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]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Houston Astros hitting coach Álex Cintrón received a 20-game suspension and a fine for his role in a benches-clearing brawl at Oakland, Major League Baseball announced Tuesday.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.In addition, Athletics outfielder Ramon Laureano was given a six-game suspension and a fine. He is appealing the punishment, a person with direct knowledge of the process said Tuesday, speaking on condition of anonymity because that wasn't made public.Laureano was hit by a pitch from Humberto Castellanos with one out in the seventh inning of Oakland's 7-2 victory Sunday. He began exchanging words with a gesturing Cintrón then left first base, threw down his batting helmet and began sprinting toward Cintrón.Astros catcher Dustin Garneau tackled Laureano before the A’s outfielder got to the hitting coach. Laureano is a former Astros player and the rival clubs have been the top two in the AL West the past two years. A's pitcher Mike Fiers, another former Houston player, revealed the Astros' sign-stealing scandal in November to The Athletic.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Houston Astros hitting coach Álex Cintrón faces a 20-game suspension and a fine for his role in a benches-clearing brawl at Oakland, a person with direct knowledge of the punishment said Tuesday.In addition, Athletics outfielder Ramon Laureano will receive a six-game suspension and a fine, the person said, speaking on condition of anonymity because Major League Baseball hadn't made a formal announcement and was still finalizing the details.Laureano was hit by a pitch from Humberto Castellanos with one out in the seventh inning of Oakland's 7-2 victory Sunday. He began exchanging words with a gesturing Cintrón then left first base, threw down his batting helmet and began sprinting toward Cintrón.Astros catcher Dustin Garneau tackled Laureano before the A’s outfielder got to the hitting coach. Laureano is a former Astros player and the rival clubs have been the top two in the AL West the past two years. A's pitcher Mike Fiers, another former Houston player, revealed the Astros' sign-stealing scandal in November to The Athletic.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

A look at what's happening in the majors today:PENALTIES POSSIBLEThe Athletics try for their 10th straight win when they start a series on the road against the Angeles. In the meantime, outfielder Ramon Laureano and the A’s -- along with the Houston Astros -- will see if Major League Baseball will issue any discipline for their dust-up.Laureano charged toward Houston bench coach Álex Cintrón after being hit by a pitch Sunday at the Coliseum. Astros catcher Dustin Garneau left the dugout to tackle Laureano as the benches emptied.Players who were sitting in the seats, observing COVID-19 social-distancing protocols, also rushed onto the field. The skirmish came months after Houston’s sign-stealing scandal was brought to light by Oakland pitcher Mike Fiers.Less than two weeks ago, Dodgers reliever Joe Kelly was suspended by MLB for eight game after throwing two pitches near the heads of Houston hitter. Kelly is appealing the penalty.NEW NESTVladimir Guerrero Jr. and the Blue Jays might take... [More]

Benches cleared and even the stands emptied during Oakland’s 7-2 victory over the Astros on Sunday, tempers flaring at last between the AL West rivals months after Houston’s sign-stealing scandal was brought to light by Oakland pitcher Mike Fiers.Oakland’s Ramon Laureano got hit by a pitch — for the third time in the three-game series — this one by Humberto Castellanos with one out in the seventh. Laureano began exchanging words with animated Astros hitting coach Alex Cintron, then left first base, threw down his batting helmet and began sprinting toward him.Astros catcher Dustin Garneau tackled Laureano before the A’s outfielder reached Cintron, and a wild scene ensued.Players rushed out of both dugouts to join the fray. A’s and Astros players who were sitting in the seats, observing COVID-19 social-distancing protocols, also rushed onto the field. Laureano was ejected by plate ump Ted Barrett. Oakland won its ninth straight, and Houston lost its fifth in a row.Matt Olson hit a three-run... [More]

Benches cleared and even the stands emptied during Oakland’s 7-2 victory over the Astros on Sunday, tempers flaring at last between the AL West rivals months after Houston’s sign-stealing scandal was brought to light by Oakland pitcher Mike Fiers.Oakland’s Ramon Laureano got hit by a pitch — for the third time in the three-game series — this one by Humberto Castellanos with one out in the seventh. Laureano began exchanging words with animated Astros hitting coach Alex Cintron, then left first base, threw down his batting helmet and began sprinting toward him.Astros catcher Dustin Garneau tackled Laureano before the A’s outfielder reached Cintron, and a wild scene ensued.Players rushed out of both dugouts to join the fray. A’s and Astros players who were sitting in the seats, observing COVID-19 social-distancing protocols, also rushed onto the field. Laureano was ejected by plate ump Ted Barrett. Oakland won its ninth straight, and Houston lost its fifth in a row.Matt Olson hit a three-run... [More]

Benches cleared and even the stands emptied during Oakland’s 7-2 victory over the Astros on Sunday, tempers flaring at last between the AL West rivals months after Houston’s sign-stealing scandal was brought to light by Oakland pitcher Mike Fiers.Oakland’s Ramon Laureano got hit by a pitch — for the third time in the three-game series — this one by Humberto Castellanos with one out in the seventh. Laureano began exchanging words with animated Astros hitting coach Alex Cintron, then left first base, threw down his batting helmet and began sprinting toward him.Astros catcher Dustin Garneau tackled Laureano before the A’s outfielder reached Cintron, and a wild scene ensued.Players rushed out of both dugouts to join the fray. A’s and Astros players who were sitting in the seats, observing COVID-19 social-distancing protocols, also rushed onto the field. Laureano was ejected by plate ump Ted Barrett. Oakland won its ninth straight, and Houston lost its fifth in a row.Matt Olson hit a three-run... [More]

Benches cleared and even the stands emptied during Oakland’s 7-2 victory over the Astros on Sunday, tempers flaring at last between the AL West rivals months after Houston’s sign-stealing scandal was brought to light by Oakland pitcher Mike Fiers.Oakland’s Ramon Laureano got hit by a pitch — for the third time in the three-game series — this one by Humberto Castellanos with one out in the seventh. Laureano began exchanging words with animated Astros hitting coach Alex Cintron, then left first base, threw down his batting helmet and began sprinting toward him.Astros catcher Dustin Garneau tackled Laureano before the A’s outfielder reached Cintron, and a wild scene ensued.Players rushed out of both dugouts to join the fray. A’s and Astros players who were sitting in the seats, observing COVID-19 social-distancing protocols, also rushed onto the field. Laureano was ejected by plate ump Ted Barrett. Oakland won its ninth straight, and Houston lost its fifth in a row.Matt Olson hit a three-run... [More]

A look at what's happening in the majors on Monday:PENALTIES POSSIBLEThe Athletics try for their 10th straight win when they start a series on the road against the Angeles. In the meantime, outfielder Ramon Laureano and the A’s -- along with the Houston Astros -- will see if Major League Baseball will issue any discipline for their dust-up.Laureano charged toward Houston bench coach Álex Cintrón after being hit by a pitch Sunday at the Coliseum. Astros catcher Dustin Garneau left the dugout to tackle Laureano as the benches emptied.Players who were sitting in the seats, observing COVID-19 social-distancing protocols, also rushed onto the field. The skirmish came months after Houston’s sign-stealing scandal was brought to light by Oakland pitcher Mike Fiers.Less than two weeks ago, Dodgers reliever Joe Kelly was suspended by MLB for eight game after throwing two pitches near the heads of Houston hitter. Kelly is appealing the penalty.NEW NESTVladimir Guerrero Jr. and the Blue Jays might... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Benches cleared during the seventh inning of the Astros-Athletics series finale Sunday, tempers flaring at last between the AL West rivals months after Houston's sign-stealing scandal was brought to light by Oakland pitcher Mike Fiers.Oakland's Ramon Laureano was hit by a pitch from Humberto Castellanos with one out in the seventh. He began exchanging words with Astros hitting coach Alex Cintron, then left first base, threw down his batting helmet and began sprinting toward Cintron.Astros catcher Dustin Garneau tackled Laureano before the A's outfielder got to the hitting coach. Players rushed out of both dugouts. Laureano was ejected by plate umpire Ted Barrett, and the umpiring crew could easily be heard yelling at the players to “get back to the dugout!” through a ballpark with no fans.AL West-leading Oakland led 6-2 at the time and was riding an eight-game winning streak. The three-time reigning division champion Astros were riding a four-game losing streak.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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]

HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Astros surrendered a tiebreaking two-run single to rookie Kyle Lewis in the eighth inning of a 7-6 loss to the Seattle Mariners on Sunday, and then announced ace Justin Verlander will be shut down for at least two weeks with a strained right forearm.Astros manager Dusty Baker denied a report that said the injury would end Verlander’s season. He said Verlander would be evaluated after two weeks.Lewis and Shed Long Jr. each had two hits and two RBIs for the Mariners, who had dropped their last 15 games against Houston.Dan Altavilla (1-0) got the win. Taylor Williams yielded an RBI double to Michael Brantley before striking out Alex Bregman for his first career save.Martín Maldonado drove in two runs for Houston. Chris Devenski (0-1) got the loss.MARLINS 11, PHILLIES 6PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Miami scratched right-hander José Ureña from its victory at Philadelphia and delayed its postgame trip home amid concerns about a possible coronavirus outbreak within the team. No... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Astros surrendered a tiebreaking two-run single to rookie Kyle Lewis in the eighth inning of a 7-6 loss to the Seattle Mariners on Sunday, and then announced ace Justin Verlander will be shut down for at least two weeks with a strained right forearm.Astros manager Dusty Baker denied a report that said the injury would end Verlander’s season. He said Verlander would be evaluated after two weeks.Lewis and Shed Long Jr. each had two hits and two RBIs for the Mariners, who had dropped their last 15 games against Houston.Dan Altavilla (1-0) got the win. Taylor Williams yielded an RBI double to Michael Brantley before striking out Alex Bregman for his first career save.Martín Maldonado drove in two runs for Houston. Chris Devenski (0-1) got the loss.MARLINS 11, PHILLIES 6PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Miami scratched right-hander José Ureña from its victory at Philadelphia and delayed its postgame trip home amid concerns about a possible coronavirus outbreak within the team. No... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Astros surrendered a tiebreaking two-run single to rookie Kyle Lewis in the eighth inning of a 7-6 loss to the Seattle Mariners on Sunday, and then announced ace Justin Verlander will be shut down for at least two weeks with a strained right forearm.Astros manager Dusty Baker denied a report that said the injury would end Verlander’s season. He said Verlander would be evaluated after two weeks.Lewis and Shed Long Jr. each had two hits and two RBIs for the Mariners, who had dropped their last 15 games against Houston.Dan Altavilla (1-0) got the win. Taylor Williams yielded an RBI double to Michael Brantley before striking out Alex Bregman for his first career save.Martín Maldonado drove in two runs for Houston. Chris Devenski (0-1) got the loss.MARLINS 11, PHILLIES 6PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Miami scratched right-hander José Ureña from its victory at Philadelphia and delayed its postgame trip home amid concerns about a possible coronavirus outbreak within the team. No... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Astros surrendered a tiebreaking two-run single to rookie Kyle Lewis in the eighth inning of a 7-6 loss to the Seattle Mariners on Sunday, and then announced ace Justin Verlander will be shut down for at least two weeks with a strained right forearm.Astros manager Dusty Baker denied a report that said the injury would end Verlander’s season. He said Verlander would be evaluated after two weeks.Lewis and Shed Long Jr. each had two hits and two RBIs for the Mariners, who had dropped their last 15 games against Houston.Dan Altavilla (1-0) got the win. Taylor Williams yielded an RBI double to Michael Brantley before striking out Alex Bregman for his first career save.Martín Maldonado drove in two runs for Houston. Chris Devenski (0-1) got the loss.MARLINS 11, PHILLIES 6PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Miami scratched right-hander José Ureña from its victory at Philadelphia and delayed its postgame trip home amid concerns about a possible coronavirus outbreak within the team. No... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Astros surrendered a tiebreaking two-run single to rookie Kyle Lewis in the eighth inning of a 7-6 loss to the Seattle Mariners on Sunday, and then announced ace Justin Verlander will be shut down for at least two weeks with a strained right forearm.Astros manager Dusty Baker denied a report that said the injury would end Verlander’s season. He said Verlander would be evaluated after two weeks.Lewis and Shed Long Jr. each had two hits and two RBIs for the Mariners, who had dropped their last 15 games against Houston.Dan Altavilla (1-0) got the win. Taylor Williams yielded an RBI double to Michael Brantley before striking out Alex Bregman for his first career save.Martín Maldonado drove in two runs for Houston. Chris Devenski (0-1) got the loss.MARLINS 11, PHILLIES 6PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Miami scratched right-hander José Ureña from its victory at Philadelphia and delayed its postgame trip home amid concerns about a possible coronavirus outbreak within the team. No... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler plans to use his position to speak out against racial injustice and provide a voice for those who aren't heard.Kapler and several of his players knelt during the national anthem before their 6-2 exhibition victory against the Oakland Athletics. Kapler shared his plans when he addressed the team earlier Monday, and he said everyone would be supported by the Giants no matter what they decided to do.“I wanted them to know that I wasn't pleased with the way our country has handled police brutality and I told them I wanted to amplify their voices and I wanted to amplify the voice of the Black community and marginalized communities as well," Kapler said. "So I told them that I wanted to use my platform to demonstrate my dissatisfaction with the way we've handled racism in our country. I wanted to demonstrate my dissatisfaction with our clear systemic racism in our country and I wanted them to know that they got to make their own... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler plans to use his position to speak out against racial injustice and provide a voice for those who aren't heard.Kapler and several of his players knelt during the national anthem before their 6-2 exhibition victory against the Oakland Athletics. Kapler shared his plans when he addressed the team earlier Monday, and he said everyone would be supported by the Giants no matter what they decided to do.“I wanted them to know that I wasn't pleased with the way our country has handled police brutality and I told them I wanted to amplify their voices and I wanted to amplify the voice of the Black community and marginalized communities as well," Kapler said. "So I told them that I wanted to use my platform to demonstrate my dissatisfaction with the way we've handled racism in our country. I wanted to demonstrate my dissatisfaction with our clear systemic racism in our country and I wanted them to know that they got to make their own... [More]