A look at what's happening around the majors today:EARLY TESTOff to the best start in baseball, Kevin Kiermaier and the Tampa Bay Rays host the wobbling Red Sox. Boston is just 6-13, and a real bad series at Tropicana Field could drop the defending World Series champions into a double-digit deficit.Rays manager Kevin Cash will use an opener for the third straight game. Tampa Bay is again employing a reliever to start because ace Blake Snell is out with a broken toe — the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner might have a bullpen session this weekend.Eduardo Rodriguez (1-2, 7.98 ERA) starts for the Red Sox, who will play Tampa Bay six times in 10 days. Boston has placed second baseman Dustin Pedroia back on the injured list because of left knee irritation.A HITTING SABBATICALCC Sabathia takes a unique streak into this matchup vs. Kansas City: The Yankees lefty is the only pitcher in big league history to have back-to-back starts in the regular season of at least five innings while allowing no... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — At spring training, Khris Davis expressed his desire to stay with the Oakland Athletics on a long-term contract for the next several seasons. He wants to build something special in the East Bay, while keeping up his remarkable home run pace.Davis now has the new deal he so wanted, after patiently waiting for it to get done.Davis' contract, announced by the team Thursday, takes him through the 2021 season. The deal adds $33.75 million for 2020 and '21, which increased Davis' guarantee to $50.25 million over three years, a person familiar with the agreement told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because contract terms had not been announced."Oakland has been a special place for me since I arrived," Davis said. "I love playing here in front of our fans, and my teammates make this feel, like a family. I never hid the fact that I wanted to stay in Oakland because that is how I feel and I'm glad that I can continue to call the city of Oakland... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Patrick Corbin took a one-hitter into the eighth inning in his first victory with Washington, Wilmer Difo homered and the Nationals beat the punchless San Francisco Giants 4-2 on Thursday.Signed to a $140 million, six-year contract in December after pitching for six seasons in Arizona, Corbin started three games without a decision with his new team before throwing a gem in the deciding matchup of a three-game series.Corbin (1-0) struck out nine, walked one and a hit a batter over 7 2/3 innings against a struggling San Francisco offense that came in with a .208 average. The lone hits against the lefty were Evan Longoria's fifth-inning double and Erik Kratz's two-out RBI double in the eighth.After Kratz broke up the shutout, Kyle Barraclough entered and retired pinch-hitter Buster Posey. Sean Doolittle worked the ninth, giving up three hits and a run while earning his second save.San Francisco starter Drew Pomeranz (0-2) gave up four runs and six hits in 4 2/3 innings.After... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Red Sox have placed second baseman Dustin Pedroia on the 10-day injured list with left knee irritation.The 35-year-old Pedroia started the season on the injured list with inflammation in his left knee. He was reinstated April 9 and appeared in four games with Boston, making four starts at second base and two as a designated hitter and going 2 for 20 (.100) with a walk, an RBI and a run scored.To fill Pedroia's spot, Boston is recalling right-handed pitcher Marcus Walden from Triple-A Pawtucket ahead of Friday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays.Walden has appeared in five games this season. The right-hander is 2-0 with a 3.38 ERA. In 13 major league appearances with Boston, Walden is 2-0 with one save and a 3.57 ERA.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — The Texas Rangers have optioned left-hander Kyle Bird to Triple-A Nashville after his second stint in the majors this season.Bird has a 6.75 ERA with a save in five relief appearances for the Rangers in his first big league action.Texas will make a corresponding move before Friday's series opener against Houston to fill Bird's spot on the 25-man roster. The Rangers were off Thursday after sweeping a three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels.The Rangers got Bird from the Tampa Bay Rays during the offseason as part of a three-team deal that sent infielder Jurickson Profar to Oakland.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — At spring training, Khris Davis expressed his desire to stay with the Oakland Athletics on a long-term contract for the next several seasons. He wants to build something special in the East Bay, while keeping up his remarkable home run pace.Davis now has the new deal he so wanted, after patiently waiting for it to get done.Davis' contract, announced by the team Thursday, takes him through the 2021 season. The deal adds $33.75 million for 2020 and '21, which increased Davis' guarantee to $50.25 million over three years, a person familiar with the agreement told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because contract terms had not been announced.Davis hit a majors-best 48 home runs last season while setting a career high with 123 RBIs, helping send the 97-win A's back to the playoffs for the first time in four years. He is leading the majors again with 10 home runs so far this season and is batting .260 with 20 RBIs."I never think he's cold,... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Patrick Corbin took a one-hitter into the eighth inning in his first victory with Washington, Wilmer Difo homered and the Nationals beat the punchless San Francisco Giants 4-2 on Thursday.Signed to a $140 million, six-year contract in December after pitching for six seasons in Arizona, Corbin started three games without a decision with his new team before throwing a gem in the deciding matchup of a three-game series.Corbin (1-0) struck out nine, walked one and a hit a batter over 7 2/3 innings against a struggling San Francisco offense that came in with a .208 average. The lone hits against the lefty were Evan Longoria's fifth-inning double and Erik Kratz's two-out RBI double in the eighth.After Kratz broke up the shutout, Kyle Barraclough entered and retired pinch-hitter Buster Posey. Sean Doolittle worked the ninth, giving up three hits and a run while earning his second save.San Francisco starter Drew Pomeranz (0-2) gave up four runs and six hits in 4 2/3 innings.After... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Athletics slugger Khris Davis has gotten the long-term deal he wanted.The Athletics said Thursday they had agreed to a contract through the 2021 season. The new deal adds $33.75 million for 2020 and '21, which increased Davis' guarantee to $50.25 million over three years, a person familiar with the agreement told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because terms of the deal had not been announced.Davis hit a majors-best 48 home runs last season while setting a career high with 123 RBIs. He is leading the majors again with 10 home runs so far this season. He is batting .260 with 20 RBIs.He agreed in January to a $16.5 million, one-year contract and would have been eligible for free agency after this season.Following two straight slow free-agent markets, Davis joined Chris Sale, Justin Verlander, Nolan Arenado, Paul Goldschmidt, Xander Bogaerts and Aaron Hicks in agreeing to a long-term deal and foregoing open bidding after the World Series.Gerrit Cole, Madison Bumgarner, Didi Gregorius and Anthony Rendon to top the potential free-agent group for now.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

A look at what's happening around the majors today:CLOSER NEEDEDThe Braves have a big hole in their bullpen now that closer Arodys Vizcaino will miss the rest of the season after having right shoulder surgery. General manager Alex Anthopoulos has heard fans chanting at SunTrust Park for the team to sign free agent closer Craig Kimbrel and bring him back to Atlanta, and he indicated the Braves are exploring all available options."There's been a ton of turnover from the beginning of camp to where we are today," Anthopoulos said. "I think it goes without saying we're going to look to do what we can both internally and externally."The NL East champion Braves have recently used A.J. Minter as their closer, but he's struggled.DISCIPLINE DAY?Major League Baseball will certainly review at the bench-clearing fray that erupted after Kansas City's Brad Keller drilled Tim Anderson with a fastball on Wednesday. In his previous at-bat, the energetic White Sox shortstop had spiked his bat to celebrate... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Fiercely energetic Tim Anderson spiked his bat to celebrate a home run and Kansas City's Brad Keller responded by drilling him with a fastball, setting off a benches-clearing fracas in the Royals' 4-3, 10-inning victory over the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday.Anderson tossed his bat toward the White Sox dugout following his two-run drive in the fourth inning. Keller hit him in the buttocks with his first pitch leading off the sixth.Anderson, the AL's leading hitter, was restrained by Royals catcher Martin Maldonado but kept jawing with Keller on the way to first base. The dugouts and bullpens emptied, though no punches appeared to be thrown. White Sox manager Rick Renteria and Royals bench coach Dale Sveum shoved each other, and the usually mild-mannered Renteria was particularly animated.There were four ejections — Anderson, Keller, Renteria and Sveum.Hunter Dozier led off the 10th with a tiebreaking homer against Nate Jones (0-1). His drive to left on a 2-0 fastball made... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Fiercely energetic Tim Anderson spiked his bat to celebrate a home run and Kansas City's Brad Keller responded by drilling him with a fastball, setting off a benches-clearing fracas in the Royals' 4-3, 10-inning victory over the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday.Anderson tossed his bat toward the White Sox dugout following his two-run drive in the fourth inning. Keller hit him in the buttocks with his first pitch leading off the sixth.Anderson, the AL's leading hitter, was restrained by Royals catcher Martin Maldonado but kept jawing with Keller on the way to first base. The dugouts and bullpens emptied, though no punches appeared to be thrown. White Sox manager Rick Renteria and Royals bench coach Dale Sveum shoved each other, and the usually mild-mannered Renteria was particularly animated.There were four ejections — Anderson, Keller, Renteria and Sveum.Hunter Dozier led off the 10th with a tiebreaking homer against Nate Jones (0-1). His drive to left on a 2-0 fastball made... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Boston Red Sox pitcher David Price thinks Major League Baseball made a mistake by having just 10 games Monday on Jackie Robinson Day."Hey @mlb every year on April 15th we celebrate Jackie Robinson Day," Price tweeted Wednesday. "EVERYONE plays on that day next year deal? No one should have an off day let alone 10 teams!!"African American players dropped from 18 percent of the majors leagues in 1991 to 7.7 percent in 2017, then rose to 8.4 percent in 2018, according to The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at Central Florida. Price, who won the 2012 AL Cy Young Award, thinks more efforts on Jackie Robinson Day are needed.Jackie Robinson broke the major league color barrier for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947."1/3 of @mlb teams had an off day on Jackie Robinson day," tweeted Price, who is black. "I just can't wrap my head around that. We've had a problem for a while and this couldn't make it any more noticeable."This year, April 15 fell on a Monday. Most teams'... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Fiercely energetic Tim Anderson spiked his bat to celebrate a home run and Kansas City's Brad Keller responded by drilling him with a fastball, setting off a benches-clearing fracas in the Royals' 4-3, 10-inning victory over the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday.Anderson tossed his bat toward the White Sox dugout following his two-run drive in the fourth inning. Keller hit him in the buttocks with his first pitch leading off the sixth.Anderson, the AL's leading hitter, was restrained by Royals catcher Martin Maldonado but kept jawing with Keller on the way to first base. The dugouts and bullpens emptied, though no punches appeared to be thrown. White Sox manager Rick Renteria and Royals bench coach Dale Sveum shoved each other, and the usually mild-mannered Renteria was particularly animated.There were four ejections — Anderson, Keller, Renteria and Sveum.Hunter Dozier led off the 10th with a tiebreaking homer against Nate Jones (0-1). His drive to left on a 2-0 fastball made... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Dustin Pedroia's painful left knee forced him out of Wednesday night's 5-3 loss to the Yankees after 1 1/2 innings, and the Boston second baseman planned to remain in New York for an examination rather than travel with the team to Tampa Bay.The 2008 AL MVP was hurt when he fouled off an 0-1 pitch from J.A. Happ in the second inning, Red Sox manager Alex Cora said."I was surprised that he came up to me and told me that, but at least he was honest," Cora said. "He was down. I haven't seen him like that. Hopefully, it's nothing serious, and it's something that he just got scared."Eduardo Núñez replaced Pedroia for the bottom half.Pedroia was activated from the injured list April 9 and is 2 for 20 at the plate.He has been slowed since a slide into his surgically repaired left knee at second base by Baltimore's Manny Machado on April 21, 2017. Dr. Riley Williams III of the Hospital for Special Surgery operated on Pedroia's left knee on Oct. 25, 2017, and Pedroia was limited to three big league games in 2018, from May 26-29.Cora said Pedroia would not be examined by the surgeon but by another doctor.Pedroia, 35, had not played the field since Saturday, and Cora said Pedroia also has been feeling ill. The Red Sox play three games on artificial turf at Tama Bay starting Friday, so another trip to the injured list is possible.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The Oakland Athletics placed pitcher Marco Estrada on the 10-day injured list because of a lumbar strain, one day after a second consecutive shaky outing.Estrada allowed seven runs and walked three in 3 1/3 innings in Tuesday night's loss to the Houston Astros. It was the second straight start that Estrada failed to make it past the fourth."He's had some back and hip things kind of in concert giving him a little trouble right now," A's manager Bob Melvin said. "He's had that in the past. We knew that 30-plus starts were probably not going to be realistic, and from time to time that this is something we were going to have to do with him. We knew all that going in."Estrada signed a $4 million, one-year contract with Oakland in the offseason and has been second in Melvin's rotation. The A's are winless in his five starts.Right-hander Chris Bassitt was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas and is expected to take Estrada's place in the rotation.__More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/tag/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

A look at what's happening around the majors Thursday:CLOSER NEEDEDThe Braves have a big hole in their bullpen now that closer Arodys Vizcaino will miss the rest of the season after having right shoulder surgery. General manager Alex Anthopoulos has heard fans chanting at SunTrust Park for the team to sign free agent closer Craig Kimbrel and bring him back to Atlanta, and he indicated the Braves are exploring all available options."There's been a ton of turnover from the beginning of camp to where we are today," Anthopoulos said. "I think it goes without saying we're going to look to do what we can both internally and externally."The NL East champion Braves have recently used A.J. Minter as their closer, but he's struggled.DISCIPLINE DAY?Major League Baseball will certainly review at the bench-clearing fray that erupted after Kansas City's Brad Keller drilled Tim Anderson with a fastball on Wednesday. In his previous at-bat, the energetic White Sox shortstop had spiked his bat to celebrate... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A remarkable baseball streak ended Wednesday when Joey Votto innocuously popped out to first base.The slugger somehow had made 6,827 plate appearances over 13 seasons with the Reds without ever popping out to first. He finally did it in Cincinnati's 3-2 loss at Dodger Stadium, fouling out to Cody Bellinger to end the eighth.Votto had played 1,591 games in a career that began in late 2007 without ever popping up to first.The six-time All-Star first baseman is a career .310 hitter, always showing strong plate discipline and rarely wasting at-bats. Votto had popped up only 88 previous times in his career, including only seven popups from 2010-18.Dodgers reliever Pedro Baez induced the popup on a belt-high 3-1 outside changeup.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — Boston second baseman Dustin Pedroia left Wednesday night's game against the New York Yankees after 1½ innings because of left knee discomfort.The 2008 AL MVP flied out in the top of the second inning, then was replaced by Eduardo Núñez for the bottom half.Pedroia was activated April 9 and is 2 for 20 at the plate.He has been slowed since a slide into his surgically repaired left knee at second base by Baltimore's Manny Machado on April 21, 2017. Pedroia had left knee surgery on Oct. 25, 2017, and was limited to three big league games in 2018, from May 26-29.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CHICAGO (AP) — Fiercely energetic Tim Anderson spiked his bat to celebrate a home run and Kansas City's Brad Keller responded by drilling him with a fastball, setting off a benches-clearing fracas in the Royals' 4-3, 10-inning victory over the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday.Anderson tossed his bat toward the White Sox dugout following his two-run drive in the fourth inning. Keller hit him in the buttocks with his first pitch leading off the sixth.Anderson, the AL's leading hitter, was restrained by Royals catcher Martin Maldonado but kept jawing with Keller on the way to first base. The dugouts and bullpens emptied, though no punches appeared to be thrown. White Sox manager Rick Renteria and Royals bench coach Dale Sveum shoved each other, and the usually mild-mannered Renteria was particularly animated.There were four ejections — Anderson, Keller, Renteria and Sveum.Hunter Dozier led off the 10th with a tiebreaking homer against Nate Jones (0-1). His drive to left on a 2-0 fastball made... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Braves have a big hole in their bullpen now that closer Arodys Vizcaino will miss the rest of the season after undergoing right shoulder surgery.Vizcaino had the procedure Wednesday in New York. He pitched in four games this season, getting one save and allowing one run in four innings for the NL East champs.General manager Alex Anthopoulos has heard fans chanting at SunTrust Park for the team to sign free agent closer Craig Kimbrel and bring him back to Atlanta, and he indicated the Braves are exploring all available options."There's been a ton of turnover from the beginning of camp to where we are today," Anthopoulos said Wednesday. "I think it goes without saying we're going to look to do what we can both internally and externally."Even before Vizcaino got hurt, there's been speculation that Kimbrel, who closed games last season for the World Series champion Boston Red Sox, would return to the Braves, his original team.Anthopoulos declined to say if the team... [More]