NEW YORK (AP) — Manuel Margot hit a tiebreaking two-run homer, Tyler Glasnow overcame cramps and poor control to pitch five innings of one-run ball and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Yankees 6-3 Saturday and dropped New York to an AL-worst 5-9. New York lost its seventh straight series to the Rays is last this late in the season for the first time since 1991, per Elias Sports. Fans in the Bronx again booed the Bombers, but they were more restrained a day after some hurled baseballs and other items on the field late in an 8-2 loss to the Rays. Francisco Mejía hit a solo shot in the second off Jordan Montgomery (1-1), and Margot made it 3-1 with his homer off the left-hander in the fourth. Joey Wendle added a two-run shot against Jonathan Loaisiga in the seventh, and Mejía had an RBI double in the ninth. Glasnow (2-0) walked four but also struck out seven and limited New York to two hits as the Rays (7-8) won their second straight in the series. METS 4, ROCKIES 3, 1ST GAME ROCKIES 7, METS 2,... [More]

BALTIMORE (AP) — J.D. Martinez came off the COVID-19 list and hit three home runs, powering the Boston Red Sox past the Baltimore Orioles 14-9 Sunday for their sixth straight win. Martinez got a chance at a record-tying fourth homer in the ninth inning and struck out swinging. He is the last of 18 major leaguers to homer four times in a game, doing it in September 2017 for Arizona. The 33-year-old Martinez went 4 for 6 with four RBIs and four runs, one day after being placed on the COVID-19 injured list because of cold symptoms. Rafael Devers homered twice and Alex Verdugo added a three-run shot to finish the three-game sweep. Nick Pivetta (2-0) allowed four runs and seven hits in six innings. Jorge López (0-2) allowed eight runs and seven hits over four innings. DODGERS 3, NATIONALS 0 LOS ANGELES (AP) — Clayton Kershaw pitched six innings of five-hit ball to win an outstanding duel with Max Scherzer as the Dodgers finished a three-game sweep over Washington. Rookie Zach McKinstry homered... [More]

BALTIMORE (AP) — J.D. Martinez came off the COVID-19 list and hit three home runs, powering the Boston Red Sox past the Baltimore Orioles 14-9 Sunday for their sixth straight win. Martinez got a chance at a record-tying fourth homer in the ninth inning and struck out swinging. He is the last of 18 major leaguers to homer four times in a game, doing it in September 2017 for Arizona. The 33-year-old Martinez went 4 for 6 with four RBIs and four runs, one day after being placed on the COVID-19 injured list because of cold symptoms. Rafael Devers homered twice and Alex Verdugo added a three-run shot to finish the three-game sweep. Nick Pivetta (2-0) allowed four runs and seven hits in six innings. Jorge López (0-2) allowed eight runs and seven hits over four innings. DODGERS 3, NATIONALS 0 LOS ANGELES (AP) — Clayton Kershaw pitched six innings of five-hit ball to win an outstanding duel with Max Scherzer as the Dodgers finished a three-game sweep over Washington. Rookie Zach McKinstry homered... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Giancarlo Stanton hit a grand slam over the visitors’ bullpen that landed in the left-bleachers 471 feet from home plate, helping New York hand Baltimore its first loss this season. New York was ahead 1-0 on Aaron Judge’s fourth-inning homer when starter Jorge López (0-1) walked the bases loaded in the fifth, and Shawn Armstrong forced in a run with a walk to slumping Aaron Hicks. Stanton sent a 92 mph fastball soaring for the longest home run of the young major league season and his eighth career slam. New York improved to 8-0 when Judge and Stanton homer in the same game, including three postseason wins. Left-hander Jordan Montgomery (1-0) allowed four hits in six innings with seven strikeouts and no walks. DODGERS 10, ATHLETICS 3 OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Will Smith homered off the left-field foul pole, Corey Seager and Zach McKinstry each drove in three runs, and Los Angeles pounded winless Oakland. Justin Turner also went deep as the defending World Series champions provided... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Giancarlo Stanton hit a grand slam over the visitors’ bullpen that landed in the left-bleachers 471 feet from home plate, helping New York hand Baltimore its first loss this season. New York was ahead 1-0 on Aaron Judge’s fourth-inning homer when starter Jorge López (0-1) walked the bases loaded in the fifth, and Shawn Armstrong forced in a run with a walk to slumping Aaron Hicks. Stanton sent a 92 mph fastball soaring for the longest home run of the young major league season and his eighth career slam. New York improved to 8-0 when Judge and Stanton homer in the same game, including three postseason wins. Left-hander Jordan Montgomery (1-0) allowed four hits in six innings with seven strikeouts and no walks. BLUE JAYS 6, RANGERS 2 ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Steven Matz struck out nine in his Toronto debut, Marcus Semien and Cavan Biggio hit back-to-back homers and the Blue Jays spoiled Texas’ home opener before the largest MLB crowd since the pandemic. Toronto, 3-1 for the... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Giancarlo Stanton hit a grand slam over the visitors’ bullpen that landed in the left-bleachers 471 feet from home plate, helping New York hand Baltimore its first loss this season. New York was ahead 1-0 on Aaron Judge’s fourth-inning homer when starter Jorge López (0-1) walked the bases loaded in the fifth, and Shawn Armstrong forced in a run with a walk to slumping Aaron Hicks. Stanton sent a 92 mph fastball soaring for the longest home run of the young major league season and his eighth career slam. New York improved to 8-0 when Judge and Stanton homer in the same game, including three postseason wins. Left-hander Jordan Montgomery (1-0) allowed four hits in six innings with seven strikeouts and no walks. BLUE JAYS 6, RANGERS 2 ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Steven Matz struck out nine in his Toronto debut, Marcus Semien and Cavan Biggio hit back-to-back homers and the Blue Jays spoiled Texas’ home opener before the largest MLB crowd since the pandemic. Toronto, 3-1 for the... [More]

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Chad Kuhl's long road back from Tommy John surgery is over. More than two years removed from wondering where his career was heading after doctors reconfigured his mangled right elbow, Kuhl will be Pittsburgh's opening day starter in Chicago on Thursday when the Pirates face the Cubs. The 28-year-old is the longest-tenured starter on a staff that is largely inexperienced and largely anonymous. The void left by the offseason departures of Jameson Taillon, Joe Musgrove, Trevor Williams and Chris Archer is palpable. Kuhl knows he will play a major role in trying to fill it. “We talk about the guys that have left and there’s a lot of leadership, a lot of innings to take up, a lot of youth on this team,” he said. “So it adds to the leadership role that me and (Steven) Brault and those guys are trying to take over. It’s just trying to lead by example, do the right things.” Kuhl underwent reconstructive elbow surgery in September 2018. He missed all of 2019 and was handled largely... [More]

MESA, Ariz. (AP) — David Bote has won the second-base job with the Chicago Cubs, and Trevor Williams and Adbert Alzolay will round out the team's pitching rotation at the beginning of the season. The Cubs cleared the way for Bote when they optioned infielder Nico Hoerner to Triple-A Iowa on Saturday. Bote, Hoerner and Eric Sogard had been in the mix at second, and manager David Ross said Bote was the choice. Bote, who turns 28 on April 7, batted .200 with seven homers and 29 RBIs during the pandemic-shortened season last year. He was selected by Chicago in the 18th round of the 2012 amateur draft. The 34-year-old Sogard is in camp on a minor league deal, but the team has told Major League Baseball he will be added to the big league roster. The Cubs also optioned reliever Brad Wieck to Iowa and released veteran outfielder Cameron Maybin. Right-handers Shelby Miller, Pedro Strop and Trevor Megill were assigned to minor league camp, along with outfielder Rafael Ortega. Miller, Strop, Megill... [More]

Chicago Cubs manager David Ross selected Kyle Hendricks to start on opening day last season, and it worked out quite well. He sees no reason to make a change this year. Ross announced Tuesday that Hendricks will get the ball when the Cubs begin the season against Pittsburgh on April 1 at Wrigley Field. The right-hander tossed a three-hitter in a 3-0 victory over Milwaukee on opening day last summer. “I feel like we've got a lot of talent,” Ross said. “I feel like Kyle, his resume, his leadership, his poise, all that goes into being the opening-day starter, just the extra, kind of, pomp and circumstance that goes with opening day, especially this coming year as well, every arrow points to Kyle.” Ross said he wasn't ready to announce the order for the rest of his starting pitchers. Chicago also has Jake Arrieta and Zach Davies, and Trevor Williams, Alec Mills, Adbert Alzolay and Shelby Miller are in the mix for the last two spots. But there is no question about the leader of the rotation,... [More]

Chicago Cubs manager David Ross selected Kyle Hendricks to start on opening day last year, and it worked out quite well. He sees no reason to make a change this year. Ross announced Tuesday that Hendricks will get the ball when the Cubs begin the season against Pittsburgh on April 1 at Wrigley Field. The right-hander tossed a three-hitter in a 3-0 victory over Milwaukee on opening day last summer. “I feel like we've got a lot of talent,” Ross said. “I feel like Kyle, his resume, his leadership, his poise, all that goes into being the opening-day starter, just the extra, kind of, pomp and circumstance that goes with opening day, especially this coming year as well, every arrow points to Kyle.” Ross said he wasn't ready to announce the order for the rest of his starting pitchers. Chicago also has Jake Arrieta and Zach Davies, and Trevor Williams, Alec Mills, Adbert Alzolay and Shelby Miller are in the mix for the last two spots. But there is no question about the leader of the rotation, especially... [More]

Adam Frazier spent the winter watching the Pittsburgh teammates he came up through the minors with get flipped for prospects or flat-out released. Josh Bell. Jameson Taillon. Trevor Williams. The Pirates parted ways with all of three and a handful of others during the offseason as part of a top-to-bottom organizational overhaul. Their exits left Frazier as the team's second-highest-paid player ($4.3 million) and conceivably its last major-league-ready trade chip. While Frazier wasn't exactly sitting by the phone expecting general manager Ben Cherington or Derek Shelton to tell him he was headed elsewhere, it did cross his mind. More than once. “I wouldn’t say waiting, but I obviously read the internet so I see things like that," Frazier said Monday after the Pirates participated in their first full-squad workout in Bradenton, Florida. “You never know what’s going to come. I try to stay in conversation with Cherington and Shelton and try to expect what may be coming. None of that’s really... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Jake Arrieta won a Cy Young Award, threw two no-hitters and helped end a championship drought in his first go-around with the Chicago Cubs. If his second tenure goes anything like that, they sure would take it. Arrieta returned to the Chicago Cubs, finalizing a $6 million, one-year contract on Wednesday. He can earn $1 million in performance bonuses for innings under the deal: $250,000 each for 150, 160, 170 and 180. "This guy's been battle tested,” manager David Ross said. “He's got the mentality. He's got the poise. And that example, just how he goes about his preparation, how he goes about his performance and that presence that he has, I think ... just kind of bleeds out to the other guys.” To open a roster spot, Chicago placed left-hander Kyle Ryan on the COVID-19 related injured list. Chicago also agreed to to contracts with veteran relievers Brandon Workman and Pedro Strop, people familiar with the deals said. The 34-year-old Arrieta won the NL Cy Young Award with Chicago... [More]

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Tyler Anderson knows about team building. The left-hander entered Spring Valley High in Las Vegas, Nevada, as a freshman when the school opened in 2004. He helped Oregon kick-start its fledging program when the Ducks returned to the Division I level in 2009 following 27 years as a club sport. Getting in on the ground floor is kind of his thing. No wonder he's not exactly concerned about joining the Pittsburgh Pirates in the nascent stages of a franchise-wide makeover. The 31-year-old finalized a one-year deal worth $2.5 million on Wednesday, becoming part of the present for a club that is very clearly pointing toward the future. That's fine by Anderson. “I know the culture over here they want to create is a winning culture,” Anderson said. “And I don’t think that had any involvement in them signing me, but for me, I love the idea because I’ve been through it a few times and it’s just fun. It’s a lot of guys that are searching for something, and it’s really easy to create... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Jake Arrieta won a Cy Young Award, threw two no-hitters and helped end a championship drought in his first go-around with the Chicago Cubs. If his second tenure goes anything like that, they sure would take it. Arrieta returned to the Chicago Cubs, finalizing a $6 million, one-year contract on Wednesday. He can earn $1 million in performance bonuses under the deal. “This guy's been battle tested,” manager David Ross said. “He's got the mentality. He's got the poise. And that example, just how he goes about his preparation, how he goes about his performance and that presence that he has, I think ... just kind of bleeds out to the other guys.” To open a roster spot, Chicago placed left-hander Kyle Ryan on the COVID-19 related injured list. Chicago also agreed to to contracts with veteran relievers Brandon Workman and Pedro Strop, people familiar with the deals said. The 34-year-old Arrieta won the NL Cy Young Award with Chicago in 2015 and helped the Cubs win the 2016 World... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Jake Arrieta returned to the Chicago Cubs, finalizing a $6 million, one-year contract on Wednesday. Arrieta can earn $1 million in performance bonuses under the deal. To open a roster spot, the Cubs placed left-hander Kyle Ryan on the COVID-19 related injured list. The 34-year-old Arrieta won the NL Cy Young Award with Chicago in 2015 and helped the Cubs win the 2016 World Series for their first championship since 1908. He went 68-31 with a 2.73 ERA in 128 starts over five years in his first stint with the team. While the reunion is a feel-good story for the reigning NL Central champions after a tough winter, Arrieta hasn’t experienced the same level of success since he left Chicago after the 2017 season. The 6-foot-4 right-hander signed a $75 million, three-year contract with Philadelphia in free agency and went 22-23 with a 4.36 ERA in 64 starts with the Phillies. He had a 4-4 record and a 5.08 ERA in nine starts last year during the pandemic-shortened season. Arrieta rejoined... [More]

A team-by-team look at the National League Central entering spring training, including key players each club acquired and lost, and dates of the first workout for pitchers and catchers, and the full squad: ___ Chicago Cubs Manager: David Ross (second season). 2020: 34-26, first place, lost to Marlins in first round of playoffs. Training Town: Mesa, Arizona. Park: Sloan Park. First Workout: Feb. 17/22. He’s Here: OF Joc Pederson, RHP Zach Davies, RHP Trevor Williams, RHP Kohl Stewart, C Austin Romine, OF Jake Marisnick (deal pending), OF Phillip Ervin, RHP Jonathan Holder, RHP Robert Stock, INF Sergio Alcántara. He’s Outta Here: RHP Yu Darvish, OF Kyle Schwarber, LHP Jon Lester, LHP José Quintana, OF Albert Almora, Jr., C Victor Caratini, 2B Jason Kipnis, RHP Tyler Chatwood, RHP Jeremy Jeffress, OF Cameron Maybin, OF Billy Hamilton, OF José Martínez. Going campin’: Ross was impressive in his first year as manager, guiding Chicago to the NL Central title during the pandemic-shortened season.... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Jake Arrieta is returning to the Chicago Cubs, agreeing to a $6 million, one-year contract on Friday. Arrieta can earn $1 million in performance bonuses, according to a person familiar with the situation who confirmed the deal on condition of anonymity because it is pending a physical. The 34-year-old Arrieta won the NL Cy Young Award with Chicago in 2015 and helped the Cubs win the 2016 World Series for their first championship since 1908. He went 68-31 with a 2.73 ERA in 128 starts over five years in his first stint with the team. While the reunion is a feel-good story for the reigning NL Central champions after a tough winter, Arrieta hasn't experienced the same level of success since he left Chicago after the 2017 season. The 6-foot-4 right-hander signed a $75 million, three-year contract with Philadelphia in free agency and went 22-23 with a 4.36 ERA in 64 starts with the Phillies. He had a 4-4 record and a 5.08 ERA in nine starts last year during the pandemic-shortened... [More]

A team-by-team look at the National League Central entering spring training, including key players each club acquired and lost, and dates of the first workout for pitchers and catchers, and the full squad: ___ Chicago Cubs Manager: David Ross (second season). 2020: 34-26, first place, lost to Marlins in first round of playoffs. Training Town: Mesa, Arizona. Park: Sloan Park. First Workout: Feb. 17/22. He’s Here: OF Joc Pederson, RHP Zach Davies, RHP Trevor Williams, RHP Kohl Stewart, C Austin Romine, OF Jake Marisnick (deal pending), OF Phillip Ervin, RHP Jonathan Holder, RHP Robert Stock, INF Sergio Alcántara. He’s Outta Here: RHP Yu Darvish, OF Kyle Schwarber, LHP Jon Lester, LHP José Quintana, OF Albert Almora, Jr., C Victor Caratini, 2B Jason Kipnis, RHP Tyler Chatwood, RHP Jeremy Jeffress, OF Cameron Maybin, OF Billy Hamilton, OF José Martínez. Going campin’: Ross was impressive in his first year as manager, guiding Chicago to the NL Central title during the pandemic-shortened season.... [More]

A team-by-team look at the National League Central entering spring training, including key players each club acquired and lost, and dates of the first workout for pitchers and catchers, and the full squad: ___ Chicago Cubs Manager: David Ross (second season). 2020: 34-26, first place, lost to Marlins in first round of playoffs. Training Town: Mesa, Arizona. Park: Sloan Park. First Workout: Feb. 17/22. He’s Here: OF Joc Pederson, RHP Zach Davies, RHP Trevor Williams, RHP Kohl Stewart, C Austin Romine, OF Phillip Ervin, RHP Jonathan Holder, RHP Robert Stock, INF Sergio Alcántara. He’s Outta Here: RHP Yu Darvish, OF Kyle Schwarber, LHP Jon Lester, LHP José Quintana, OF Albert Almora, Jr., C Victor Caratini, 2B Jason Kipnis, RHP Tyler Chatwood, RHP Jeremy Jeffress, OF Cameron Maybin, OF Billy Hamilton, OF José Martínez. Going campin’: Ross was impressive in his first year as manager, guiding Chicago to the NL Central title during the pandemic-shortened season. But it doesn’t get any easier... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Joc Pederson joined the Chicago Cubs, finalizing a $7 million, one-year contract with the NL Central champions. The Cubs also completed a $2.75 million, one-year deal for pitcher Andrew Chafin and a $2.5 million, one-year agreement for pitcher Trevor Williams on Friday. The contracts for Pederson and Chafin include a mutual option for 2022. Pederson gets a $4.5 million salary this year, and the deal includes a $10 million mutual option with a $2.5 million buyout. He can earn $500,000 annually in performance bonuses for plate appearances: $125,000 each for 500, 525, 550 and 575. Pederson also gets a hotel suite on road trips. Chicago had just three outfielders on its 40-man roster before the addition of Pederson, who hit .190 with seven homers and 16 RBIs last season for the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. The Cubs let Kyle Schwarber go in December, and he signed a $10 million, one-year contract with Washington on Jan. 9. Pederson, another lefty bat with lots of... [More]