ATLANTA (AP) — Nationals ace Max Scherzer singled as a pinch hitter in the 14th inning and scored the tiebreaking run on Wilmer Difo's triple, sparking Washington to a 5-3 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Saturday.In his third big league pinch-hit appearance, Scherzer singled up the middle against Miguel Socolovich (0-1) and sped home from first base on Difo's hit to right-center field. Spencer Kieboom added an RBI single. Scherzer, a three-time Cy Young Award winner, touched off a dugout celebration after he scored.Justin Miller (2-0) struck out five in three innings, facing the minimum, and Sean Doolittle got three straight outs for his 14th save.Juan Soto and Michael Taylor homered for Washington. Johan Camargo hit his third home run this week for Atlanta.YANKEES 8, ORIOLES 5BALTIMORE (AP) — Giancarlo Stanton and Miguel Andujar homered to help Masahiro Tanaka win his fifth straight decision, and the New York Yankees extended the Orioles' losing streak to seven games.Tanaka (7-2) allowed... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Nationals ace Max Scherzer singled as a pinch hitter in the 14th inning and scored the tiebreaking run on Wilmer Difo's triple, sparking Washington to a 5-3 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Saturday.In his third big league pinch-hit appearance, Scherzer singled up the middle against Miguel Socolovich (0-1) and sped home from first base on Difo's hit to right-center field. Spencer Kieboom added an RBI single. Scherzer, a three-time Cy Young Award winner, touched off a dugout celebration after he scored.Justin Miller (2-0) struck out five in three innings, facing the minimum, and Sean Doolittle got three straight outs for his 14th save.Juan Soto and Michael Taylor homered for Washington. Johan Camargo hit his third home run this week for Atlanta.YANKEES 8, ORIOLES 5BALTIMORE (AP) — Giancarlo Stanton and Miguel Andujar homered to help Masahiro Tanaka win his fifth straight decision, and the New York Yankees extended the Orioles' losing streak to seven games.Tanaka (7-2) allowed... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Nationals ace Max Scherzer singled as a pinch hitter in the 14th inning and scored the tiebreaking run on Wilmer Difo's triple, sparking Washington to a 5-3 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Saturday.In his third big league pinch-hit appearance, Scherzer singled up the middle against Miguel Socolovich (0-1) and sped home from first base on Difo's hit to right-center field. Spencer Kieboom added an RBI single. Scherzer, a three-time Cy Young Award winner, touched off a dugout celebration after he scored.Justin Miller (2-0) struck out five in three innings, facing the minimum, and Sean Doolittle got three straight outs for his 14th save.Juan Soto and Michael Taylor homered for Washington. Johan Camargo hit his third home run this week for Atlanta.YANKEES 8, ORIOLES 5BALTIMORE (AP) — Giancarlo Stanton and Miguel Andujar homered to help Masahiro Tanaka win his fifth straight decision, and the New York Yankees extended the Orioles' losing streak to seven games.Tanaka (7-2) allowed... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Brett Gardner tied it with his second homer of the game, a one-out, two-run drive in the ninth inning, Gleyber Torres hit a winning single in the 10th and the New York Yankees rallied to beat the Houston Astros 6-5 Tuesday night.The Yankees won despite making five errors — including two by Torres at second base — for the first time since 2014. They also came up with a startling defensive play in the 10th when Aroldis Chapman (2-0) threw a 100 mph fastball to the backstop that took a fortuitous carom to catcher Gary Sanchez, who threw out Tony Kemp at third base.Miguel Andujar doubled against Brad Peacock (1-3) with two outs in the 10th, and Torres lined an opposite-field single to right.RED SOX 8, BLUE JAYS 3BOSTON (AP) — Sandy Leon hit a home run and two doubles, Xander Bogaerts also homered and Rick Porcello took a three-hitter into the seventh inning, helping Boston beat Toronto to match the second-best start in franchise history.J.D. Martinez also had two of Boston's... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Brett Gardner tied it with his second homer of the game, a one-out, two-run drive in the ninth inning, Gleyber Torres hit a winning single in the 10th and the New York Yankees rallied to beat the Houston Astros 6-5 Tuesday night.The Yankees won despite making five errors — including two by Torres at second base — for the first time since 2014. They also came up with a startling defensive play in the 10th when Aroldis Chapman (2-0) threw a 100 mph fastball to the backstop that took a fortuitous carom to catcher Gary Sanchez, who threw out Tony Kemp at third base.Miguel Andujar doubled against Brad Peacock (1-3) with two outs in the 10th, and Torres lined an opposite-field single to right.RED SOX 8, BLUE JAYS 3BOSTON (AP) — Sandy Leon hit a home run and two doubles, Xander Bogaerts also homered and Rick Porcello took a three-hitter into the seventh inning, helping Boston beat Toronto to match the second-best start in franchise history.J.D. Martinez also had two of Boston's... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Justin Verlander tamed the Yankees again, slowing down the highest-scoring team in the majors and pitching the Houston Astros past New York 5-1 Monday.Verlander exited in the seventh inning with a major league-best 1.11 ERA. J.D. Davis hit an early three-run homer and Jose Altuve had a solo drive, helping Houston win for the sixth time in eight games.Davis hit his first homer of the season, connecting in the second off Domingo German (0-3).Closer Ken Giles, tagged Sunday as the Astros blew a five-run lead in the ninth at Cleveland, pitched the final inning and worked around a leadoff single.Facing the only club in baseball that hasn't been shut out this season, Verlander (7-2) blanked the Yankees until Greg Bird hit a leadoff home run in the seventh.As he left, Verlander took off his cap and waved it toward a solid contingent of Astros fans wearing bright orange behind the dugout.NATIONALS 6, ORIOLES 0BALTIMORE (AP) — Anthony Rendon hit a three-run homer to back a sharp... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Justin Verlander tamed the Yankees again, slowing down the highest-scoring team in the majors and pitching the Houston Astros past New York 5-1 Monday.Verlander exited in the seventh inning with a major league-best 1.11 ERA. J.D. Davis hit an early three-run homer and Jose Altuve had a solo drive, helping Houston win for the sixth time in eight games.Davis hit his first homer of the season, connecting in the second off Domingo German (0-3).Closer Ken Giles, tagged Sunday as the Astros blew a five-run lead in the ninth at Cleveland, pitched the final inning and worked around a leadoff single.Facing the only club in baseball that hasn't been shut out this season, Verlander (7-2) blanked the Yankees until Greg Bird hit a leadoff home run in the seventh.As he left, Verlander took off his cap and waved it toward a solid contingent of Astros fans wearing bright orange behind the dugout.NATIONALS 6, ORIOLES 0BALTIMORE (AP) — Anthony Rendon hit a three-run homer to back a sharp... [More]

BALTIMORE (AP) — Anthony Rendon hit a three-run homer to back a sharp pitching performance by Gio Gonzalez, and the surging Washington Nationals beat the Baltimore Orioles 6-0 Monday.Gonzalez (6-2) allowed six hits over 7 2/3 innings to end a six-game losing streak against Baltimore. The left-hander won his first start against the Orioles in 2009 before coming up empty in his next nine outings.Shawn Kelley got four outs to complete the fifth shutout against the Orioles this season.Matt Adams and Michael Taylor both had two hits and an RBI for the Nationals, who have won four straight and 13 of 18.Though NL home run leader Bryce Harper went hitless, his leaping catch against the right-field wall in the fifth inning robbed Andrew Susac of a potential extra-base hit.Making his ninth start with Baltimore since signing as a free agent in March, Alex Cobb (1-7) was undone by a horrific, 42-pitch third inning that featured Rendon's sixth home run.BRAVES 4, METS 3ATLANTA (AP) — Charlie Culberson's... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Braves have released Jose Bautista a month after picking up the veteran slugger and will make Johan Camargo their starting third baseman.General manager Alex Anthopolous said the team made the decision Saturday before Camargo drove in two runs in an 8-1 win over Miami. Camargo, a switch-hitter, will play every day.The 37-year-old Bautista hit .143 with two homers and five RBIs in 12 games with the Braves after having his contract purchased from Triple-A Gwinnett. The six-time All-Star struck out 12 times in 35 at-bats."We agreed, for him, if there wasn't going to be at-bats here and there wasn't going to be playing time here, that it was not right for him," Anthopolous said Sunday.Bautista played outfield during most of his 14-year career, but the Braves signed him to a minor league contract last month, hoping the former Toronto star could add depth to the National League's top-scoring offense and shore up third base.Camargo, a 24-year-old from Panama, was the... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Braves have released Jose Bautista a month after picking up the veteran slugger and will make Johan Camargo their starting third baseman.General manager Alex Anthopolous said the team made the decision Saturday before Camargo drove in two runs in an 8-1 win over Miami. Camargo, a switch-hitter, will play every day.The 37-year-old Bautista hit .143 with two homers and five RBIs in 12 games with the Braves after having his contract purchased from Triple-A Gwinnett. The six-time All-Star struck out 12 times in 35 at-bats."We agreed, for him, if there wasn't going to be at-bats here and there wasn't going to be playing time here, that it was not right for him," Anthopolous said Sunday.Bautista played outfield during most of his 14-year career, but the Braves signed him to a minor league contract last month, hoping the former Toronto star could add depth to the National League's top-scoring offense and shore up third base.Camargo, a 24-year-old from Panama, was the... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Matt Kemp had a pinch-hit, two-run double in the ninth inning, and the Los Angeles Dodgers survived a sterling performance by Max Scherzer to beat the Washington Nationals 5-4 on Saturday night and sweep a day-night doubleheader.Scherzer struck out 13 in seven innings, and Washington led 4-3 entering the ninth. But closer Sean Doolittle (1-2) allowed singles to Austin Barnes and Logan Forsythe, and Kemp then hit a line drive to the wall in left field to score them both.Erik Goeddel (3-0) worked a scoreless eighth in his Dodgers debut after being acquired off waivers on Friday from Seattle Mariners. Kenley Jansen worked the ninth for his eighth save, and his second on the day.The Dodgers used eight pitchers. Starter Rich Hill threw just two pitches before leaving with a recurrence of the blister on his left middle finger that has already put him on the disabled list twice this season.In the first game, Ross Stripling (1-1) struck out a career-high nine in six strong innings... [More]

SEATTLE (AP) — Bartolo Colon laughed off having Jean Segura's line drive hit him in the stomach, allowing four hits in 7 2/3 shutout innings and giving the Texas Rangers a 5-1 win over the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday.Colon (2-1), who turns 45 on May 24, struck out two, walked none and threw 71 of 96 pitches for strikes.Delino DeShields gave Texas the lead with a two-out RBI double in the eighth inning that scored Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who had singled off James Pazos (1-1). The Rangers added four more in the ninth, all after Ryon Healy's two-out error.ASTROS 2, ANGELS 0ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Justin Verlander pitched a five-hitter for his first shutout in three years and Evan Gattis hit a two-run homer as Houston beat Los Angeles.Verlander (5-2) was superb in ending his two-game skid, finishing with seven strikeouts to reach 2,500 for his career. He walked one and lowered his ERA from 1.21 to 1.05.The right-hander threw 118 pitches in his 24th career complete game and first since 2016 with... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Gleyber Torres became the youngest Yankees player to hit a walkoff homer, a three-run shot in the ninth inning that gave New York a 7-4 win over the Cleveland Indians on Sunday for its 15th victory in 16 games.At 21 years and 144 days, bettered Mickey Mantle, who was 21 years and 185 days when he hit three-run, ninth-inning drive of Boston's Ellis Kinder in a 6-3 win on April 23, 1953.Aaron Hicks and Neil Walker, who began the day batting .182, opened the ninth with consecutive doubles to tie it, chasing Allen (2-1). One out later, pinch-hitter Giancarlo Stanton was intentionally walked and Torres drove a full-count pitch from Dan Otero over the center-field fence.Chasen Shreve (2-0) struck out two in a perfect ninth for the win.ANGELS 8, MARINERS 2SEATTLE (AP) — Shohei Ohtani returned from a sprained ankle and took a shutout into the seventh inning while outpitching Felix Hernandez, Mike Trout hit his 12th home run and the Angels beat the Mariners.Ohtani (3-1) made his... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Gleyber Torres became the youngest Yankees player to hit a walkoff homer, a three-run shot in the ninth inning that gave New York a 7-4 win over the Cleveland Indians on Sunday for its 15th victory in 16 games.At 21 years and 144 days, bettered Mickey Mantle, who was 21 years and 185 days when he hit three-run, ninth-inning drive of Boston's Ellis Kinder in a 6-3 win on April 23, 1953.Aaron Hicks and Neil Walker, who began the day batting .182, opened the ninth with consecutive doubles to tie it, chasing Allen (2-1). One out later, pinch-hitter Giancarlo Stanton was intentionally walked and Torres drove a full-count pitch from Dan Otero over the center-field fence.Chasen Shreve (2-0) struck out two in a perfect ninth for the win.ANGELS 8, MARINERS 2SEATTLE (AP) — Shohei Ohtani returned from a sprained ankle and took a shutout into the seventh inning while outpitching Felix Hernandez, Mike Trout hit his 12th home run and the Angels beat the Mariners.Ohtani (3-1) made his... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Jose Bautista stopped short of saying he won't be flipping bats with the Atlanta Braves.He's still Joey Bats, after all."I don't consider it part of my repertoire as a player," Bautista said with a smile. "I'm just looking to contribute on the field and help these guys win ballgames."Bautista returned to the major leagues Friday after the Braves selected his contract from Triple-A Gwinnett. The 37-year-old was fifth in the batting order against San Francisco and doubled off the center-field wall in his first at-bat.Unable to find a job during the offseason, Bautista agreed to a minor league contract with the Braves on April 18 and hit .250 with one homer and eight RBIs at Gwinnett. He will get $819,672, a prorated share of his $1 million salary.Atlanta wanted the six-time All-Star to play third base, a position he had not seen much time at since 2011. He had two errors in 30 chances at Gwinnett.Bautista replaces Ryan Flaherty and Johan Camargo as Atlanta's primary third baseman."I... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Shortstop Dansby Swanson was placed on the 10-day disabled list by the Atlanta Braves with left wrist inflammation.Swanson was removed from Wednesday's game at the New York Mets in the sixth inning and did not play in Thursday's trip finale. He is hitting .298 with two homers and 13 RBIs but just .171 in his last 35 at-bats."It's just something he's been fighting," manager Brian Snitker said Friday. "But he's handled it and managed it. It was pretty evident to me in the at-bat that it wasn't going well. I didn't want to take any chances with it."Johan Camargo started in Swanson's spot. Atlanta recalled Preston Tucker from Triple-A Gwinnett. The outfielder was optioned earlier Friday when Jose Bautista was brought up.___For more AP baseball coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

ATLANTA (AP) — Jose Bautista is back in the major leagues with the Atlanta Braves, who inserted the 37-year-old at third base and fifth in the batting order against San Francisco.Unable to find a job during the offseason, Bautista agreed to a minor league contract with the Braves on April 18 and hit .250 with one homer and eight RBIs at Triple-A Gwinnett.Atlanta wanted the six-time All-Star to play third base, a position he had not seen much time at since 2011. He had two errors in 30 chances at Gwinnett.Bautista replaces Ryan Flaherty and Johan Camargo as Atlanta's primary third baseman.Atlanta had won five straight entering Friday, moving into the NL East lead. The Braves outfield is set with Ender Inciarte, Nick Markakis and 20-year-old Ronald Acuna Jr., the youngest position player in the major leagues.Bautista earned $18 million under a one-year deal with Toronto last season but put up subpar numbers for the second straight year, hitting .203 with 23 homers and 65 RBIs in 157 games.He will get $819,672, a prorated share of his $1 million salary.To clear a roster spot, Atlanta optioned outfielder Preston Tucker to Triple-A Gwinnett.___For more AP baseball coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Braves have taken over the contract of Jose Bautista from Triple-A Gwinnett, making the former Toronto slugger their starting third baseman.Bautista will bat fifth in Friday's game against San Francisco. Atlanta will make a corresponding move to make room for him on the 25-man roster.Bautista, a six-time All-Star outfielder, has moved to a position he's played sparingly in a 14-year career. But the Braves, winners of five straight to move atop the NL East, planned to use Bautista at third when they signed him to a minor-league deal on April 18.Atlanta is set in the outfield with Ender Inciarte, Nick Markakis and phenom Ronald Acuna Jr.Bringing aboard Bautista adds more power to a lineup that leads the majors with a .456 slugging percentage and sits atop the NL in RBIs. His prorated $1 million, one-year contract was guaranteed when he joined the roster.In 10 games and 44 at-bats with Gwinnett, Bautista hit .250 with one homer and eight RBIs as he worked exclusively... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Atlanta Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson will sit out Thursday's game against the New York Mets, a day after being lifted with a sore left wrist.Swanson felt discomfort during the second of his two strikeouts Wednesday night and was replaced by Johan Camargo in the field for the sixth inning in a 7-0 win against the Mets.Braves manager Brian Snitker removed Swanson as a precaution."That last at-bat he had, I could just tell something wasn't right with the swing," Snitker said. "Something that got a little sore and I just wanted to get him out of there."Snitker said Swanson will be re-evaluated after sitting out Thursday.Swanson, the first overall pick in the 2015 draft, is having a bounce-back season after a disappointing 2017. He is hitting .289 with two homers and 13 RBIs.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

NEW YORK (AP) — Atlanta Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson has been lifted from a game against the New York Mets with a sore left wrist.The Braves said Swanson left Wednesday night for precautionary reasons. Swanson struck out in his first two at-bats before being replaced by Johan Camargo in the field for the sixth inning.Swanson, the first overall pick in the 2015 draft, is having a bounce-back season after a disappointing 2017. He is hitting .289 with two homers and 13 RBIs.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball