Capsules of National League East teams, listed in order of finish last year:___Washington Nationals2017: 97-65, first place, lost to Cubs in NLDS.Manager: Dave Martinez (first season).He's Here: 1B-OF Matt Adams, C Miguel Montero, RHP Jeremy Hellickson, RHP Joaquin Benoit, INF Matt Reynolds.He's Outta Here: Manager Dusty Baker, LF Jayson Werth, 1B-LF Adam Lind, C Jose Lobaton, RHP Matt Albers.Projected Lineup: SS Trea Turner (.284, 11 HRs, 45 RBIs, 46 SBs in 98 games), LF Adam Eaton (.297, 2, 13 in 23 games), RF Bryce Harper (.319, 29, 87), 3B Anthony Rendon (.301, 25, 100, 41 2Bs), 2B Daniel Murphy (.322, 23, 93, 43 2Bs, expected to begin season on DL recovering from knee surgery), 1B Ryan Zimmerman (.303, 36, 108, 33 2Bs), CF Michael A. Taylor (.271, 19, 53), C Matt Wieters (.225, 10, 52).Rotation: RH Max Scherzer (16-6, 2.51 ERA, NL-high 268 Ks, 200 2/3 IP, 3rd Cy Young Award), RH Stephen Strasburg (15-4, 2.52, 204 Ks), LH Gio Gonzalez (15-9, 2.96, 79 walks), RH Tanner Roark (13-11,... [More]

CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) — Maikel Franco no longer has to be the man on the Philadelphia Phillies.Expectations for Franco were high after he hit .280 with 14 homers and 50 RBIs in 80 games as a rookie in 2015. Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt said the guy playing his former position had MVP potential and the team hoped the young third baseman would anchor the middle of the order for a decade.But Franco has struggled the past two seasons. He batted only .230 with a .281 on-base percentage in 2017, though he led the team with 24 homers and 76 RBIs.With the emergence of slugger Rhys Hoskins and other young hitters like Aaron Altherr and Nick Williams and the addition of veteran Carlos Santana, Franco won't have to carry the offense."Nobody has to be the guy because we have a lineup that can grind you a bit," new manager Gabe Kapler said. "You're not going to get to the bottom of the lineup without having someone who can do home-run damage."Franco arrived to camp looking leaner and said he added muscle... [More]

SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) — Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had four singles in his spring training debut for the Toronto Blue Jays, a 9-3 win at the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday.The 18-year-old third baseman, whose father Vladimir will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this summer, signed with Toronto in July 2015 for a $3.9 million bonus.He was the designated hitter and had hits in the second inning off Nestor Cortes Jr., in the sixth and seventh against Tim Melville and in the ninth versus Asher Wojciechowski. He also flied out in the fourth against Darren O'Day. He hit .323 with 13 homers and 76 RBIs at a pair of Class A teams last year with a .910 OPS."Good looking hitter," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "He looks like he has fun playing."Bo Bichette, a son of former major leaguer Dante Bichette, had two hits and drove in two runs for Toronto. The Blue Jays' Anthony Alford had two doubles and his second triple. Aaron Sanchez allowed one run in three innings and struck out five.ELSEWHERE AROUND... [More]

SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) — Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had four singles in his spring training debut for the Toronto Blue Jays, a 9-3 win at the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday.The 18-year-old third baseman, whose father Vladimir will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this summer, signed with Toronto in July 2015 for a $3.9 million bonus.He was the designated hitter and had hits in the second inning off Nestor Cortes Jr., in the sixth and seventh against Tim Melville and in the ninth versus Asher Wojciechowski. He also flied out in the fourth against Darren O'Day. He hit .323 with 13 homers and 76 RBIs at a pair of Class A teams last year with a .910 OPS."Good looking hitter," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "He looks like he has fun playing."Bo Bichette, a son of former major leaguer Dante Bichette, had two hits and drove in two runs for Toronto. The Blue Jays' Anthony Alford had two doubles and his second triple. Aaron Sanchez allowed one run in three innings and struck out five.ELSEWHERE AROUND... [More]

SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) — Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had four singles in his spring training debut for the Toronto Blue Jays, a 9-3 win at the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday.The 18-year-old third baseman, whose father Vladimir will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this summer, signed with Toronto in July 2015 for a $3.9 million bonus.He was the designated hitter and had hits in the second inning off Nestor Cortes Jr., in the sixth and seventh against Tim Melville and in the ninth versus Asher Wojciechowski. He also flied out in the fourth against Darren O'Day. He hit .323 with 13 homers and 76 RBIs at a pair of Class A teams last year with a .910 OPS."Good looking hitter," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "He looks like he has fun playing."Bo Bichette, a son of former major leaguer Dante Bichette, had two hits and drove in two runs for Toronto. The Blue Jays' Anthony Alford had two doubles and his second triple. Aaron Sanchez allowed one run in three innings and struck out five.ELSEWHERE AROUND... [More]

CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) — Loud music blares inside the clubhouse and several players gather to watch an intense battle during another round of the team's pingpong tournament.There's a different vibe surrounding the Philadelphia Phillies this spring.New manager Gabe Kapler has brought a new-school philosophy, a ton of energy and plenty of positivity to an organization that needed revitalization after five straight losing seasons."He's the man," shortstop J.P. Crawford said. "He's the reason why this clubhouse is like this. He makes everyone feel comfortable and everyone wants to fight for him. He cares so much about us and that translates to us wanting to play for him and win for him and it's great to have a manager like that."Kapler's only previous managerial experience came in 2007 when he took a season off from playing in the majors to lead Boston's Class A affiliate. He also coached Team Israel during the 2013 World Baseball Classic qualifying period. But his progressive thinking was an... [More]

Houston Astros first baseman Yuli Gurriel will have to wait even longer before playing this season.Gurriel had surgery on his left hand Wednesday and the normal recovery time is six weeks.Opening day for the World Series champions is March 29, when the Astros visit Texas. When Gurriel returns, he will serve a five-game suspension imposed by Major League Baseball for making an inappropriate gesture toward Dodgers pitcher Yu Darvish during the World Series.Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow said Gurriel's hand was broken before he came to camp. Luhnow said he did not know the original cause of the fracture."It was non-symptomatic until recently and he started to feel something," Luhnow said. "Once you start feeling something, the right course of action is to just remove it because it's a pretty reliable surgery, and we know what the outcome is going to be."The 33-year-old Gurriel hit .299 with 18 homers and 75 RBIs last year in his first full season in the majors. He played in one exhibition... [More]

CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) — Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Nick Williams has set his sights on gaining a full-time role coming out of spring.He's already made quite an impression on Gabe Kapler — and on the new manager's ride, too.Williams dented Kapler's rental SUV with a home run during batting practice Tuesday and tried to ding his favorite target again Wednesday."The breeze coming in from right field did not stop Nick Williams from destroying the baseball and almost hitting my car for the second straight day," Kapler said.Insurance will surely cover the light damage and Kapler is more than happy to see the 24-year-old hitting with power."If he is destroying cars and it happens to be mine, no problem," Kapler added. "We're going to make it a bull's-eye for him."Williams, a former second-round pick for the Texas Rangers in 2012, showed some signs of what the future holds when he hit .288 with 12 home runs and 55 RBIs in 313 at-bats as a rookie last season.Williams spent the offseason working... [More]

A team-by-team look at the National 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:___Washington NationalsManager: Dave Martinez (first season).2017: 97-65, first place, lost to Chicago Cubs in NLDS.Training Town: West Palm Beach, Florida.Park: The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches.First Workout: Feb. 16/21.He's Here: 1B-OF Matt Adams, C Miguel Montero.He's Outta Here: Manager Dusty Baker, LF Jayson Werth, C Jose Lobaton, 1B-LF Adam Lind, RHP Matt Albers.Going campin': It's become an all-too-familiar story for the Nationals and their fans: terrific regular season, followed by quick playoff exit, followed by a managerial change. Martinez will be the latest skipper to try to lead the club to postseason success — and GM Mike Rizzo has made it clear that ownership expects nothing less than a World Series championship. Martinez has been Joe Maddon's right-hand man with the Chicago... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Playing meaningful games in September seems attainable for the Philadelphia Phillies.That's a big step forward for a team with five straight losing seasons. Philadelphia won only 66 games in 2017 and finished last in the NL East for a third time in four years.A decade after winning the franchise's second World Series title, the Phillies have a solid group of young players ready to make summers at the ballpark fun again the way Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins did from 2007-11.Slugger Rhys Hoskins, shortstop J.P. Crawford, outfielder Nick Williams and catcher Jorge Alfaro proved they belonged in the majors and will get a chance to showcase their talent over a full season.Outfielders Odubel Herrera and Aaron Altherr and second baseman Cesar Hernandez have been productive for a few years. Veteran first baseman Carlos Santana got big money in free agency to complete a lineup that has a chance to be dynamic.It will be up to new manager Gabe Kapler to maximize their... [More]

The Philadelphia Phillies relieved Pete Mackanin of his managerial duties on Friday but are retaining him as a special assistant to general manager Matt Klentak.The Phillies announced the news in what ranked as a relatively surprising move because they extended Mackanin's contract in May. He is signed through 2018 with a team option for 2019.Also, Philadelphia has enjoyed a strong second half behind the emergence of some young players, including slugger Rhys Hoskins.Mackanin was among the people stunned by the news."I'm disappointed, surely," Mackanin said. "But I understand it and I'm happy to be part of it down the road. I believe in Matt Klentak and I believe in what he's doing and the fact that he wants me to continue in this (new) capacity is the most important thing."Overall, the Phillies are 64-95 entering Friday night's home game against the New York Mets. But they are 35-37 since the All-Star break."The way the rebuild is evolving, a new voice in the dugout and a new style is necessary,"... [More]

ST. LOUIS -- One big inning put the Chicago Cubs back in the postseason.Chicago, scoring five runs in the top of the seventh inning, knocked off the St. Louis Cardinals 5-1 on Wednesday night to wrap up its second consecutive National League Central title.Addison Russell wiped out a 1-0 deficit with one swing, cracking a three-run homer down the left field line to spoil a good game from Cardinals pitcher Michael Wacha. Jason Heyward and pinch hitter Tommy La Stella each added RBI doubles as seven straight Cubs reached base to start the inning.John Lackey (12-11) stifled St. Louis on two hits and a run over six innings, walking two and striking out three. Five relievers finished up for the Cubs, who will play the Nationals in an NL Division Series starting on Oct. 6 in Washington.Indians 4, Twins 2CLEVELAND -- Yan Gomes homered, and Carlos Santana had three hits as Cleveland snapped Minnesota's five-game winning streak.The Twins, though, clinched the AL's second wild-card spot when the Chicago... [More]

OF Aaron Altherr went 1-for-3 with a double and a run scored in Philadelphia's 4-1 victory over Washington on Tuesday night. Altherr is batting .318 with 10 extra-base hits (six home runs, three doubles and a triple), 18 RBIs and a 1.082 OPS in his last 20 home games. The Phillies have four more home games remaining, so Altherr will look to continue that trend.

OF Aaron Altherr ended an 0-for-13 streak with an RBI double on Sunday. Altherr finished the season with 10 RBIs in 13 games against Atlanta.

OF Aaron Altherr homered for the third consecutive game Wednesday night. Altherr was 3-for-4 with four RBIs in the Phillies' win over the Dodgers. He has nine RBIs in his past three games, and he hit a grand slam off Clayton Kershaw on Monday night.

OF Aaron Altherr became the first player to hit a grand slam against Dodgers superstar Clayton Kershaw in a 4-3 win Monday night. Altherr, with the Phillies trailing 2-0 in the sixth, clubbed his 17th homer and second career grand slam to the upper deck in left field.

OF Aaron Altherr was activated from the 10-day disabled list Monday, when he didn't play in the Phillies' 11-7 loss to the Mets. The Phillies are expected to proceed cautiously this month with Altherr, who has suffered a pair of right hamstring injuries within the last two months. Altherr was initially injured July 14 and placed on the disabled list two days later (retroactive to July 15). He returned July 26 but re-aggravated the injury Aug. 4 and was placed on the 10-day disabled list the next day. Altherr was with Triple-A Lehigh Valley for two games over the weekend but did not play. He is batting .285 with 16 homers and 49 RBIs in 87 games this season.

OF Aaron Altherr, who was productive for the Phillies before going down with a hamstring injury, is not quite ready to start a rehab assignment, but that could happen this weekend. Before he got hurt, Altherr, 26, was hitting .285 with 20 doubles, four triples and 16 homers in 87 games.

OF Aaron Altherr (hamstring) was expected to begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Reading on Thursday, but did not play.

RF Aaron Altherr (right hamstring strain) was placed on the 10-day disabled list. He re-aggravated the hamstring and was removed from the game Friday on a double switch