TORONTO (AP) — Austin Hedges connected for a grand slam, and the San Diego Padres hit a franchise-record seven home runs to romp past the Toronto Blue Jays 19-4 Saturday for their fifth straight win.Wil Myers and Hunter Renfroe each hit two home runs and Ian Kinsler and Eric Hosmer also homered. The previous team record was six, set in Cincinnati on July 17, 1998.Hedges hit his first career slam and drove in five runs. Myers went 2 for 2, drove in four and scored four times, and Renfroe had four hits, scored four and drove in three.Cal Quantrill (1-2), from nearby Port Hope, Ontario, and the son of former major league pitcher Paul Quantrill, earned his first win in his fourth career start.Edwin Jackson (0-2) got the loss, allowing seven runs in four innings.PHILLIES 7, BREWERS 2MILWAUKEE (AP) — Jake Arrieta pitched eight effective innings and Andrew McCutchen homered, leading Philadelphia to its third consecutive win.César Hernández, Rhys Hoskins and J.T. Realmuto also connected for the... [More]

TORONTO (AP) — Austin Hedges connected for a grand slam, and the San Diego Padres hit a franchise-record seven home runs to romp past the Toronto Blue Jays 19-4 Saturday for their fifth straight win.Wil Myers and Hunter Renfroe each hit two home runs and Ian Kinsler and Eric Hosmer also homered. The previous team record was six, set in Cincinnati on July 17, 1998.Hedges hit his first career slam and drove in five runs. Myers went 2 for 2, drove in four and scored four times, and Renfroe had four hits, scored four and drove in three.Cal Quantrill (1-2), from nearby Port Hope, Ontario, and the son of former major league pitcher Paul Quantrill, earned his first win in his fourth career start.Edwin Jackson (0-2) got the loss, allowing seven runs in four innings.PHILLIES 7, BREWERS 2MILWAUKEE (AP) — Jake Arrieta pitched eight effective innings and Andrew McCutchen homered, leading Philadelphia to its third consecutive win.César Hernández, Rhys Hoskins and J.T. Realmuto also connected for the... [More]

TORONTO (AP) — Austin Hedges connected for a grand slam, and the San Diego Padres hit a franchise-record seven home runs to romp past the Toronto Blue Jays 19-4 Saturday for their fifth straight win.Wil Myers and Hunter Renfroe each hit two home runs and Ian Kinsler and Eric Hosmer also homered. The previous team record was six, set in Cincinnati on July 17, 1998.Hedges hit his first career slam and drove in five runs. Myers went 2 for 2, drove in four and scored four times, and Renfroe had four hits, scored four and drove in three.Cal Quantrill (1-2), from nearby Port Hope, Ontario, and the son of former major league pitcher Paul Quantrill, earned his first win in his fourth career start.Edwin Jackson (0-2) got the loss, allowing seven runs in four innings.TWINS 8, WHITE SOX 1MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Kyle Gibson struck out nine in seven innings, and the Twins beat the White Sox 8-1 for their 10th win in 11 games.Gibson (5-2) gave up five hits and walked none. His only blemish was José Abreu's... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Eugenio Suárez hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning off Cubs reliever Steve Cishek, rallying the Cincinnati Reds past Chicago 6-5 on Friday.Joey Votto drew a leadoff walk from Cishek (1-2) and Suárez hit the next pitch for his 14th home run.Yasiel Puig hit a two-run homer and an RBI single for the Reds after missing two games with a sprained right shoulder.Anthony Rizzo homered for the third straight game, and Kyle Schwarber and Kris Bryant also went deep for the NL Central-leading Cubs, who have lost three of four to the last-place Reds this season.Pinch-hitter Willson Contreras singled home Rizzo in the eighth to put Chicago ahead 5-4. Jesse Winker's double off Brad Brach in the Reds seventh tied it at 4.David Hernandez (1-2) got one out and the win. Raisel Iglesias pitched a perfect ninth for his 11th in 13 chances.PADRES 6, BLUE JAYS 3TORONTO (AP) — Hunter Renfroe hit a tiebreaking, three-run home run in the eighth inning, Greg Garcia and Austin Hedges also went deep,... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Eugenio Suárez hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning off Cubs reliever Steve Cishek, rallying the Cincinnati Reds past Chicago 6-5 on Friday.Joey Votto drew a leadoff walk from Cishek (1-2) and Suárez hit the next pitch for his 14th home run.Yasiel Puig hit a two-run homer and an RBI single for the Reds after missing two games with a sprained right shoulder.Anthony Rizzo homered for the third straight game, and Kyle Schwarber and Kris Bryant also went deep for the NL Central-leading Cubs, who have lost three of four to the last-place Reds this season.Pinch-hitter Willson Contreras singled home Rizzo in the eighth to put Chicago ahead 5-4. Jesse Winker's double off Brad Brach in the Reds seventh tied it at 4.David Hernandez (1-2) got one out and the win. Raisel Iglesias pitched a perfect ninth for his 11th in 13 chances.PADRES 6, BLUE JAYS 3TORONTO (AP) — Hunter Renfroe hit a tiebreaking, three-run home run in the eighth inning, Greg Garcia and Austin Hedges also went deep,... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Chris Sale remained winless after five starts but struck out a season-high 10 in five innings as the Detroit Tigers beat the Boston Red Sox 7-4 Tuesday to start their first doubleheader sweep at Fenway Park since August 1965.Spencer Turnbull (1-2) pitched five shutout innings for his first major league win, leading the Tigers to a 4-2 victory in the nightcap that left the World Series champions at 9-15.Brandon Dixon greeted Marcus Walden with a three-run double after the Tigers loaded the bases against Hector Velázquez (0-2), and the Red Sox were swept in a twin-bill for the first time since the Los Angeles Angels accomplished the feat on July 20, 2015.Sale gave up two runs, five hits and two walks, lowering his ERA from 8.50 to 7.43. The 30-year-old, who signed a $160 million, six-year contract late in spring training, had never gone his first five starts in a big league season without a victory.In the first game, Matthew Boyd (2-1) combined with three relievers on a five-hitter... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Christian Vazquez hit a sacrifice fly in the 11th inning, and the Boston Red Sox completed an uplifting three-game sweep of the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays with a 4-3 victory Sunday.Rafael Devers singled off Jose Alvarado (0-2) to start the 11th and went to second when Michael Chavis walked.Both runners moved up a base on Jackie Bradley's sacrifice bunt and Vazquez followed with his fly that Kevin Kiermaier ran down in center field.Marcus Walden (3-0) allowed an infield hit over two scoreless innings and Ryan Brasier worked the 11th to get his sixth save.After starting the season by losing eight of 10, the defending World Series champions are 7-5 over the last 12 games and went from eight to five games behind the Rays.DODGERS 6, BREWERS 5MILWAUKEE (AP) — Cody Bellinger reached over the right field wall to rob Christian Yelich in the eighth inning of yet another home run, then hit a solo drive off Josh Hader with two outs in the ninth to lift Los Angeles over... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Christian Vazquez hit a sacrifice fly in the 11th inning, and the Boston Red Sox completed an uplifting three-game sweep of the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays with a 4-3 victory Sunday.Rafael Devers singled off Jose Alvarado (0-2) to start the 11th and went to second when Michael Chavis walked.Both runners moved up a base on Jackie Bradley's sacrifice bunt and Vazquez followed with his fly that Kevin Kiermaier ran down in center field.Marcus Walden (3-0) allowed an infield hit over two scoreless innings and Ryan Brasier worked the 11th to get his sixth save.After starting the season by losing eight of 10, the defending World Series champions are 7-5 over the last 12 games and went from eight to five games behind the Rays.DODGERS 6, BREWERS 5MILWAUKEE (AP) — Cody Bellinger reached over the right field wall to rob Christian Yelich in the eighth inning of yet another home run, then hit a solo drive off Josh Hader with two outs in the ninth to lift Los Angeles over... [More]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Seattle became the first major league team to homer in each of its first 15 games when Dee Gordon connected in the sixth inning, then beat the Kansas City Royals 7-6 Thursday behind Daniel Vogelbach's home run in the 10th inning.Seattle improved the best record in the major leagues to 13-2, completing a four-game sweep and extending its winning streak to six. The Mariners became just the third team since 1987 to open with at least 13 wins in the first 15 games after Milwaukee (14-1 in 1987) and Boston (13-2 last year).Kansas City has lost 10 straight games, has the poorest record in the big leagues at 2-10 and is off to its worst 12-game start since 2006. The Royals failed to preserve leads of 4-0 in the sixth and 6-4 with two outs in the ninth.Kansas City's Whit Merrifield had his hitting streak end at 31 games. Merrifield went 0 for 6. He had not gone hitless since Sept. 9.Royals center fielder Billy Hamilton was carted off with a knee injury after failing to grab... [More]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Seattle became the first major league team to homer in each of its first 15 games when Dee Gordon connected in the sixth inning, then beat the Kansas City Royals 7-6 Thursday behind Daniel Vogelbach's home run in the 10th inning.Seattle improved the best record in the major leagues to 13-2, completing a four-game sweep and extending its winning streak to six. The Mariners became just the third team since 1987 to open with at least 13 wins in the first 15 games after Milwaukee (14-1 in 1987) and Boston (13-2 last year).Kansas City has lost 10 straight games, has the poorest record in the big leagues at 2-10 and is off to its worst 12-game start since 2006. The Royals failed to preserve leads of 4-0 in the sixth and 6-4 with two outs in the ninth.Kansas City's Whit Merrifield had his hitting streak end at 31 games. Merrifield went 0 for 6. He had not gone hitless since Sept. 9.Royals center fielder Billy Hamilton was carted off with a knee injury after failing to grab... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — Carson Kelly drilled a single into the left field corner, scoring Nick Ahmed with two outs in the ninth inning to lift the Arizona Diamondbacks over the struggling Boston Red Sox 5-4 Saturday night.Boston has dropped three straight and fell to 2-8 overall, a lousy start to their World Series championship defense.Colten Brewer (0-1) allowed consecutive singles to Eduardo Escobar, Ahmed and Kelly in the ninth. Right fielder Mookie Betts threw out Escobar at home on Ahmed's hit, but Kelly's rip to left allowed Ahmed to score easily.Kelly had two hits and three RBIs. The walkoff knock was the first of his career.Greg Holland (1-0) pitched a scoreless top of the ninth.PADRES 6, CARDINALS 4ST. LOUIS (AP) — Austin Hedges and Manny Machado each hit a two-run homer off Andrew Miller in the eighth inning, helping San Diego beat St. Louis for its third consecutive win.Fernando Tatis Jr. opened the eighth with a walk and Hedges followed with a go-ahead drive over the wall on in left.... [More]

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Austin Hedges and Manny Machado each hit a two-run homer off Andrew Miller in the eighth inning, helping the San Diego Padres beat the St. Louis Cardinals 6-4 on Saturday for their third consecutive win.Fernando Tatis Jr. opened the eighth with a walk and Hedges followed with a go-ahead drive over the wall on in left. With two out and Ian Kinsler on first via another walk, Machado made it 6-3 with his second homer of the season.It was the first time that Miller (0-1) allowed multiple homers in a game since Sept. 22, 2015 for the New York Yankees at Toronto.Matt Wisler (1-0) pitched two scoreless innings for the win in his first outing with the Padres. Kirby Yates worked the ninth for his fifth save in five chances.ANGELS 5, RANGERS 1ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Mike Trout hit a grand slam for his fourth homer in three days, and Los Angeles beat Texas for its first back-to-back victories of the season.Trout's 458-foot blast in the fourth inning off Drew Smyly (0-1) cleared the... [More]

With opening day just around the corner, the list of notable players who are going to be absent keeps growing.World Series MVP Steve Pearce will start the season on the injured list for the Boston Red Sox, and Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Steven Souza Jr. went down with a knee injury Monday night when he slipped on home plate.Earlier in the day, Baltimore put scheduled opening-day starter Alex Cobb on the 10-day injured list with a strained right groin.Pearce exited an exhibition game last weekend due to discomfort in his left calf. The right-handed batter normally platoons with lefty-hitting Mitch Moreland at first base, but the Red Sox will begin defense of their championship Thursday in Seattle without Pearce."We have to do it that way," manager Alex Cora said. "It makes sense for us, it makes sense for him. He should be back sooner rather than later but he won't be ready for Seattle, so why take a chance?"Sam Travis will likely make the team and take Pearce's spot on the opening-day... [More]

SEATTLE (AP) — Seattle Mariners manager Scott Servais didn't need long to come up with one immediate advantage to playing exhibition games after having already opened the regular season."Yeah, the fact we're 2-0 is not a bad thing," Servais joked.Servais could joke because the atmosphere around the Seattle clubhouse was relaxed, if not a little jet-lagged still, before beginning an awkward two-day stretch on Monday night with the first of two exhibition games against the San Diego Padres.After the fanfare and excitement of traveling across the Pacific to Japan, opening the season with a pair of victories over Oakland, and bidding farewell to the professional career of Ichiro Suzuki, the Mariners returned home for a pair of games with little-to-no meaning that don't count in the standings.Seattle still appeared to be feeling the effects of the trip. The Padres scored six runs in the first inning on their way to an 8-0 victory. Manny Machado doubled, Franmil Reyes hit a three-run homer and... [More]

PEORIA, Ariz. (AP) — San Diego Padres catcher Austin Hedges expected to see Manny Machado make acrobatic plays at third base and hit clutch home runs. What Hedges has learned this spring about his new teammate is just how smart he is."Everybody knows he can do that," Hedges said of Machado's Gold Glove-caliber defense at third base. "I think people notice the things that are God-given but they don't get to see what we get to see and that's the work that he puts in and the way he studies the game, which is taking a very talented player and turning him into arguably the greatest player in this game right now."This is Machado's first spring with the Padres after signing a $300 million, 10-year contract in February. He batted .297 with 37 homers and 107 RBIs last season."I played against him for years and his talent speaks for itself," Padres second baseman Ian Kinsler said. "You understand what he's capable of on the field, that he can impact the game in many different ways offensively, defensively,... [More]

PEORIA, Ariz. (AP) — Francisco Mejia says he's focusing on his defense, but his offense hasn't suffered at all.Mejia hit a three-run homer off Texas' Mike Minor on Thursday. The switch-hitting catcher, who connected from the right side, has reached base in all nine of his Cactus League games. He's batting .474 (9 for 19) with two homers and three doubles."It's a good start. He's had some really good at-bats, some good swings," manager Andy Green said Thursday.Mejia said he's tried to stay patient at the plate, but his main focus has been behind the plate. He has a strong arm, but blocking pitches and working with the staff are areas where he's been asked to improve."Ever since last season ended, I've been working on my defense," Mejia said through a translator. "I'm focusing on that to make sure I'm getting better."Mejia was a top prospect in the Cleveland organization. But the Indians had some uncertainty over his ability to play behind the plate and gave him trials at third base and in... [More]

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Padres agreed to one-year contracts with their three remaining arbitration-eligible players: closer Kirby Yates, catcher Austin Hedges and left-hander Robbie Erlin.Yates agreed Friday to a deal for $3,062,500, Hedges for $2.06 million and Erlin for $1.45 million.Yates took over as closer after All-Star Brad Hand was traded to Cleveland. Yates finished with 12 saves and a 2.14 ERA while going 3-5.Erlin was 4-7 with a 4.21 ERA in 39 appearances, including 12 starts. Hedges hit .231 with 14 homers and 37 RBIs.San Diego outfielder Travis Jankowski agreed Thursday to a $1,165,000 salary for this year.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/tag/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Outfielder Travis Jankowski and the San Diego Padres agreed to a one-year contract worth $1,165,000, a raise from his $555,000 salary last year.The 27-year-old hit .259 with four homers and 17 RBIs last year.Three Padres remain eligible for arbitration and absent an agreement: right-hander Kirby Yates, left-hander Robbie Erlin and catcher Austin Hedges.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/tag/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CARLSBAD, Calif. (AP) — Cincinnati outfielder Scott Schebler and Texas pitcher Matt Bush just missed the cutoff for salary arbitration eligibility, while Chicago Cubs pitcher Carl Edwards Jr. and Toronto pitcher Joe Biagini earned the final spots.The Major League Baseball Players Association said Thursday the cutoff for eligibility this winter is 2 years, 134 days of major league service, up from 2 years, 123 days last year. The top 22 percent of players by service time with at least two years but less than three are eligible for arbitration as long as they had at least 86 days this year. They join the older group of 3- to 6-year players.Players and teams are scheduled to exchange proposed salaries on Jan. 11, and hearings for those lacking agreements will be scheduled for Jan. 28 to Feb. 15 in St. Petersburg, Florida.Twenty-five players are eligible as so-called super-2s. New York Yankees pitcher Luis Severino tops the list of service time at 2 years, 170 days, and the group also includes... [More]

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Eric Hosmer, San Diego's $144 million man, acknowledges he simply wasn't as good as he needed to be in what was supposed to be a steppingstone season for the rebuilding Padres.The burst of energy provided by Hosmer's signing during spring training didn't last long. The Padres, who have had three waves of young talent come up since beginning their deep rebuild during the 2016 season, staggered through another dismal year, finishing last in the NL West at 66-96, five losses worse than in 2017.Hosmer's average of .253 was down 65 points and his on-base percentage was his lowest in four seasons. His 18 homers and 65 RBIs were also his lowest in four seasons."Not where I want to be," said Hosmer, who was an All-Star and World Series champion while with Kansas City. "It was just a down year, definitely not the way I wanted to perform here the first year. Nothing I can do about it now. All I can do is go put in the work in the offseason and try to be ready to go next spring."There's... [More]