PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Vince Velasquez took a no-hitter two outs into the seventh inning, Rhys Hoskins and Nick Williams hit solo homers and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Colorado Rockies 9-3 on Thursday.Trevor Story lined Velasquez's 105th pitch to left for an RBI double, ending Velasquez's bid for the fourth no-hitter in the majors this season. Velasquez (5-7) retired 20 of the first 21 batters and got a standing ovation as he walked off the mound after the hit.The Phillies won a series for the first time since taking two of three from Atlanta on May 21-23. They're 7-12 since.GIANTS 6, MARLINS 3, 16 INNINGSMIAMI (AP) — San Francisco third baseman Evan Longoria broke his left hand when he was hit by a pitch in the Giants' victory over Miami.Longoria was struck by Dan Straily. There is no timetable for Longoria's return and he will decide in the next few days if he will need surgery. He is hitting .246 with 10 home runs and 34 RBIs.Pablo Sandoval hit a tiebreaking, two-run single in the... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Vince Velasquez took a no-hitter two outs into the seventh inning, Rhys Hoskins and Nick Williams hit solo homers and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Colorado Rockies 9-3 on Thursday.Trevor Story lined Velasquez's 105th pitch to left for an RBI double, ending Velasquez's bid for the fourth no-hitter in the majors this season. Velasquez (5-7) retired 20 of the first 21 batters and got a standing ovation as he walked off the mound after the hit.The Phillies won a series for the first time since taking two of three from Atlanta on May 21-23. They're 7-12 since.GIANTS 6, MARLINS 3, 16 INNINGSMIAMI (AP) — San Francisco third baseman Evan Longoria broke his left hand when he was hit by a pitch in the Giants' long win.Longoria was struck by Dan Straily. There is no timetable for Longoria's return and he will decide in the next few days if he will need surgery. He is hitting .246 with 10 home runs and 34 RBIs.Pablo Sandoval hit a tiebreaking, two-run single in the 16th inning.... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The San Francisco Giants have activated outfielder Mac Williamson from the 10-day disabled list and sent left-hander Josh Osich to Triple-A Sacramento.Williamson started in left field against the Chicago Cubs on Friday after being sidelined since April 24 because of a concussion. He was hurt when he stumbled on a bullpen mound and crashed into the left-field wall chasing a fly ball during a home game.Williamson was batting .316 batting with three home runs and six RBIs in five games.Osich has an 8.25 ERA in 12 relief appearances.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

PLAYERS TO PICK UPJack Flaherty, SP, St. Louis (54 percent owned in Yahoo) - Thirteen strikeouts. One walk. One earned run. Those were the numbers from Flaherty's last outing. How is he owned in just over half of leagues? If Flaherty is available in your league, you need to open a new tab, add him and then return here to read the rest of this column. With an outstanding slider, Flaherty is dominating hitters each outing. He's given up a total of six earned runs in 23 1/3 innings this year. Despite the too-many-guys-but-not-enough-spots problem the Cardinals' rotation has right now, Captain Jack's spot is safe.Tyler O'Neill, OF, St. Louis (41 percent) - Speaking of young Cardinals making a difference, O'Neill had a stretch of three home runs in three games earlier this week. Dexter Fowler is lost at the plate, and Marcel Ozuna is failing to replicate his success from a season ago. As long as O'Neill hits, Mike Matheny will find room for him in the Cardinals' lineup. There's a lot of Aaron... [More]

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Hoping for clearance to begin a throwing program, San Francisco Giants ace Madison Bumgarner is headed to Arizona to meet with the same doctor who performed surgery on his left pinkie.Bumgarner was scheduled to leave the Bay Area on Monday night for a checkup with Dr. Donald Sheridan, who inserted three pins into Bumgarner's pitching hand one day after the 2014 World Series MVP was hit by a line drive late in spring training.If Bumgarner is cleared to start throwing, the four-time All-Star is still likely a month away from rejoining the big league club.The Giants also said second baseman Joe Panik underwent surgery on the ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb and will miss at least six weeks. Panik had flown to Los Angeles to get a second opinion before opting for surgery.It was the latest blow to the injury-ravaged Giants this season.Left fielder Hunter Pence is rehabbing from a sprained right thumb. Pence's replacement, slugger Mac Williamson, is going through the concussion protocol. San Francisco closer Mark Melancon is slowly working his way back from a right elbow flexor strain. Relief pitchers Josh Osich (right hip strain) and Will Smith (Tommy John surgery) are also on the disabled list, though Smith is expected to come off this week.Right-hander Jeff Samardzija was scheduled to make his third start of the season Monday after beginning the year on the DL with a pectoral strain.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Hoping for clearance to begin a throwing program, San Francisco Giants ace Madison Bumgarner is headed to Arizona to meet with the same doctor who performed surgery on his left pinkie.Bumgarner was scheduled to leave the Bay Area on Monday night for a checkup with Dr. Donald Sheridan, who inserted three pins into Bumgarner's pitching hand one day after the 2014 World Series MVP was hit by a line drive late in spring training.If Bumgarner is cleared to start throwing, the four-time All-Star is still likely a month away from rejoining the big league club.The Giants also said second baseman Joe Panik underwent surgery on the ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb and will miss at least six weeks. Panik had flown to Los Angeles to get a second opinion before opting for surgery.It was the latest blow to the injury-ravaged Giants this season.Left fielder Hunter Pence is rehabbing from a sprained right thumb. Pence's replacement, slugger Mac Williamson, is going through the concussion protocol. San Francisco closer Mark Melancon is slowly working his way back from a right elbow flexor strain. Relief pitchers Josh Osich (right hip strain) and Will Smith (Tommy John surgery) are also on the disabled list, though Smith is expected to come off this week.Right-hander Jeff Samardzija was scheduled to make his third start of the season Monday after beginning the year on the DL with a pectoral strain.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The San Francisco Giants have reinstated pitcher Chris Stratton from the paternity list and plan to start the right-hander in the first game of a doubleheader against the Los Angeles Dodgers.Second baseman Joe Panik was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a sprained left thumb, one of a number of moves made by the Giants.Outfielder Mac Williamson was put on the seven-day concussion list after he stumbled over the bullpen mound near left field and crashed into a low wall near the stands Tuesday. Reliever Mark Melancon was transferred to the 60-day disabled list and right-hander Derek Law was appointed as the 26th man for Saturday's doubleheader.Additionally, outfielder Austin Slater was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento one day after being sent down. The Giants also promoted infielder Alen Hanson from their top farm club.Panik injured himself during a pickoff attempt in Friday night's 6-4 win over the Dodgers.

TORONTO (AP) — Curtis Granderson hit a walk-off homer in the 10th inning to give the Toronto Blue Jays a 4-3 win over Boston on Tuesday night and hand the Red Sox their season-worst third straight defeat.Boston (17-5) still owns the best record in the majors.Granderon's his third home run of the season came off Red Sox closer Craig Kimbrel (0-1), a towering solo blast off the facing of the third deck in right field. He went 3 for 5 with three RBIs in the Blue Jays' first game since a deadly van attack in Toronto a day earlier. The victims of the attack, which killed 10 and injured 14, were honored along with first responders before the game.Tyler Clippard (3-0) worked a scoreless 10th for the win.Blue Jays closer Roberto Osuna was handed a 3-1 lead in the ninth but allowed the Red Sox to tie it, his first blown save in seven chances. Left fielder Granderson threw out Eduardo Nunez at the plate to prevent Boston from taking the lead.REDS 9, BRAVES 7, 12 INNINGSCINCINNATI (AP) — Tyler Mahle... [More]

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The Washington Nationals have put right-handed reliever Shawn Kelley on the 10-day disabled list Tuesday because of ulnar nerve irritation in his pitching elbow.Kelley, who turns 34 on Thursday, has a history of elbow trouble and has twice come back from Tommy John surgery. He is scheduled to undergo an MRI test on his elbow when the Nationals return to Washington later this week."Same as yesterday," Nationals manager Dave Martinez said. "Hopefully he gets better soon. He's sore but he feels better."Kelley felt some irritation in his elbow shortly after relieving starter Gio Gonzalez during the sixth inning of Monday night's 4-2 loss to the Giants.Mac Williamson hit Kelley's first pitch 464 feet for a two-run homer. Kelley was pulled a few pitches later after bouncing a slider well in front of the plate.Kelley said after the game that he didn't think it was anything serious, but Martinez said the Nationals were being cautious."He's had two surgeries so we want to make sure we don't do any more damage and just give him a little breather," Martinez said.The Nationals also optioned infielder/outfielder Matt Reynolds to Triple-A Syracuse and called up outfielder Rafael Bautista and infielder Adrian Sanchez.

HOUSTON (AP) — Yuli Gurriel was thrown out at third base by catcher Martin Maldonado to end the game after an original safe call was reversed on replay, giving the Los Angeles Angels a 2-0 win over Houston on Monday night that ended the Astros' six-game winning streak.Third base umpire Cory Blaser signaled safe. Blaser also called Colorado's Nolan Arenado safe at home plate Sunday trying to advance on a ball in the dirt. That call was then reversed on replay for the final out in the Chicago Cubs' 9-7 win.Tyler Skaggs (3-1) allowed four hits in seven innings for the Angels, and Keynan Middleton earned his sixth save. The Astros outscored the White Sox 27-2 during a three-game sweep last weekend.Kole Calhoun had an RBI single and Justin Upton added an RBI double. Los Angeles had lost five of six following a seven-game winning streak. The Angels are 10-1 on the road, but 5-7 at home.Gerrit Cole (2-1) retired his first 13 hitters, striking out five. He gave up two runs and four hits in seven... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — Yuli Gurriel was thrown out at third base by catcher Martin Maldonado to end the game after an original safe call was reversed on replay, giving the Los Angeles Angels a 2-0 win over Houston on Monday night that ended the Astros' six-game winning streak.Third base umpire Cory Blaser signaled safe. Blaser also called Colorado's Nolan Arenado safe at home plate Sunday trying to advance on a ball in the dirt. That call was then reversed on replay for the final out in the Chicago Cubs' 9-7 win.Tyler Skaggs (3-1) allowed four hits in seven innings for the Angels, and Keynan Middleton earned his sixth save. The Astros outscored the White Sox 27-2 during a three-game sweep last weekend.Kole Calhoun had an RBI single and Justin Upton added an RBI double. Los Angeles had lost five of six following a seven-game winning streak. The Angels are 10-1 on the road, but 5-7 at home.Gerrit Cole (2-1) retired his first 13 hitters, striking out five. He gave up two runs and four hits in seven... [More]

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco Giants have placed outfielder Hunter Pence on the 10-day disabled list with a sprained right thumb and recalled outfielder Mac Williamson from Triple-A Sacramento.Williamson started in left field and batted seventh Friday night against the Anaheim Angels.Manager Bruce Bochy says Pence's injury has been lingering since he made a diving try for a ball earlier this season.

As we enter the last full week of April, perhaps there's a chance that there are only a handful of postponements for the week, instead of a handful each day.Samples at the plate and on the mound are getting larger, but still far too little to put too much emphasis on them. But let's take a look at the week ahead for the best hitter matchups, two-start pitchers and batters you should consider picking up and getting into your lineups.BEST HITTING MATCHUPS: Atlanta, Minnesota, ColoradoWORST HITTING MATCHUPS: Los Angeles Angels, San FranciscoPLAYERS TO PICK UPTeoscar Hernandez, OF, Toronto - In 97 plate appearances last year, Hernandez had eight home runs and a .261 batting average. He's going to strike out a lot (37.9 strikeout percentage last season), but he's a power-speed outfielder with tremendous upside. He needs to be stashed in all category and roto leagues with five outfield spots, as he only has the struggling Randall Grichuk (.088 average, 33.8 strikeout percentage) in his way of... [More]

As we enter the last full week of April, perhaps there's a chance that there are only a handful of postponements for the week, instead of a handful each day.Samples at the plate and on the mound are getting larger, but still far too little to put too much emphasis on them. But let's take a look at the week ahead for the best hitter matchups, two-start pitchers and batters you should consider picking up and getting into your lineups.BEST HITTING MATCHUPS: Atlanta, Minnesota, ColoradoWORST HITTING MATCHUPS: Los Angeles Angels, San FranciscoPLAYERS TO PICK UPTeoscar Hernandez, OF, Toronto - In 97 plate appearances last year, Hernandez had eight home runs and a .261 batting average. He's going to strike out a lot (37.9 strikeout percentage last season), but he's a power-speed outfielder with tremendous upside. Yes, Toronto is noncommittal about him staying up with the team, but he needs to be stashed in all category and roto leagues with five outfield spots, as he only has the struggling Randall... [More]

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Arizona ace Zack Greinke's start against Cincinnati was cut short Wednesday after one inning because of right groin tightness.Greinke had been scheduled to throw five innings. The 2009 AL Cy Young Award winner retired Ben Revere on a groundout, allowed Jesse Winkler's single, then struck out Joey Votto and Scooter Gennett.Albert Suarez relieved to start the second.Greinke was making his just second big league exhibition appearance this year. The 34-year-old right-hander pitched 1 2/3 innings against Milwaukee on Feb. 25, then made a pair of appearances in "B'' games.RED SOX 2, TWINS 1Chris Sale pitched five shutout innings of two-hit ball and struck out seven, lowering his ERA to 1.00. Mitch Moreland homered in the third off Tyler Duffey, who gave up two runs — one earned — and four hits in three innings. Mookie Betts, batting .130, singled and drove in a run. Miguel Sano doubled.CARDINALS 3, ASTROS 1Adam Wainwright allowed one run and four hits in five innings... [More]

Shohei Ohtani went only one way in his spring training debut for the Los Angeles Angels and got pulled early.The Japanese star pitcher and hitter was scheduled to throw two innings in his start Saturday, but was taken out after giving up two hits and two walks in 1 1/3 innings during a 6-5 win over Milwaukee.Angels manager Mike Scioscia didn't put Ohtani in the batting order.The 23-year-old righty struck out two and his fastball reached 97 mph. He allowed one run, on a homer by Keon Broxton. Ohtani threw 31 pitches, 17 for strikes."Besides the results, I mean, I had a lot of fun out there, so I think it went all well," Ohtani said through a translator.Ohtani has been hitting some long home runs in batting practice."I had a lot of fun out there today and obviously I'm excited to hit and pitch again, and I just want to keep on getting better and have good results from here on out," he said.Scioscia said Ohtani will hit early in the week, as the designated hitter."It was great to see him,"... [More]

Shohei Ohtani went only one way in his spring training debut for the Los Angeles Angels and got pulled early.The Japanese star pitcher and hitter was scheduled to throw two innings in his start Saturday, but was taken out after giving up two hits and two walks in 1 1/3 innings during a 6-5 win over Milwaukee.Angels manager Mike Scioscia didn't put Ohtani in the batting order.The 23-year-old righty struck out two and his fastball reached 97 mph. He allowed one run, on a homer by Keon Broxton. Ohtani threw 31 pitches, 17 for strikes."Besides the results, I mean, I had a lot of fun out there, so I think it went all well," Ohtani said through a translator.Ohtani has been hitting some long home runs in batting practice."I had a lot of fun out there today and obviously I'm excited to hit and pitch again, and I just want to keep on getting better and have good results from here on out," he said.Scioscia said Ohtani will hit early in the week, as the designated hitter."It was great to see him,"... [More]

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Something about being back with the San Francisco Giants has Gregor Blanco feeling rejuvenated.The veteran outfielder won two World Series rings with them and will forever be remembered by Giants fans for his diving catch that preserved former pitcher Matt Cain's perfect game in 2012.At 34, Blanco hopes he can still run down a ball in the outfield that same way."This is home for me. I worked really hard in the winter to show my abilities again. I worked the whole winter on my speed," Blanco said. "I feel like I'm a kid again."What's getting older is new again for the Giants, who have brought back World Series veterans Blanco, catcher Hector Sanchez, and — after a stint for part of last season — infielder Pablo Sandoval, who is at spring training with San Francisco for the first time in four years.All three players will have to compete for a major league bench spot in camp. The Giants added a third baseman in major offseason acquisition Evan Longoria, two catchers... [More]

RF Mac Williamson (finger) was removed for a pinch-hitter in the sixth inning after being struck by a pitch the hand during his at-bat in the fourth inning. Because Williamson's hand was on the bat, the pitch in the fourth was a foul ball. He remained in the game and later walked before being taken out.

LF Mac Williamson had the second three-hit game of his career on Sunday, going 3-for-3 with a home run in a 3-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Williamson's other three-hit game came on June 23, 2016, when he went 3-for-4 in a 5-3 win at the Pittsburgh Pirates.