MIAMI (AP) — The Miami Marlins posted abysmal attendance numbers this week, averaging 6,556 fans in a three-game series with the New York Mets.It was their lowest reported totals since 2006 and the lowest since moving to Marlins Park in 2012.However, reported attendance numbers by the Marlins have been suspect for years. Many games had a noticeably lower number of fans in the stands than the official attendance reported.Having a more accurate count is something the new ownership group, led by CEO Derek Jeter, seeks."One of the qualities of running a first-class organization is honesty, and we have been and we will continue to run this organization, we're going to be transparent and we're going to be honest about it," Jeter said. "And reporting paid attendance as the number of tickets sold is the way we're going to report it. Our focus will continue to be increasing the turnstile numbers here at Marlins Park."Jeter, who will not be returning to Yankee Stadium next week when the Marlins face... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Toronto Blue Jays have placed third baseman Josh Donaldson on the 10-day disabled with right shoulder inflammation.Donaldson, the AL's MVP in 2015, is batting .239 with three home runs and nine RBIs in 12 games. He's been dealing with the injury since the beginning of the season and will work out in Florida.Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said Donaldson underwent an MRI at the Cleveland Clinic on Thursday."He'll go down there and get on a throwing program," Gibbons said. "Hopefully it's not too long. I don't think it will be."Donaldson has made seven starts at third base while also being used as the designated hitter. Gibbons said Yangervis Solarte, who played third base Friday against the Cleveland Indians, will see most of the time there. Catcher Russell Martin can also play third.Donaldson was a centerpiece of Toronto's powerhouse offense that made the playoffs in 2015 and 2016. He led the league with 41 home runs and 123 RBIs while winning the MVP. Donaldson hit 37 homers with 99 RBIs the following season. He is 32, is making $23 million, and can be a free agent after the season. He's been selected to the All-Star team three times.Outfielder Teoscar Hernandez has been called up from Triple-A Buffalo and started in right field Friday. He batted .261 with eight homers and 20 RBIs in 26 games with the Blue Jays last season.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

NEW YORK (AP) — Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado has been suspended five games for charging the mound after Luis Perdomo threw a pitch behind his back, inciting a benches-clearing brawl during Wednesday's game against the San Diego Padres.Major League Baseball announced Friday that Perdomo was also suspended five games for intentionally throwing at the All-Star third baseman.Rockies outfielder Gerardo Parra was suspended four games for fighting, and Padres pitcher Buddy Bauman got a one-game suspension for fighting. The suspended players were also fined.Padres catcher A.J. Ellis and infielder Freddy Galvis and Rockies right-hander German Marquez were fined but not suspended.Arenado swung wildly at Perdomo after he reached the mound, but none of his punches landed squarely.The brawl came during a tense series that included three batters being hit by pitches before the benches-clearing incident. San Diego's Manuel Margot was hit first and ended up on the disabled list.The suspensions were effective Friday, pending appeals by the players. Colorado was at Washington Friday night and the Padres hosted the Giants.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Twins have postponed their game against the Chicago White Sox because of rain, with wintry weather also threatening the rest of the series.The team announced the decision Friday afternoon, four hours before the scheduled first pitch. No makeup date was set. Forecasts called for snow overnight, with potential for more than a foot of accumulation throughout Saturday and Sunday.One benefit of the bad weather this month for the Twins has been the shortening of their rotation, allowing right-hander Phil Hughes to take his time in recovery from a strained left oblique muscle. He was on track to pitch on Friday.The Twins already had one game postponed this homestand against the Seattle Mariners, moving it to May 14.___For more AP baseball coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Toronto Blue Jays have placed third baseman Josh Donaldson on the 10-day disabled with right shoulder inflammation.Donaldson, the AL's Most Valuable player in 2015, is batting .239 with three home runs and nine RBIs in 12 games. He's been dealing with the injury since the beginning of the season and will go through a throwing program in Florida.Donaldson led the league with 41 home runs and 123 RBIs in 2015. He's been selected to the All-Star team three times.Outfielder Teoscar Hernandez has been called up from Triple-A Buffalo. The Blue Jays open a three-game series in Cleveland on Friday night.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

PHOENIX (AP) — Oakland Athletics catcher Bruce Maxwell pleaded guilty Friday to disorderly conduct in an incident in which he was accused of pointing a handgun at the head of a woman who delivered food to his home in Scottsdale, Arizona.Defense attorney Rhonda Neff said Maxwell pleaded to an undesignated felony, meaning the offense will go down to a misdemeanor upon successful completion of his probation."Accepting responsibility is the first step in working to make amends for my lapse in judgment. I am truly sorry for the pain that my actions have caused, and while they are not representative of who I am, I understand that I have to earn back the trust and respect of those around me," Maxwell said in a statement released through the team.According to court records, Maxwell was arrested in October on suspicion of disorderly conduct and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after the delivery woman reported the incident to police.Police said in the court documents that Maxwell lowered... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — Oakland Athletics catcher Bruce Maxwell pleaded guilty Friday to disorderly conduct in an incident in which he was accused of pointing a handgun at the head of a woman who delivered food to his home in Scottsdale, Arizona.Defense attorney Rhonda Neff said Maxwell pleaded to an undesignated felony, meaning the offense will go down to a misdemeanor upon successful completion of his probation."Accepting responsibility is the first step in working to make amends for my lapse in judgment. I am truly sorry for the pain that my actions have caused, and while they are not representative of who I am, I understand that I have to earn back the trust and respect of those around me," Maxwell said in a statement released through the team.According to court records, Maxwell was arrested in October on suspicion of disorderly conduct and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after the delivery woman reported the incident to police.Police said in the court documents that Maxwell lowered... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Mets catcher Kevin Plawecki has a broken left hand went on the disabled list as New York announced Travis d'Arnaud will have Tommy John surgery.Plawecki was hit by a pitch from the Marlins' Tayron Guerrero at Miami in the eighth inning Wednesday night. While a postgame X-ray was negative, an MRI in New York on Thursday showed a hairline fracture.New York said before Friday's game against Milwaukee that Plawecki was being put on the 10-day DL, retroactive to Thursday. The Mets said their doctors estimate Plawecki will be sidelined three to four weeks.D'Arnaud went on the disabled list Wednesday for the fifth consecutive year and was transferred to the 60-day DL on Friday. He has a partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow and will have Tommy John surgery next week.Catcher Tomas Nido was recalled from Double-A Binghamton on Wednesday, and New York selected the contract of Jose Lobaton from Triple-A Las Vegas on Friday. The Mets also recalled outfielder Brandon Nimmo from Las Vegas and optioned right-hander Jacob Rhame to the 51s.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

CHICAGO (AP) — Cubs manager Joe Maddon fired back at Pittsburgh Pirates skipper Clint Hurdle for criticizing Chicago star Javier Baez's bat flip on a popup.Maddon was "surprised" and didn't "really understand" why Hurdle criticized Baez. He also said he believes "in not interfering with other groups.""Be careful when you start becoming hypercritical because you're pretty much defining yourself," Maddon said prior to Friday's game against Atlanta.The 25-year-old Baez homered twice for the second straight day in Chicago's victory over Pittsburgh on Wednesday. But he also flipped his bat high into the air on a popup to shortstop Jordy Mercer in the seventh inning.Baez acknowledged after the win it was a mistake and that a teammate talked to him about the display.Hurdle questioned Baez's "respect for the game" on Thursday, and the flashy star brushed off those comments after the Pirates beat the Cubs.Maddon praised his player for owning up to his mistake. He also said he didn't see the bat flip."I think most of the time when you hear commentary — or critical commentary — it's really pretty much self-evaluation," Maddon said. "It's about what you believe. It's about your judgmental component. It reveals you more than the person you're talking about. I've always believed that. Whenever you want to be hypercritical of somebody, just understand you're pretty much revealing yourself and what your beliefs are."___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

NEW YORK (AP) — Mets catcher Kevin Plawecki has a broken left hand and is following Travis d'Arnaud to the disabled list.Plawecki was hit by a pitch from the Marlins' Tayron Guerrero at Miami in the eighth inning Wednesday night. While a postgame X-ray was negative, an MRI in New York on Thursday showed a hairline fracture.New York said before Friday's game against Milwaukee that Plawecki was being put on the DL, retroactive to Thursday. Plawecki will not need surgery.D'Arnaud went on the disabled list Wednesday for the fifth consecutive year. He has a partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, and surgery is possible.Catcher Tomas Nido was recalled from Double-A Binghamton on Wednesday, and another catcher is likely to be brought up Friday.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

A look at what's happening all around the majors today:___NEW YORK GROOVERiding an eight-game winning streak that has lifted them to the top record in the majors, the surprising New York Mets try to extend the best start in franchise history to 11-1 when they open a homestand against Milwaukee. New York left-hander Steven Matz, coming off a solid outing in Washington, faces Zach Davies and the Brewers, who are 5-1 on the road. Under new manager Mickey Callaway, the Mets have six comeback wins and they wrapped up a 6-0 road trip Wednesday night in Miami.DARVISH DAYYu Darvish makes his first home start with the Chicago Cubs when they host the Atlanta Braves at Wrigley Field. Darvish also is looking for his first win since he signed a $126 million, six-year contract with Chicago in February. The Japanese right-hander pitched six innings of one-run ball in a no-decision at Milwaukee on Saturday in his previous start. Anibal Sanchez pitches for Atlanta. The 34-year-old right-hander is 3-2 with... [More]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Shohei Ohtani hit a bases-loaded triple in Los Angeles' five-run seventh inning, helping the Angels beat the Kansas City Royals 7-1 on Thursday night for their fifth straight victory.Ian Kinsler homered on his first swing in his return to the Angels' lineup, and Nick Tropeano (1-0) pitched shutout ball into the seventh for his first major league win since 2016.Los Angeles has won eight of nine.Ohtani drove a 1-2 pitch from Brandon Maurer to right-center, scoring Kole Calhoun, Andrelton Simmons and Luis Valbuena. The Royals walked Ohtani intentionally in the sixth with first base open and Simmons on second.Ohtani is tied with Mike Trout for the Angels' lead with 11 RBIs in 26 at-bats. Trout went 3 for 4 with his fifth home run.Kinsler led off the game with a home run for the 47th time in his career, driving a 1-0 pitch from Ian Kennedy (1-1) out to left. Kinsler missed the previous 11 games with an adductor strain.RED SOX 6, YANKEES 3BOSTON (AP) — Rick Porcello pitched... [More]

Shohei Ohtani eagerly bounces into the cage when it's his turn during batting practice — and then puts on an impressive show knocking balls high and deep into the outfield seats.Whether hitting or pitching for the Los Angeles Angels, the rookie two-way sensation is raring to go and already wants to play more."He always says he's ready," manager Mike Scioscia said. "But right now we're definitely going to protect him as much as we can."While the 23-year-old from Japan has definitely lived up to the hype in the first two weeks of the season, the AL West-leading Angels have a tricky balancing act in managing the workload for Ohtani, who appeared in nine of their first 14 games.The right-handed pitcher with a fastball averaging about 99 mph, along with a nasty splitter and a biting slider, was 2-0 with a 2.08 ERA and 18 strikeouts over 13 innings while allowing only four hits in his two starts on the mound, both against Oakland. After retiring the final eight batters in his first start, he... [More]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Shohei Ohtani hit a bases-loaded triple in a five-run seventh inning to help the streaking Los Angeles Angels beat the Kansas City Royals 7-1 on Thursday night for their fifth straight victory.Ian Kinsler homered on his first swing in his return to the Angels' lineup, and Nick Tropeano (1-0) pitched shutout ball into the seventh for his first major league win since 2016.Los Angeles has won eight of nine.Ohtani drove a 1-2 pitch from Brandon Maurer to right-center, scoring Kole Calhoun, Andrelton Simmons and Luis Valbuena. The Royals walked Ohtani intentionally in the sixth with first base open and Simmons on second.Ohtani is tied with Mike Trout for the Angels' lead with 11 RBIs in 26 at-bats. Trout went 3 for 4 with his fifth home run and has 55 at-bats.Kinsler led off the game with a home run for the 47th time in his career, driving a 1-0 pitch from Ian Kennedy (1-1) out to left. Kinsler missed the previous 11 games with an adductor strain.RED SOX 6, YANKEES 3BOSTON... [More]

A look at what's happening all around the majors Friday:___NEW YORK GROOVERiding an eight-game winning streak that has lifted them to the top record in the majors, the surprising New York Mets try to extend the best start in franchise history to 11-1 when they open a homestand against Milwaukee. New York left-hander Steven Matz, coming off a solid outing in Washington, faces Zach Davies and the Brewers, who are 5-1 on the road. Under new manager Mickey Callaway, the Mets have six comeback wins and they wrapped up a 6-0 road trip Wednesday night in Miami.DARVISH DAYYu Darvish makes his first home start with the Chicago Cubs when they host the Atlanta Braves at Wrigley Field. Darvish also is looking for his first win since he signed a $126 million, six-year contract with Chicago in February. The Japanese right-hander pitched six innings of one-run ball in a no-decision at Milwaukee on Saturday in his previous start. Anibal Sanchez pitches for Atlanta. The 34-year-old right-hander is 3-2 with... [More]

CINCINNATI (AP) — Jose Martinez drove in six runs Thursday night and Yadier Molina homered in his return from a one-game suspension, powering the St. Louis Cardinals to a 13-4 victory that left the Cincinnati Reds mired in their worst start since 1955.The Cardinals homered a season-high four times while piling up a season high in runs. The Reds helped by walking 11 batters, three of them with the bases loaded.The Reds fell to 2-10, the worst record in the majors and their worst start since an identical mark in 1955.Infielder Cliff Pennington pitched the ninth for Cincinnati and gave up a pair of walks and Martinez's second RBI single of the game.Paul DeJong's solo shot deep into the upper deck in center off Austin Brice (0-2) snapped a 4-4 tie in the sixth. Martinez and Molina hit back-to-back drives in the seventh, when St. Louis put it away with seven runs. Martinez added a two-run double in the inning.Michael Wacha (2-1) went five innings and extended his streak of beating Cincinnati.PIRATES... [More]

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Showing some fight seems to be a good thing for the rebuilding San Diego Padres.While awaiting word on punishment from MLB for their brawl Wednesday with the Colorado Rockies, the Padres vowed not to get pushed around by anyone.After five Padres batters were hit in six games against the Rockies this season, including Manuel Margot taking a fastball to the ribs Tuesday night and going on the disabled list, the Padres felt enough was enough.Luis Perdomo threw a pitch behind Nolan Arenado in the third inning Wednesday and the All-Star rushed the mound, setting off a brawl that led to five ejections, including Perdomo, Arenado and San Diego catcher A.J. Ellis.It also led to a sense of camaraderie for the Padres, who were labeled as soft by some last year when they chose not to retaliate after Anthony Rizzo of the Chicago Cubs slammed into Austin Hedges at the plate last year, sidelining the catcher for a few games. MLB determined that Rizzo violated the home plate collision... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Red Sox pitcher Rick Porcello lost his bid for a no-hitter when Yankees slugger Aaron Judge led off the seventh with a double.Porcello stayed in after a 45-minute rain delay and retired the Yankees in order in the sixth. But Judge got New York's first hit in the seventh, and Giancarlo Stanton followed with a single.Stanton became the Yankees' first baserunner when he was hit by a pitch in the fourth.Porcello got out of the jam in the seventh, preserving Boston's 6-0 lead on Thursday night. He has six strikeouts and no walks.

BOSTON (AP) — Red Sox pitcher Rick Porcello has not allowed a hit through six innings against the New York Yankees.Porcello stayed in after a 45-minute rain delay before the top of the sixth. The only baserunner to reach for the Yankees was Giancarlo Stanton, who was hit by a pitch in the fourth inning.Porcello had struck out four and walked none. Boston leads 6-0 on Thursday night.

CHICAGO (AP) — Pittsburgh Pirates manager Clint Hurdle criticized Chicago Cubs infielder Javier Baez on Thursday for his bat flip on a popup, and the young slugger brushed off the comments by the former major leaguer.Baez homered twice for the second straight day in Chicago's 13-5 victory over Pittsburgh on Wednesday night. But he also flipped his bat high into the air when he popped up to shortstop Jordy Mercer in the seventh inning.The 25-year-old Baez acknowledged after the win it was a mistake and that a teammate had talked to him about the display.Hurdle was still rankled by the move before the Pirates' 6-1 victory in the series finale."Where's the respect for the game?" Hurdle said. "The guy hits four homers in two days, so that means you can take your bat and throw it 15, 20 feet in the air when you pop up like you should have hit your fifth home run? I would bet that men over there talked to him, because I do believe they have a group over there that speaks truth to power."Asked... [More]