PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Pirates pay Felipe Vazquez $3 million a year to close out games. It's a great way to make a living. It just doesn't happen to be the All-Star reliever's favorite thing about his gig.Vazquez's biggest perk comes in a giddy postgame clubhouse, when "DJ Nightmare" flips on his portable turntable, his teammates throw on masks and one of the National League's hottest — if most enigmatic — teams lets loose.Over the course of the season, the playlist has changed to better reflect the varying tastes of the group. Some days it's country. Some days it's techno. Some days it's hip-hop. On nights he's not working — and there's been little for Vazquez to do during a 13-2 surge that has thrust the Pirates back into the National League playoff picture — he'll spend the ninth inning mulling his options."I can't wait to get in and get going," Vazquez said on Thursday before the Pirates opened a four-game series against the New York Mets.Or, more importantly, keep it going.Pittsburgh's... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Noah Syndergaard pitched out of trouble in a rusty return from the disabled list and helped himself with an RBI single as the New York Mets beat the Washington Nationals 4-2 on Friday night.Amed Rosario tripled and doubled, both times over Bryce Harper's head in center field, and the Mets won for only the sixth time in their last 26 home games. Brandon Nimmo had three hits for New York, which built a three-run cushion in the first inning against struggling starter Tanner Roark.Roark (3-12) became the first 12-game loser in the majors this season. He allowed four runs and eight hits in five innings.Matt Adams homered for the inconsistent Nationals, who fell back to .500 at 47-47. They have lost just three of 13 games at Citi Field since the start of last season.After missing seven weeks with a strained ligament in his right index finger, Syndergaard (5-1) came out firing 99 mph fastballs.Robert Gsellman gave up Adams' upper-deck shot in the eighth but got six outs for his... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Noah Syndergaard pitched out of trouble in a rusty return from the disabled list and helped himself with an RBI single as the New York Mets beat the Washington Nationals 4-2 on Friday night.Amed Rosario tripled and doubled, both times over Bryce Harper's head in center field, and the Mets won for only the sixth time in their last 26 home games. Brandon Nimmo had three hits for New York, which built a three-run cushion in the first inning against struggling starter Tanner Roark.Roark (3-12) became the first 12-game loser in the majors this season. He allowed four runs and eight hits in five innings.Matt Adams homered for the inconsistent Nationals, who fell back to .500 at 47-47. They have lost just three of 13 games at Citi Field since the start of last season.After missing seven weeks with a strained ligament in his right index finger, Syndergaard (5-1) came out firing 99 mph fastballs.Robert Gsellman gave up Adams' upper-deck shot in the eighth but got six outs for his... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Noah Syndergaard pitched out of trouble in a rusty return from the disabled list and helped himself with an RBI single as the New York Mets beat the Washington Nationals 4-2 on Friday night.Amed Rosario tripled and doubled, both times over Bryce Harper's head in center field, and the Mets won for only the sixth time in their last 26 home games. Brandon Nimmo had three hits for New York, which built a three-run cushion in the first inning against struggling starter Tanner Roark.Roark (3-12) became the first 12-game loser in the majors this season. He allowed four runs and eight hits in five innings.Matt Adams homered for the inconsistent Nationals, who fell back to .500 at 47-47. They have lost just three of 13 games at Citi Field since the start of last season.After missing seven weeks with a strained ligament in his right index finger, Syndergaard (5-1) came out firing 99 mph fastballs.Gsellman gave up Adams' upper-deck shot in the eighth but got six outs for his fourth... [More]

DENVER (AP) — Colorado right-hander German Marquez homered against Arizona infielder Daniel Descalso, helping the Rockies pound the Diamondbacks 19-2 on Wednesday night.Marquez (8-8) pitched six innings of two-run ball. He connected for his first career homer in the fifth.Marquez's drive to center was the first homer by a pitcher off a position player since Mike LaCoss went deep for the Giants against San Diego's Dane Iorg on June 23, 1986, according to STATS.Carlos Gonzalez homered twice for the Rockies and drove in six runs. Charlie Blackmon and Ian Desmond also went deep.Arizona right-hander Shelby Miller (0-4) allowed five runs in one inning before departing with right elbow tightness.MARLINS 5, BREWERS 4, 12 INNINGSMIAMI (AP) — Milwaukee slugger Jesus Aguilar was added to the NL All-Star team and then validated the selection with three hits and three RBIs, but the Brewers went 3 for 16 with runners in scoring position.Starlin Castro singled home the winning run for Miami with one out... [More]

DENVER (AP) — Colorado right-hander German Marquez homered against Arizona infielder Daniel Descalso, helping the Rockies pound the Diamondbacks 19-2 on Wednesday night.Marquez (8-8) pitched six innings of two-run ball. He connected for his first career homer in the fifth.Marquez's drive to center was the first homer by a pitcher off a position player since Mike LaCoss went deep for the Giants against San Diego's Dane Iorg on June 23, 1986, according to STATS.Carlos Gonzalez homered twice for the Rockies and drove in six runs. Charlie Blackmon and Ian Desmond also went deep.Arizona right-hander Shelby Miller (0-4) allowed five runs in one inning before departing with right elbow tightness.MARLINS 5, BREWERS 4, 12 INNINGSMIAMI (AP) — Milwaukee slugger Jesus Aguilar was added to the NL All-Star team and then validated the selection with three hits and three RBIs, but the Brewers went 3 for 16 with runners in scoring position.Starlin Castro singled home the winning run for Miami with one out... [More]

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Starling Marte hit a two-run home run and Trevor Williams combined with four relievers on a five-hitter as the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Washington Nationals 2-0 on Wednesday.Williams (7-7) won for just the second time in his past 10 starts, giving up four hits with three strikeouts and three walks.Gio Gonzalez (6-6) remained winless since May 28 despite allowing just two runs, six hits and one walk while striking out four.Washington lost for the 11th time in 16 games and fell back to .500.Richard Rodriguez, Edgar Santana, Kyle Crick and Felipe Vazquez followed Williams with one scoreless inning each. Vazquez earned his 20th save in 24 opportunities.TWINS 8, ROYALS 5MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Brian Dozier hit a two-run home run, going deep for the second straight game to give Minnesota a boost on its way to a win over Kansas City.Lance Lynn (7-7) recovered from a three-run homer by Salvador Perez in the first inning to win his second straight start for the Twins, who used the... [More]

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Starling Marte hit a two-run home run and Trevor Williams combined with four relievers on a five-hitter as the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Washington Nationals 2-0 on Wednesday.Williams (7-7) won for just the second time in his past 10 starts, giving up four hits with three strikeouts and three walks.Gio Gonzalez (6-6) remained winless since May 28 despite allowing just two runs, six hits and one walk while striking out four.Washington lost for the 11th time in 16 games and fell back to .500.Richard Rodriguez, Edgar Santana, Kyle Crick and Felipe Vazquez followed Williams with one scoreless inning each. Vazquez earned his 20th save in 24 opportunities.TWINS 8, ROYALS 5MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Brian Dozier hit a two-run home run, going deep for the second straight game to give Minnesota a boost on its way to a win over Kansas City.Lance Lynn (7-7) recovered from a three-run homer by Salvador Perez in the first inning to win his second straight start for the Twins, who used the... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Hicks hit three home runs and the New York Yankees pummeled David Price again, connecting five times in the first four innings Sunday night on the way to an 11-1 rout of the Boston Red Sox.Luis Severino became the first 13-game winner in the majors, cruising through 6 2/3 shutout innings of two-hit ball after the Bronx Bombers quickly built him a big cushion. With the teams trading blowouts all weekend, the Yankees (54-27) took two of three from their longtime rivals to regain baseball's best record and first place in the AL East.Batting leadoff against a left-hander, Hicks homered twice from the right side of the plate and once from the left. He smacked a two-run shot to right field in the second inning and a solo drive to center in the fourth that chased Price (9-6) and made it 8-0.Hicks pulled his 14th of the season into the right-field stands in the eighth off Hector Velazquez. It was the first three-homer game by a Yankees player since Alex Rodriguez, part of... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Jon Lester hit a three-run homer in an eight-run second inning and wound up with his NL-leading 11th victory in the Chicago Cubs' 11-10 win over the Minnesota Twins on Sunday.Ian Happ also homered for the Cubs. They have scored at least 10 runs in four straight games for the first time since 1930. Chicago swept the three-game series and has won four in a row overall.Lester (11-2) allowed four runs, two of them earned, and nine hits in five-plus innings.Javier Baez, who doubled twice, Happ and Willson Contreras each had three hits.Mitch Garver hit a two-run homer off reliever Dillon Maples in the Twins' five-run eighth.Cubs closer Brandon Morrow got one out in the eighth and pitched a scoreless ninth for his 18th save in 19 chances. Lance Lynn (5-7) was the loser.Brian Dozier hit a two-run homer and Jake Cave also homered for the Twins.RAYS 3, ASTROS 2.ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Blake Snell struck out 10, reliever Diego Castillo fanned Jose Altuve in a key spot and Tampa... [More]

BALTIMORE (AP) — Brock Holt and Jackie Bradley Jr. each delivered a sacrifice fly in the 12th inning, and the Boston Red Sox limited the Baltimore Orioles to five hits in a 2-0 victory Monday night.A pitching duel between Dylan Bundy and Steven Wright was ultimately decided long after both starters departed.Xander Bogaerts led off the 12th with a single against Mychal Givens (0-3), and the Red Sox went on to load the bases before Holt broke the scoreless deadlock with a fly to center. Bradley followed with a fly ball to score Rafael Devers, who had doubled.Heath Hembree (3-1) struck out the side in the 11th and Craig Kimbrel got three outs for his 21st save.It was the fifth straight loss for the Orioles, who have been shut out seven times this season.CUBS 7, BREWERS 2, 11 INNINGSMILWAUKEE (AP) — Anthony Rizzo homered down the right-field line on the first pitch of a five-run 11th inning to help Chicago beat Milwaukee and jump into first place in the NL Central.Rizzo turned on a fastball... [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]

PITTSBURGH (AP) — For the first time in months, Andrew McCutchen woke up Friday morning in his own bed. He and his wife Maria took their infant son Steel to the doctor for some shots. For lunch, he stopped by his favorite pizza spot, and then he hopped in a car and drove to PNC Park, where he made his way through the players' entrance and started the long walk toward the Pittsburgh Pirates' clubhouse.Only this time, instead of breezing past the visitors' clubhouse as he did during his more than eight years serving as the fulcrum around which the franchise spun from irrelevance into contention, McCutchen turned left and joined the rest of the San Francisco Giants, where his familiar No. 22 jersey hung in an unfamiliar spot."A little weird," McCutchen said a few hours before he went 1 for 5 with a double in San Francisco's 11-2 loss to the Pirates. "I felt like I needed a few more steps."Not anymore.The five-time All-Star outfielder and 2013 National League MVP knew this day was coming the... [More]

PITTSBURGH (AP) — For the first time in months, Andrew McCutchen woke up Friday morning in his own bed. He and his wife Maria took their infant son Steel to the doctor for some shots. For lunch, he stopped by his favorite pizza spot, and then he hopped in a car and drove to PNC Park, where he made his way through the players' entrance and started the long walk toward the Pittsburgh Pirates' clubhouse.Only this time, instead of breezing past the visitors' clubhouse as he did during his more than eight years serving as the fulcrum around which the franchise spun from irrelevance into contention, McCutchen turned left and joined the rest of the San Francisco Giants, where his familiar No. 22 jersey hung in an unfamiliar spot."A little weird," McCutchen said. "I felt like I needed a few more steps."Not anymore.The five-time All-Star outfielder and 2013 National League MVP knew this day was coming the moment the Pirates traded him to the Giants in mid-January. And when it arrived, he didn't... [More]

At this time last season, the Dodgers were in third place, so it's not as though Los Angeles needs to panic about an even slower start in 2018.Still, the defending National League champions are having their depth tested.Corey Seager is out for the season . Clayton Kershaw, Justin Turner, Rich Hill and Yasiel Puig are among the other Dodgers on the disabled list. Los Angeles has sputtered to a 15-19 mark, and that's only part of the problem. The Dodgers also have to contend with an Arizona team that has raced out to the NL's best record and leads Los Angeles by eight games in the NL West.Last season, the Dodgers strolled to a division title with 104 wins, and at times they seemed to have more starting pitching than they needed. Kenta Maeda won 13 games and wasn't even part of the postseason rotation. Hyun-Jin Ryu made 24 starts and posted a 3.77 ERA — and didn't pitch at all in the playoffs or World Series.Now Ryu is on the DL, and Kershaw joined him there Sunday. Hill hasn't pitched since... [More]

Capsules of National League Central teams, listed in order of finish last year:___Chicago Cubs2017: 92-70, first place, lost to Dodgers in NLCS.Manager: Joe Maddon (fourth season).He's Here: RHP Yu Darvish, RHP Brandon Morrow, RHP Tyler Chatwood, RHP Steve Cishek, LHP Drew Smyly, C Chris Gimenez.He's Outta Here: RHP Wade Davis, C Alex Avila, C Rene Rivera.Projected Lineup: CF Ian Happ (.253, 24 HRs, 68 RBIs, .842 OPS) or Albert Almora Jr. (.298, 8, 46), 3B Kris Bryant (.295, 29, 73, 38 2Bs, 111 runs), 1B Anthony Rizzo (.273, 32, 109, 91 BBs), C Willson Contreras (.276, 21, 74), LF Kyle Schwarber (.211, 30, 59), SS Addison Russell (.239, 12, 43), RF Jason Heyward (.259, 11, 59), 2B Javier Baez (.273, 23, 75, .796 OPS).Rotation: LH Jon Lester (13-8, 4.33 ERA, 180 Ks), RH Kyle Hendricks (7-5, 3.03), RH Yu Darvish (10-12, 3.86, 209 Ks with Rangers and Dodgers), LH Jose Quintana (11-11, 4.15, 207 Ks with White Sox and Cubs), RH Tyler Chatwood (8-15, 4.69 with Rockies).Key Relievers: RH Brandon... [More]

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Depending on the person asked in the clubhouse, the Pittsburgh Pirates are rebuilding. Or they're not. They're retooling. Or they're not. They're pointing toward 2019 and beyond. Or they're focused on the here and now.The next six months will offer a chance at clarity.The Pirates head into 2018 without Andrew McCutchen in the outfield on opening day for the first time in nearly a decade and without Gerrit Cole in the rotation for the first time since the start of 2013, traded in offseason moves that saved the franchise millions of dollars. Though both transactions included the Pirates picking up a handful of players they believe can make an immediate impact — including starting pitcher Joe Musgrove and third baseman Colin Moran — they left established Pirates like Josh Harrison wondering aloud whether the club cared about winning or making money.Harrison suggested the team consider moving him if it didn't plan to contend. Third baseman David Freese chastised a clubhouse... [More]

Capsules of National League Central teams, listed in order of finish last year:___Chicago Cubs2017: 92-70, first place, lost to Dodgers in NLCS.Manager: Joe Maddon (fourth season).He's Here: RHP Yu Darvish, RHP Brandon Morrow, RHP Tyler Chatwood, RHP Steve Cishek, LHP Drew Smyly, C Chris Gimenez.He's Outta Here: RHP Wade Davis, C Alex Avila, C Rene Rivera.Projected Lineup: CF Ian Happ (.253, 24 HRs, 68 RBIs, .842 OPS) or Albert Almora Jr. (.298, 8, 46), 3B Kris Bryant (.295, 29, 73, 38 2Bs, 111 runs), 1B Anthony Rizzo (.273, 32, 109, 91 BBs), C Willson Contreras (.276, 21, 74), LF Kyle Schwarber (.211, 30, 59), SS Addison Russell (.239, 12, 43), RF Jason Heyward (.259, 11, 59), 2B Javier Baez (.273, 23, 75, .796 OPS).Rotation: LH Jon Lester (13-8, 4.33 ERA, 180 Ks), RH Kyle Hendricks (7-5, 3.03), RH Yu Darvish (10-12, 3.86, 209 Ks with Rangers and Dodgers), LH Jose Quintana (11-11, 4.15, 207 Ks with White Sox and Cubs), RH Tyler Chatwood (8-15, 4.69 with Rockies).Key Relievers: RH Brandon... [More]

BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — Pittsburgh Pirates manager Clint Hurdle says it's time for the team to move on as it begins spring training about four weeks after trading away star outfielder Andrew McCutchen and ace pitcher Gerrit Cole."It's an opportunity for a new era of Pirates baseball," Hurdle said after the team's two-hour opening workout on Wednesday. "That's no disrespect. They're gone. It's a new era. There were men who came before Gerrit and Andrew who also did significant things. Honor the past, own the present. We have an opportunity to create our own future."Four days apart in early January, Cole was traded to the Houston Astros and McCutchen was dealt to the San Francisco Giants. General manager Neal Huntington said his plan is to retool the roster instead of blowing it up entirely.Several of the players the Pirates got in those deals will have chances to play right away.Colin Moran, who hit 18 home runs last year in Triple-A, likely will be the Pirates' opening day third baseman.... [More]

A team-by-team look at the National League Central 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:___Chicago CubsManager: Joe Maddon (fourth season).2017: 92-70, first place, lost to Dodgers in NLCS.Training Town: Mesa, Arizona.Park: Sloan Park.First Workout: Feb. 14/19.He's Here: RHP Brandon Morrow, RHP Tyler Chatwood, RHP Steve Cishek, LHP Drew Smyly.He's Outta Here: RHP Wade Davis, C Alex Avila, C Rene Rivera.Going campin': Chicago is coming off three consecutive NLCS appearances, and it looked a little tired when its title defense came to an end with a lopsided playoff loss to Los Angeles last year. The bullpen was hit hard by the Dodgers in the NLCS, and the Cubs batted just .168 in 10 postseason games. The roster returns mostly intact, but the bullpen and coaching staff each has a new look. Morrow replaces Davis at closer after agreeing to a $21 million, two-year contract. Jim... [More]