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.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

June 231917 — In baseball's greatest relief effort, Ernie Shore of the Boston Red Sox relieved pitcher Babe Ruth with nobody out and a man on first. The base runner was cut down stealing and Shore retired all 26 batters he faced to gain a 4-0 victory over Washington. Ruth walked Eddie Foster to open the game and was ejected after arguing with umpire Brick Owens.1930 — Hack Wilson drove in six runs on five hits, including the cycle, to lead the Chicago Cubs to a 21-8 rout of the Philadelphia Phillies at Wrigley Field.1950 — Hoot Evers' game-winning home run in the ninth inning gave the Detroit Tigers a 10-9 victory over the New York Yankees as the teams combined for 11 home runs, a major league record. The Yankees hit six and the Tigers five.1961 — The Philadelphia Phillies overcame two, nine-run, deficits to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 12-11. The Phillies trailed 9-0 and 11-2 before they scored four runs in eighth and six runs in ninth.1963 — Jimmie Piersall, playing for the Mets in New... [More]

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Pinch-hitter Hunter Renfroe hit a grand slam with two outs in the ninth inning off Kenley Jansen to give the San Diego Padres a thrilling 8-5 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday.Renfroe drove an 0-1 pitch into a balcony on the Western Metal Supply Co. Building in the left-field corner. He dropped his bat and raised his arms before beginning his trot.The Padres, who avoided a three-game sweep, started the winning rally with three straight singles off Jansen (2-1), who was trying for his third save in three games. Eric Hosmer hit a leadoff single to left and Manuel Margot and Wil Myers followed with bunt singles to load the bases. Jansen struck out Greg Garcia and got rookie Francisco Mejia to pop up before Renfroe's slam.Adam Warren (2-0) pitched a perfect ninth for the win.CUBS 13, CARDINALS 5CHICAGO (AP) — Kris Bryant hit his fourth career grand slam in Chicago's six-run eighth inning and the Cubs pounded St. Louis for their season-high seventh consecutive victory.Willson... [More]

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Pinch-hitter Hunter Renfroe hit a grand slam with two outs in the ninth inning off Kenley Jansen to give the San Diego Padres a thrilling 8-5 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday.Renfroe drove an 0-1 pitch into a balcony on the Western Metal Supply Co. Building in the left-field corner. He dropped his bat and raised his arms before beginning his trot.The Padres, who avoided a three-game sweep, started the winning rally with three straight singles off Jansen (2-1), who was trying for his third save in three games. Eric Hosmer hit a leadoff single to left and Manuel Margot and Wil Myers followed with bunt singles to load the bases. Jansen struck out Greg Garcia and got rookie Francisco Mejia to pop up before Renfroe's slam.Adam Warren (2-0) pitched a perfect ninth for the win.CUBS 13, CARDINALS 5CHICAGO (AP) — Kris Bryant hit his fourth career grand slam in Chicago's six-run eighth inning and the Cubs pounded St. Louis for their season-high seventh consecutive victory.Willson... [More]

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Pinch-hitter Hunter Renfroe hit a grand slam with two outs in the ninth inning off Kenley Jansen to give the San Diego Padres a thrilling 8-5 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday.Renfroe drove an 0-1 pitch into a balcony on the Western Metal Supply Co. Building in the left-field corner. He dropped his bat and raised his arms before beginning his trot.The Padres, who avoided a three-game sweep, started the winning rally with three straight singles off Jansen (2-1), who was trying for his third save in three games. Eric Hosmer hit a leadoff single to left and Manuel Margot and Wil Myers followed with bunt singles to load the bases. Jansen struck out Greg Garcia and got rookie Francisco Mejia to pop up before Renfroe's slam.Adam Warren (2-0) pitched a perfect ninth for the win.ASTROS 10, ANGELS 4MONTERREY, Mexico (AP) — Alex Bregman hit a grand slam, his third homer during a two-game series in Mexico, and Houston blew out Los Angeles for the second straight day.The... [More]

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Starling Marte hit a game-ending three-run homer in the 13th inning, rallying the Pittsburgh Pirates past Oakland 5-3 on Sunday after the Athletics scored twice in the top of the inning.Cole Tucker started Pittsburgh's comeback with a one-out single off Fernando Rodney (0-2). Jung Ho Kang walked and Adam Frazier drove in Tucker with a single before Marte drilled a ball out to center.Tyler Lyons (1-0) got the win despite struggling in his Pirates debut. After pitching a 1-2-3 12th, he walked the first two batters in the 13th and allowed an RBI single to Kendrys Morales and a run-scoring double to Stephen Piscotty before getting pitcher Yusmeiro Petit to hit into an inning-ending double play.A's slugger Khris Davis, last year's major league home run leader, left in the second inning with a left hip bruise after crashing into the left field wall chasing a popup.The Pirates are above .500 at 16-15 for the first time since April 25.BREWERS 3, METS 2MILWAUKEE (AP) — Christian... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — David Robertson forced home the game-ending run with a ninth-inning walk to Jake Noll, a rookie without a hit in his two previous major league at-bats, and the Nationals beat the previously unbeaten Phillies 9-8 Wednesday as Washington's fans again booed Bryce Harper.Noll was sent to the minors after the game to make room for utilityman Howie Kendrick to come off the injured list Thursday.Robertson (0-1) gave up a leadoff single to Anthony Rendon, then walked three batters in a row.Nationals closer Sean Doolittle (2-0) worked the ninth.Philadelphia fell to 4-1 — it had been the last team in the majors without a loss. Making his second appearance against his former team since signing a $330 million, 13-year deal with the Phillies, Harper hit a pair of singles and was walked three times, twice intentionally.RED SOX 6, ATHLETICS 3OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Mookie Betts' two-out grounder hit the third base bag and popped into the outfield for a tiebreaking, two-run double in the... [More]

BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — Danny Farquhar took the mound in a game again. That was more than enough on Saturday.Farquhar's spring training appearance for the New York Yankees was his first game since the 32-year-old reliever collapsed in the Chicago White Sox dugout on April 20 because of a ruptured aneurysm and brain hemorrhage. The right-hander got one out and was charged with five runs in an 8-7 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates."I felt great out there," Farquhar said. "I was happy to be back on the mound. Obviously, the results weren't great but I call it a good day. I felt like a baseball player, again."Farquhar allowed three hits and walked two while throwing 19 pitches in the fourth inning. He is in camp with the Yankees on a minor league deal."The fact that he's on the mound and gotten to this point is pretty awesome," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. "I found myself a little more emotional than I even thought. Even though it didn't go great, I think he really appreciated how special... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The Oakland Athletics have exercised right-hander Fernando Rodney's $5.25 million club option for 2019.The A's announced the move on Wednesday to bring the 41-year-old Rodney back for another season.Rodney was acquired from Minnesota on Aug. 9 for minor league pitcher Dakota Chalmers. Rodney went 1-1 with a 3.92 ERA in 22 games for the A's after saving 25 games for the Twins before the deal.Rodney has pitched for 10 teams in a 16-year career and ranks 18th with 325 saves.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — Other than opening with a reliever on the mound, nothing was any different about this October for the Oakland Athletics.They didn't last very long ... again.Liam Hendriks gave up a two-run homer to Aaron Judge on his ninth pitch and the A's never recovered, making another early playoff exit with a 7-2 loss to the New York Yankees in the American League wild-card game Wednesday night.Oakland's dangerous bats were mostly silenced by Luis Severino and a nasty New York bullpen, sending the A's right back across the country and home for the winter — an abrupt ending to their surprisingly successful 97-win season."Unless you play the last game, it's disappointing," manager Bob Melvin said. "So I think when you reflect back and look where we started the year, kind of where we came from, it ends up being a good year. But it doesn't feel good right now."Meanwhile, the Yankees advanced to a best-of-five Division Series against rival Boston.It was the eighth consecutive defeat for... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Other than opening with a reliever on the mound, nothing was any different about this October for the Oakland Athletics.They didn't last very long ... again.Liam Hendriks gave up a two-run homer to Aaron Judge on his ninth pitch and the A's never recovered, making another early playoff exit with a 7-2 loss to the New York Yankees in the American League wild-card game Wednesday night.Oakland's dangerous bats were mostly silenced by Luis Severino and a nasty New York bullpen, sending the A's right back across the country and home for the winter — an abrupt ending to their surprisingly successful 97-win season."Unless you play the last game, it's disappointing," manager Bob Melvin said. "So I think when you reflect back and look where we started the year, kind of where we came from, it ends up being a good year. But it doesn't feel good right now."Meanwhile, the Yankees advanced to a best-of-five Division Series against rival Boston.It was the eighth consecutive defeat for... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Other than opening with a reliever on the mound, nothing was any different about this October for the Oakland Athletics.They didn't last very long ... again.Liam Hendriks gave up a two-run homer to Aaron Judge on his ninth pitch and the A's never recovered, making another early playoff exit with a 7-2 loss to the New York Yankees in the American League wild-card game Wednesday night.Oakland's dangerous bats were mostly silenced by Luis Severino and a nasty New York bullpen, sending the A's right back across the country and home for the winter — an abrupt ending to their surprisingly successful season."The first run is big," manager Bob Melvin said. "And when you're in — when you're away and you get the crowd into it, you know, that's more that you have to overcome."Meanwhile, the Yankees advanced to a best-of-five Division Series against rival Boston.It was the eighth consecutive defeat for the A's in a winner-take-all postseason game since Reggie Jackson's homer helped... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Other than opening with a reliever on the mound, nothing was any different about this October for the Oakland Athletics.They didn't last very long ... again.Liam Hendriks gave up a two-run homer to Aaron Judge on his ninth pitch and the A's never recovered, making another early playoff exit with a 7-2 loss to the New York Yankees in the American League wild-card game Wednesday night.Oakland's dangerous bats were mostly silenced by Luis Severino and a nasty New York bullpen, sending the A's right back across the country and home for the winter — an abrupt ending to their surprisingly successful season.Meanwhile, the Yankees advanced to a best-of-five Division Series against rival Boston.It was the eighth consecutive defeat for the A's in a winner-take-all postseason game since Reggie Jackson's homer helped beat a New York Mets team that featured Tom Seaver and Willie Mays in Game 7 of the 1973 World Series.Despite making nine playoff appearances this century, Oakland has... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Edwin Jackson is the only starting pitcher included on the Oakland Athletics' roster for their AL wild-card game against the New York Yankees.Right-hander Liam Hendriks will be on the mound for the start of Wednesday night's game, and A's manager Bob Melvin would not say who will follow.His bullpen includes just one left-hander, Ryan Buchter. The righties in addition to Jackson are closer Blake Treinen, Lou Trivino, Jeurys Familia, Shawn Kelley, Emilio Pagan, Yusmeiro Petit, Fernando Rodney and J.B. Wendelken.Mike Fiers, among Oakland's few healthy starting pitchers, was left off and if the A's advance would be in position to start an AL Division Series opener at Boston on Friday. When the A's had him make his first relief appearance of the season, on Friday at the Los Angeles Angels, Fiers replaced Trivino in the second and allowed six runs in 3 1/3 innings.Teams may change rosters after each round.First baseman Greg Bird was left off the Yankees' roster following a season-long slump, and right-hander Jonathan Holder was picked for the 10th and final pitching spot over left-hander Stephen Tarpley.Yankees manager Aaron Boone carried three backup catchers, including Kyle Higashioka in addition to starter Gary Sanchez and backup Austin Romine.Backup infielders include Neil Walker, Adeiny Hechavarria and Tyler Wade.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/tag/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

A look at the American League wild-card game between the Oakland Athletics and New York Yankees:___Schedule: Wednesday, at New York, 8:08 p.m. EDT (TBS).___Season Series: Split 3-3.___Projected Lineups:Athletics: LF Nick Martini (.296, 1 HR, 19 RBIs), 3B Matt Chapman (.278, 24, 68, 42 2Bs, 100 runs), 2B Jed Lowrie (.267, 23, 99, 37 2Bs), DH Khris Davis (.247, 48, 123), RF Stephen Piscotty (.267, 27, 88, 41 2Bs), 1B Matt Olson (.247, 29, 84), SS Marcus Semien (.255, 15, 70), CF Ramon Laureano (.288, 5, 19 in 48 games), C Jonathan Lucroy (.241, 4, 51).Yankees: LF Andrew McCutchen (.255, 20, 65 for Pirates and Yankees) or Brett Gardner (.236, 12, 45, 16 SBs), RF Aaron Judge (.278, 27, 67, 152 Ks in 112 games), SS Didi Gregorius (.268, 27, 86 in 134 games), DH Giancarlo Stanton (.266, 38, 100, 211 Ks), CF Aaron Hicks (.248, 27, 79 in 137 games), 3B Miguel Andujar (.297, 27, 92, 47 2Bs), 1B Luke Voit (.322, 15, 36 in 47 games for Cardinals and Yankees; .333, 14, 33 in 39 games with Yankees),... [More]

A look at the American League wild-card game between the Oakland Athletics and New York Yankees:___Schedule: Wednesday, at New York, 8:08 p.m. EDT (TBS).___Season Series: Split 3-3.___Projected Lineups:Athletics: LF Nick Martini (.296, 1 HR, 19 RBIs), 3B Matt Chapman (.278, 24, 68, 42 2Bs, 100 runs), 2B Jed Lowrie (.267, 23, 99, 37 2Bs), DH Khris Davis (.247, 48, 123), RF Stephen Piscotty (.267, 27, 88, 41 2Bs), 1B Matt Olson (.247, 29, 84), SS Marcus Semien (.255, 15, 70), CF Ramon Laureano (.288, 5, 19 in 48 games), C Jonathan Lucroy (.241, 4, 51).Yankees: LF Andrew McCutchen (.255, 20, 65 for Pirates and Yankees) or Brett Gardner (.236, 12, 45, 16 SBs), RF Aaron Judge (.278, 27, 67, 152 Ks in 112 games), SS Didi Gregorius (.268, 27, 86 in 134 games), DH Giancarlo Stanton (.266, 38, 100, 211 Ks), CF Aaron Hicks (.248, 27, 79 in 137 games), 3B Miguel Andujar (.297, 27, 92, 47 2Bs), 1B Luke Voit (.322, 15, 36 in 47 games for Cardinals and Yankees; .333, 14, 33 in 39 games with Yankees),... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The final afternoon of the regular season for the Minnesota Twins was filled with cheers, chills and even a few tears as a lively crowd at Target Field was treated to a meaningful and memorable game .Too bad for the Twins and their fans the playoffs weren't at stake.They had to settle for a Joe Mauer tribute , the probable end to a 15-year major league career for the smooth-swinging, six-time All-Star and one of the best athletes the state has ever produced.The first big news of what will be a busy fall and winter in Minnesota will likely be the announcement from Mauer about whether he will continue his career at age 35. The sentimental scene on Sunday as the Twins beat Chicago to finish with a season-best sixth straight win left little doubt he's done."Either way, it's a good decision, you know? I can either play, or go home and be with my girls," Mauer said before hitting a double and donning the catcher's gear one last time for a ninth-inning curtain call.The end of... [More]

TORONTO (AP) — The Houston Astros clinched another AL West title and reached 100 wins for the second straight season, beating the Toronto Blue Jays 4-1 Tuesday night behind Alex Bregman's two-run homer.Houston improved to 100-57 and was assured of first place hours later when second-place Oakland (95-63) lost at Seattle. The Astros will open the Division Series at home against Cleveland on Oct. 5.The Astros need three wins in their final five games to break the franchise record for victories in a season, set in 1998.Houston is 18-4 in September and 54-22 on the road, both best in the major leagues.Roberto Osuna needed just six pitches in the ninth for his 20th save in 21 chances. Earlier Tuesday, assault charges against Osuna were dropped because the complainant, who lives in Mexico, made clear she would not travel to Toronto to testify.Josh James (2-0) allowed one run and four hits in five innings in his third big league start.Bregman went 2 for 5 and extended his club-record streak of... [More]

SEATTLE (AP) — The Oakland Athletics clinched their first playoff berth in four years Monday night, earning at least an American League wild card when the Tampa Bay Rays lost to the New York Yankees.Following three straight last-place finishes in the AL West, the A's found out just a couple of minutes after the first pitch of their game against Seattle that they are in the postseason for the first time since 2014.Tampa Bay's 4-1 loss to the Yankees eliminated the Rays from playoff contention. Oakland still has an outside shot at overtaking Houston for the division title, but is more likely headed toward a wild-card matchup with the Yankees.The A's could still host that game. They beat the Mariners 7-3 to remain 1½ games behind the Yankees for the top wild card.Few people imagined the A's could make the playoffs this season, a young team with few proven stars after finishing 75-87 a year ago. Oakland won only 68 games in 2015 and 69 in 2016.The A's have the third-lowest payroll among the... [More]

SEATTLE (AP) — The Oakland Athletics clinched their first playoff berth in four years Monday night, earning at least an American League wild card when the Tampa Bay Rays lost to the New York Yankees.Following three straight last-place finishes in the AL West, the A's found out just a couple of minutes after the first pitch of their game against Seattle that they are in the postseason for the first time since 2014.Tampa Bay's 4-1 loss to the Yankees eliminated the Rays from playoff contention. Oakland still has an outside shot at overtaking Houston for the division title, but is more likely headed toward a wild-card matchup with the Yankees.The A's could still host that game. They beat the Mariners 7-3 to remain 1½ games behind the Yankees for the top wild card.Few people imagined the A's could make the playoffs this season, a young team with few proven stars after finishing 75-87 a year ago. Oakland won only 68 games in 2015 and 69 in 2016.The A's have the third-lowest payroll among the... [More]