OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The first-place Oakland Athletics pulled off another trade with an AL West rival Monday, hoping to hang on for a division title this time after finishing second to Houston each of the last two years.Oakland also was looking for depth in case more than one individual tests positive for the coronavirus. The A's are quarantined in their Houston hotel waiting to determine how much spread there might be among the traveling party after one person tested positive Saturday.The A's acquired left-hander Mike Minor in a trade with the Texas Rangers on Monday, adding another piece to their rotation as they try for their first division crown since 2013. As part of the deal, Texas will pay Oakland $708,956, covering roughly half the $1,417,910 remaining in Minor's salary.“With the uncertainty going forward and the potential for a number of doubleheaders down the road and players potentially missing time, I think it was critical that we were able to complete this deal for Mike,”... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The first-place Oakland Athletics pulled off another trade with an AL West rival Monday, hoping to hang on for a division title this time after finishing second to Houston each of the last two years.Oakland also was looking for depth in case more than one individual tests positive for the coronavirus. The A's are quarantined in their Houston hotel waiting to determine how much spread there might be among the traveling party after one person tested positive Saturday.The A's acquired left-hander Mike Minor in a trade with the Texas Rangers on Monday, adding another piece to their rotation as they try for their first division crown since 2013.“With the uncertainty going forward and the potential for a number of doubleheaders down the road and players potentially missing time, I think it was critical that we were able to complete this deal for Mike,” general manager David Forst said. “Whether he pitches as a starter or reliever or both, I think he's going to be very valuable... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — San Diego acted boldly once again. Miami actually strengthened its roster. Mike Clevinger, Starling Marte, Archie Bradley and Todd Frazier were on the move. Lance Lynn and Dylan Bundy stayed put.Baseball's pandemic-delayed trade deadline was quite a day.The contending Padres got Clevinger in a multiplayer trade with Cleveland, bolstering their rotation Monday in a rare deadline deal between contenders. The surprising Marlins reeled in the dynamic Marte for their outfield. There was a lot of talk about pitchers Lynn and Bundy, but Lynn stayed in Texas and the Angels held onto Bundy.The trade deadline is normally July 31, but it was pushed back when the start of the season was delayed because of the coronavirus. With the shortened season and financial uncertainty brought on by the pandemic, there was talk that it might be an unusually quiet day. But there was plenty of activity instead, spurred in part by the expanded playoff format for this year.“It felt like a normal deadline... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The Oakland Athletics acquired Mike Minor in a trade with the Texas Rangers on Monday, adding another piece to their rotation as they try for their first division title since 2013.Minor has struggled this year, going 0-5 with a 5.60 ERA with Texas, but he went 14-10 with a 3.59 ERA in 32 starts last season. The 32-year-old left-hander is eligible for free agency after this season.Oakland is on top of the AL West, but it was swept by second-place Houston in a doubleheader on Saturday. It's unclear when the A's might return to the field after a member of their organization tested positive for the coronavirus, leading to the postponement of their series finale against the Astros and the first two games of their three-game set at Seattle. The A's made it to the playoffs each of the previous two years, dropping the AL Wild Card Game each time.Texas also parted with cash considerations in the deal in exchange for two players to be named and international slot money. The... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Dominic Smith hit the go-ahead home run in his first game since tearfully pleading for help combating racial inequality, Pete Alonso also connected and the New York Mets beat the crosstown Yankees 6-4 in the opener of a doubleheader Friday.Amed Rosario hit a walkoff, two-run homer to lift the Mets to a 4-3 victory in the nightcap — a bizarre scene in the Bronx, where the Yankees batted first as the visiting team in the makeup of a game postponed last weekend.The sweep sent the Yankees to their seventh straight loss.Rosario connected off closer Aroldis Chapman (0-1) with pinch-runner Billy Hamilton at second base. Chapman walked Jeff McNeil to open the inning, and Hamilton promptly stole second despite being picked off by the All-Star left-hander.Rosario then cranked his third home run of the season into the left field seats, setting off the second big celebration in the visiting dugout as the Mets swept the Yankees in a doubleheader for the first time.Jared Hughes (1-1)... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Dominic Smith hit the go-ahead home run in his first game since tearfully pleading for help combating racial inequality, Pete Alonso also connected and the New York Mets beat the crosstown Yankees 6-4 in the opener of a doubleheader Friday.Amed Rosario hit a walkoff, two-run homer to lift the Mets to a 4-3 victory in the nightcap — a bizarre scene in the Bronx, where the Yankees batted first as the visiting team in the makeup of a game postponed last weekend.The sweep sent the Yankees to their seventh straight loss.Rosario connected off closer Aroldis Chapman (0-1) with pinch-runner Billy Hamilton at second base. Chapman walked Jeff McNeil to open the inning, and Hamilton promptly stole second despite being picked off by the All-Star left-hander.Rosario then cranked his third home run of the season into the left field seats, setting off the second big celebration in the visiting dugout as the Mets swept the Yankees in a doubleheader for the first time.Jared Hughes (1-1)... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers were away from home for a later-than-usual Jackie Robinson Day. On the road for the first time in six years to mark Major League Baseball’s annual observation of Robinson breaking the sport's color barrier, the Dodgers tied the game right before Derek Dietrich's tiebreaking leadoff homer that started a four-run seventh inning. The struggling Texas Rangers then finished off a 6-2 victory Friday night over the team with the best record in the majors. “We’re a second-half team. I don’t know what to tell you," Rangers manager Chris Woodward said. “Overall it was a really good team effort right there, something that we needed.” Texas had lost 10 of its previous 11 games to wrap up the first half of its 60-game schedule. That included losing two of three games to AL-best Oakland before the Athletics decided not to play the scheduled series finale Thursday to show support for calls for racial justice.The Dodgers and San Francisco Giants didn't play... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Derek Dietrich led off the Texas seventh inning with a tiebreaking home run and the Rangers beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in a later-than-usual Jackie Robinson Day game on Friday night.It was the first time in six years the Dodgers were away from home for Major League Baseball’s annual observation of Robinson breaking sports color barrier. It is traditionally held April 15, the date in 1947 that he made his debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers, but had to be altered because the coronavirus pandemic pushed back the start of this season nearly four months.After Los Angeles tied the game with two runs in the top of the seventh, Dietrich's opposite-field shot to left off reliever Jake McGee (2-1) put Texas up 3-2. Shin-Soo Choo and Nick Solak added RBI hits, and Jose Trevino a sacrifice fly, in the four-run outburst as the Rangers won for only the second time in 12 games. The Dodgers (24-10), coming off a doubleheader sweep at San Francisco and without a series loss this... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kiké Hernández hit a three-run drive and Mookie Betts went deep twice in the Dodgers’ seven-homer attack, powering Los Angeles past the Colorado Rockies 11-3 on Sunday for a three-game sweep.The Dodgers are the only team in the majors yet to lose a series, unbeaten in 11. They have won 11 of 12 games overall and own the best record in baseball at 22-8 at the halfway point of this abbreviated season.Cody Bellinger, Corey Seager, Will Smith and Max Muncy also homered for Los Angeles. Victor Gonzalez (1-0) earned his first major league victory.Trevor Story, Ryan McMahon and Sam Hilliard went deep for Colorado in its season-high seventh consecutive loss. Antonio Senzatela (3-1) allowed six runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings.PADRES 5, ASTROS 3SAN DIEGO (AP) — Fernando Tatis Jr. made two spectacular plays at shortstop, Manny Machado hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning, and San Diego completed a three-game series sweep. The Padres have won seven straight, all against... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kiké Hernández hit a three-run drive and Mookie Betts went deep twice in the Dodgers’ seven-homer attack, powering Los Angeles past the Colorado Rockies 11-3 on Sunday for a three-game sweep.The Dodgers are the only team in the majors yet to lose a series, unbeaten in 11. They have won 11 of 12 games overall and own the best record in baseball at 22-8 at the halfway point of this abbreviated season.Cody Bellinger, Corey Seager, Will Smith and Max Muncy also homered for Los Angeles. Victor Gonzalez (1-0) earned his first major league victory.Trevor Story, Ryan McMahon and Sam Hilliard went deep for Colorado in its season-high seventh consecutive loss. Antonio Senzatela (3-1) allowed six runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings.PADRES 5, ASTROS 3SAN DIEGO (AP) — Fernando Tatis Jr. made two spectacular plays at shortstop, Manny Machado hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning, and San Diego completed a three-game series sweep. The Padres have won seven straight, all against... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Yu Darvish struck out 10 in his career-high fifth consecutive victory, and the Chicago Cubs beat the Chicago White Sox 2-1 on Sunday to stop the South Siders’ seven-game win streak.Kyle Schwarber hit a two-run homer in the sixth inning as the Cubs won for just the fourth time in their last 11 games. The NL Central leaders were outscored 17-5 in the first two games of the series.José Abreu went deep for the White Sox in the second, matching a major league record with a home run in four consecutive at-bats. Abreu connected five times in the first two games against the Cubs, including three homers and four RBIs in Saturday night’s 7-4 win.Darvish (5-1) allowed one run and six hits in seven innings. Jeremy Jeffress got four outs for his third save.White Sox right-hander Dylan Cease (4-2) allowed two runs and four hits in six innings in his first game against his former team. He had won his last four starts.CARDINALS 6, REDS 2ST. LOUIS (AP) — Yadier Molina had four hits and top... [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]

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]

BALTIMORE (AP) — Jonathan Villar hit a first-pitch leadoff homer to spark a robust offensive performance by the Miami Marlins, who beat the Baltimore Orioles 8-7 Thursday night to complete a startling four-game sweep and make Don Mattingly the winningest manager in franchise history.Villar had three hits and Brian Anderson drove in three runs for the upstart Marlins, who emerged from a team-wide coronavirus outbreak to dominate the Orioles and forge the best winning percentage in the big leagues.Miami is 6-1 and in first place in the NL East despite putting 18 players on the injured list before the series opener Tuesday.The Marlins were the “home” team because this was a makeup of a July 28 game that was to be held in Miami but postponed in the wake of the Marlins’ COVID-19 outbreak.Batting in the bottom of the seventh, the Marlins broke a 6-6 tie with a sacrifice fly by Jesús Aguilar off Evan Phillips (1-1) and an RBI triple by Anderson.Mike Morin (1-0) pitched two shutout innings and... [More]

BALTIMORE (AP) — Jonathan Villar hit a first-pitch leadoff homer to spark a robust offensive performance by the Miami Marlins, who beat the Baltimore Orioles 8-7 Thursday night to complete a startling four-game sweep and make Don Mattingly the winningest manager in franchise history.Villar had three hits and Brian Anderson drove in three runs for the upstart Marlins, who emerged from a team-wide coronavirus outbreak to dominate the Orioles and forge the best winning percentage in the big leagues.Miami is 6-1 and in first place in the NL East despite putting 18 players on the injured list before the series opener Tuesday.The Marlins were the “home” team because this was a makeup of a July 28 game that was to be held in Miami but postponed in the wake of the Marlins’ COVID-19 outbreak.Batting in the bottom of the seventh, the Marlins broke a 6-6 tie with a sacrifice fly by Jesús Aguilar off Evan Phillips (1-1) and an RBI triple by Anderson.Mike Morin (1-0) pitched two shutout innings and... [More]

SEATTLE (AP) — Shohei Ohtani homered in his first plate appearance since being shut down as a pitcher, Dylan Bundy struck out 10 in the third complete game of his career and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Seattle Mariners 6-1 on Thursday. Ohtani drove a 1-0 pitch from Seattle starter Taijuan Walker (1-2) to the opposite field just beyond the leap of left fielder Dee Gordon leading off the second inning.Max Stassi added a two-run homer in the eighth inning, his fourth of the season.Bundy (2-1) has been superb since his offseason arrival from Baltimore via trade. The right-hander has pitched at least six innings in all three of his starts, with 25 strikeouts and two walks in 21 2/3 innings.Bundy allowed four hits and picked up his 10th strikeout getting Kyle Seager leading off the ninth. His only mistake was an elevated changeup that Daniel Vogelbach lined into the right field seats for a solo home run in the fourth inning.PIRATES 6, TWINS 5PITTSBURGH (AP) — Kevin Newman’s two-run pinch-single... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge homered for the third straight night, Jordan Montgomery cut up one of the league’s hottest lineups in his 2020 debut and the New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox 5-1 on Friday night in their first home game of the coronavirus-shortened season.Judge took aim at Yankee Stadium’s short right field porch in the third, a half-inning after starting a double play from right. Gio Urshela and Brett Gardner hit their first home runs of the season, Chad Green pitched two perfect innings in relief, and Adam Ottavino and Jonathan Holder closed up shop as New York improved to 5-1.Michael Chavis homered for Boston and Phillips Valdez impressed over 2 2/3 scoreless innings, but the club couldn’t overcome another poor start by Ryan Weber (0-2).There was also a moment of silence for late Yankees co-owner Hank Steinbrenner, who died in April. New York is wearing uniform patches with his initials this season.Montgomery (1-0) pitched 5 2/3 innings, limiting the Red Sox to a run,... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge homered for the third straight night, Jordan Montgomery cut up one of the league’s hottest lineups in his 2020 debut and the New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox 5-1 on Friday night in their first home game of the coronavirus-shortened season.Judge took aim at Yankee Stadium’s short right field porch in the third, a half-inning after starting a double play from right. Gio Urshela and Brett Gardner hit their first home runs of the season, Chad Green pitched two perfect innings in relief, and Adam Ottavino and Jonathan Holder closed up shop as New York improved to 5-1.Michael Chavis homered for Boston and Phillips Valdez impressed over 2 2/3 scoreless innings, but the club couldn’t overcome another poor start by Ryan Weber (0-2).There was also a moment of silence for late Yankees co-owner Hank Steinbrenner, who died in April. New York is wearing uniform patches with his initials this season.Montgomery (1-0) pitched 5 2/3 innings, limiting the Red Sox to a run,... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge homered for the third straight night, Jordan Montgomery cut up one of the league’s hottest lineups in his 2020 debut and the New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox 5-1 on Friday night in their first home game of the coronavirus-shortened season.Judge took aim at Yankee Stadium’s short right field porch in the third, a half-inning after starting a double play from right. Gio Urshela and Brett Gardner hit their first home runs of the season, Chad Green pitched two perfect innings in relief, and Adam Ottavino and Jonathan Holder closed up shop as New York improved to 5-1.Michael Chavis homered for Boston and Phillips Valdez impressed over 2 2/3 scoreless innings, but the club couldn’t overcome another poor start by Ryan Weber (0-2).There was also a moment of silence for late Yankees co-owner Hank Steinbrenner, who died in April. New York is wearing uniform patches with his initials this season.Montgomery (1-0) pitched 5 2/3 innings, limiting the Red Sox to a run,... [More]