Whit Merrifield made his big league debut for Kansas City in 2016, the season after the Royals won the World Series. Five years later, he's trying to lead another resurgence for a team whose identity should be pretty familiar by now. The Royals are still trying to beat teams on the basepaths. Merrifield already has eight stolen bases, tied for the major league lead. As a team, Kansas City has 22 steals. Only San Diego has more. That's despite the fact that Adalberto Mondesi, last year's major league leader in steals, hasn't played for the Royals in 2021 because of an oblique injury. That's not to say the Royals can't hit for power. Carlos Santana and Salvador Perez have six homers each. Jorge Soler is off to a slow start this year, but he went deep 48 times just two seasons ago. Kansas City (16-10) has the best record in baseball, although that note comes with a word of caution: The Royals have been outscored by three runs on the season. They won their first six one-run games before finally... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors today: ___ ARIZONA ARMS Right-hander Merrill Kelly (1-2, 7.71 ERA) starts for the Diamondbacks when they host Fernando Tatis Jr. and the Padres following a dominant pitching performance in a doubleheader at Atlanta. Madison Bumgarner tossed a seven-inning no-hitter against the Braves on Sunday after Zac Gallen threw a one-hit shutout in the opener. Bumgarner didn’t get credit for a no-hitter in the Major League Baseball record book. An MLB committee in 1991 ruled a no-hitter had to go at least nine innings and the Elias Sports Bureau — the sport’s official statistician — repeated that stance last year when seven-inning doubleheaders began. Bumgarner’s gem has ignited a lively debate among fans over whether it should count as a no-hitter. There currently are no plans by MLB to revisit the decision. SPRINGER AND SCHERZER Toronto manager Charlie Montoyo was optimistic that outfielder George Springer would finally be ready to make his Blue Jays debut... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Jordan Luplow hit a two-run homer in the 10th inning off Alex Colomé, giving the Cleveland Indians a 5-3 victory over the Minnesota Twins in their series opener Monday night. Luplow’s second career game-ending homer was a leadoff shot that easily cleared the wall in left field, scoring free runner César Hernández from second base. Minnesota fell to 0-5 in extra-inning games. Emmanuel Clase (2-1) worked a perfect inning, helping Cleveland to its second straight win. Luplow was the only batter faced by Colomé (1-3). It was the first of 19 meetings this season between teams that have combined to win the last five AL Central titles. Minnesota is the two-time defending champion. Luis Arraez gave the Twins a 3-2 lead in the eighth when he singled home Jake Cave with two outs, but José Ramírez answered in the bottom half with a homer off Tyler Duffey. ANGELS 9, RANGERS 4 ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Shohei Ohtani struck out nine after a shaky first inning on the mound, and also scored... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Jordan Luplow hit a two-run homer in the 10th inning off Alex Colomé, giving the Cleveland Indians a 5-3 victory over the Minnesota Twins in their series opener Monday night. Luplow’s second career game-ending homer was a leadoff shot that easily cleared the wall in left field, scoring free runner César Hernández from second base. Minnesota fell to 0-5 in extra-inning games. Emmanuel Clase (2-1) worked a perfect inning, helping Cleveland to its second straight win. Luplow was the only batter faced by Colomé (1-3). It was the first of 19 meetings this season between teams that have combined to win the last five AL Central titles. Minnesota is the two-time defending champion. Luis Arraez gave the Twins a 3-2 lead in the eighth when he singled home Jake Cave with two outs, but José Ramírez answered in the bottom half with a homer off Tyler Duffey. ANGELS 9, RANGERS 4 ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Shohei Ohtani struck out nine after a shaky first inning on the mound, and also scored... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Jordan Luplow hit a two-run homer in the 10th inning off Alex Colomé, giving the Cleveland Indians a 5-3 victory over the Minnesota Twins in their series opener Monday night. Luplow’s second career game-ending homer was a leadoff shot that easily cleared the wall in left field, scoring free runner César Hernández from second base. Minnesota fell to 0-5 in extra-inning games. Emmanuel Clase (2-1) worked a perfect inning, helping Cleveland to its second straight win. Luplow was the only batter faced by Colomé (1-3). It was the first of 19 meetings this season between teams that have combined to win the last five AL Central titles. Minnesota is the two-time defending champion. Luis Arraez gave the Twins a 3-2 lead in the eighth when he singled home Jake Cave with two outs, but José Ramírez answered in the bottom half with a homer off Tyler Duffey. ANGELS 9, RANGERS 4 ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Shohei Ohtani struck out nine after a shaky first inning on the mound, and also scored... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors on Tuesday: ___ ARIZONA ARMS Right-hander Merrill Kelly (1-2, 7.71 ERA) starts for the Diamondbacks when they host Fernando Tatis Jr. and the Padres following a dominant pitching performance in a doubleheader at Atlanta. Madison Bumgarner tossed a seven-inning no-hitter against the Braves on Sunday after Zac Gallen threw a one-hit shutout in the opener. Bumgarner didn’t get credit for a no-hitter in the Major League Baseball record book. An MLB committee in 1991 ruled a no-hitter had to go at least nine innings and the Elias Sports Bureau — the sport’s official statistician — repeated that stance last year when seven-inning doubleheaders began. Bumgarner’s gem has ignited a lively debate among fans over whether it should count as a no-hitter. There currently are no plans by MLB to revisit the decision. SPRINGER AND SCHERZER Toronto manager Charlie Montoyo was optimistic that outfielder George Springer would finally be ready to make his Blue Jays... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The Oakland Athletics extended their winning streak to 11, rallying from a two-run deficit and beating the Twins 13-12 on Wednesday when Luis Arraez threw away Ramón Laureano’s grounder for Minnesota’s second error of the 10th inning. Nelson Cruz had two home runs and four RBIs for the Twins, and Byron Buxton hit a two-run homer against Lou Trivino for a 12-10 lead in the 10th. Alex Colomé (1-2) got the first two outs in the bottom half with the automatic runner on second, then walked Seth Brown and Elvis Andrus, loading the bases. Mark Canha hit what should have been a game-ending grounder to second baseman Travis Blankehorn, who entered as a pinch runner for Josh Donaldson in the 10th, but Blankenhorn allowed the ball to bounce off his glove for a run-scoring error. Laureano hit a one-hopper to Arraez for what again should have been the final out. Arraez, who had moved to third from second base to third for the 10th, sailed his throw over first baseman Willians... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Carlos Rodón threw the second no-hitter of the young baseball season Wednesday night, losing his bid for a perfect game on a hit batter with one out in the ninth inning, and the Chicago White Sox cruised to an 8-0 victory over the Cleveland Indians. The left-hander retired his first 25 batters before he plunked Roberto Pérez on the back foot with an 0-2 slider. An incredulous Rodón looked on almost in bewilderment as Pérez made his way to first. Rodón (2-0) regained his composure in time to strike out Yu Chang looking and retire Jordan Luplow on a sharp grounder to third, starting a joyous celebration. It was the first no-hitter for the White Sox since Lucas Giolito pitched one Aug. 25 last year against Pittsburgh and No. 20 in franchise history, second-most among major league teams behind the Los Angeles Dodgers (23). Rodón’s gem came just five days after Joe Musgrove threw a no-hitter for his hometown Padres at Texas. Rodón threw 75 of his 114 pitches for strikes. He struck... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Carlos Rodón threw the second no-hitter of the young baseball season Wednesday night, losing his bid for a perfect game on a hit batter with one out in the ninth inning, and the Chicago White Sox cruised to an 8-0 victory over the Cleveland Indians. The left-hander retired his first 25 batters before he plunked Roberto Pérez on the back foot with an 0-2 slider. An incredulous Rodón looked on almost in bewilderment as Pérez made his way to first. Rodón (2-0) regained his composure in time to strike out Yu Chang looking and retire Jordan Luplow on a sharp grounder to third, starting a joyous celebration. It was the first no-hitter for the White Sox since Lucas Giolito pitched one Aug. 25 last year against Pittsburgh and No. 20 in franchise history, second-most among major league teams behind the Los Angeles Dodgers (23). Rodón’s gem came just five days after Joe Musgrove threw a no-hitter for his hometown Padres at Texas. Rodón threw 75 of his 114 pitches for strikes. He struck... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Alex Verdugo had three hits, including a two-run single in a six-run fifth inning, and the Boston Red Sox extended their winning streak to nine games, beating the Minnesota Twins 7-1 to sweep Wednesday’s doubleheader. Eduardo Rodríguez (2-0) pitched five innings and gave up one run on five hits for Boston, which has come from behind in six of its nine wins this season. The Red Sox have their longest winning streak since a 10-game run in 2018, a season that ended with a World Series title. Verdugo had five hits in the doubleheader and capped the day with his second homer of the season in the seventh inning. José Berríos (2-1) surrendered four runs in 4 1/3 innings for Minnesota, giving up four hits and three walks. Berríos walked Franchy Cordero with the bases loaded for the first run of the fifth before departing. The Twins have lost five straight. The Red Sox won the first game 3-2. Nathan Eovaldi (2-1) gave up two runs on five hits in five innings for the Red Sox. Matt... [More]

Salvador Pérez still remembers growing up in the coastal Venezuelan city of Valencia, where as a youngster he would take batting practice against his mother with a broomstick and later play organized ball with the likes of José Altuve. He never thought a day like Sunday could be possible. That's when the Royals gave the six-time All-Star catcher an $82 million, four-year deal — the richest in club history — that will begin after his current contract in 2022. The deal ties Pérez to the only organization for which he's played until at least 2025, though a club option worth $13.5 million could keep him around for that season, too. “It's hard to believe where I'm coming from, where I grew up, to see the situation I have right now, it makes me feel super happy,” Pérez said from the Royals' spring training home in Surprise, Arizona. “My mother is going to be happy. I know my grandma is going to be happy. I know they're excited for me to be here for four more years, maybe five.” Pérez is due a... [More]

Salvador Pérez still remembers growing up in the coastal Venezuelan city of Valencia, where as a youngster he would take batting practice against his mother with a broomstick and later play organized ball with the likes of José Altuve. He never thought a day like Sunday could be possible. That's when the Royals gave the six-time All-Star catcher a four-year, $82 million deal — the richest in club history — that will begin after his current contract in 2022. The deal ties Pérez to the only organization for which he's played until at least 2025, though a club option worth $13.5 million could keep him around for that season, too. “It's hard to believe where I'm coming from, where I grew up, to see the situation I have right now, it makes me feel super happy,” Pérez said from the Royals' spring training home in Surprise, Arizona. “My mother is going to be happy. I know my grandma is going to be happy. I know they're excited for me to be here for four more years, maybe five.” Pérez is due a... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Early in training camp, Indians slugger Franmil Reyes overheard one of the team's clubhouse attendants who was cleaning baseballs comment that they didn't seem as lively this year. “He was like, ‘Oh my God, these balls are not flying anymore,’” Reyes said. “And in his ear I was like, ‘Let’s see when Franmil hit it, let’s see how far it goes.’” Reyes laughed and broke into a big smile — as big as his swing. In an exhibition game on Wednesday, Reyes turned on a pitch from Arizona's Taylor Widener, shooting the ball skyward through the thin desert air before it struck the bottom of the left-field scoreboard at Goodyear Ballpark. It was one of those shots that travels outside the ballpark, the kind that reaches other clubhouses and players talk about for days. “That was a real good swing,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “I don’t care what time of the year it is, that’s a good swing.” Before he ran toward first base, Reyes paused briefly to admire his drive. Satisfied,... [More]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Royals made official their $25 million, four-year contract with third baseman Hunter Dozier on Monday, ensuring that another member of their young foundation is under club control for the foreseeable future. Kansas City has gone through several down years after back-to-back World Series runs culminated with a championship in 2015. The small-market club was forced to watch players such as Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas depart for larger deals in other places, then begin the slow and often painful process of rebuilding from within. Dozier, the eighth overall pick in the 2013 amateur draft, always figured into those plans. He had a breakout season in 2019, when he hit 26 homers and led the American League with 10 triples while driving in 84 runs. And while his numbers regressed slightly last season, when he missed the start with COVID-19 and wound up hitting just .228 with six homers in 44 games, the Royals believe his best seasons are still to come. “As I've said... [More]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Royals and third baseman Hunter Dozier have agreed to a $25 million, four-year contract that includes a fifth-year option, a person with knowledge of the agreement told The Associated Press on Sunday. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the deal was pending a physical. ESPN.com was first to report the extension, which buys out two years of free agency and includes several escalators and bonuses. “As I've said many times, we want to keep as many of our talented players as we possibly can,” Royals general manager Dayton Moore said last week, when the team reported for full-squad workouts in Surprise, Arizona. “We'll always look to do that when the opportunity is right. There is a rhythm to that, there is a timing to all those decisions.” The 29-year-old Dozier has long been considered a cornerstone of the Royals rebuild, especially after a breakthrough 2019 season in which he hit 26 homers, tied for the American League lead with 10 triples and... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Once adversaries, Eddie Rosario and Indians manager Terry Francona are now allies. So when Rosario, who spent the past six seasons hammering Cleveland pitchers while in Minnesota, sat down with Francona at spring training camp in Arizona for the first time last week, the free-swinging outfielder received a warm, if not awkward, welcome. “I told him it is so nice not to hate you anymore,” Francona cracked. Smashing eye-level pitches out of the strike zone and ones just inches above his cleats, Rosario tormented the Indians while with the Twins. He batted .353 with 11 homers, 12 doubles and three triples — his most in any ballpark — in games at Progressive Field, his new home. A free agent this winter, the 29-year-old Rosario signed a one-year, $8 million contract with the Indians in December, joining a team he battled regularly and one desperate to fill a power void in its lineup following the departures of All-Star shortstop Francisco Lindor and slugger Carlos Santana.... [More]

For the Indians, the changes go beyond just dropping their debated name. As a new season dawns, the four-time All-Star shortstop and face of the franchise is long gone, traded to the New York Mets this winter along with one of Cleveland's most popular players and established pitchers. There are holes to fill at short, first and in the outfield. Manager Terry Francona, who zips around Cleveland on a scooter, is driving a golf cart after surgery. Fans can't escape the Midwest cold and watch the Indians field grounders or take batting practice in the warm Arizona sunshine. Things look a lot different. But despite their altered state, and gloomy projections about their win total 2021, the Indians are confident they can contend. Maybe even do more than that. “I know we’re going to make a lot of noise,” warned slugger Franmil Reyes. "Watch out!” Bounced by the New York Yankees in the wild-card round to end the shortened 2020 season, the Indians held their first full-squad workout in Goodyear,... [More]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Royals had been quiet the past couple of offseason cycles, letting the young core they plan to lead their next assault on the World Series to grow and develop out of the bright spotlight of the major leagues. Two significant moves the past couple of months are evidence the waiting is done. Kansas City began by signing first baseman Carlos Santana, a longtime divisional scourge with the Cleveland Indians, to a $17.5 million, two-year contract to bolster a lineup desperate for power and on-base ability. Then the Royals swung a three-team trade to land Andrew Benintendi from the Boston Red Sox, providing an upgrade at the plate over retired left fielder Alex Gordon while adding more playoff pedigree to a team otherwise young and inexperienced. “We have to time things in a way that blend all these different talents and resources together to put a winning team on the field,” Royals general manager Dayton Moore said. “This is a winning culture. We have a terrific fan... [More]

A team-by-team look at the American 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: ___ Minnesota Twins Manager: Rocco Baldelli (third season). 2020: 36-24, first place, lost to Houston in first round of playoffs. Training Town: Fort Myers, Florida. Park: Hammond Stadium at CenturyLink Sports Complex. First Workout: Feb. 19/23. He’s Here: SS Andrelton Simmons, RHP Alex Colomé, LHP J.A. Happ, RHP Hansel Robles, RHP Shaun Anderson, RHP Ian Hamilton, OF Keon Broxton, LHP Andrew Albers. He’s Outta Here: LF Eddie Rosario, RHP Sergio Romo, RHP Trevor May, RHP Jake Odorizzi, INF/OF Marwin Gonzalez, LHP Rich Hill, RHP Tyler Clippard, RHP Matt Wisler, INF Ehire Adrianza, C Alex Avila. Going campin’: The Twins return largely the same team that won the last two AL Central titles, aiming to end their major league-record 18-game postseason losing streak. The pitching staff was superb... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Eddie Rosario's days of tormenting the Indians are over. “It’s nice to have him on this side of the ball,” said Chris Antonetti, Cleveland's president of baseball operations. Rosario passed his physical on Thursday, finalizing the $8 million, one-year contract the free agent outfielder agreed to late last week. The 29-year-old gives Cleveland’s lineup an injection of power following the departures of All-Star shortstop Francisco Lindor and first baseman Carlos Santana this offseason. Rosario spent the past six seasons with the Minnesota Twins, helping them win back-to-back AL Central titles the last two years. “I’ve had many years and many memories of him hitting pitches from all different locations out of the ballpark against us,” Antonetti said. “So it will be good to have his bat in our lineup.” A left-handed hitter, Rosario hit 13 homers in 57 games last season. He hit a career-high 32 homers and drove in 109 runs in 2019. Rosario was especially tough on Cleveland pitching,... [More]