First the players, now the ball. Home runs are skyrocketing, and once again Major League Baseball officials claim they don't know the reason why.Then again, it might be that they're just not looking hard enough.Unlike the players, the ball still looks the same. Commissioner Rob Manfred said it tests much the same as before, too, though he conceded there might be less drag on the ball than there was in the past.So why are batters teeing off at a rate nearing three home runs a game, a 19 percent increase from a year before? Why are hitters on a pace to hit 1,000 more home runs than the Steroids Era high mark of 5,693 in 2000?Good question, Manfred says, but it's not because anyone juiced the ball."Manipulation of the baseball is a great conspiracy theory," Manfred said Tuesday at the All-Star Game in Cleveland. "How you manipulate a human-dominated handmade manufacturing process in any consistent way, it's a smarter human being than I."Don't tell that to pitchers like Justin Verlander, who... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Carlos Carrasco won't let cancer change him.The Indians right-hander was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia last month, but that has hardly slowed Carrasco, who has been throwing bullpen sessions with the hopes of pitching again for Cleveland this season.Carrasco spoke to media members Thursday for the first time since his diagnosis and said he's thankful for the support he's received from teammates and throughout baseball.The 32-year-old was moved by the ovation he received Tuesday night during the All-Star Game in Cleveland. During the fifth inning, Carrasco was joined on the field during Major League Baseball's "Stand Up To Cancer" salute by his teammates and Indians manager Terry Francona. The Indians' All-Stars held placards that said: "Cookie," Carrasco's nickname.Carrasco did not reveal what type of treatment he's receiving. He said doctors first discovered something wrong during his physical at spring training.As he battles the condition, Carrasco he said "I just push myself to work more and get stronger."___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Houston Astros outfielder Jake Marisnick was suspended for two games by Major League Baseball on Thursday for his violent home plate collision with Los Angeles Angels catcher Jonathan Lucroy before the All-Star break.Marisnick said he still felt terrible about the play and had a rough couple of days during the break to digest the situation. He also said he had spoken with Lucroy, who sustained a concussion and a broken nose."I've seen a lot of takes on it, and obviously everybody has their own opinion," Marisnick said before the AL West-leading Astros played their first game after the break. "But I know deep down in my heart that I had no intent to hurt, or make contact, with him."Joe Torre, MLB's chief baseball officer, said he thoroughly reviewed the play from all angles. While acknowledging he didn't believe Marisnick intended to injure Lucroy, Torre said the actions in last Sunday's game warranted discipline because they violated MLB rules designed to protect... [More]

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The Cardinals placed catcher Yadier Molina on the injured list with a strained right thumb and activated infielder Matt Carpenter as part of a series of roster moves Thursday.St. Louis also brought up left-hander Chasen Shreve from Triple-A Memphis, optioned left-hander Tyler Webb and outfielder Rangel Ravelo to Memphis, and transferred pitcher Jordan Hicks to the 60-day IL update ahead of their series against Arizona beginning Friday night.Molina's move to the IL was retroactive to Monday. The nine-time All-Star, who missed 12 games in May and June with a similar injury, pinch hit on Saturday but hasn't started a game since June 3.Carpenter has been sidelined since June 29 with a lower back strain.Shreve appeared in 20 games for the Cardinals last season, and is 2-1 with a 3.80 ERA in 37 games for Memphis this season. Kinzer made his big league debut June 2, going 0 for 7 for St. Louis.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The Cardinals placed catcher Yadier Molina on the injured list with a strained right thumb and activated infielder Matt Carpenter as part of a series of roster moves Thursday.St. Louis also brought up left-hander Chasen Shreve from Triple-A Memphis, optioned left-hander Tyler Webb and outfielder Rangel Ravelo to Memphis, and transferred pitcher Jordan Hicks from the 60-day IL update ahead of their series against Arizona beginning Friday night.Molina's move to the IL was retroactive to Monday. The nine-time All-Star, who missed 12 games in May and June with a similar injury, pinch hit on Saturday but hasn't started a game since June 3.Carpenter has been sidelined since June 29 with a lower back strain.Shreve appeared in 20 games for the Cardinals last season, and is 2-1 with a 3.80 ERA in 37 games for Memphis this season. Kinzer made his big league debut June 2, going 0 for 7 for St. Louis.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Houston Astros outfielder Jake Marisnick has been suspended for two games by Major League Baseball after his violent home plate collision with Los Angeles Angels catcher Jonathan Lucroy.The suspension was announced Thursday before the AL West-leading Astros played a series opener at Texas in their first game after the All-Star break. Marisnick, who also was fined, appealed the suspension and was available to play.Lucroy was carted off the field last Sunday after the collision at the end of the eighth inning of a game at Houston the Astros won 11-10 in 10 innings. The Angels catcher sustained a concussion and broken nose. Marisnick was called out for colliding with Lucroy and the call was upheld after a crew chief review.Marisnick said afterward that it was a "bad play" and that he hoped Lucroy was OK. He also posted on his Twitter later that he "made a split second decision at full speed" and he felt awful that another player got hurt.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Joe Maddon didn't let the free time created by a rare ejection go to waste.Shortly after getting tossed by home plate umpire Joe West on July 4 following an outburst in which the Chicago Cubs manager appeared ready to take on any and all comers from the Pittsburgh dugout after taking exception to the way the Pirates kept pitching up and in to his players, Maddon retired to the visiting manager's office at PNC Park. He eased into a chair, opened a bottle of wine, flipped on the television and watched his wildly uneven team put the finishing touches on an 11-3 victory that avoided a four-game sweep.Veteran move. Opportunities to relax over the next two-plus months will be scarce in the most competitive division in the majors.The National League Central enters the second half with the first-place Cubs and last-place Cincinnati separated by just 4½ games, an outlier during an otherwise yawn-inducing first half in which five divisions reached the All-Star break with at least... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Rays are confident they can emerge from a tough five-week stretch and remain in contention for their first playoff berth in six years.With help from a surprising 14-4 start that left the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox playing catch-up in the AL East for much of the season's first half, the low-payroll Rays reached the All-Star break with 52 wins despite a 17-19 record since the beginning of June.An eight-game, seven-day trip that starts Friday at Baltimore could impact what the mostly young team does to try to bolster its roster before the July 31 trade deadline."We've had some tough times here as of late, but we've put ourselves in a tremendous position to come out of the break and compete," manager Kevin Cash said."I hope our guys recognize that," Cash added. "The game is not easy, our division is not easy, the American League is not easy, and we have done a lot of good things to put ourselves in the position we're in right now."The second-place... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Rays are confident they can emerge from a tough five-week stretch and remain in contention for their first playoff berth in six years.With help from a surprising 14-4 start that left the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox playing catch-up in the AL East for much of the season's first half, the low-payroll Rays reached the All-Star break with 52 wins despite a 17-19 record since the beginning of June.An eight-game, seven-day trip that starts Friday at Baltimore could impact what the mostly young team does to try to bolster its roster before the July 31 trade deadline."We've had some tough times here as of late, but we've put ourselves in a tremendous position to come out of the break and compete," manager Kevin Cash said."I hope our guys recognize that," Cash added. "The game is not easy, our division is not easy, the American League is not easy, and we have done a lot of good things to put ourselves in the position we're in right now."The second-place... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Houston Astros outfielder Jake Marisnick has been suspended for two games by Major League Baseball after his violent home plate collision with Los Angeles Angels catcher Jonathan Lucroy.The suspension was announced Thursday before the AL West-leading Astros played a series opener at Texas in their first game after the All-Star break. Marisnick also was fined.Lucroy was carted off the field last Sunday after the collision at the end of the eighth inning of a game at Houston the Astros won 11-10 in 10 innings. The Angels catcher sustained a concussion and broken nose. Marisnick was called out for colliding with Lucroy and the call was upheld after a crew chief review.Marisnick said afterward that it was a "bad play" and that he hoped Lucroy was OK. He also posted on his Twitter later that he "made a split second decision at full speed" and he felt awful that another player got hurt.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

BALTIMORE (AP) — There might come a time when Brandon Hyde wakes up in the morning, grabs a newspaper and finds the Baltimore Orioles in the standings.For now, the rookie manager simply can't bear to look.The rebuilding Orioles limped into the All-Star break with a major league-worst 27-62 record. During a particular brutal stretch in late June, Baltimore showed its youth and inexperience while losing 13 of 14 games — including blowouts of 12-3, 13-2, 16-2 and 13-3.Asked at that point to present his goal for this season, Hyde replied, "I'll be honest with you — I have no idea what our record is. I don't even want to look at it. Right now, it's about developing these guys and how we play. Eventually, I'm going to be looking at the standings and it's going to be about wins and losses."Until then, Hyde will have to grit his teeth when his outfielders throw to the wrong base, players get picked off and his pitching staff gets rocked. Baltimore is allowing a major league-high 6.07 runs per game... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Houston Astros outfielder Jake Marisnick has been suspended for two games by Major League Baseball after his violent home plate collision with Los Angeles Angels catcher Jonathan Lucroy.The suspension was announced Thursday before the AL West-leading Astros played a series opener at Texas in their first game after the All-Star break. Marisnick also was fined.Lucroy was carted off the field last Sunday after the collision at the end of the eighth inning of a game at Houston the Astros won 11-10 in 10 innings. The Angels catcher sustained a concussion and broken nose. Marisnick was called out for colliding with Lucroy and the call was upheld after a crew chief review.Marisnick said afterward that it was a "bad play" and that he hoped Lucroy was OK. He also posted on his Twitter later that he "made a split second decision at full speed" and he felt awful that another player got hurt.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

BALTIMORE (AP) — There might come a time when Brandon Hyde wakes up in the morning, grabs a newspaper and finds the Baltimore Orioles in the standings.For now, the rookie manager simply can't bear to look.The rebuilding Orioles limped into the All-Star break with a major league worst 27-62 record. During a particular brutal stretch in late June, Baltimore showed its youth and inexperience while losing 13 of 14 games — including blowouts of 12-3, 13-2, 16-2 and 13-3.Asked at that point to present his goal for this season, Hyde replied, "I'll be honest with you — I have no idea what our record is. I don't even want to look at it. Right now, it's about developing these guys and how we play. Eventually, I'm going to be looking at the standings and it's going to be about wins and losses."Until then, Hyde will have to grit his teeth when his outfielders throw to the wrong base, players get picked off and his pitching staff gets rocked. Baltimore is allowing a major league high 6.07 runs per game... [More]

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Joe Maddon didn't let the free time created by a rare ejection go to waste.Shortly after getting tossed by home-plate umpire Joe West on July 4 following an outburst in which the Chicago Cubs' manager appeared ready to take on any and all comers from the Pittsburgh dugout after taking exception to the way the Pirates kept pitching up and in to his players, Maddon retired to the visiting manager's office at PNC Park. He eased into a chair, opened a bottle of wine, flipped on the television and watched his wildly uneven team put the finishing touches on an 11-3 victory that avoided a four-game sweep.Veteran move. Opportunities to relax over the next two-plus months will be scarce in the most competitive division in the majors.The National League Central enters the second half with the first-place Cubs and last-place Cincinnati separated by just 4 1/2 games, an outlier during an otherwise yawn-inducing first half in which five divisions reached the All-Star break with at... [More]

First the players, now the ball. Home runs are skyrocketing, and once again Major League Baseball officials claim they don't know the reason why.Then again, it might be that they're just not looking hard enough.Unlike the players, the ball still looks the same. Commissioner Rob Manfred said it tests much the same as before, too, though he conceded there might be less drag on the ball than there was in the past.So why are batters teeing off at a rate nearing three home runs a game, a 19 percent increase from a year before? Why are hitters on a pace to hit 1,000 more home runs than the Steroids Era high mark of 5,693 in 2000?Good question, Manfred says, but it's not because anyone juiced the ball."Manipulation of the baseball is a great conspiracy theory," Manfred said Tuesday at the All-Star Game in Cleveland. "How you manipulate a human-dominated handmade manufacturing process in any consistent way, it's a smarter human being than I."Don't tell that to pitchers like Justin Verlander, who... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — The only errors on the scoreboard at the All-Star Game were by the scoreboard.At least one player noticed — and wasn't too pleased.The giant board at Progressive Field was filled with mistakes Tuesday night, including a couple of misspelled names, a wrong picture and a pair of incorrect team logos."They had what, two weeks to get ready for this? That can't happen," New York Mets sparkplug Jeff McNeil said.McNeil is leading the majors with a .349 batting average, an impressive feat seeing how he made his major league debut less than a year ago.A late sub, he came up for the National League in the eighth inning and noticed the headshot on the scoreboard wasn't of him. Instead, it was of Mets teammate Jacob deGrom."That was tough, to see deGrom's picture up there," McNeil said. "I didn't really like that.""I wanted to see my picture up there. I know my family did, too. What are you going to do? I guess, but I don't think that should happen," he said.David Dahl didn't fare... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Work crews have begun extending the protective netting to the foul poles at Guaranteed Rate Field, a step the Chicago White Sox are taking following a couple of high-profile injuries this season.The White Sox say the majority of the work should be completed Wednesday and the netting will be in place when the team returns home July 22 to host the Miami Marlins.The White Sox are the first major league team to take the step after a liner by Cubs outfielder Albert Almora Jr. struck a 4-year-old girl in Houston in May. A woman was hit by a foul ball off the bat of White Sox slugger Eloy Jiménez in Chicago on June 10.Commissioner Rob Manfred has said extending protective netting down foul lines is a ballpark-to-ballpark decision because of differing configurations. Major League Baseball mandated ahead of the 2018 season that netting extend to the far end of each dugout.The Pittsburgh Pirates, Texas Rangers and Washington Nationals are among the other teams that have announced they'll extend netting.

CHICAGO (AP) — Work crews have begun extending the protective netting to the foul poles at Guaranteed Rate Field, a step the Chicago White Sox are taking following a couple of high-profile injuries this season.The White Sox say the majority of the work should be completed Wednesday and the netting will be in place when the team returns home July 22 to host the Miami Marlins.The White Sox became the first major league team to take the step after a liner by Cubs outfielder Albert Almora Jr. struck a 4-year-old girl in Houston in May. A woman was hit by a foul ball off the bat of White Sox slugger Eloy Jiménez in Chicago on June 10.Commissioner Rob Manfred has said extending protective netting down foul lines is a ballpark-to-ballpark decision because of differing configurations. Major League Baseball mandated ahead of the 2018 season that netting extend to the far end of each dugout.The Pittsburgh Pirates, Texas Rangers and Washington Nationals are among the other teams that have announced they'll extend netting.

CHICAGO (AP) — Francisco Lindor and the Cleveland Indians, looking up at Nelson Cruz and the surprising Minnesota Twins. Matt Chapman and the Oakland Athletics, trying to run down José Altuve and the Houston Astros. Max Scherzer and the Washington Nationals, chasing Ronald Acuña Jr. and the Atlanta Braves.Baseball ramps up again this weekend, and a handful of contenders have a lot of work to do.Five of the majors' six divisions feature deficits of at least 5½ games as play resumes after the All-Star Game, in which the American League beat the National League 4-3 Tuesday night. Life is pretty good for two iconic franchises, with Cody Bellinger and the Los Angeles Dodgers in control of the NL West again and Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees looking down on the rest of the AL East despite a rash of injuries."This team is capable of some great things," Yankees pitcher James Paxton said. "You've got some really talented players here, guys with a lot of drive, great leadership. We're set up... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Francisco Lindor and the Cleveland Indians, looking up at Nelson Cruz and the surprising Minnesota Twins. Matt Chapman and the Oakland Athletics, trying to run down José Altuve and the Houston Astros. Max Scherzer and the Washington Nationals, chasing Ronald Acuña Jr. and the Atlanta Braves.Baseball ramps up again this weekend, and a handful of contenders have a lot of work to do.Five of the majors' six divisions feature deficits of at least 5½ games as play resumes after the All-Star Game, in which the American League beat the National League 4-3 Tuesday night. Life is pretty good for two iconic franchises, with Cody Bellinger and the Los Angeles Dodgers in control of the NL West again and Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees looking down on the rest of the AL East despite a rash of injuries."This team is capable of some great things," Yankees pitcher James Paxton said. "You've got some really talented players here, guys with a lot of drive, great leadership. We're set up... [More]