For a third straight year, the Washington Nationals have dug themselves an early hole. Two seasons ago, they recovered and won the World Series. In 2020, they couldn't overcome their poor start, finishing under .500 in that 60-game season. They have more time to rebound this year, but there aren't many positive signs at the moment. The Nationals are in last place in the NL East, and although their mediocrity has company — only one team in that division has a winning record — Washington's run differential of minus-31 suggests this team has earned its current predicament. The Nationals are 24-32 — the same record they had after 56 games during their championship season. Last year, they were 23-33 at this stage, and the season was almost over. Only two teams have scored fewer runs than Washington this season. Last year, the Nationals struggled as a team but still got stellar production from Trea Turner and Juan Soto. This year Turner is hitting .311 with 10 homers, but Soto is batting a more... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The Yankees have promoted slugging prospect Chris Gittens from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, hoping the hulking 27-year-old can provide a jolt at first base in his first turn in the majors. New York entered Saturday night's game against Boston with its first basemen hitting .174 with five homers. The group's .531 OPS ranks 29th in the majors, ahead of only Cleveland. The 6-foot-4, 250-pound Gittens was set to bat sixth and make his major league debut against the Red Sox. He received a call from Yankees senior director of player development Kevin Reese late Friday night informing him of the promotion. “I was shocked,” Gittens said. Luke Voit led the majors as the Yankees' first baseman in 2020 but has played in just 12 games this season. He had left knee surgery in March and missed the start of the season, and he's currently back on the injured list with a right oblique strain. DJ LeMahieu and Mike Ford have split the bulk of the playing time at first, with LeMahieu also... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The Yankees have promoted slugging prospect Chris Gittens from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, hoping the hulking 27-year-old can provide a jolt at first base in his first turn in the majors. New York entered Saturday night's game against Boston with its first basemen hitting .174 with five homers. The group's .531 OPS ranks 29th in the majors, ahead of only Cleveland. The 6-foot-4, 250-pound Gittens was set to bat sixth and make his major league debut against the Red Sox. Luke Voit led the majors as the Yankees' first baseman in 2020 but has played in just 12 games this season. He had left knee surgery in March and missed the start of the season, and he's currently back on the injured list with a right oblique strain. DJ LeMahieu and Mike Ford have split the bulk of the playing time at first, with LeMahieu also playing second and third. Ford was demoted to Triple-A this week after hitting .133 with a .561 OPS. Gittens was a 12th-round pick by New York in 2014, and he's... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The Yankees have promoted slugging prospect Chris Gittens from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, hoping the hulking 27-year-old can provide a jolt at first base in his first turn in the majors. New York entered Saturday night's game against Boston with its first basemen hitting .174 with five homers. The group's .531 OPS ranks 29th in the majors, ahead of only Cleveland. Luke Voit led the majors as the Yankees' first baseman in 2020 but has played in just 12 games this season. He had left knee surgery in March and missed the start of the season, and he's currently back on the injured list with a right oblique strain. DJ LeMahieu and Mike Ford have split the bulk of the playing time at first, with LeMahieu also playing second and third. Ford was demoted to Triple-A this week after hitting .133 with a .561 OPS. Gittens was a 12th-round pick by New York in 2014, and he's shown impressive power despite a slow climb up the minor league ladder. He's hit .265 with a .476 slugging percentage over seven seasons, including .283 with four homers, a .585 slugging percentage and a 1.071 OPS this season with the RailRiders. Right-hander Corey Kluber (strained shoulder) was transferred to the 60-day injured list to make room. The move was expected, with Kluber likely out until at least late July. __ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — The 151 free agents who have signed, with name, position, former club if different, and contract. The contract information was obtained by The Associated Press from player and management sources. For players with minor league contracts, terms for major league contract base salaries are in parentheses: AMERICAN LEAGUEBALTIMORE (3) — Signed Freddy Galvis, ss, Cincinnati, to a $1.5 million, one-year contract; re-signed Wade LeBlanc, lhp, to a $700,000, one-year contract; signed Matt Harvey, rhp, Kansas City, to a $1 million, one-year contract. BOSTON (4) — Signed Kiké Hernández, of-inf, Los Angeles Dodgers to a $14 million, two-year contract; signed Garrett Richards, rhp, San Diego, to a $10 million, one-year contract; re-signed Martin Pérez, lhp, to a $5 million, one-year contract; signed Marwin Gonzalez, inf, Minnesota, to a $3 million, one-year contract. CHICAGO (2) — Signed Adam Eaton, of, Washington, to an $8 million, one-year contract; signed Liam Hendriks, rhp, Oakland,... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Yankees right-hander Corey Kluber is expected to miss at least two months with a right shoulder injury and first baseman Luke Voit is also headed to the injured list with a right oblique strain. New York manager Aaron Boone announced the diagnoses Wednesday shortly after the Yankees' scheduled game against the Toronto Blue Jays was postponed due to a forecast of poor weather. The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader Thursday. Kluber was pulled after three innings Tuesday against Toronto in his first outing following a no-hitter last week. An MRI on his shoulder Wednesday revealed a subscapularis strain, which will keep Kluber from throwing for at least four weeks, followed by at least four weeks of rehabilitation. The two-time AL Cy Young Award winner is being sent for a second MRI with dyeing, a more invasive exam to ensure there's no other damage. Kluber was coming off a 101-pitch effort against the Rangers for the 35-year-old's first no-hitter. It was a milestone... [More]

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Gavin Lux hit a grand slam, Julio Urías drove in three runs to help back his gem on the mound, and the Los Angeles Dodgers pounded the San Francisco Giants 11-5 on Sunday for their eighth straight win. Urías (7-1) struck out 10 over six stellar innings to beat San Francisco for the first time in 10 career starts and 16 appearances after three no-decisions in 2020. He hit a two-run double in the second and an RBI single in the Dodgers’ seven-run third that chased Anthony DeSclafani (4-2) after 54 pitches. Lux hit his second career slam after his first came Tuesday against Arizona. Max Muncy hit a full-count homer in the fourth, going deep for a second straight day. Austin Slater hit a two-run homer for San Francisco, which lost its third straight game following a five-game winning streak. PADRES 9, MARINERS 2 SAN DIEGO (AP) — Fernando Tatis Jr. homered twice, including a 447-foot grand slam, and San Diego beat Seattle to sweep a nine-game homestand. The 22-year-old Tatis... [More]

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Gavin Lux hit a grand slam, Julio Urías drove in three runs to help back his gem on the mound, and the Los Angeles Dodgers pounded the San Francisco Giants 11-5 on Sunday for their eighth straight win. Urías (7-1) struck out 10 over six stellar innings to beat San Francisco for the first time in 10 career starts and 16 appearances after three no-decisions in 2020. He hit a two-run double in the second and an RBI single in the Dodgers’ seven-run third that chased Anthony DeSclafani (4-2) after 54 pitches. Lux hit his second career slam after his first came Tuesday against Arizona. Max Muncy hit a full-count homer in the fourth, going deep for a second straight day. Austin Slater hit a two-run homer for San Francisco, which lost its third straight game following a five-game winning streak. PADRES 9, MARINERS 2 SAN DIEGO (AP) — Fernando Tatis Jr. homered twice, including a 447-foot grand slam, and San Diego beat Seattle to sweep a nine-game homestand. The 22-year-old Tatis... [More]

DUNEDIN, Fla. (AP) — Austin Meadows, Manuel Margot and Mike Brosseau drew consecutive bases-loaded walks with two outs in the ninth inning and the Tampa Bay Rays rallied for their 10th straight win, beating the Toronto Blue Jays 6-4 on Sunday. The Rays trailed 4-2 going into the ninth, but took advantage of five walks by relievers Tyler Chatwood (0-1) and Travis Bergen to send Toronto to its fifth straight loss. After a leadoff walk and a single, Brett Phillips hit an RBI single with one out that made it 4-3. Chatwood retired Randy Arozarena before walking Yandy Díaz to load the bases. Bergen entered and Meadows worked a nine-pitch walk after fouling off three 3-2 pitches, tying the score. Margot walked on five pitches to put Tampa Bay ahead and Brosseau walked on four pitches. Josh Fleming (4-3) got the win, and recently acquired J.P. Feyereisen worked the ninth for his first save. YANKEES 5, WHITE SOX 4 NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge walked against Liam Hendriks with the bases loaded in... [More]

DUNEDIN, Fla. (AP) — Austin Meadows, Manuel Margot and Mike Brosseau drew consecutive bases-loaded walks with two outs in the ninth inning and the Tampa Bay Rays rallied for their 10th straight win, beating the Toronto Blue Jays 6-4 on Sunday. The Rays trailed 4-2 going into the ninth, but took advantage of five walks by relievers Tyler Chatwood (0-1) and Travis Bergen to send Toronto to its fifth straight loss. After a leadoff walk and a single, Brett Phillips hit an RBI single with one out that made it 4-3. Chatwood retired Randy Arozarena before walking Yandy Díaz to load the bases. Bergen entered and Meadows worked a nine-pitch walk after fouling off three 3-2 pitches, tying the score. Margot walked on five pitches to put Tampa Bay ahead and Brosseau walked on four pitches. Josh Fleming (4-3) got the win, and recently acquired J.P. Feyereisen worked the ninth for his first save. YANKEES 5, WHITE SOX 4 NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge walked against Liam Hendriks with the bases loaded in... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The 151 free agents who have signed, with name, position, former club if different, and contract. The contract information was obtained by The Associated Press from player and management sources. For players with minor league contracts, terms for major league contract base salaries are in parentheses: AMERICAN LEAGUEBALTIMORE (3) — Signed Freddy Galvis, ss, Cincinnati, to a $1.5 million, one-year contract; re-signed Wade LeBlanc, lhp, to a $700,000, one-year contract; signed Matt Harvey, rhp, Kansas City, to a $1 million, one-year contract. BOSTON (4) — Signed Kiké Hernández, of-inf, Los Angeles Dodgers to a $14 million, two-year contract; signed Garrett Richards, rhp, San Diego, to a $10 million, one-year contract; re-signed Martin Pérez, lhp, to a $5 million, one-year contract; signed Marwin Gonzalez, inf, Minnesota, to a $3 million, one-year contract. CHICAGO (2) — Signed Adam Eaton, of, Washington, to an $8 million, one-year contract; signed Liam Hendriks, rhp, Oakland,... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Corey Kluber threw the the major leagues’ sixth no-hitter this season and second in two nights, leading the New York Yankees over the Texas Rangers 2-0 on Wednesday. The 35-year-old right-hander, a two-time American League Cy Young Award winner, came within a four-pitch walk to Charlie Culberson in the third inning of twirling a perfect game. Kluber pitched his gem a night after Detroit's Spencer Turnbull threw one against Seattle, marking the first no-hitters on consecutive days since 1969. Kluber (4-2) struck out nine and and threw 71 of 101 pitches for strikes in his ninth start for the Yankees. Kluber was pitching on the mound when he was hurt after one inning last season for the Rangers, when he tore a muscle in his right shoulder on July 26 in his Texas debut. It was the 12th no-hitter in Yankees history, the 11th in the regular season and the first since David Cone’s perfect game against Montreal on July 18, 1999. It was the fifth against the Rangers, who... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Corey Kluber threw the the major leagues’ sixth no-hitter this season and second in two nights, leading the New York Yankees over the Texas Rangers 2-0 on Wednesday night. The 35-year-old right-hander, a two-time American League Cy Young Award winner, came within a four-pitch walk to Charlie Culberson in the third inning of throwing a perfect game. Kluber pitched his gem a night after Detroit's Spencer Turnbull threw one against Seattle, marking the first no-hitters on consecutive days since 1969. Kluber (4-2) struck out nine and and threw 71 of 101 pitches for strikes in his ninth start for the Yankees. Kluber was pitching on the mound when he was hurt after one inning last season for the Rangers, when he tore a muscle in his right shoulder on July 26 in his Texas debut. It was the 12th no-hitter in Yankees history, the 11th in the regular season and the first since David Cone’s perfect game against Montreal on July 18, 1999. It was the fifth against the Rangers,... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Corey Kluber threw the the major leagues’ sixth no-hitter this season and second in two nights, leading the New York Yankees over the Texas Rangers 2-0 on Wednesday night. The 35-year-old right-hander, a two-time American League Cy Young Award winner, came within a four-pitch walk to Charlie Culberson in the third inning of throwing a perfect game. Kluber pitched his gem a night after Detroit's Spencer Turnbull threw one against Seattle, marking the first no-hitters on consecutive days since 1969. Kluber (4-2) struck out nine and and threw 71 of 101 pitches for strikes in his ninth start for the Yankees. Kluber was pitching on the mound when he was hurt after one inning last season for the Rangers, when he tore a muscle in his right shoulder on July 26 in his Texas debut. It was the 12th no-hitter in Yankees history, the 11th in the regular season and the first since David Cone’s perfect game against Montreal on July 18, 1999. It was the fifth against the Rangers,... [More]

SEATTLE (AP) — Spencer Turnbull pitched the fifth no-hitter in the majors this season, sending the Detroit Tigers to a 5-0 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday night. Turnbull, who led the big leagues with 17 losses two years ago, had never gone more than seven innings in any of his previous 49 starts over three seasons. The five no-hitters through May 18 match the 1917 season for the most in baseball history by that date. Turnbull’s no-hitter was the eighth in Tigers history and their first since Justin Verlander’s in Toronto on May 7, 2011. The 28-year-old right-hander got a great defensive play from third baseman Jeimer Candelario in the seventh inning and then struck out Mitch Haniger in the ninth to end it. Turnbull (3-2) struck out nine and walked two. Turnbull threw 117 pitches, 77 for strikes. Haniger was the only batter to hit the ball hard enough to threaten a base hit. METS 4, BRAVES 3 ATLANTA (AP) — The New York Mets got homers from Jonathan Villar and Tomás Nido, an... [More]

SEATTLE (AP) — Spencer Turnbull pitched the fifth no-hitter in the majors this season, sending the Detroit Tigers to a 5-0 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday night. Turnbull, who led the big leagues with 17 losses two years ago, had never gone more than seven innings in any of his previous 49 starts over three seasons. The five no-hitters through May 18 match the 1917 season for the most in baseball history by that date. Turnbull’s no-hitter was the eighth in Tigers history and their first since Justin Verlander’s in Toronto on May 7, 2011. The 28-year-old right-hander got a great defensive play from third baseman Jeimer Candelario in the seventh inning and then struck out Mitch Haniger in the ninth to end it. Turnbull (3-2) struck out nine and walked two. Turnbull threw 117 pitches, 77 for strikes. Haniger was the only batter to hit the ball hard enough to threaten a base hit. METS 4, BRAVES 3 The New York Mets got homers from Jonathan Villar and Tomás Nido, an unlikely hit from... [More]

SEATTLE (AP) — Spencer Turnbull pitched the fifth no-hitter in the majors this season, sending the Detroit Tigers to a 5-0 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday night. Turnbull, who led the big leagues with 17 losses two years ago, had never gone more than seven innings in any of his previous 49 starts over three seasons. The five no-hitters through May 18 match the 1917 season for the most in baseball history by that date. Turnbull’s no-hitter was the eighth in Tigers history and their first since Justin Verlander’s in Toronto on May 7, 2011. The 28-year-old right-hander got a great defensive play from third baseman Jeimer Candelario in the seventh inning and then struck out Mitch Haniger in the ninth to end it. Turnbull (3-2) struck out nine and walked two. Turnbull threw 117 pitches, 77 for strikes. Haniger was the only batter to hit the ball hard enough to threaten a base hit. METS 4, BRAVES 3 The New York Mets got homers from Jonathan Villar and Tomás Nido, an unlikely hit from... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — The New York Mets got homers from Jonathan Villar and Tomás Nido, an unlikely hit from Tommy Hunter and strong performances by a string of relievers to beat the Atlanta Braves 4-3 Tuesday night. Villar hit a two-run shot in the third inning, and Nido won it for the Mets in the ninth with a tiebreaking drive into the left-field seats off struggling Braves closer Will Smith (0-4). One night after being struck in the face by a 95 mph fastball, Kevin Pillar brought New York’s lineup card to home plate before the game, a gesture that brought a huge sigh of relief to both teams. With his face swollen and badly bruised, Pillar still managed a smile as he shook hands with the four umpires and Braves coach Walt Weiss, who gave him a warm pat on the shoulder. Austin Riley and Freddie Freeman homered for Atlanta. Marcell Ozuna tied it for the Braves with a two-out, broken-bat single in the eighth off Jeurys Familia (2-0). TWINS 5, WHITE SOX 4 MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Miguel Sanó homered three... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The 151 free agents who have signed, with name, position, former club if different, and contract. The contract information was obtained by The Associated Press from player and management sources. For players with minor league contracts, terms for major league contract base salaries are in parentheses: AMERICAN LEAGUEBALTIMORE (3) — Signed Freddy Galvis, ss, Cincinnati, to a $1.5 million, one-year contract; re-signed Wade LeBlanc, lhp, to a $700,000, one-year contract; signed Matt Harvey, rhp, Kansas City, to a $1 million, one-year contract. BOSTON (4) — Signed Kiké Hernández, of-inf, Los Angeles Dodgers to a $14 million, two-year contract; signed Garrett Richards, rhp, San Diego, to a $10 million, one-year contract; re-signed Martin Pérez, lhp, to a $5 million, one-year contract; signed Marwin Gonzalez, inf, Minnesota, to a $3 million, one-year contract. CHICAGO (2) — Signed Adam Eaton, of, Washington, to an $8 million, one-year contract; signed Liam Hendriks, rhp, Oakland,... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Major league home run champion Luke Voit was activated from the 10-day injured list by the New York Yankees and was set to make his season debut against the AL champion Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday night. The 30-year-old had surgery March 29 to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee and hit .389 (7 for 18) with two doubles and three homers during a five-game injury rehabilitation assignment from May 4-9 with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Voit missed the first 34 games of the Yankees, who went 18-16. He batted .277 last season with 22 homers and 52 RBIs in 213 at-bats over 56 games. New York first basemen hit .153 (19 for 124) in his absence with three homers, 10 RBIs, 36 strikeouts and 17 walks. In Voit’s absence, Jay Bruce played 10 games at first base and hit .118 (4 for 34) with one homer, three RBIs, 13 strikeouts five walks, then retired. Mike Ford played 13 at first and batted .103 (4 for 39) with two homers, four RBIs, 14 strikeouts and six walks, and DJ LeMahieu played 15 there and hit .282 (11 for 50) with no homers, three RBIs, nine strikeouts and six walks). Miguel Andújar had one game at first, going 0 for 4. With Voit’s return, LeMahieu figures to get most of his time at second base. New York opened a roster spot for Voit on Sunday when they optioned Andújar to Scranton. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports