ATLANTA (AP) — Ronald Acuna Jr. is only 20 years old, so he never gives much thought to his still-fledgling place in baseball history.There'll be plenty of time for that.So, it wasn't until Acuna got back to the Atlanta clubhouse after a long, brilliant day that he finally realized what a feat he had pulled off.Rarer, even, than a perfect game.Or an unassisted triple play.The brilliant Braves rookie joined a very exclusive club by hitting leadoff homers in both games of a doubleheader Monday, sparking first-place Atlanta to a sweep of the Miami Marlins.Acuna appears to be only the fourth player to go deep at the start of two games in a single day, joining Brady Anderson, Rickey Henderson and Harry Hooper.By comparison, there have been 23 perfect games and 15 unassisted triple plays."I just found out," Acuna said through a translator when asked if he knew what he had done. "I give thanks to God for the opportunity to make history in my own sense."Acuna worked the count in his favor the first... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Ronald Acuna Jr. pulled off one of the rarest feats in baseball history, hitting leadoff homers in both games of a doubleheader to send the first-place Atlanta Braves to a sweep of the Miami Marlins on Monday.The 20-year-old rookie hit an opposite-field drive into the Braves' bullpen in Game 1, powering Atlanta to a 9-1 victory. Haitian-American Touki Toussaint (1-0) pitched six strong innings to win his major league debut.It was more of the same from Acuna in the nightcap. He sent a towering shot into the seats in left-center, sparking the Braves to a 6-1 victory behind another strong outing on the mound from Mike Foltynewicz (10-7).Acuna appeared to be only the fourth player in big league history to hit a pair of leadoff homers in a doubleheader.Merandy Gonzalez (2-1) took the loss in the second game after being called up from Double-A Jacksonville for his first career start.Acuna hit his first leadoff homer off Pablo Lopez (2-3) and added a two-run double in the sixth,... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors today:SET FREERobinson Cano is set to return from his 80-game suspension for violating baseball's drug agreement when Seattle plays at Oakland. The All-Star second baseman has been out since May 15, though he's been playing in the minor leagues for the past week. Cano is ineligible for the postseason if Seattle makes it, but manager Scott Servais hopes the 35-year-old can help the Mariners get there as a versatile piece around the infield. Servais said the team will work Cano in slowly, getting him reps at first, second and third base."We need to be smart in breaking him in," Servais said. "He wants to get going, he wants to contribute right away. He's missed playing, he's missed his teammates and being around this whole thing. I know he wants to come in and do a lot. But again small little things."Seattle entered Monday 1 1/2 games behind Oakland for the second AL wild card.ROLLING RONALDRonald Acuna Jr. is the youngest player to homer in four... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Ronald Acuna Jr. is only 20 years old, so he never gives much thought to his still-fledgling place in baseball history.There'll be plenty of time for that.So, it wasn't until Acuna got back to the Atlanta clubhouse after a long, brilliant day that he finally realized what a unique feat he had pulled off.Rarer, even, than a perfect game.Or an unassisted triple play.The brilliant Braves rookie joined a very exclusive club by hitting leadoff homers in both games of a doubleheader Monday, sparking first-place Atlanta to a sweep of the Miami Marlins.Acuna appears to be only the fourth player to go deep at the start of two games in a single day, joining Brady Anderson, Rickey Henderson and Harry Hooper.By comparison, there have been 23 perfect games and 15 unassisted triple plays."I just found out," Acuna said through a translator when asked if he knew about his unique double. "I give thanks to God for the opportunity to make history in my own sense."Acuna worked the count in his... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Ronald Acuna Jr. pulled off one of the rarest feats in baseball history, hitting leadoff homers in both games of a doubleheader to send the first-place Atlanta Braves to a sweep of the Miami Marlins on Monday.The 20-year-old rookie hit an opposite-field drive into the Braves' bullpen in Game 1, powering Atlanta to a 9-1 victory. Haitian-American Touki Toussaint (1-0) pitched six strong innings to win his major league debut.It was more of the same from Acuna in the nightcap. He sent a towering shot into the seats in left-center, sparking the Braves to a 6-1 victory behind another strong outing on the mound from Mike Foltynewicz (10-7).Acuna appeared to be only the fourth player in big league history to hit a pair of leadoff homers in a doubleheader.Merandy Gonzalez (2-1) took the loss in the second game after being called up from Double-A Jacksonville for his first career start.Acuna hit his first leadoff homer off Pablo Lopez (2-3) and added a two-run double in the sixth,... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen expects to have a second heart surgery in the offseason but is confident he'll be able to come off the disabled list within the next few weeks.The All-Star reliever, out since Thursday with an irregular heartbeat, rejoined the Dodgers when they returned home Monday and threw a light bullpen. He plans to throw bullpens again on Wednesday and Friday.The 30-year-old Jansen is scheduled to be re-examined by his physicians next Monday. He said it's likely he'll need another ablation procedure on his heart after the season — the right-hander had a similar operation in 2012.When he was placed on the disabled list last week, it was projected Jansen would miss four to six weeks."I'm confident that it's not going to be four weeks, and it's not going to be six weeks," a smiling Jansen said. "(Aug. 20) is going to be the key to listen to what is going to happen. Right now I'm going to keep taking my blood thinners and hopefully there are no side effects... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors Tuesday:SET FREERobinson Cano is set to return from his 80-game suspension for violating baseball's drug agreement when Seattle plays at Oakland. The All-Star second baseman has been out since May 15, though he's been playing in the minor leagues for the past week. Cano is ineligible for the postseason if Seattle makes it, but manager Scott Servais hopes the 35-year-old can help the Mariners get there as a versatile piece around the infield. Servais said the team will work Cano in slowly, getting him reps at first, second and third base."We need to be smart in breaking him in," Servais said. "He wants to get going, he wants to contribute right away. He's missed playing, he's missed his teammates and being around this whole thing. I know he wants to come in and do a lot. But again small little things."Seattle entered Monday 1 1/2 games behind Oakland for the second AL wild card.ROLLING RONALDRonald Acuna Jr. is the youngest player to homer in... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen expects to have a second heart surgery in the offseason but is confident he'll be able to come off the disabled list within the next few weeks.The All-Star reliever, out since Thursday with an irregular heartbeat, rejoined the Dodgers when they returned home Monday and threw a light bullpen. He plans to throw bullpens again on Wednesday and Friday.The 30-year-old Jansen is scheduled to be re-examined by his physicians next Monday. He said it's likely he'll need another ablation procedure on his heart after the season — the right-hander had a similar operation in 2012.When he was placed on the disabled list last week, it was projected Jansen would miss four to six weeks."I'm confident that it's not going to be four weeks, and it's not going to be six weeks," a smiling Jansen said. "(Aug. 20) is going to be the key to listen to what is going to happen. Right now I'm going to keep taking my blood thinners and hopefully there are no side effects... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors Tuesday:SET FREERobinson Cano is set to return from his 80-game suspension for violating baseball's drug agreement when Seattle plays at Oakland. The All-Star second baseman has been out since May 15, though he's been playing in the minor leagues for the past week. Cano is ineligible for the postseason if Seattle makes it, but manager Scott Servais hopes the 35-year-old can help the Mariners get there as a versatile piece around the infield. Servais said the team will work Cano in slowly, getting him reps at first, second and third base."We need to be smart in breaking him in," Servais said. "He wants to get going, he wants to contribute right away. He's missed playing, he's missed his teammates and being around this whole thing. I know he wants to come in and do a lot. But again small little things."Seattle entered Monday 1 1/2 games behind Oakland for the second AL wild card.ROLLING RONALDRonald Acuna Jr. is the youngest player to homer in... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen expects to have a second heart surgery in the offseason but is confident he'll be able to come off the disabled list within the next few weeks.The All-Star reliever, out since Thursday with an irregular heartbeat, rejoined the Dodgers when they returned home Monday and threw a light bullpen. He plans to throw bullpens again on Wednesday and Friday.The 30-year-old Jansen is scheduled to be re-examined by his physicians next Monday. He said it's likely he'll need another ablation procedure on his heart after the season — the right-hander had a similar operation in 2012.When he was placed on the disabled list last week, it was projected Jansen would miss four to six weeks."I'm confident that it's not going to be four weeks, and it's not going to be six weeks," a smiling Jansen said. "(Aug. 20) is going to be the key to listen to what is going to happen. Right now I'm going to keep taking my blood thinners and hopefully there are no side effects... [More]

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Shohei Ohtani moved another step closer to pitching again this season for the Los Angeles Angels when he threw a 33-pitch pregame bullpen session Monday.It was the second pitching workout in three days for the right-hander, and his first time throwing to a catcher in a squat since his last game action on the mound June 6. Ohtani has been held back from pitching by a sprained right elbow, though the two-way rookie has been a regular in the Angels' lineup at designated hitter."Everything went pretty well," Ohtani said through a translator before a game against San Diego. "This was a very good step for me. I'm definitely moving forward. Hopefully I'll be able to pitch again this season."Ohtani estimated he pitched at 70 percent effort. He threw all of his pitches except his splitfinger fastball."I just wanted to get the feel of the mound and the ball, throwing off the hill," Ohtani said.On Saturday in Oakland, Ohtani threw 23 pitches to a standing catcher in his first serious... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Ronald Acuna Jr. has pulled off an exceedingly rare baseball feat, hitting leadoff homers in both games of a doubleheader for the Atlanta Braves.The 20-year-old rookie hit an opposite-field drive into the Braves bullpen off Miami's Pablo Lopez in the first game, powering Atlanta to a 9-1 victory over the Marlins.Acuna sent another one into the seats in left-center to start the nightcap against Merandy Gonzalez, who was making his first major league start.Acuna may be only the fourth player in baseball history to hit a pair of leadoff homers in a doubleheader. Two others, Rickey Henderson and Harry Hooper, went on to the Hall of Fame.The Elias Sports Bureau says Baltimore's Brady Anderson pulled off the rare double during a home doubleheader against the Chicago White Sox on Aug. 21, 1999. Before that, it was accomplished by Oakland's Henderson at home against the Cleveland Indians on July 5, 1993, and Hooper while playing for the Boston Red on May 20, 1913, during a pair of games at the Washington Senators.Acuna has 17 homers this season, four of them leading off games.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ATLANTA (AP) — Ronald Acuna Jr. has pulled off an exceedingly rare baseball feat, hitting leadoff homers in both games of a doubleheader for the Atlanta Braves.The 20-year-old rookie hit an opposite-field drive into the Braves bullpen off Miami's Pablo Lopez in the first game, powering Atlanta to a 9-1 victory over the Marlins.Acuna sent another one into the seats in left-center to start the nightcap against Merandy Gonzalez, who was making his first major league start.Acuna was apparently only the third player in baseball history to hit a pair of leadoff homers in a doubleheader. The other two went on to the Hall of Fame.The Elias Sports Bureau says Oakland's Rickey Henderson was the last to do it during a home doubleheader against the Cleveland Indians on July 5, 1993. The only other player known to accomplish the feat was Harry Hooper of the Boston Red Sox on May 20, 1913, at the Washington Senators.Acuna has 17 homers this season, four of them leading off games.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Milwaukee Brewers have recalled outfielder Keon Broxton from Triple-A Colorado Springs and optioned relievers Jacob Barnes and Aaron Wilkerson to their top minor-league affiliate.The Brewers, who were off Monday, plan to make another roster move before their game Tuesday at the Chicago Cubs.The slick-fielding Broxton has a .185 average with two homers and six RBIs in 25 games at the big-league level. He was hitting .254 with 10 homers and 37 RBIs at Colorado Springs.The right handed-throwing Barnes and Wilkerson are the latest relievers to be shuttled back to the minors from a bullpen that has had some trouble recently holding on to late-inning leads.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Royals placed left-hander Danny Duffy on the 10-day disabled list Monday with a shoulder impingement.The 29-year-old Duffy received an anti-inflammatory shot after allowing six runs in 5 1/3 innings in Saturday's 8-3 loss to St. Louis. He has lost three of his last four starts."I felt like getting the shot would help me avoid the DL, just kind of power through it," Duffy said. "Two hundred innings was a big goal of mine. I'm disappointed that I'm not very likely to reach that this year, but there will be another chance."There is no sense in pushing through something and risking further injury that could keep me shelved for a long time. I'm not happy about it. It's best for the team."Duffy, who is 7-11 with a 4.90 ERA in 25 starts, was on the disabled list twice last year. He is hopeful he will only miss one start.Kansas City also recalled rookie right-hander Glenn Sparkman from Triple-A Omaha. He will make his first major league start in Duffy's spot Thursday against Toronto.Sparkman is 0-1 with a 5.06 ERA in eight appearances with the Royals this year. He pitched 4 1/3 innings of two-run ball in Friday's loss to the Cardinals, and then was sent down on Sunday.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Royals have placed left-hander Danny Duffy on the 10-day disabled list with a shoulder impingement.The 29-year-old Duffy received an anti-inflammatory shot after allowing six runs in 5 1/3 innings in Saturday's 8-3 loss to St. Louis. He has lost three of his last four starts.Kansas City also recalled rookie right-hander Glenn Sparkman from Triple-A Omaha on Monday. He will make his first major league start in Duffy's spot Thursday against Toronto.Sparkman is 0-1 with a 5.06 ERA in eight appearances with the Royals this year. He pitched 4 1/3 innings of two-run ball in Friday's loss to the Cardinals, and then was sent down on Sunday.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Yankees have put pitcher CC Sabathia on the 10-day disabled list because of right knee inflammation.The Yankees made a series of roster moves before hosting the New York Mets on Monday night. Reliever George Kontos was promoted from Triple-A, infielder Ronald Torreyes rejoined the Yankees and first baseman Luke Voit was sent to the minors.Sabathia was put on the DL a day after pitching six shutout innings of one-hit ball against Texas. The 38-year-old left-hander is 7-4 with a 3.32 ERA in 22 starts.Sabathia has been bothered by knee trouble for several seasons. Boosted by a brace, he's been able to pitch effectively despite the problem."We knew it was part of the program that there was going to be times during the season that he would need a timeout," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said. "So postgame yesterday, he shared with us that he would be best served by skipping a start, so that's what we're going to do.""We knew it was part of managing his knee... [More]

CINCINNATI (AP) — Cleveland Indians outfielder Leonys Martin is recovering from a bacterial infection that team president Chris Antonetti described as "life-threatening."Martin is in stable condition at the Cleveland Clinic. Antonetti provided an update on Martin's status when he addressed the team prior to Monday's series opener against the Reds.Doctors determined Martin had a bacterial infection that entered his bloodstream and created toxins that damaged his internal organs, compromising their function."It was very serious," Antonetti said. "Thankfully he's made a lot of progress in the last 24 to 36 hours and he has regained a lot of the organ function. He's in a good path right now and we're hopeful he'll make a full recovery. But, he has a long way to go."Martin played in Tuesday's game against the Twins, and then felt sick in the middle of the night. When he continued to feel sick the following morning, Martin was transported to the Cleveland Clinic and his condition quickly worsened."It... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Yankees have put pitcher CC Sabathia on the 10-day disabled list because of right knee inflammation.The Yankees made a series of roster moves before hosting the New York Mets on Monday night. Reliever George Kontos was promoted from Triple-A, infielder Ronald Torreyes rejoined the Yankees and first baseman Luke Voit was sent to the minors.Sabathia was put on the DL a day after pitching six shutout innings of one-hit ball against Texas. The 38-year-old left-hander is 7-4 with a 3.32 ERA in 22 starts.Sabathia has been bothered by knee trouble for several seasons. Boosted by a brace, he's been able to pitch effectively despite the problem.The Yankees also transferred left-hander Jordan Montgomery (elbow) to the 60-day disabled list.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ATLANTA (AP) — Touki Toussaint has been called up by the Atlanta Braves to make his major league debut in Game 1 of a doubleheader against the Miami Marlins.The 22-year-old right-hander is the latest top pitching prospect to debut for the Braves this season. Toussaint follows Mike Soroka and Kolby Allard, who were both 20 when promoted to Atlanta.Toussaint is 2-0 with a 2.01 ERA in five starts for Triple-A Gwinnett. He began the season at Double-A Mississippi, posting a record of 4-6 with a 2.93 ERA in 16 starts.Toussaint was designated at Atlanta's 26th player for the doubleheader. He becomes the 12th player to start for the Braves this season, tied for the most in the National League with San Diego and New York.A first-round pick by Arizona, Toussaint was acquired in 2015 in one of several deals the Braves used to rebuild their farm system.___For more AP baseball coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball