CHICAGO (AP) — Slumping José Ramírez connected for a go-ahead, two-run homer off Lance Lynn in the sixth inning and the Cleveland Indians bounced back from being no-hit, beating the Chicago White Sox 4-2 on Thursday. After Carlos Rodón just missed a perfect game Wednesday night, there was a different kind of tension this time as the benches emptied in the bottom of the first. Adam Eaton singled and tried to advance when Indians right fielder Josh Naylor threw to third, hoping to get the lead runner. Eaton arrived ahead of the throw back to second, but was called out when his hand came off the bag while shortstop Andrés Giménez stood his ground and held the tag. Eaton grabbed Giménez’s leg, began barking and then pushed Giménez in the chest with two hands. Indians starter Aaron Civale plunked Eaton with a pitch in the upper arm in the third. Civale (3-0) allowed only a run — in the first — and five hits through six innings in his third straight strong start. Nick Wittgren and James Karinchak... [More]

The new-look Mets have a familiar problem so far: Even when Jacob deGrom is on the mound, they're surprisingly beatable. DeGrom struck out 14 on Saturday, but New York lost 3-0 to the Miami Marlins. In his other start this season, deGrom held Philadelphia scoreless for six innings, but the Mets gave up five runs in the eighth and lost 5-3. Whether it's blamed on poor run support or shaky relief pitching, New York hasn't taken advantage of deGrom's brilliance the last few years. The right-hander won the Cy Young Award in both 2018 and 2019, but since the start of the 2018 season, he's just 25-20 despite posting a stellar 2.06 ERA. He has 33 no-decisions in that span, and the Mets have lost 22 of those games. Among the pitchers who have more wins than deGrom since the start of 2018: Marco Gonzales (36-25 with a 4.00 ERA), Jon Lester (34-19, 4.06), Rick Porcello (32-26, 4.98) and J.A. Happ (31-16, 4.13). What's remarkable is that over the past three-plus seasons, the Mets have been mediocre,... [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]

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]

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]

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]

BALTIMORE (AP) — Baltimore first baseman Trey Mancini was given a standing ovation when introduced Thursday before the Orioles home opener and again before his first home at-bat following treatment for colon cancer. The 29-year-old was diagnosed during spring training last year and missed the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. Boston players applauded during the ovation and Mancini tipped his batting helmet in appreciation. He grounded into a forceout, beating the relay throw to avoid a double play as part of a 1-for-4 afternoon. “It was amazing. I think it’s well-documented at this point what I went though and what it took to get back to playing,” Mancini said. “It meant the world to me. Even though it was like 25% capacity, it felt like a full stadium out there, and I had goosebumps thinking about it.” Mancini said he teared up when he heard the initial ovation. “That’s probably what will stay with me the most,” he said. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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]

Alec Bohm hit a tiebreaking single in the eighth inning, Zach Eflin gave Philadelphia another strong start and the Phillies completed a three-game sweep of the defending NL East champion Atlanta Braves with a 2-1 win Sunday. Philadelphia’s starting trio of Aaron Nola, Zack Wheeler and Eflin (1-0) surrendered three runs, 11 hits and one walk in 20 2/3 innings against an Atlanta lineup that led the majors in 2020 with 556 hits. The Phillies bullpen, which posted a 7.06 ERA in 2020, didn’t yield a run in 7 1/3 innings in the set. Philadelphia regained the lead in the eighth as Rhys Hoskins, Bryce Harper and Bohm hit consecutive singles off Chris Martin (0-1). Hector Neris got his first save. REDS 12, CARDINALS 1 Nick Castellanos came out swinging with his bat a day after being ejected for inciting a bench-clearing melee, hitting a three-run homer off Carlos Martinez (0-1) and triple to finish the series 6 for 11 with five RBIs. Tyler Naquin also a three-run shot for the Reds, who won two in... [More]

Alec Bohm hit a tiebreaking single in the eighth inning, Zach Eflin gave Philadelphia another strong start and the Phillies completed a three-game sweep of the defending NL East champion Atlanta Braves with a 2-1 win Sunday. Philadelphia’s starting trio of Aaron Nola, Zack Wheeler and Eflin (1-0) surrendered three runs, 11 hits and one walk in 20 2/3 innings against an Atlanta lineup that led the majors in 2020 with 556 hits. The Phillies bullpen, which posted a 7.06 ERA in 2020, didn’t yield a run in 7 1/3 innings in the set. Philadelphia regained the lead in the eighth as Rhys Hoskins, Bryce Harper and Bohm hit consecutive singles off Chris Martin (0-1). Hector Neris got his first save. REDS 12, CARDINALS 1 Nick Castellanos came out swinging with his bat a day after being ejected for inciting a bench-clearing melee, hitting a three-run homer off Carlos Martinez (0-1) and triple to finish the series 6 for 11 with five RBIs. Tyler Naquin also a three-run shot for the Reds, who won two in... [More]

Trey Mancini had surgery for colon cancer last year on the same day Major League Baseball shut down spring training due to COVID-19. Baseball returned later in 2020 and Mancini is back now, healthy and ready to go. His comeback story has been a highlight of spring training. Mancini is not only the best player on the Baltimore Orioles, he’s the most popular. “There were times, especially when I was diagnosed early on where I wasn’t totally sure if I was ever going to play baseball again,” Mancini recalled upon his return. “Just being able to feel like myself, feel great and participate in everything fully is something I’m very appreciate of and I don’t take for granted at all.” Mancini, who turns 29 next week, had a breakout season in 2019, batting .291 with 35 homers and 97 RBIs. He singled in his first at-bat in nearly a year and got a standing ovation from a socially distanced crowd at the ballpark. “I can’t remember a bigger hug that I gave anybody than seeing him for the first time,”... [More]

Trey Mancini stepped up to the plate for the first time since discovering a cancer that could have killed him. Tommy Pham got a couple of at-bats in after a stabbing that nearly did kill him. Feel-good stories weren’t hard to find as major league spring training games opened in Arizona and Florida. Mancini’s comeback after a year off to treat his colon cancer left some of us on the verge of tears, while Pham’s return to the Padres' lineup after being stabbed outside a strip club was reason for a smile. And, as always, more players were feeling better about their bank accounts, including third baseman Hunter Dozier, who agreed to a $25 million, four-year contract with the Royals just as the exhibition games began. The best feeling of all? That would be looking into the stands in both states and seeing fans there to watch the games. Actual fans, to be clear, not the cardboard variety that were cute to begin with but now thankfully need to find new homes in closets across the country. There... [More]

Trey Mancini stepped up to the plate for the first time since discovering a cancer that could have killed him. Tommy Pham got a couple of at-bats in after a stabbing that nearly did kill him. Feel-good stories weren’t hard to find as Major League spring training games opened in Arizona and Florida. Mancini’s comeback after a year off to treat his colon cancer left some of us on the verge of tears, while Pham’s return to the Padres lineup after being stabbed outside a strip club was reason for a smile. And, as always, more players were feeling better about their bank accounts, including third baseman Hunter Dozier who agreed to a $25 million, four-year contract with the Royals just as spring games began. The best feeling of all? That would be looking into the stands in both states and seeing fans there to watch the games. Actual fans, to be clear, not the cardboard variety that were cute to begin with but now thankfully need to find new homes in closets across the country. There weren’t... [More]

SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) — Chris Davis says he’s made changes in his swing that fans will spot right away. Whether they produce better results, that’s what the Baltimore Orioles slugger and his team want to see. Stuck in a years-long slump, three weeks shy of his 35th birthday and still in the midst of a rich contract, Davis is beginning another season in hopes of recapturing what he used to be at the plate. Or anything even close. “I felt like I was letting our fans down. That was a big deal to me. It took a lot out of me,” Davis said in a video call Friday from camp in Sarasota, Florida. The major league home run champion with 53 in 2013 and 47 more in 2015, Davis has batted under .200 in each of the last three years as the strikeouts continued to pile up. In there, too, was a record 0-for-54 drought. Davis hit just .115 (6 for 52) without a home run and only one RBI in 16 games last season while slowed by knee trouble. The poor performance came after he got off to good start in spring training,... [More]

A team-by-team look at the American League East entering spring training, including key players each club acquired and lost, and dates of the first workout for pitchers and catchers, and the full squad: ___ Tampa Bay Rays Manager: Kevin Cash (seventh season). 2020: 40-20, first place, AL champions, lost to Dodgers in World Series. Training Town: Port Charlotte, Florida. Park: Charlotte Sports Park. First Workout: Feb. 18/23. He’s Here: RHP Michael Wacha, RHP Chris Archer, C Francisco Mejia, RHP Luis Patiño. He’s Outta Here: LHP Blake Snell, RHP Charlie Morton, OF Hunter Renfroe, RHP Aaron Slegers, 1B Nate Lowe, LHP Aaron Loup, LHP Jose Alvarado, 1B Brian O’Grady, RHP Chaz Roe, RHP Oliver Drake, LHP Sean Gilmartin. Going campin’: The AL champions are coming off their first division title in a decade and first World Series appearance in 12 years, but they have to replace their top two starting pitchers after declining a $15 million option on Morton and trading Snell to San Diego. The Rays... [More]

BALTIMORE (AP) — The Baltimore Orioles agreed to a $4.75 million, one-year deal with recovering slugger Trey Mancini on Friday but haven't come to terms yet with outfielder Anthony Santander. The Orioles and Santander exchanged salary arbitration figures Friday, with Baltimore offering $2.1 million and Santander asking for $2,475,000. The sides can still settle on a number until an arbitrator hears the case and makes a ruling next month. Mancini missed the entire 2020 season while recovering from Stage 3 colon cancer. He signed on deadline day last January for $4.75 million — which turned into $1,759,259 prorated and was preparing for another solid season before being diagnosed with cancer. The first baseman/outfielder was voted team MVP in 2019 after batting .291 with 35 home runs and 97 RBIs. Mancini, 28, has been working out this offseason and expects to play a full season this year on a team in the midst of a significant rebuild. Before being sidelined, he averaged 28 homers over his... [More]

BALTIMORE (AP) — The Baltimore Orioles agreed to a one-year deal with recovering slugger Trey Mancini on Friday but haven't come to terms yet with outfielder Anthony Santander. The Orioles and Santander exchanged salary arbitration figures Friday, with Baltimore offering $2.1 million and Santander asking for $2,475,000. The sides can still settle on a number until an arbitrator hears the case and makes a ruling next month. Mancini missed the entire 2020 season while recovering from Stage 3 colon cancer. He signed on deadline day last January for $4.75 million and was preparing for another solid season before being diagnosed with cancer. The first baseman/outfielder was voted team MVP in 2019 after batting .291 with 35 home runs and 97 RBIs. Mancini, 28, has been working out this offseason and expects to play a full season this year on a team in the midst of a significant rebuild. Before being sidelined, he averaged 28 homers over his three full seasons and remains one of Baltimore’s most... [More]

As the Baltimore Orioles draw closer to beginning the third year of their massive rebuilding project, manager Brandon Hyde is preparing to start spring training on time, play a full 162-game season and get the most of out of a team that will again rely heavily on youth. Orioles general manager Mike Elias cut the payroll during the offseason by trading starting shortstop José Iglesias and releasing second baseman Hanser Alberto and third baseman Renato Núñez. Though the trio provided offense, defense and leadership in 2020 for a club coming off two straight 100-loss seasons, the focus for Baltimore is to stockpile the farm system with players who have the potential to grow in accordance with an overhaul that stresses patience. “Those are going to be big losses, but I feel confident in our front office and how they're constructing our roster," Hyde said Monday in a conference call. “I feel good about the young players who are going to be getting more at-bats because of us losing some of these... [More]

BALTIMORE (AP) — Starting second baseman Hanser Alberto was let go Wednesday by the Baltimore Orioles, who agreed to one-year contracts with catcher Pedro Severino and infielder Yolmer Sánchez. Severino gets $1,825,000, and Sánchez $1 million. Baltimore also reached one-year deals that avoided arbitration with right-hander Shawn Armstrong ($825,000) and infielder Pat Valaika, who will make $875,000 in the majors and $300,000 in the minors. Orioles slugger Trey Mancini and outfielder Anthony Santander were offered 2021 contracts before Wednesday night's deadline. Mancini missed last season while receiving treatment for colon cancer. He batted .291 with 35 homers and 97 RBIs in 2019. The 28-year-old Alberto, who would have been eligible for salary arbitration, becomes a free agent instead. He batted .283 with three homers, 22 RBIs and a .698 OPS in 54 games during the pandemic-shortened season. He earned $611,111 as a prorated portion of his $1.65 million salary. Severino hit .250 with five... [More]