OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The Oakland Athletics extended their winning streak to 11, rallying from a two-run deficit and beating the Twins 13-12 on Wednesday when Luis Arraez threw away Ramón Laureano’s grounder for Minnesota’s second error of the 10th inning. Nelson Cruz had two home runs and four RBIs for the Twins, and Byron Buxton hit a two-run homer against Lou Trivino for a 12-10 lead in the 10th. Alex Colomé (1-2) got the first two outs in the bottom half with the automatic runner on second, then walked Seth Brown and Elvis Andrus, loading the bases. Mark Canha hit what should have been a game-ending grounder to second baseman Travis Blankehorn, who entered as a pinch runner for Josh Donaldson in the 10th, but Blankenhorn allowed the ball to bounce off his glove for a run-scoring error. Laureano hit a one-hopper to Arraez for what again should have been the final out. Arraez, who had moved to third from second base to third for the 10th, sailed his throw over first baseman Willians... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The Oakland Athletics extended their winning streak to 11, rallying from a two-run deficit and beating the Twins 13-12 on Wednesday when Luis Arraez threw away Ramón Laureano’s grounder for Minnesota’s second error of the 10th inning. Nelson Cruz had two home runs and four RBIs for the Twins, and Byron Buxton hit a two-run homer against Lou Trivino for a 12-10 lead in the 10th. Alex Colomé (1-2) got the first two outs in the bottom half with the automatic runner on second, then walked Seth Brown and Elvis Andrus, loading the bases. Mark Canha hit what should have been a game-ending grounder to second baseman Travis Blankehorn, who entered as a pinch runner for Josh Donaldson in the 10th, but Blankenhorn allowed the ball to bounce off his glove for a run-scoring error. Laureano hit a one-hopper to Arraez for what again should have been the final out. Arraez, who had moved to third from second base to third for the 10th, sailed his throw over first baseman Willians... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The Oakland Athletics extended their winning streak to 11, rallying from a two-run deficit and beating the Twins 13-12 on Wednesday when Luis Arraez threw away Ramón Laureano’s grounder for Minnesota’s second error of the 10th inning. Nelson Cruz had two home runs and four RBIs for the Twins, and Byron Buxton hit a two-run homer against Lou Trivino for a 12-10 lead in the 10th. Alex Colomé (1-2) got the first two outs in the bottom half with the automatic runner on second, then walked Seth Brown and Elvis Andrus, loading the bases. Mark Canha hit what should have been a game-ending grounder to second baseman Travis Blankehorn, who entered as a pinch runner for Josh Donaldson in the 10th, but Blankenhorn allowed the ball to bounce off his glove for a run-scoring error. Laureano hit a one-hopper to Arraez for what again should have been the final out. Arraez, who had moved to third from second base to third for the 10th, sailed his throw over first baseman Willians... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The Oakland Athletics extended their winning streak to 11, rallying from a two-run deficit and beating the Twins 13-12 on Wednesday when Luis Arraez threw away Ramón Laureano’s grounder for Minnesota’s second error of the 10th inning. Nelson Cruz had two home runs and four RBIs for the Twins, and Byron Buxton hit a two-run homer against Lou Trivino for a 12-10 lead in the 10th. Alex Colomé (1-2) got the first two outs in the bottom half with the automatic runner on second, then walked Seth Brown and Elvis Andrus, loading the bases. Mark Canha hit what should have been a game-ending grounder to second baseman Travis Blankehorn, who entered as a pinch runner for Josh Donaldson in the 10th, but Blankenhorn allowed the ball to bounce off his glove for a run-scoring error. Laureano hit a one-hopper to Arraez for what again should have been the final out. Arraez, who had moved to third from second base to third for the 10th, sailed his throw over first baseman Willians... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Slumping slugger 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... [More]

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]

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]

NEW YORK (AP) — Jeff McNeil launched a tying homer in the bottom of the ninth inning on his 29th birthday and the New York Mets were handed the winning run on a disputed hit by pitch for a bizarre 3-2 victory over the Miami Marlins in their home opener Thursday. With the bases loaded and one out, a scuffling Michael Conforto appeared to stick out his right elbow pad just enough to get it grazed by a 1-2 breaking ball from closer Anthony Bass that looked to be in the strike zone. Plate umpire and crew chief Ron Kulpa at first signaled strike, then quickly ruled Conforto was hit by the pitch. Conforto headed toward first base as Luis Guillorme scored and the Mets celebrated a comeback win in front of the first crowd at Citi Field in 557 days. Marlins players and manager Don Mattingly argued with Kulpa before a replay review was initiated. The review lasted 58 seconds, and the call was upheld. According to baseball rules, if a batter is hit by a pitch in the strike zone, the pitch should be... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Jeff McNeil launched a tying homer in the bottom of the ninth inning on his 29th birthday and the New York Mets were handed the winning run on a disputed hit by pitch for a bizarre 3-2 victory over the Miami Marlins in their home opener Thursday. With the bases loaded and one out, a scuffling Michael Conforto appeared to stick out his right elbow pad just enough to get it grazed by a 1-2 breaking ball from closer Anthony Bass that looked to be in the strike zone. Plate umpire and crew chief Ron Kulpa at first signaled strike, then quickly ruled Conforto was hit by the pitch. Conforto headed toward first base as Luis Guillorme scored and the Mets celebrated a comeback win in front of the first crowd at Citi Field in 557 days. Marlins players and manager Don Mattingly argued with Kulpa before a replay review was initiated. The review lasted 58 seconds, and the call was upheld. According to baseball rules, if a batter is hit by a pitch in the strike zone, the pitch should be... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Jeff McNeil launched a tying homer in the bottom of the ninth inning on his 29th birthday and the New York Mets were handed the winning run on a disputed hit by pitch for a bizarre 3-2 victory over the Miami Marlins in their home opener Thursday. With the bases loaded and one out, a scuffling Michael Conforto appeared to stick out his right elbow pad just enough to get it grazed by a 1-2 breaking ball from closer Anthony Bass that looked to be in the strike zone. Plate umpire and crew chief Ron Kulpa at first signaled strike, then quickly ruled Conforto was hit by the pitch. Conforto headed toward first base as Luis Guillorme scored and the Mets celebrated a comeback win in front of the first crowd at Citi Field in 557 days. Marlins players and manager Don Mattingly argued with Kulpa before a replay review was initiated. The review lasted 58 seconds, and the call was upheld. According to baseball rules, if a batter is hit by a pitch in the strike zone, the pitch should be... [More]

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]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jean Segura hit an RBI single with two outs in the 10th inning to lift the Philadelphia Phillies over the Atlanta Braves 3-2 in their season opener Thursday. After Nate Jones (0-1) intentionally walked Did Gregorius, Segura hit a bouncer down the third-base line to score Bryce Harper, who began the inning as the automatic runner at second base and advanced to third on a grounder. In the top of the 10th, center fielder Roman Quinn made a perfect throw to the plate to retire Ozzie Albies, who was trying to score on Marcell Ozuna’s fly ball. Catcher J.T. Realmuto caught the ball and slid in front of the plate in one slick motion, successfully blocking Albies’ path. Phillies ace Aaron Nola was one strike away from tossing seven scoreless innings before pinch-hitter Pablo Sandoval ripped an 0-2 pitch into the second deck in right field to tie it at 2. The Phillies got 3 1/3 scoreless innings from four relievers, with Connor Brogdon (1-0) working the 10th. They had the worst... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jean Segura hit an RBI single with two outs in the 10th inning to lift the Philadelphia Phillies over the Atlanta Braves 3-2 in their season opener Thursday. After Nate Jones (0-1) intentionally walked Did Gregorius, Segura hit a bouncer down the third-base line to score Bryce Harper, who began the inning as the automatic runner at second base and advanced to third on a grounder. In the top of the 10th, center fielder Roman Quinn made a perfect throw to the plate to retire Ozzie Albies, who was trying to score on Marcell Ozuna’s fly ball. Catcher J.T. Realmuto caught the ball and slid in front of the plate in one slick motion, successfully blocking Albies’ path. Phillies ace Aaron Nola was one strike away from tossing seven scoreless innings before pinch-hitter Pablo Sandoval ripped an 0-2 pitch into the second deck in right field to tie it at 2. The Phillies got 3 1/3 scoreless innings from four relievers, with Connor Brogdon (1-0) working the 10th. They had the worst... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jean Segura hit an RBI single with two outs in the 10th inning to lift the Philadelphia Phillies over the Atlanta Braves 3-2 in their season opener Thursday. After Nate Jones (0-1) intentionally walked Did Gregorius, Segura hit a bouncer down the third-base line to score Bryce Harper, who began the inning as the automatic runner at second base and advanced to third on a grounder. In the top of the 10th, center fielder Roman Quinn made a perfect throw to the plate to retire Ozzie Albies, who was trying to score on Marcell Ozuna’s fly ball. Catcher J.T. Realmuto caught the ball and slid in front of the plate in one slick motion, successfully blocking Albies’ path. Phillies ace Aaron Nola was one strike away from tossing seven scoreless innings before pinch-hitter Pablo Sandoval ripped an 0-2 pitch into the second deck in right field to tie it at 2. The Phillies got 3 1/3 scoreless innings from four relievers, with Connor Brogdon (1-0) working the 10th. They had the worst... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Randy Dobnak's road to the major leagues was so far off the traditional path he even chauffeured some ride-share customers along the way. The Minnesota Twins delivered the overachieving right-hander another big-time moment on Monday, in the form of a $9.25 million, five-year contract that includes three club options and could be worth $29.75 million over eight seasons. “I always believed in myself, even since I was a little kid. You have career days and stuff when you’re in elementary school and whatnot, and I was always like, ‘I want to be a baseball player,'” said Dobnak, whose place as the swingman of the 13-pitcher staff was secured last week. He'll be the team’s primary long reliever for now, essentially the sixth starter behind José Berríos, Kenta Maeda, Matt Shoemaker, Michael Pineda and J.A. Happ. This is a lot of money to guarantee a pitcher with 75 career major league innings, but the Twins saw enough improvement in his fastball and his slider this spring to... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Twins optioned prized prospect Alex Kirilloff to their alternate training site on Tuesday, leaving a wide-open competition for playing time in left field while giving the 2016 first-round draft pick more time to develop. Jake Cave, Kyle Garlick and Brent Rooker are the primary candidates at that position, vacated when Eddie Rosario was not tendered a contract during the offseason. Luis Arraez, a natural infielder who has moved into a super-sub role this year, has also been in the mix in left field. Kirilloff made his major league debut in last year's postseason but has yet to appear in a regular season game. Excluding him from the major league roster to start the year will allow the Twins to keep his service time clock from running and potentially delay his eligibility for free agency by a year. This issue has become increasingly tense between clubs and players following the union's loss of a grievance against the Chicago Cubs for holding back third baseman... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Twins optioned prized prospect Alex Kirilloff to their alternate training site on Tuesday, leaving a wide-open competition for playing time in left field while giving the 2016 first-round draft pick more time to develop. Jake Cave, Kyle Garlick and Brent Rooker are the primary candidates at that position, vacated when Eddie Rosario was not tendered a contract during the offseason. Luis Arraez, a natural infielder who has moved into a super-sub role this year, has also been in the mix in left field. Excluding Kirilloff from the major league roster to start the season will of course allow the Twins to keep his service time clock from running and potentially delay his eligibility for free agency by a year, an issue that has become increasingly tense between the clubs and the players following the union's loss of a grievance against the Chicago Cubs for holding back third baseman Kris Bryant as a rookie in 2015. Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey told reporters on Sunday that service time wouldn't factor into the decisions about the roster. Kirilloff has four hits in 31 at-bats with one home run and eight strikeouts in spring training exhibitions, which didn't help his cause to make the team out of camp. ___ More AP MLB coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — After having surgery on his right ankle for the second straight offseason, Jorge Polanco has enjoyed a pain-free start to spring training with the Minnesota Twins. Camp came with a position switch for Polanco, too, which won't hinder his goal to put those injury problems in the past. “I feel more comfortable, getting my at-bats, getting my feet down,” Polanco said after his move from shortstop to second base was essentially certified in the team's exhibition opener. “It feels great to be back after the surgery and having had a couple of at-bats.” After making the All-Star team in 2019 while hitting .295 with 40 doubles, seven triples, 22 home runs and a .356 on-base percentage, Polanco had a cleanup procedure — called a debridement — to address a chronic impingement that stemmed from repetitive stress on the joint. Then after playing through further discomfort in the ankle during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Polanco had an operation to remove a mild bone spur and... [More]