CHICAGO (AP) — St. Louis pitcher Giovanny Gallegos, clinging to a one-run lead and two on in the seventh inning, was ordered by umpire Joe West to switch caps because there apparently was sunscreen on the bill. Cardinals manager Mike Shildt, thinking his player was unfairly singled out, got ejected during an animated argument in St. Louis' 4-0 win over the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday.” Tommy Edman connected against Carlos Rodón (5-2) in the third and Aaron Bummer in the eighth for a 2-0 lead. Edmundo Sosa added a two-run single in the ninth, and the NL Central-leading Cardinals came away with the win after losing four of five. John Gant (3-2) dodged bases-loaded jams in the first and third innings while pitching into the sixth. TWINS 3, ORIOLES 2 MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Miguel Sanó hit a three-run homer off Jorge López (1-6), and Minnesota completed a three-game sweep of the major league-worst Orioles, who have lost nine straight. Michael Pineda (3-2) allowed one run and three hits over six... [More]

A look at what’s happening around the majors Thursday: ___ FOUR GAMES IN GOTHAM Both the Yankees and Mets are set to host doubleheaders in New York after their games were postponed by lousy weather Wednesday night. The Yankees will play Toronto twice in the Bronx, and they’ll do it without 2020 big league home run leader Luke Voit, who is headed for the injured list with a right oblique strain. Voit is hitting .182 with one homer in 12 games after missing the start of the season following surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee during spring training. In addition, Yankees right-hander Corey Kluber is expected to miss at least two months after hurting his pitching shoulder Tuesday. The Mets will play two games against the Rockies with a major league-high 17 players on the injured list. Fourth-string center fielder Johneshwy Fargas became the most recent player added to the IL on Wednesday after he sprained his left AC joint trying to make a catch Monday. OLD RIVALS Alex Wood (5-1,... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Stephen Strasburg pitched into the sixth inning in his return from the injured list, allowing just one hit as the Washington Nationals defeated the Baltimore Orioles 4-2 on Friday night. Strasburg (1-1) started for the first time since April 13. He had been sidelined with right shoulder inflammation. He picked up his first win in a regular-season game since Sept. 26, 2019. Strasburg allowed only Anthony Santander’s leadoff single in the second. He walked four and struck out four in 5 1/3 scoreless innings. Washington scored two runs against Jorge López (1-5) in the fifth. López allowed four straight hits, including back-to-back doubles by Josh Bell (3 hits) and Kyle Schwarber and a run-scoring single by Josh Harrison. Freddy Galvis hit a two-run home run with two outs in the ninth against Brad Hand. Trey Mancini had two hits for the Orioles, who have lost 11 of 13 since John Means threw a no-hitter on May 5. DODGERS 2, GIANTS 1 SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Trevor Bauer struck... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Stephen Strasburg pitched into the sixth inning in his return from the injured list, allowing just one hit as the Washington Nationals defeated the Baltimore Orioles 4-2 on Friday night. Strasburg (1-1) started for the first time since April 13. He had been sidelined with right shoulder inflammation. He picked up his first win in a regular-season game since Sept. 26, 2019. Strasburg allowed only Anthony Santander’s leadoff single in the second. He walked four and struck out four in 5 1/3 scoreless innings. Washington scored two runs against Jorge López (1-5) in the fifth. López allowed four straight hits, including back-to-back doubles by Josh Bell (3 hits) and Kyle Schwarber and a run-scoring single by Josh Harrison. Freddy Galvis hit a two-run home run with two outs in the ninth against Brad Hand. Trey Mancini had two hits for the Orioles, who have lost 11 of 13 since John Means threw a no-hitter on May 5. DODGERS 2, GIANTS 1 SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Trevor Bauer struck... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Stephen Strasburg pitched into the sixth inning in his return from the injured list, allowing just one hit as the Washington Nationals defeated the Baltimore Orioles 4-2 on Friday night. Strasburg (1-1) started for the first time since April 13. He had been sidelined with right shoulder inflammation. He picked up his first win in a regular-season game since Sept. 26, 2019. Strasburg allowed only Anthony Santander’s leadoff single in the second. He walked four and struck out four in 5 1/3 scoreless innings. Washington scored two runs against Jorge López (1-5) in the fifth. López allowed four straight hits, including back-to-back doubles by Josh Bell (3 hits) and Kyle Schwarber and a run-scoring single by Josh Harrison. Freddy Galvis hit a two-run home run with two outs in the ninth against Brad Hand. Trey Mancini had two hits for the Orioles, who have lost 11 of 13 since John Means threw a no-hitter on May 5. DODGERS 2, GIANTS 1 SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Trevor Bauer struck... [More]

A look at what’s happening around the majors today: ___ DEBUT TIME IN TEXAS Tyler Ivey is set for his major league debut for Houston against his hometown Texas Rangers just a few miles from where the right-hander grew up watching the Astros’ biggest rival. The 25-year-old expects about 50 family members and friends to be at Globe Life Field, across the street from where Ivey watched the Rangers at Globe Life Park, which is now a football venue. He is replacing injured starter José Urquidy. “Growing up a Rangers fan, it’s really crazy,” said Ivey, who spent some time in his youth in the Houston suburb of Katy and cheered for the Astros as well. “To be able to make my debut in my hometown is something. I just can’t describe it.” Ivey appeared in two games at Triple-A Sugar Land. He pitched for Texas A&M as a freshman before transferring to a junior college and getting drafted by the Astros. During his last full minor league season in 2019, Ivey was suspended after umpires found a foreign... [More]

A look at what’s happening around the majors today: ___ DEBUT TIME IN TEXAS Tyler Ivey is set for his major league debut for Houston against his hometown Texas Rangers just a few miles from where the right-hander grew up watching the Astros’ biggest rival. The 25-year-old expects about 50 family members and friends to be at Globe Life Field, across the street from where Ivey watched the Rangers at Globe Life Park, which is now a football venue. He is replacing injured starter José Urquidy. “Growing up a Rangers fan, it’s really crazy,” said Ivey, who spent some time in his youth in the Houston suburb of Katy and cheered for the Astros as well. “To be able to make my debut in my hometown is something. I just can’t describe it.” Ivey appeared in two games at Triple-A Sugar Land. He pitched for Texas A&M as a freshman before transferring to a junior college and getting drafted by the Astros. During his last full minor league season in 2019, Ivey was suspended after umpires found a foreign... [More]

BALTIMORE (AP) — Aaron Judge homered for the third time in two games, Domingo Germán had another stellar outing at Camden Yards and the New York Yankees beat the Baltimore Orioles 8-2 on Saturday night. After hitting two home runs Friday, Judge provided New York a 5-0 lead with a two-run shot in the second. Six of Judge’s 11 homers this season have come against Baltimore. Germán (3-2) allowed one run and four hits with six strikeouts and two walks over six innings. He has won all four of his career starts in Baltimore. Tyler Wade had three hits while batting ninth for New York, which improved to 4-1 on its 10-game road trip and has won 11 of its last 14 games overall. The Yankees took a 3-0 lead in the first on a passed ball by catcher Chance Sisco and a two-run single by Gary Sánchez off Jorge López (1-4). Judge increased the margin with the two-run homer in the second. He has hit 23 home runs in 59 career games against Baltimore. BLUE JAYS 4, PHILLIES 0 DUNEDIN, Fla. (AP) — Vladimir Guerrero... [More]

BALTIMORE (AP) — Aaron Judge homered for the third time in two games, Domingo Germán had another stellar outing at Camden Yards and the New York Yankees beat the Baltimore Orioles 8-2 on Saturday night. After hitting two home runs Friday, Judge provided New York a 5-0 lead with a two-run shot in the second. Six of Judge’s 11 homers this season have come against Baltimore. Germán (3-2) allowed one run and four hits with six strikeouts and two walks over six innings. He has won all four of his career starts in Baltimore. Tyler Wade had three hits while batting ninth for New York, which improved to 4-1 on its 10-game road trip and has won 11 of its last 14 games overall. The Yankees took a 3-0 lead in the first on a passed ball by catcher Chance Sisco and a two-run single by Gary Sánchez off Jorge López (1-4). Judge increased the margin with the two-run homer in the second. He has hit 23 home runs in 59 career games against Baltimore. BLUE JAYS 4, PHILLIES 0 DUNEDIN, Fla. (AP) — Vladimir Guerrero... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Huascar Ynoa (3-1) hit a grand slam and allowed an unearned run and four hits in seven innings, leading the Atlanta Braves to a 6-1 victory over the Washington Nationals on Tuesday night. Ynoa drove a fastball from Tanner Rainey 427 feet to center field in the sixth inning for the first grand slam by a major league pitcher since Cincinnati’s Anthony DeSclafani on June 23, 2018. Ronald Acuña Jr. also homered for the Braves, breaking a scoreless tie in the fifth against Joe Ross (2-2). Atlanta stopped a four-game skid while ending Washington’s four-game winning streak. YANKEES 7, ASTROS 3 NEW YORK (AP) — Boos and bad words streamed loudly from the seats in Houston’s return to Yankee Stadium, and New York got a homer and four hits from Giancarlo Stanton to sate those spiteful fans. In Houston’s first visit to the Bronx since its sign-stealing scam was exposed, an error by Astros third baseman Alex Bregman in the sixth inning let New York blow the game open. A pandemic-limited,... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Huascar Ynoa (3-1) hit a grand slam and allowed an unearned run and four hits in seven innings, leading the Atlanta Braves to a 6-1 victory over the Washington Nationals on Tuesday night. Ynoa drove a fastball from Tanner Rainey 427 feet to center field in the sixth inning for the first grand slam by a major league pitcher since Cincinnati’s Anthony DeSclafani on June 23, 2018. Ronald Acuña Jr. also homered for the Braves, breaking a scoreless tie in the fifth against Joe Ross (2-2). Atlanta stopped a four-game skid while ending Washington’s four-game winning streak. MARLINS 9, DIAMONDBACKS 3 MIAMI (AP) — NL RBIs leader Jesús Aguilar delivered a tiebreaking single in a six-run eighth against Kevin Ginkel (0-1) following Miguel Rojas' double, Corey Dickerson followed with an infield single, and catcher Stephen Vogt’s throwing error allowed Aguilar to score all the way from first. Lewis Brinson added a three-run homer off Alex Young. Richard Bleier (2-0) came out of the... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Huascar Ynoa (3-1) hit a grand slam and allowed an unearned run and four hits in seven innings, leading the Atlanta Braves to a 6-1 victory over the Washington Nationals on Tuesday night. Ynoa drove a fastball from Tanner Rainey 427 feet to center field in the sixth inning for the first grand slam by a major league pitcher since Cincinnati’s Anthony DeSclafani on June 23, 2018. Ronald Acuña Jr. also homered for the Braves, breaking a scoreless tie in the fifth against Joe Ross (2-2). Atlanta stopped a four-game skid while ending Washington’s four-game winning streak. MARLINS 9, DIAMONDBACKS 3 MIAMI (AP) — NL RBIs leader Jesús Aguilar delivered a tiebreaking single in a six-run eighth against Kevin Ginkel (0-1) following Miguel Rojas' double, Corey Dickerson followed with an infield single, and catcher Stephen Vogt’s throwing error allowed Aguilar to score all the way from first. Lewis Brinson added a three-run homer off Alex Young. Richard Bleier (2-0) came out of the... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — Kent Emanuel worked 8 2/3 innings in relief in his major league debut, saving Houston’s bullpen after Jake Odorizzi left early with an injury, and the Astros pounded the Los Angeles Angels 16-2 on Saturday. Emanuel (1-0) allowed five hits and two runs. The 28-year-old became the fourth pitcher in the modern era to have a relief outing of 8 2/3 innings or more in his debut. Alex Bregman hit a three-run homer, Yordan Alvarez had a season-high four RBIs and Carlos Correa had three hits including a homer for Houston. The Astros had season highs in runs and hits (18) to win their third straight following a three-game skid. Odorizzi exited with tightness in his right forearm after retiring leadoff batter David Fletcher on five pitches. The Angels got solo homers from Albert Pujols in the second and Shohei Ohtani in the third. Bregman padded the lead when he sent a slider from Griffin Canning (1-2) to make it 6-2 in the third. YANKEES 2, INDIANS 1 CLEVELAND (AP) — Gerrit Cole was... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors today: ___ MARQUEE MATCHUP As pitching matchups go, this one is aces. Two of baseball’s best arms square off in Cleveland, with New York’s Gerrit Cole starting against Shane Bieber. The All-Star right-handers met last October in the wild-card round and the Yankees teed off on Bieber, tagging the 2020 AL Cy Young Award winner for seven runs and nine hits in 4 2/3 innings. Cole struck out 13 in New York’s 12-3 win. “I wouldn’t mind it unfolding like that again,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said with a smile. Bieber has 48 strikeouts and is the first pitcher to fan 10 or more in his first four starts of a season. He’s aiming to match Hall of Famer Randy Johnson’s record of 17 straight starts with at least eight Ks. ROLLING A'S The Athletics try for their 13th straight victory when they face Baltimore at Camden Yards. Oakland’s string is its best since it won a franchise-record 20 in a row in 2002. This is the longest winning streak in the majors... [More]

It’s always mesmerizing to watch greatness in real time. A young Mike Tyson. An ageless Tom Brady. The Boston Celtics of the 1960s. The New York Yankees of, well, several different eras. Which brings us to the 2021 Los Angeles Dodgers. This group could become the most exceptional team in baseball history. The defining answer is still six months way, of course. You can’t claim the ultimate title without a championship attached to your resume. But, with the baseball season less than a month old, all signs point to the Dodgers making a serious run at being included in a very elite club. Maybe even the lead member. Their starting pitching is off the charts. Their lineup is stacked from top to bottom. Their player development is the best in the game. And, for good measure, they’re sitting on an apparently limitless pile of money to plug any leaks that may arise during the course of the 162-game grind. “We have a chance to do something really special,” manager Dave Roberts said just before the... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The last-place New York Yankees lost their fifth straight game as Yoshi Tsutsugo hit a tiebreaking double off Gerrit Cole in the seventh inning that lifted the Tampa Bay Rays to a 4-2 win Sunday and a three-game sweep. Four pitchers combined on the Rays’ second three-hitter of a series in which New York managed 11 hits in all. Cole (2-1) was hurt by slipshod defense that made three mistakes in the third inning alone, two by center fielder Aaron Hicks and one by left fielder Clint Frazier. Joey Wendle added a ninth-inning home run off Darren O’Day. Tampa Bay has won 18 of its last 23 against the Yankees, including in last year’s Division Series. Ryan Yarbrough (2-1) followed opener Andrew Kittredge and allowed one run and two hits in five innings. Diego Castillo got four outs, and Jeffrey Springs pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his first big league save. PADRES 5, DODGERS 2 SAN DIEGO (AP) — Eric Hosmer delivered the tying and go-ahead RBIs in the seventh and eighth innings, helping... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The last-place New York Yankees lost their fifth straight game as Yoshi Tsutsugo hit a tiebreaking double off Gerrit Cole in the seventh inning that lifted the Tampa Bay Rays to a 4-2 win Sunday and a three-game sweep. Four pitchers combined on the Rays’ second three-hitter of a series in which New York managed 11 hits in all. Cole (2-1) was hurt by slipshod defense that made three mistakes in the third inning alone, two by center fielder Aaron Hicks and one by left fielder Clint Frazier. Joey Wendle added a ninth-inning home run off Darren O’Day. Tampa Bay has won 18 of its last 23 against the Yankees, including in last year’s Division Series. Ryan Yarbrough (2-1) followed opener Andrew Kittredge and allowed one run and two hits in five innings. Diego Castillo got four outs, and Jeffrey Springs pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his first big league save. PADRES 5, DODGERS 2 SAN DIEGO (AP) — Eric Hosmer delivered the tying and go-ahead RBIs in the seventh and eighth innings, helping... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The average major league salary dropped 4.8% to just under $4.17 million on opening day from the start of the previous full season in 2019. The average has fallen 6.4% since the start of the 2017 season, when it peaked at $4.45 million, according to a study of major league contracts by The Associated Press. The salary downturn is yet another sign baseball could be headed toward labor strife and a possible work stoppage in 2022. Baseball’s middle class has borne the brunt of the drop. The median salary — the point at which an equal number of players are above and below — is $1.15 million, down 18% from $1.4 million two years ago and a drop of 30% from the $1.65 million record high at the start of 2015. Of 902 players on opening-day rosters, 417 (62%) had salaries under $1 million, including 316 (35%) under $600,000. The 50 highest-paid players are getting 33.4% of all salaries, up from 28.6% in 2017, and the 100 highest-paid are receiving 52.4%, an increase from 42.5% in... [More]

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Cincinnati right-hander Sonny Gray is set to make his first start of the season Saturday at Cleveland, a welcome boost for a Reds staff that's struggled at times. Gray began spring training as the Reds’ possible opening day starter. But he experienced back spasms, made just one Cactus League start and opened the regular season on the 10-day injured list. The 31-year-old Gray is an obvious asset to the Reds’ starting rotation. The two-time All-Star has a 75-63 record and a 3.54 ERA in eight seasons, including 5-3 with a 3.70 ERA last year. “I’m very much looking forward to coming back and helping these guys win some games,” Gray said in a video interview. The Reds led the NL Central with a 7-4 record as Wednesday began, but their 4.33 team ERA ranked ninth in the league. Cincinnati earned an NL wild-card spot last year, but lost Cy Young Award winner Trevor Bauer to the Los Angeles Dodgers in free agency. Gray’s return promoted the Reds to move right-hander José De León... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Rafael Devers homered for the fourth straight game and the streaking Boston Red Sox beat the Minnesota Twins 4-2 on a snowy Tuesday in a series opener moved back following the fatal police shooting of a Black man in a nearby suburb. Hunter Renfroe hit a solo homer and Bobby Dalbec added a pair of RBI doubles as Boston won its seventh in a row after losing its first three games of the season. Monday’s game was postponed due to safety and sensitivity concerns in the Twin Cities after the police shooting a day earlier of Daunte Wright during a traffic stop. The Twins held a moment of silence for Wright prior to Tuesday’s game. Snow flurries fell for most of the game and it was 33 degrees for the first pitch. That made for the third-coldest start at Target Field, the record being 27 degrees on April 7, 2018. Adam Ottavino (1-0) earned the win with a scoreless inning of relief. Matt Barnes pitched a perfect ninth for his first save of the season. Randy Dobnak (0-2) took the... [More]