CINCINNATI (AP) — Javier Báez homered twice, doubled and scored on a deft dive to the plate, Alec Mills went six solid innings, and the Chicago Cubs extended their opening surge, beating the Cincinnati Reds 8-5 on Tuesday night.Chicago has won four of its first five games, scoring first in each one. Jason Kipnis’ triple — Shogo Akiyama lost it in the sun — got the Cubs going again.Mills (1-0) added to Chicago’s stretch of impressive starts, holding the Reds to two hits in six innings. Chicago’s starters have a 1.80 ERA and a .131 opponent batting average this season.The Reds got two-run homers by Nick Castellanos — his first since signing a $64 million deal — and Freddy Galvis but fell to 1-4, tied for the worst start in the majors.Cody Reed (0-1) allowed two runs in the fifth after relieving starter Tyler Mahle.BLUE JAYS 5, NATIONALS 1WASHINGTON (AP) — The reigning World Series champions dropped to 1-4 in the pandemic-shortened season with a 5-1 loss to Toronto that included two outfielders... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Daniel Bard won in his first major league game in more than seven years, pitching 1 1-3 scoreless innings in relief for the Colorado Rockies in a 3-2 win over the Texas Rangers on Saturday. The 35-year-old Bard (1-0), whose control troubles ran him out of baseball, got the Rockies out of a jam when he took over for starter Jon Gray with two on and two outs in the fifth. The right-hander worked around two more base runners in the sixth, getting Willie Calhoun on an inning-ending flyout to cap an 11-pitch at-bat.Wade Davis worked the ninth for his first save since July 25, 2019. He gave up a run.Colorado went ahead to stay with two runs in the fourth off Mike Minor (0-1), helped by two fielder’s choice plays and two errors. Bard threw 20 of 25 pitches for strikes Saturday, including his first one before Elvis Andrus flied out to end the fifth. ANGELS 4, ATHLETICS 1OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Dylan Bundy pitched shutout ball into the seventh inning in his Angels debut and... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Daniel Bard won in his first major league game in more than seven years, pitching 1 1-3 scoreless innings in relief for the Colorado Rockies in a 3-2 win over the Texas Rangers on Saturday. The 35-year-old Bard (1-0), whose control troubles ran him out of baseball, got the Rockies out of a jam when he took over for starter Jon Gray with two on and two outs in the fifth. The right-hander worked around two more base runners in the sixth, getting Willie Calhoun on an inning-ending flyout to cap an 11-pitch at-bat.Wade Davis worked the ninth for his first save since July 25, 2019. He gave up a run.Colorado went ahead to stay with two runs in the fourth off Mike Minor (0-1), helped by two fielder’s choice plays and two errors. Bard threw 20 of 25 pitches for strikes Saturday, including his first one before Elvis Andrus flied out to end the fifth. ANGELS 4, ATHLETICS 1OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Dylan Bundy pitched shutout ball into the seventh inning in his Angels debut and... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Daniel Bard won in his first major league game in more than seven years, pitching 1 1-3 scoreless innings in relief for the Colorado Rockies in a 3-2 win over the Texas Rangers on Saturday. The 35-year-old Bard (1-0), whose control troubles ran him out of baseball, got the Rockies out of a jam when he took over for starter Jon Gray with two on and two outs in the fifth. The right-hander worked around two more base runners in the sixth, getting Willie Calhoun on an inning-ending flyout to cap an 11-pitch at-bat.Wade Davis worked the ninth for his first save since July 25, 2019. He gave up a run.Colorado went ahead to stay with two runs in the fourth off Mike Minor (0-1), helped by two fielder’s choice plays and two errors. Bard threw 20 of 25 pitches for strikes Saturday, including his first one before Elvis Andrus flied out to end the fifth. ANGELS 4, ATHLETICS 1OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Dylan Bundy pitched shutout ball into the seventh inning in his Angels debut and... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Brandon Lowe’s two-run triple snapped an eighth-inning tie and sent the Tampa Bay Rays over the Toronto Blue Jays 4-1 on Saturday.Lowe, batted hit .270 with 17 homers and 51 RBIs in 82 games as a first-time AL All-Star in 2019, hit a drive into the gap in right-center field off reliever Sam Gaviglio (0-1). It was especially sweet for the 26-year-old second baseman because he previously was 0 for 9 against the right-hander.“I'm 1 for 1 this year,” Lowe said. "I could care less about last year."Gaviglio later balked, allowing Lowe to score the third run of the inning.“He didn’t have it. He wasn’t locating stuff,” Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo said. “He’s usually very good. He just didn’t locate his pitches, and he paid the price.”Rays manager Kevin Cash said Lowe, an exceptional fastball hitter, made a nice adjustment to deliver the game-winner.“He's proven in a short amount of time he can hit a fastball. He's probably going to have to make some adjustments... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Brandon Lowe’s two-run triple snapped an eighth-inning tie and sent the Tampa Bay Rays over the Toronto Blue Jays 4-1 on Saturday.Lowe, a first-time AL All-Star in 2019, hit a drive into the gap in right-center field off reliever Sam Gaviglio (0-1). The right-hander later balked, allowing Lowe to score the third run of the inning.Ji-Man Choi drove in Tampa Bay’s other run with a sixth-inning double off Matt Shoemaker, who made his first start for the Blue Jays since injuring his left knee in April 2019.Toronto tied it at 1 on Reese McGuire’s homer off right-hander Pete Fairbanks in the seventh.Nick Anderson (1-0), the third of four Rays pitchers who followed starter Ryan Yarbrough, retired four of five batters he faced to get the win. Oliver Drake worked a perfect ninth for the save.Toronto’s Cavan Biggio, whose three-run homer was the big blow in the Blue Jays’ 6-4 win on opening day, was 2 for 3 with a walk, extending his on-base streak to 31 consecutive games... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Tyler Glasnow agreed to a $2.05 million, one-year contract with the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday that avoided arbitration and fellow right-hander Oliver Drake struck a $1,025,000, one-year deal.Outfielder Hunter Renfroe agreed at $3.3 million after making $582,100 while hitting 33 home runs with the San Diego Padres in 2019. Infielder David Robertson received a $1,025,000 deal as the Rays reached agreements with all of their arbitration-eligible players.Reliever Chaz Roe agreed at $2,185,200 on Thursday night. He made $1,275,000 last season.Glasnow, who earned $566,700 last season, was acquired in a trade sent Chris Archer to the Pittsburgh Pirates in July 2018. He earned a spot in Tampa Bay’s rotation last spring and was off to a strong start before being sidelined for nearly four months by a right forearm strain in mid-May.The 26-year-old right-hander was 6-0 with a 1.47 ERA over his first seven starts of 2019. He returned from a stint of the 60-day injured list... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Rays did not offer a contract for 2020 to outfielder Guillermo Heredia, making him a free agent Monday night.Heredia batted .225 with five homers and 20 RBIs in 89 games last season, his first with the Rays after spending the previous three with the Seattle Mariners.The Rays offered contracts to their other five arbitration-eligible players — outfielder Tommy Pham, right-handed pitcher Tyler Glasnow, relievers Chaz Roe and Oliver Drake, and infielder Daniel Robertson — by Monday’s deadline.

A look at the best-of-five American League Division Series between the Tampa Bay Rays and Houston Astros:___Schedule: (All times EDT) Game 1, Friday, at Houston, 2:05 p.m. (FS1); Game 2, Saturday, at Houston, 9:07 p.m. (FS1); Game 3, Monday, Oct. 7, at Tampa Bay, TBA (MLB); x-Game 4, Tuesday, Oct. 8, at Tampa Bay, TBA (FS1); x-Game 5, Thursday, Oct. 10, at Houston, TBA (FS1).x-if necessary.___Season Series: Rays won 4-3.___Projected Lineups:Rays: 2B Joey Wendle (.231, 3 HRs, 19 RBIs in 75 games), LF Tommy Pham (.273, 21, 68, 33 2Bs), RF Austin Meadows (.291, 33, 89 in 138 games), C Travis d'Arnaud (.263, 16, 67 in 92 games with Rays; .087, 0, 2 in 10 games with Mets, and 1 at-bat in only game with Dodgers), 1B Ji-Man Choi (.261, 19, 63) or Yandy D�az (.267, 14, 38, .816 OPS in 79 games), DH Brandon Lowe (.270, 17, 51 in 82 games) or Avisail Garcia (.282, 20, 72, 25 2Bs in 125 games), 3B Matt Duffy (.252, 1, 12 in 46 games), CF Kevin Kiermaier (.228, 14, 55, 19 SBs in 129 games), SS Willy... [More]

A look at the American League wild-card game between the Tampa Bay Rays and Oakland Athletics:___Schedule: Wednesday, at Oakland, California, 8:09 p.m. EDT (ESPN).___Season Series: Athletics won 4-3.___Projected Lineups:Rays: 2B Joey Wendle (.231, 3 HRs, 19 RBIs in 75 games), LF Tommy Pham (.273, 21, 68, 33 2Bs), RF Austin Meadows (.291, 33, 89 in 138 games), C Travis d'Arnaud (.263, 16, 67 in 92 games with Rays; .087, 0, 2 in 10 games with Mets, and 1 at-bat in only game with Dodgers), 1B Ji-Man Choi (.261, 19, 63), DH Brandon Lowe (.270, 17, 51 in 82 games) or Avisail Garcia (.282, 20, 72, 25 2Bs in 125 games), 3B Matt Duffy (.252, 1, 12 in 46 games), CF Kevin Kiermaier (.228, 14, 55, 19 SBs in 129 games), SS Willy Adames (.254, 20, 52).Athletics: SS Marcus Semien (.285, 33, 92, 123 runs, 43 2Bs), RF Ramon Laureano (.288, 24, 67, 10 assists), 3B Matt Chapman (.249, 36, 91, 102 runs, 36 2Bs), 1B Matt Olson (.267, 36, 91), CF Mark Canha (.273, 26, 58), DH Khris Davis (.220, 23, 73), LF... [More]

A look at the American League wild-card game between the Tampa Bay Rays and Oakland Athletics:___Schedule: Wednesday, at Oakland, California, 8:09 p.m. EDT (ESPN).___Season Series: Athletics won 4-3.___Projected Lineups:Rays: 2B Joey Wendle (.231, 3 HRs, 19 RBIs in 75 games), LF Tommy Pham (.273, 21, 68, 33 2Bs), RF Austin Meadows (.291, 33, 89 in 138 games), C Travis d'Arnaud (.263, 16, 67 in 92 games with Rays; .087, 0, 2 in 10 games with Mets, and 1 at-bat in only game with Dodgers), 1B Ji-Man Choi (.261, 19, 63), DH Brandon Lowe (.270, 17, 51 in 82 games) or Avisail Garcia (.282, 20, 72, 25 2Bs in 125 games), 3B Matt Duffy (.252, 1, 12 in 46 games), CF Kevin Kiermaier (.228, 14, 55, 19 SBs in 129 games), SS Willy Adames (.254, 20, 52).Athletics: SS Marcus Semien (.285, 33, 92, 123 runs, 43 2Bs), RF Ramon Laureano (.288, 24, 67, 10 assists), 3B Matt Chapman (.249, 36, 91, 102 runs, 36 2Bs), 1B Matt Olson (.267, 36, 91), CF Mark Canha (.273, 26, 58), DH Khris Davis (.220, 23, 73), LF... [More]

Red sox seventh. Gorkys Hernandez strikes out swinging. Brock Holt doubles to deep left field. Mitch Moreland homers to center field. Brock Holt scores. Jackie Bradley Jr. strikes out swinging. Marco Hernandez grounds out to first base, Ji-Man Choi to Oliver Drake.2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 0 left on. Red sox 2, Rays 0.Rays seventh. Ji-Man Choi strikes out swinging. Travis d'Arnaud singles to center field. Jesus Aguilar pinch-hitting for Kevin Kiermaier. Jesus Aguilar walks. Travis d'Arnaud to second. Mike Brosseau pinch-hitting for Avisail Garcia. Mike Brosseau walks. Guillermo Heredia to second. Travis d'Arnaud to third. Nate Lowe pinch-hitting for Matt Duffy. Nate Lowe reaches on a fielder's choice to shortstop. Mike Brosseau out at second. Guillermo Heredia to third. Travis d'Arnaud scores. Willy Adames doubles to deep right field. Nate Lowe to third. Guillermo Heredia scores. Joey Wendle flies out to shallow center field to Jackie Bradley Jr..3 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on. Rays... [More]

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Brian Moran became the first player in major league history to make his debut while on the mound facing his brother, striking out younger sibling Colin in the Miami Marlins' 10-7 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday night.Brian (1-0) entered in the fourth inning with the Marlins trailing 5-2. After Bryan Reynolds led off with a groundout, Colin stepped to the plate having doubled in each of his first two at-bats.The 30-year-old Brian fell behind 3-1 before throwing back-to-back sliders to strike out Colin looking. The 26-year-old Colin shouted toward the mound on his way back to the dugout. Moran hit Josh Bell with a pitch and then got Melky Cabrera to fly out in his only inning of work.The Marlins rallied for four runs in the fifth, allowing Brian to get the win. Colin finished 2 for 4.They became the first siblings to face each other in a pitcher-batter scenario with one of the brothers making his major league debut, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.Dario... [More]

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Brian Moran became the first player in major league history to make his debut while on the mound facing his brother, striking out younger sibling Colin in the Miami Marlins' 10-7 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday night.Brian (1-0) entered in the fourth inning with the Marlins trailing 5-2. After Bryan Reynolds led off with a groundout, Colin stepped to the plate having doubled in each of his first two at-bats.The 30-year-old Brian fell behind 3-1 before throwing back-to-back sliders to strike out Colin looking. The 26-year-old Colin shouted toward the mound on his way back to the dugout. Moran hit Josh Bell with a pitch and then got Melky Cabrera to fly out in his only inning of work.The Marlins rallied for four runs in the fifth, allowing Brian to get the win. Colin finished 2 for 4.They became the first siblings to face each other in a pitcher-batter scenario with one of the brothers making his major league debut, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.Dario... [More]

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Brian Moran became the first player in major league history to make his debut while on the mound facing his brother, striking out younger sibling Colin in the Miami Marlins' 10-7 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday night.Brian (1-0) entered in the fourth inning with the Marlins trailing 5-2. After Bryan Reynolds led off with a groundout, Colin stepped to the plate having doubled in each of his first two at-bats.The 30-year-old Brian fell behind 3-1 before throwing back-to-back sliders to strike out Colin looking. The 26-year-old Colin shouted toward the mound on his way back to the dugout. Moran hit Josh Bell with a pitch and then got Melky Cabrera to fly out in his only inning of work.The Marlins rallied for four runs in the fifth, allowing Brian to get the win. Colin finished 2 for 4.They became the first siblings to face each other in a pitcher-batter scenario with one of the brothers making his major league debut, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.Dario... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Todd Frazier clobbered a tying three-run homer and Michael Conforto lined a game-ending single as the New York Mets stormed back in the ninth inning to stun the Washington Nationals 7-6 Friday night for their seventh straight win.Trailing 6-3, the Mets rallied against Sean Doolittle to win for the 14th time in 15 games at pulsating Citi Field. The Nationals hold the top spot in the NL wild-card race, and the Mets are 1½ games behind them.Mets rookie Pete Alonso homered in his fourth straight game, hitting his 38th of the season off Stephen Strasburg. J.D. Davis also connected.Doolittle (6-4) blew his fifth save in 30 chances.Luis Avila?n (3-0) got two outs for the win.INDIANS 6, TWINS 2MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Shane Bieber pitched into the eighth inning, José Ramírez had three hits and the Indians pulled into a tie with the Twins for the AL Central lead.Cleveland trailed Minnesota by 11½ games on June 3 before putting together a 41-16 run, the best record in the majors since June... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Lance Lynn matched the major league lead with his 11th win and the Texas Rangers avoided a series sweep with a 9-3 victory over the grieving Los Angeles Angels on Thursday night, the Fourth of July game that the late Tyler Skaggs had been scheduled to start.The Angels won the first two games of the series after the 27-year-old Skaggs was found dead in his hotel room in Texas on Monday, and that night's scheduled game was postponed until August.Mike Trout hit another impressive homer for Los Angeles in the first inning, his AL best-tying 25th. But Lynn (11-4) limited Los Angeles to only one more run over his seven innings and Rougned Odor homered twice to drive in five runs for the Rangers, who snapped a four-game losing streak.An emotional trip for the Angels that began with them traveling to Texas in cowboy hats and Western attire — a theme initiated by Skaggs — now takes them to Houston for three games this weekend against the Astros before the All-Star break.... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Lance Lynn matched the major league lead with his 11th win and the Texas Rangers avoided a series sweep with a 9-3 victory over the grieving Los Angeles Angels on Thursday night, the Fourth of July game that the late Tyler Skaggs had been scheduled to start.The Angels won the first two games of the series after the 27-year-old Skaggs was found dead in his hotel room in Texas on Monday, and that night's scheduled game was postponed until August.Mike Trout hit another impressive homer for Los Angeles in the first inning, his AL best-tying 25th. But Lynn (11-4) limited Los Angeles to only one more run over his seven innings and Rougned Odor homered twice to drive in five runs for the Rangers, who snapped a four-game losing streak.An emotional trip for the Angels that began with them traveling to Texas in cowboy hats and Western attire — a theme initiated by Skaggs — now takes them to Houston for three games this weekend against the Astros before the All-Star break.... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Anthony Rendon hit his 20th homer and knocked in the go-ahead run to help the Washington Nationals finish a three-game sweep of the last-place Miami Marlins with a 5-2 victory Thursday.Washington has won eight of nine and 13 of 16 to climb to a season-best four games over .500.Kurt Suzuki homered in the second inning to extend the Montreal Expos/Nationals franchise record for consecutive games with a home run to 18. Rendon hit a solo shot in the fourth off Elieser Hernández (1-3) and drove in Gerardo Parra with a single in the fifth.Washington right-hander Aníbal Sánchez (5-6) allowed one earned run and five hits in six innings. Fernando Rodney got three outs for his second save of the season.Miguel Rojas homered for Miami, and Starlin Castro had three hits.YANKEES 8, RAYS 4, 10 INNINGSST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — DJ LeMahieu hit a tiebreaking two-run single and Gary Sanchez had a long three-run homer in the 10th inning, and AL East-leading New York overcome a ninth-inning... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Anthony Rendon hit his 20th homer and knocked in the go-ahead run to help the Washington Nationals finish a three-game sweep of the last-place Miami Marlins with a 5-2 victory Thursday.Washington has won eight of nine and 13 of 16 to climb to a season-best four games over .500.Kurt Suzuki homered in the second inning to extend the Montreal Expos/Nationals franchise record for consecutive games with a home run to 18. Rendon hit a solo shot in the fourth off Elieser Hernández (1-3) and drove in Gerardo Parra with a single in the fifth.Washington right-hander Aníbal Sánchez (5-6) allowed one earned run and five hits in six innings. Fernando Rodney got three outs for his second save of the season.Miguel Rojas homered for Miami, and Starlin Castro had three hits.YANKEES 8, RAYS 4, 10 INNINGSST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — DJ LeMahieu hit a tiebreaking two-run single and Gary Sanchez had a long three-run homer in the 10th inning, and AL East-leading New York overcome a ninth-inning... [More]