SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers became the first team to clinch a playoff spot in the pandemic-shortened season, beating the San Diego Padres 7-5 Wednesday behind Dustin May’s gutty effort out of the bullpen and home runs from AJ Pollock and Chris Taylor.Will Smith drove in three runs for the seven-time defending NL West champion Dodgers, who opened a 3 1/2-game lead in the division by winning two of three in the matchup of the NL’s two best teams.Mookie Betts tied his career high with three stolen bases, had two hits and scored a run.At 35-15, the Dodgers breezed into the expanded 16-team postseason field. Los Angeles is seeking its first World Series title since 1988.San Diego has lost two straight for the first time since mid-August.Manny Machado hit a solo homer in the eighth, his 14th of the season.Starter Brusdar Gasterol allowed a hit and a run in 1 1/3 innings before Adam Kolarek (3-0) allowed a hit and two walks in two-thirds of an inning. Pedro Baez got the final two... [More]

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers became the first team to clinch a playoff spot in the pandemic-shortened season, beating the San Diego Padres 7-5 Wednesday behind Dustin May’s gutty effort out of the bullpen and home runs from AJ Pollock and Chris Taylor.Will Smith drove in three runs for the seven-time defending NL West champion Dodgers, who opened a 3 1/2-game lead in the division by winning two of three in the matchup of the NL’s two best teams.Mookie Betts tied his career high with three stolen bases, had two hits and scored a run.At 35-15, the Dodgers breezed into the expanded 16-team postseason field. Los Angeles is seeking its first World Series title since 1988.San Diego has lost two straight for the first time since mid-August.Manny Machado hit a solo homer in the eighth, his 14th of the season.Starter Brusdar Gasterol allowed a hit and a run in 1 1/3 innings before Adam Kolarek (3-0) allowed a hit and two walks in two-thirds of an inning. Pedro Baez got the final two... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Nate Lowe hit two homers and drove in four runs as Tampa Bay fielded a lineup of all lefties, Blake Snell worked 5 1/3 scoreless innings and the AL East-leading Rays routed the cellar-dwelling Boston Red Sox 11-1 on Friday night.Tampa Bay became the first major league team since at least 1900 to use a batting order with only left-handed batters, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.Snell (4-1) gave up five hits and two walks. He struck out five.Yoshi Tsutsugo also homered for the Rays, who stopped a three-game skid. Boston rookie Bobby Dalbec had his five-game home run streak end but had an RBI double in the ninth.Rays manager Kevin Cash stacked his lineup with lefties against right-hander Andrew Triggs, who made his second start with Boston.Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke quickly countered by removing Triggs after he allowed a hit and walk in a scoreless first. However, Tsutsugo started the second with a homer off lefty Matt Hall (0-3).Kevin Kiermaier had an RBI... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Nate Lowe hit two homers and drove in four runs as Tampa Bay fielded a lineup of all lefties, Blake Snell worked 5 1/3 scoreless innings and the AL East-leading Rays routed the cellar-dwelling Boston Red Sox 11-1 on Friday night.Tampa Bay became the first major league team since at least 1900 to use a batting order with only left-handed batters, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.Snell (4-1) gave up five hits and two walks. He struck out five.Yoshi Tsutsugo also homered for the Rays, who stopped a three-game skid. Boston rookie Bobby Dalbec had his five-game home run streak end but had an RBI double in the ninth.Rays manager Kevin Cash stacked his lineup with lefties against right-hander Andrew Triggs, who made his second start with Boston.Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke quickly countered by removing Triggs after he allowed a hit and walk in a scoreless first. However, Tsutsugo started the second with a homer off lefty Matt Hall (0-3).Kevin Kiermaier had an RBI... [More]

A look at what’s happening around the majors today:___NOT JUSTIN, SHANEIt hasn’t taken Shane Bieber long to become Cleveland’s ace — and maybe the best pitcher in baseball this season. The right-hander looks to stay unbeaten as the Indians open a three-game series in Minnesota. Bieber, who is 7-0 with a 1.25 ERA and leads the majors in numerous categories, is already 2-0 against the Twins this year. Bieber began last season as Cleveland’s No. 5 starter, but his ascension and the trades of Trevor Bauer, Corey Kluber and Mike Clevinger have solidified him as the Indians’ No. 1 starter.DODGER (BLACK AND) BLUEA couple of starting pitchers are dinged up for the major league-leading Dodgers. Walker Buehler went on the 10-day injured list Thursday because of a lingering blister on the index finger of his right hand. A little bit later, Dustin May was pulled after just one inning with a bruised left foot after he was hit by a sharp grounder against Arizona. “I think tomorrow when we get back home... [More]

A look at what’s happening around the majors Friday:___NOT JUSTIN, SHANEIt hasn’t taken Shane Bieber long to become Cleveland’s ace — and maybe the best pitcher in baseball this season. The right-hander looks to stay unbeaten as the Indians open a three-game series in Minnesota. Bieber, who is 7-0 with a 1.25 ERA and leads the majors in numerous categories, is already 2-0 against the Twins this year. Bieber began last season as Cleveland’s No. 5 starter, but his ascension and the trades of Trevor Bauer, Corey Kluber and Mike Clevinger have solidified him as the Indians’ No. 1 starter.HELP ON THE WAY?Atlanta's beleaguered rotation took another hit when left-hander Tommy Milone was placed on the 10-day injured list Thursday with elbow inflammation. Milone hasn’t been the Band-Aid the Braves hoped they were getting when they acquired him in a trade with Baltimore, pitching to a 14.90 ERA in three starts for Atlanta. The Braves are playing without their entire projected rotation but still lead... [More]

Sept. 111912 — Eddie Collins set a major league record with six stolen bases for the Philadelphia Athletics in a 9-7 win over the Detroit Tigers. Collins stole six more in a game on Sept. 22.1918 — The Boston Red Sox beat the Chicago Cubs 2-1 behind the three-hit pitching of Carl Mays to win the World Series in six games. This was Boston’s third championship in a four-year stretch — 1915, 1916 and this season.1949 — The New York Yankees sent 18 men to the plate in the third inning of the first game of a doubleheader against Washington. In the 50-minute half-inning the Senators walked a major-league record 11 batters as the Yankees went on to a 20-5 win. New York won the second game 2-1 in one hour and 22 minutes.1956 — Frank Robinson of the Cincinnati Reds tied a rookie record for home runs in a season with his 38th homer of the year. The blow came off Steve Ridzik of the New York Giants and the Reds went on to an 11-5 victory.1959 — The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-4,... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Michael Perez hit a go-ahead solo homer in the eighth inning and the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays beat the Baltimore Orioles 4-3 on Wednesday night.Perez homered to center off Mychal Givens (0-1). It was his first long ball since Aug. 10, 2018.Ryan Sherriff (1-0) worked a perfect eighth in his first big league game since May 7, 2018, due to Tommy John surgery. Diego Castillo pitched the ninth to get his first save. Ten Tampa Bay relievers have a save this season.Brandon Lowe hit his 10th homer for the Rays, who have won nine of 11. The Orioles are 8-3 on the road after losing the first two games of the series. Their only other defeat away from home came opening day at Boston.BLUE JAYS 9, RED SOX 1BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Rowdy Tellez drove in four runs with two homers and a double, and Toronto beat Boston.Vladimir Guererro Jr. hit a pair of doubles, including a three-run bouncer down the left field line that keyed a four-run seventh inning for Toronto (15-14).... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Michael Perez hit a go-ahead solo homer in the eighth inning and the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays beat the Baltimore Orioles 4-3 on Wednesday night.Perez homered to center off Mychal Givens (0-1). It was his first long ball since Aug. 10, 2018.Ryan Sherriff (1-0) worked a perfect eighth in his first big league game since May 7, 2018, due to Tommy John surgery. Diego Castillo pitched the ninth to get his first save. Ten Tampa Bay relievers have a save this season.Brandon Lowe hit his 10th homer for the Rays, who have won nine of 11. The Orioles are 8-3 on the road after losing the first two games of the series. Their only other defeat away from home came opening day at Boston.BLUE JAYS 9, RED SOX 1BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Rowdy Tellez drove in four runs with two homers and a double, and Toronto beat Boston.Vladimir Guererro Jr. hit a pair of doubles, including a three-run bouncer down the left field line that keyed a four-run seventh inning for Toronto (15-14).... [More]

Rangers third. Leody Taveras grounds out to shallow infield, Mike Fiers to Matt Olson. Shin-Soo Choo singles to deep center field. Danny Santana walks. Shin-Soo Choo to second. Jose Trevino flies out to center field to Ramon Laureano. Joey Gallo pops out to shallow center field to Franklin Barreto.1 run, 1 hit, 1 error, 1 left on. Rangers 1, Athletics 0.Athletics sixth. Vimael Machin grounds out to shortstop, Isiah Kiner-Falefa to Danny Santana. Marcus Semien walks. Ramon Laureano walks. Marcus Semien to second. Stephen Piscotty singles to left field. Ramon Laureano to second. Marcus Semien scores. Mark Canha walks. Stephen Piscotty to second. Ramon Laureano to third. Matt Olson strikes out swinging. Robbie Grossman pinch-hitting for Khris Davis. Robbie Grossman is intentionally walked. Sean Murphy lines out to deep center field to Leody Taveras.2 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 3 left on. Athletics 2, Rangers 1.Athletics eighth. Stephen Piscotty singles to deep left field. Mark Canha singles to shallow infield. Stephen Piscotty to second. Matt Olson singles to right field. Mark Canha to second. Stephen Piscotty to third. Robbie Grossman hit by pitch. Matt Olson to second. Mark Canha to third. Stephen Piscotty scores. Sean Murphy strikes out swinging. Tony Kemp pinch-hitting for Franklin Barreto. Tony Kemp called out on strikes. Vimael Machin strikes out swinging.1 run, 3 hits, 0 errors, 3 left on. Athletics 3, Rangers 1.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Michael Perez hit a go-ahead solo homer in the eighth inning and the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays beat the Baltimore Orioles 4-3 on Wednesday night.Perez homered to center off Mychal Givens (0-1). It was his first long ball since Aug. 10, 2018.Ryan Sherriff (1-0) worked a perfect eighth in his first big league game since May 7, 2018, due to Tommy John surgery. Diego Castillo pitched the ninth to get his first save. Ten Tampa Bay relievers have a save this season.Brandon Lowe hit his 10th homer for the Rays, who have won nine of 11. The Orioles are 8-3 on the road after losing the first two games of the series. Their only other defeat away from home came opening day at Boston.BLUE JAYS 9, RED SOX 1BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Rowdy Tellez drove in four runs with two homers and a double, and Toronto beat Boston.Vladimir Guererro Jr. hit a pair of doubles, including a three-run bouncer down the left field line that keyed a four-run seventh inning for Toronto (15-14).... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Rookie Isaac Paredes hit a grand slam for his first major league homer and the Detroit Tigers snapped a 20-game losing streak against Cleveland by beating the Indians 10-5 on Friday night.The Tigers also ended a nine-game slide that included being swept at home last weekend by the Indians.The 21-year-old Paredes connected in the fourth inning when the Tigers scored seven times off Adam Plutko (1-2). Jonathan Schoop hit a two-run homer as the Tigers topped the Indians for the first time since April 10, 2019.Cleveland’s 20-game dominance of Detroit was the second-longest streak against one opponent since division play began in 1969. Baltimore holds the record with 23 consecutive wins over Kansas City in 1969-70.Rony Garcia (1-0) picked up the win for the Tigers, who got off to a surprising 9-4 start before staggering.Franmil Reyes hit a two-run homer as the Indians had their winning streak stopped at six. They were again without manager Terry Francona. He underwent a medical... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago White Sox tied a major league record with four consecutive home runs, all against Roel Ramirez in his major league debut, and went on to beat the St. Louis Cardinals 7-2 on Sunday. Ramirez is the first pitcher to allow four straight homers in his debut. Yoán Moncada, Yasmani Grandal, José Abreu and Eloy Jiménez connected during a six-run fifth inning.It was the 10th time in major league history a team hit four straight homers. The only other time the White Sox did it was on Aug. 14, 2008, against Kansas City, when Jim Thome, Paul Konerko, Alexei Ramirez and Juan Uribe connected.The White Sox got another solid start from Dallas Keuchel (3-2) and won for just the third time in 11 home games.St. Louis right-hander Dakota Hudson (0-2) allowed one run in four innings in his first start since July 26.INDIANS 8, TIGERS 5DETROIT (AP) — Franmil Reyes homered twice, and the Indians beat the Tigers for the 20th straight time, nearing the major league record for most consecutive... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago White Sox tied a major league record with four consecutive home runs, all against Roel Ramirez in his major league debut, and went on to beat the St. Louis Cardinals 7-2 on Sunday. Ramirez is the first pitcher to allow four straight homers in his debut. Yoán Moncada, Yasmani Grandal, José Abreu and Eloy Jiménez connected during a six-run fifth inning.It was the 10th time in major league history a team hit four straight homers. The only other time the White Sox did it was on Aug. 14, 2008, against Kansas City, when Jim Thome, Paul Konerko, Alexei Ramirez and Juan Uribe connected.The White Sox got another solid start from Dallas Keuchel (3-2) and won for just the third time in 11 home games.St. Louis right-hander Dakota Hudson (0-2) allowed one run in four innings in his first start since July 26.INDIANS 8, TIGERS 5DETROIT (AP) — Franmil Reyes homered twice, and the Indians beat the Tigers for the 20th straight time, nearing the major league record for most consecutive... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Oakland Athletics center fielder Ramon Laureano had a six-game suspension reduced to four games Friday after appealing the penalty for his role in a benches-clearing brawl with the rival Houston Astros.Major League Baseball said a settlement had been reached and the A's were informed of the decision. Laureano was set to begin the four-game suspension Friday night and will miss a three-game weekend Bay Bridge Series against the San Francisco Giants. After sitting out Monday at Arizona, he will be eligible to play Tuesday against the Diamondbacks. Astros hitting coach Álex Cintrón received a 20-game suspension and a fine Tuesday for his role in the fracas at Oakland last Sunday. Laureano also received a fine.Cintrón’s suspension is the longest for an on-field transgression in 15 years, since Texas pitcher Kenny Rogers received 20 games for his altercation with two cameramen in 2005.Laureano was hit by a pitch from Humberto Castellanos with one out in the seventh inning... [More]

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — In the first major league game in Buffalo since 1915, Travis Shaw hit an RBI single in the 10th inning and the Toronto Blue Jays settled into their new nest with a 5-4 win over the Miami Marlins on Tuesday night.Barred from playing in Toronto by the Canadian government over concerns about the coronavirus, the Blue Jays spent nearly three weeks on the road before moving into the ballpark of their Triple-A affiliate as their temporary home this year.Francisco Cervelli’s three-run homer with two outs in the Miami ninth made it 4-all. Logan Forsythe then nearly put the Marlins ahead with a long drive in the 10th that originally was ruled a two-run homer, then reversed to a foul ball on review — the replay cameras were among the upgrades made at the park to get it up to big league standards. The Blue Jays loaded the bases with one out in the 10th and Shaw singled to right field for his first RBI in 25 at-bats with Toronto.Bo Bichette hit a three-run homer in the sixth and... [More]

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — In the first major league game in Buffalo since 1915, Travis Shaw hit an RBI single in the 10th inning and the Toronto Blue Jays settled into their new nest with a 5-4 win over the Miami Marlins on Tuesday night.Barred from playing in Toronto by the Canadian government over concerns about the coronavirus, the Blue Jays spent nearly three weeks on the road before moving into the ballpark of their Triple-A affiliate as their temporary home this year.Francisco Cervelli’s three-run homer with two outs in the Miami ninth made it 4-all. Logan Forsythe then nearly put the Marlins ahead with a long drive in the 10th that originally was ruled a two-run homer, then reversed to a foul ball on review — the replay cameras were among the upgrades made at the park to get it up to big league standards. The Blue Jays loaded the bases with one out in the 10th and Shaw singled to right field for his first RBI in 25 at-bats with Toronto.Bo Bichette hit a three-run homer in the sixth and... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Houston Astros hitting coach Álex Cintrón received a 20-game suspension and a fine Tuesday for his role in a benches-clearing brawl at Oakland, while Athletics outfielder Ramon Laureano was given a six-game suspension and a fine.Cintrón’s suspension is the longest for an on-field transgression in 15 years, since Texas pitcher Kenny Rogers received 20 games for his altercation with two cameramen in 2005.“I accept MLB’s suspension and will learn from this," Cintrón said in a statement. "Although I never referenced Ramon’s mother, my actions were inappropriate. I apologize for my part in Sunday’s unfortunate incident. As coaches, we are held to a higher standard and should be an example to the players. Hopefully, other coaches will learn from my mistake so that this never happens again in the future.”Laureano appealed, so his discipline didn't begin Tuesday night in Oakland's game against the Angels. He was in the lineup batting second and playing center field at Angel... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Houston Astros hitting coach Álex Cintrón received a 20-game suspension and a fine Tuesday for his role in a benches-clearing brawl at Oakland, while Athletics outfielder Ramon Laureano was given a six-game suspension and a fine.Cintrón’s suspension is the longest for an on-field transgression in 15 years, since Texas pitcher Kenny Rogers received 20 games for his altercation with two cameramen in 2005.“I accept MLB’s suspension and will learn from this," Cintrón said in a statement. "Although I never referenced Ramon’s mother, my actions were inappropriate. I apologize for my part in Sunday’s unfortunate incident. As coaches, we are held to a higher standard and should be an example to the players. Hopefully, other coaches will learn from my mistake so that this never happens again in the future.”Laureano appealed, so his discipline didn't begin Tuesday night in Oakland's game against the Angels. He was in the lineup batting second and playing center field at Angel... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Houston Astros hitting coach Álex Cintrón received a 20-game suspension and a fine Tuesday for his role in a benches-clearing brawl at Oakland, while Athletics outfielder Ramon Laureano was given a six-game suspension and a fine.Cintrón’s suspension is the longest for an on-field transgression in 15 years, since Texas pitcher Kenny Rogers received 20 games for his altercation with two cameramen in 2005.“I accept MLB’s suspension and will learn from this," Cintrón said in a statement. "Although I never referenced Ramon’s mother, my actions were inappropriate. I apologize for my part in Sunday’s unfortunate incident. As coaches, we are held to a higher standard and should be an example to the players. Hopefully, other coaches will learn from my mistake so that this never happens again in the future.”Laureano appealed, so his discipline won’t begin Tuesday night against the Angels, Major League Baseball said.Laureano was hit by a pitch from Humberto Castellanos with... [More]