Jharel Cotton had planned to build off a promising rookie campaign for the Oakland Athletics.He'll have to wait another year.The 26-year-old righty will undergo elbow surgery and not pitch in 2018, a setback for a young club trying to improve on a last-place finish."It's tough. I'm missing the 2018 season with my boys, so it's kind of hard to take. I'm trying to take it as best as I can and just get ready for the long process, the long road that's ahead," Cotton said Saturday.Cotton had been diagnosed with a sprain and had a second scan Friday, then was told he would need Tommy John surgery.Cotton was 9-10 with a 5.58 ERA average in 24 starts. This spring, he had a 3.75 ERA in four exhibitions, striking out 16 in 12 innings."Unfortunate. Just of him having to go through what a lot of guys have to go through," A's manager Bob Melvin said. "But we felt like he was on the cusp of really coming into his own and it's going to be delayed a year, unfortunately."The A's figure to go into the 2018... [More]

Shohei Ohtani went only one way in his spring training debut for the Los Angeles Angels and got pulled early.The Japanese star pitcher and hitter was scheduled to throw two innings in his start Saturday, but was taken out after giving up two hits and two walks in 1 1/3 innings during a 6-5 win over Milwaukee.Angels manager Mike Scioscia didn't put Ohtani in the batting order.The 23-year-old righty struck out two and his fastball reached 97 mph. He allowed one run, on a homer by Keon Broxton. Ohtani threw 31 pitches, 17 for strikes."Besides the results, I mean, I had a lot of fun out there, so I think it went all well," Ohtani said through a translator.Ohtani has been hitting some long home runs in batting practice."I had a lot of fun out there today and obviously I'm excited to hit and pitch again, and I just want to keep on getting better and have good results from here on out," he said.Scioscia said Ohtani will hit early in the week, as the designated hitter."It was great to see him,"... [More]

Shohei Ohtani went only one way in his spring training debut for the Los Angeles Angels and got pulled early.The Japanese star pitcher and hitter was scheduled to throw two innings in his start Saturday, but was taken out after giving up two hits and two walks in 1 1/3 innings during a 6-5 win over Milwaukee.Angels manager Mike Scioscia didn't put Ohtani in the batting order.The 23-year-old righty struck out two and his fastball reached 97 mph. He allowed one run, on a homer by Keon Broxton. Ohtani threw 31 pitches, 17 for strikes."Besides the results, I mean, I had a lot of fun out there, so I think it went all well," Ohtani said through a translator.Ohtani has been hitting some long home runs in batting practice."I had a lot of fun out there today and obviously I'm excited to hit and pitch again, and I just want to keep on getting better and have good results from here on out," he said.Scioscia said Ohtani will hit early in the week, as the designated hitter."It was great to see him,"... [More]

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Veteran left-hander Derek Holland has signed a minor league deal with the San Francisco Giants.Holland could compete for a job out of spring training with a rotation that has three set starters in Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija. There are two spots up for grabs, and manager Bruce Bochy said Friday that Ty Blach and Chris Stratton are the leading candidates to fill out those positions.Blach went 8-12 in his first full major league season and emerged as a strong fill-in for Bumgarner when the 2014 World Series MVP missed nearly three months after an April 20 dirt bike accident in Colorado.The 31-year-old Holland pitched his first eight seasons for Texas, then went 7-14 with a 6.20 ERA in 29 outings and 26 starts last year for the White Sox.San Francisco's pitchers and catchers report to Scottsdale, Arizona, on Tuesday, with their first workout Wednesday.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Bruce Bochy's first glimpse at his overhauled roster gives him hope the Giants will feature a lineup much like the ones of several seasons ago — back when his club was capturing World Series championships every other year.He will be managing a new outfield. Well, with Hunter Pence moving from left to right to make room for Andrew McCutchen. And a new third baseman in Evan Longoria. And that's not to mention all the reliable returners such as Gold Glove shortstop Brandon Crawford, aces Madison Bumgarner and Johnny Cueto, and closer Mark Melancon eager to have a bounce-back year.Bochy is confident he has the roster, depth and talent to rebound right away."We feel like we can play with anybody," he said.Longoria isn't sugar-coating anything as the Giants try to rebound from a 64-98 season and overtake the World Series runner-up Los Angeles Dodgers, who have won the past five NL West crowns."It's tough to win only 64 games, it really is. That's a tough year," Longoria said.... [More]

RHP Chris Stratton ended his season on a positive note Friday night, pitching 6 2/3 shutout innings in the Giants' 8-0 win over the San Diego Padres. The Giants have thrown just five shutouts this season, with the rookie having started two of them. Making a good impression going into next season, Stratton has gone 4-2 with a 2.27 ERA in his last eight starts.

RHP Chris Stratton is to start the first game of the San Diego series on Friday, manager Bruce Bochy said, with LHP Madison Bumgarner being shut down for the year. "I really wanted to keep Stratton on normal rotation," Bochy said. Stratton, 3-4 with a 4.15 ERA, has made nine starts since Aug. 5 and will enter spring training as a candidate for a rotation spot. Stratton made three consecutive quality starts to end August, and his Sept. 11 start was limited to five pitches because of rain delays in Los Angeles.

RHP Chris Stratton limited the Diamondbacks to two runs and five hits over six innings in a 7-2 win Sunday. The rookie is now 3-1 with a 2.17 ERA in his past six starts. The only runs Stratton allowed came on a two-run home run by Diamondbacks RF J.D. Martinez in the sixth inning.

RHP Chris Stratton hopes to pick up where he left off in his previous start when he pitches the Giants' series finale against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday. Stratton struck out the only batter he faced against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday night before a two-hour, 52-minute rain delay, after which Stratton did not return to the game. The rookie is 0-1 with a 3.27 ERA in two career appearances against the Diamondbacks.

RHP Chris Stratton struck out the only batter he faced before a 2-hour, 52-minute rain delay on Monday in the Giants' 8-6 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers. The rookie did not return after the delay, replaced by LHP Ty Blach. Stratton thus did not allow a run for the third time in seven starts this season.

RHP Chris Stratton (2-3, 4.10) is scheduled to start against the Dodgers on Monday in the series opener. He is 0-1 with one save and an 8.59 ERA in three relief appearances this season. In one career appearance against Los Angeles, he posted a victory on June 11, 2016. He allowed one run and two hits in a relief inning.

RHP Chris Stratton made his first career start and second appearance against the Rockies. He allowed a career-high eight hits and three runs in four innings with three walks and four strikeouts and left after throwing 98 pitches. He had previously allowed six hits twice, the last time on July 15 against Pittsburgh.

RHP Chris Stratton will continue to make a push to be in the Giants' 2018 starting rotation when he pitches Monday in the opener of a road series against the Rockies. The 27-year-old has been brilliant in his last three starts, allowing just two earned runs in 18 2/3 innings (0.96 ERA) with 21 strikeouts. Stratton has faced the Rockies just once, throwing three innings of hitless, shutout relief.

RHP Chris Stratton was skipped in the rotation Saturday so the Giants could create a spot for LHP Madison Bumgarner to start on Sunday. When Bumgarner, who missed his start Thursday with an illness, was proclaimed healthy enough to rejoin the rotation on Sunday, Giants manager Bruce Bochy moved RHP Jeff Samardzija up a day to Saturday, pushing Stratton's next start to a yet-undetermined day next week.

RHP Chris Stratton will continue to make a push to be in the Giants' 2018 starting rotation when he pitches Saturday against the St. Louis Cardinals. The 27-year-old has been brilliant in his last three starts, allowing just two earned runs in 18 2/3 innings (0.96 ERA) with 21 strikeouts. Stratton has never faced the Cardinals.

RHP Chris Stratton gave up two runs and struck out a career-high 10 in six innings in his fifth major league start Sunday, and the return of RHP Johnny Cueto will not affect Stratton's presence in the rotation, manager Bruce Bochy said. "He's throwing the ball too well," Bochy said. "It's not start-to-start." Stratton faced an Arizona lineup that had had six left-handed hitters but held them to 2-for-13 at the plate, one a bunt single. "He is doing stuff elite pitches do," Bochy said.

RHP Chris Stratton ran his streak of consecutive scoreless innings to 12 2/3 when he contributed the first six innings to a 2-0 shutout win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday night. The scoreless streak is the longest for a Giants rookie since RHP Chris Heston had a 16 1/3-inning run in July of 2015. Stratton has locked up a spot in the Giants' starting rotation moving forward, manager Bruce Bochy announced afterward.

RHP Chris Stratton hopes to ride the momentum of the best start of his career when he opens a three-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday night. Making just the fourth start of his major league career, Stratton shut out the Washington Nationals on five hits over seven innings in a 4-2 road win last Sunday. Stratton has never started a game against the Brewers, but did hold them scoreless on one hit in a two-inning relief effort last June.

RHP Chris Stratton got the first win of his career as a starter Sunday. He went a career-high 6 2/3 innings and fanned a career-best 10 batters while not allowing a run in Washington. The 2012 first-round pick won one game last year out of the bullpen. "You have to be ready for whatever. I thought we attacked the zone very well today," he said. It was his first appearance since August 5. It was just the fourth time in his pro career he fanned at least 10 batters in a game. One of those in the minors came against Class A Hagerstown, a farm team of the Nationals out of the South Atlantic League.

RHP Chris Stratton (right calf strain) was reinstated from the disabled list and made his second career major-league start Saturday night. He allowed three runs, two of them earned, and five hits over five innings and got a no-decision in a 5-4,11-inning victory against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He struck out four, walked four and threw 95 pitches. Stratton, who is 0-2, replaced veteran RHP Matt Cain in the rotation.