — Adam Plutko carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning and Andrew Miller provided stellar relief work, helping Cleveland beat Chicago.Plutko (2-0) struck out four and walked four in his second major league... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — Justin Verlander got some run support for the first time in nearly a month and led the Houston Astros over the San Francisco Giants 4-1 on Wednesday.Verlander (6-2) struck out nine and walked one in six innings, allowing one run and three hits as his major league-leading ERA rose slightly to 1.08. He had given up just three runs over 29 innings during his previous four starts, but the Astros had scored just three runs in that span, getting shut out twice.Ken Giles pitched the ninth to remain perfect in nine save chances.George Springer hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer in the fifth on a 93 mph fastball from Jeff Samardzija (1-3), driving the ball off the facade above the left-field seats. Carlos Correa added an RBI single later in the inning.BREWERS 9, DIAMONDBACKS 2MILWAUKEE (AP) — Travis Shaw hit a three-run homer and Jesus Aguilar had a go-ahead, two-run single during a seven-run fourth inning to help Milwaukee send Arizona to its seventh straight loss.Brent Suter (4-3)... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Once again, albeit maybe for the last time, the Washington Nationals enter a season counting on Bryce Harper to lead their offense, with Anthony Rendon, Daniel Murphy, Ryan Zimmerman and Trea Turner expected to do some heavy lifting, too.Once again, the Nationals figure they have among the best starting rotations in baseball, led by three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg.And once again, the team in the nation's capital is not only coming off an NL East title but an opening-round playoff exit. So once again, the Nationals have a new manager, this time rookie Dave Martinez, charged with finally creating some postseason success."My message to them is, 'Hey, when we get there, it's just: Play one more game. It'll be Game 163, 164, 165.' That's it. We're good enough to finish this out. They know that," Martinez said at the start of his first spring training as a skipper after serving as Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon's right-hand man.Martinez,... [More]

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — The Washington Nationals' competition for the fifth starter spot could run beyond opening day.The Nationals signed eight-year veteran Jeremy Hellickson to a minor league contract over the weekend, adding him to the mix that already included A.J. Cole and Erick Fedde. He would get a $2 million, one-year deal if added to the 40-man roster and the chance to earn $4 million in performance bonuses."We like the rotation we have," Washington general manager Mike Rizzo said. "This just adds another layer of depth for us."The 30-year-old Hellickson is scheduled to make his first Grapefruit League appearance in one of Friday's split squad games. Cole will start the other game.Depending on how that outing goes, the NL East champions might leave Hellickson behind at the spring training facility when they break camp on Sunday, allowing the right-hander to continue to build arm strength in the minor league camp.Rizzo cited past experiences rushing Joe Blanton and Matt Wieters... [More]

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — The Washington Nationals' competition for the fifth starter spot could run beyond opening day.The Nationals signed eight-year veteran Jeremy Hellickson to a minor league contract over the weekend, adding him to the mix that already included A.J. Cole and Erick Fedde."We like the rotation we have," Washington general manager Mike Rizzo said. "This just adds another layer of depth for us."The 30-year-old Hellickson is scheduled to make his first Grapefruit League appearance in one of Friday's split squad games. Cole will start the other game.Depending on how that outing goes, the NL East champions might leave Hellickson behind at the spring training facility when they break camp on Sunday, allowing the right-hander to continue to build arm strength in the minor league camp.Rizzo cited past experiences rushing Joe Blanton and Matt Wieters through camp as reasoning for not pushing Hellickson, who says he's ready, to join the rotation sooner. With that in mind, the... [More]

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) — Tim Tebow made his first spring training start this year, struck out against reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer and then singled off Washington's Erick Fedde in a 2-1 loss to by a New York Mets' split squad to the Nationals on Friday.Batting fourth as the designated hitter, Tebow struck out on three pitches leading off the second inning."He's nasty," Tebow said. "The first pitch was a back-door slider, a really good pitch. The second pitch was a fastball, and I felt I put a really good swing on it. He's got so much movement on his ball, and it just stays true. Then he throws another back-door cutter 0-2. He's just got a lot of really good pitches, but it's awesome to see one of the best in the league. It's great work for me."The 30-year-old former NFL quarterback singled on a first-pitch fastball in the fourth for his first hit of spring training."It was a little bit outside, but I wanted to stay on it and hit it where it's pitched. It felt good,"... [More]

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) — Tim Tebow made his first spring training start this year, struck out against reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer and then singled off Washington's Erick Fedde in a 2-1 loss to by a New York Mets' split squad to the Nationals on Friday.Batting fourth as the designated hitter, Tebow struck out on three pitches leading off the second inning. The 30-year-old former NFL quarterback singled on a first-pitch fastball in the fourth for his first hit of spring training.The 2007 Heisman Trophy winner reached on a fielding error by first baseman Jose Marmolejos in the seventh and is hitting .143 (1 for 7) in his second big league spring training.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

RHP Erick Fedde (right forearm flexor strain) was transferred to the 60-day disabled list Thursday. Washington general manager Mike Rizzo told 106.7 The Fan this week that Fedde could have returned at some point this year but the Nationals felt that was not necessary since he has thrown a lot of innings this year. Fedded made three starts for the Nationals this year and was used as a starter and reliever at the Double-A and Triple-A levels.

RHP Erick Fedde (forearm) was placed on the 10-day disabled list Monday. He was 0-1 with a 9.39 ERA in three starts with Washington this year.

RHP Erick Fedde was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse on Friday, marking his fourth stint with the Nationals this season. He has made three starts in 2017, going 0-1 with a 9.39 ERA. The team's No. 2 prospect heading into the season, Fedde, 24, went 4-5 with a 3.69 ERA in 29 minor league appearances, including 13 starts.

RHP Erick Fedde was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse. He was added as the 26th man for the doubleheader Sunday and made the start in the first game against the New York Mets. He gave up seven hits and five runs in six innings. He filled in for RHP Max Scherzer, who came off the DL to start at home Monday. It was the third major league start for Fedde.

RHP Erick Fedde was added as the 26th man for the doubleheader and made the start in the first game Sunday against the New York Mets. He gave up seven hits and five runs in six innings. He filled in for RHP Max Scherzer, who is slated to start at home Monday. It was the third major league start for Fedde, considered the top pitching prospect for the Nationals. It appeared that the velocity of his fastball was down. "Yeah, I couldn't tell between his changeup and his fastballs, they were saying changeup on the board up there, but it looked like they were fastballs to me. He wasn't throwing as hard as he usually does," said Dusty Baker, the Washington manager. Fedde threw 112 pitches on Sunday. The most he threw in any start in the minors this year was 108, for Triple-A Syracuse on August 13 at Indianapolis.

RHP Erick Fedde, who has started two games for Washington, will be used by the Nationals on Sunday in the first game as RHP Max Scherzer is not ready to go. Fedde is 1-2 with a 4.76 ERA this season for Syracuse in 12 games, with six starts. He is the top pitching prospect in the Washington system. "He is definitely trending in the right direction. His last few starts for us have been very good," said Billy Gardner, Jr., the Syracuse manager. "He knows how to pitch. He has a good curveball, he has a good slider. He has four pitches that he can throw for strikes." Fedde last pitched Monday for Triple-A Syracuse.

RHP Erick Fedde was optioned back to Triple-A Syracuse when LHP Gio Gonzalez was activated from the paternity list. Fedde made his second career start Sunday in Chicago during a 9-4 win over the Cubs.