WASHINGTON (AP) — Juan Soto drove in the winning run with a single on a 3-0 pitch in the bottom of the ninth inning Tuesday, lifting the coronavirus-depleted Washington Nationals to a 6-5 comeback victory over the Atlanta Braves after waiting five days to start their season. Lefty reliever Will Smith (0-1) entered for the ninth and promptly gave up a single to new leadoff hitter Victor Robles, and then hit Trea Turner with a pitch. That brought up Soto, the 2020 NL batting champion, and he delivered a line drive to center field. Ronald Acuña Jr., Freddie Freeman and Dansby Swanson homered against Washington ace Max Scherzer. Acuña drove Scherzer's first pitch of the game deep to left-center, and led off the third with his second homer. Turner hit a two-run shot for the Nationals. Daniel Hudson (1-0) got the win. Because of a COVID-19 outbreak — four players tested positive; seven were forced into quarantine after potentially being exposed — Washington’s first four scheduled games were scrapped.... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Juan Soto drove in the winning run with a single on a 3-0 pitch in the bottom of the ninth inning Tuesday, lifting the coronavirus-depleted Washington Nationals to a 6-5 comeback victory over the Atlanta Braves after waiting five days to start their season. Lefty reliever Will Smith (0-1) entered for the ninth and promptly gave up a single to new leadoff hitter Victor Robles, and then hit Trea Turner with a pitch. That brought up Soto, the 2020 NL batting champion, and he delivered a line drive to center field. Ronald Acuña Jr., Freddie Freeman and Dansby Swanson homered against Washington ace Max Scherzer. Acuña drove Scherzer's first pitch of the game deep to left-center, and led off the third with his second homer. Turner hit a two-run shot for the Nationals. Daniel Hudson (1-0) got the win. Because of a COVID-19 outbreak — four players tested positive; seven were forced into quarantine after potentially being exposed — Washington’s first four scheduled games were scrapped.... [More]

Spring training took its toll on the Cincinnati Reds, and some key players who suffered injuries won't be back in time for Thursday's opener. Outfielder Shogo Akiyama (hamstring), and pitchers Sonny Gray (back) and Michael Lorenzen (shoulder strain) will miss the opener but aren't expected to be sidelined too long after that. The good news is first baseman Joey Votto, who missed 13 days of spring training with COVID-19, has eased his way back, hit the ball well and looked solid in the field during the final spring training games. He appears to be in position to start on opening day for the 13th consecutive season, but that decision has yet to be made. Outfielder Nick Senzel also is expected to be on manager David Bell's lineup card Thursday after dealing with a groin strain this spring. Tejay Antone, who was a candidate for Cincinnati's starting rotation, was hampered by minor groin and hip issues. He didn't get enough innings to earn a starting role but is expected to be fine for bullpen... [More]

Michael Kopech is getting used to his new relief role with the Chicago White Sox. Judging by his first Cactus League appearance, it looks like he's going to be just fine. The talented right-hander worked a perfect fourth inning Tuesday against San Diego. It was his first game since he opted out of the pandemic-shortened season for a variety of reasons, including concerns about his mental health. “It’s been a while, obviously,” Kopech said. “But it just felt good to kind of knock some rust off and get back out there and compete.” The 24-year-old Kopech, one of baseball’s top pitching prospects, was a starter coming up through the minors and likely will return to Chicago’s rotation at some point. But he is expected to begin the year in the White Sox bullpen. Part of his spring training work involves getting up to speed when it comes to life as a reliever. He worked out of the stretch against the Padres. “If I am going to be throwing out of the bullpen for part of this year at least and maybe... [More]

Shohei Ohtani figured he’d be careful in his return to the mound after two injury-spoiled seasons. A few batters in, the Los Angeles Angels’ two-way sensation reached back for a little extra — and brought back some of the buzz that surrounded his major league debut three years ago. Ohtani reached 100 mph with his fastball and showed off his signature splitter while striking out five over 1 2/3 innings in the Angels’ 7-3 win over the Oakland Athletics on Friday. The right-hander allowed a run, three hits and two walks, struggling to command his slider but showcasing the arm strength and stuff that allowed him to dominate in the majors before Tommy John surgery in 2018. “Since this was my first game, I wasn’t planning on letting it go in the beginning, especially early in counts,” Ohtani said via translator. “As the game went on, I felt better and I started throwing harder, but I think that led to me cutting the ball a couple times, so it’s something I have to work on.” The 26-year-old Japanese... [More]

Shortly after noon in Atlanta, Nick Senzel of the Cincinnati Reds slapped the first pitch from Max Fried to right field for a single, starting a day of baseball unlike any that had come before. Eight postseason games, all set to start in a span of around 10 hours. “This is like September Madness,” Houston manager Dusty Baker said. “It’s going to be mad.” Wednesday indeed had a bit of an NCAA Tournament feel, with a smorgasbord of playoff games starting early in the afternoon and scheduled to last long into the night. For much of the 20th Century, baseball had a maximum of seven games in any single postseason. Wednesday’s schedule alone included more than that, the result of an expanded postseason for 2020 that includes 16 teams after a regular season shortened to 60 games by the coronavirus pandemic. There’s no telling when or if the sport will have a day like this again. It won’t happen this year — when the Astros beat Minnesota 3-1, they eliminated the Twins and ensured that Thursday’s... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Pablo Sandoval is on the Atlanta Braves' roster for the NL wild-card series against the Cincinnati Reds. The 2012 World Series MVP joined the Braves after being released by the San Francisco Giants a couple of weeks ago. He started at third base in the final game of the regular season, going 0 for 2 with two walks in a 9-1 loss to the Boston Red Sox. Sandoval played 33 games for the Giants, hitting .220 with one homer and six RBIs. The Braves also brought back infielder Charlie Culberson to the big league roster and released left-handed pitcher Tommy Milone, who was acquired at the trade deadline but posted a 14.90 ERA in three starts. ___ The 28-player rosters for the best-of-three series between the Reds and the Braves: CINCINNATI Pitchers (12): RH Tejay Antone, RH Trevor Bauer, RH Archie Bradley, RH Luis Castillo, LH Amir Garrett, RH Sonny Gray, RH Raisel Iglesias, RH Michael Lorenzen, RH Tyler Mahle, LH Wade Miley, RH Lucas Sims, RH Robert Stephenson Catchers (2): Tucker... [More]

Reds fifth. Nick Senzel grounds out to third base, Ke'Bryan Hayes to Josh Bell. Freddy Galvis flies out to deep center field to Cole Tucker. Jose Garcia singles to left field. Curt Casali singles to center field. Jose Garcia to third. Shogo Akiyama singles to left field. Curt Casali out at home. Jose Garcia scores.1 run, 3 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on. Reds 1, Pirates 0.

Reds fourth. Shogo Akiyama strikes out swinging. Nick Castellanos lines out to shortstop to Kevin Newman. Joey Votto homers to left field. Eugenio Suarez walks. Mike Moustakas lines out to deep center field to Bryan Reynolds.1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 left on. Reds 1, Pirates 0.Pirates seventh. Colin Moran homers to right field. Josh Bell singles to shortstop. Bryan Reynolds strikes out on a foul tip. Kevin Newman singles to shallow infield. Josh Bell to second. Gregory Polanco pinch-hitting for Cole Tucker. Gregory Polanco strikes out swinging. John Ryan Murphy called out on strikes.1 run, 3 hits, 0 errors, 2 left on. Pirates 1, Reds 1.Reds seventh. Nick Senzel pops out to shallow infield to Colin Moran. Curt Casali pinch-hitting for Tucker Barnhart. Curt Casali called out on strikes. Jose Garcia singles to left center field. Tyler Stephenson pinch-hitting for Shogo Akiyama. Tyler Stephenson homers to center field. Jose Garcia scores.2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 0 left on. Reds 3, Pirates 1.

CHICAGO (AP) — Cincinnati Reds president of baseball operations Dick Williams expressed confidence in manager David Bell and his coaching staff Tuesday, but he said he would be “extremely disappointed” if the team fails to make the playoffs.Cincinnati was one of the preseason favorites in the NL Central after it made a big splash in free agency, signing sluggers Mike Moustakas and Nick Castellanos during a roster overhaul. But the Reds dropped to 18-24 with a 3-0 loss to the division-leading Cubs on Tuesday night.With the 16-team playoff format for this year, there is still time for the Reds to find a way into the postseason. But the remaining schedule is tough. The Reds will travel to St. Louis and Minnesota and play at home against Milwaukee and the Chicago White Sox.“I would be extremely disappointed if we don't make the playoffs,” Williams said, “and I'm sure the players, staff, ownership, you know everybody had high expectations for this season. There's a third of it left, just about,... [More]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Cincinnati Reds put outfielder Nick Senzel on the injured list and reinstated third baseman Mike Moustakas to face his former team before a doubleheader Wednesday against the Kansas City Royals.The Reds also chose infielder Robel Garcia as their 29th man for the doubleheader, which was caused by a postponement of the series opener Tuesday night. The Reds had two games postponed over the weekend because of a positive COVID-19 test and Major League Baseball wanted to provide them with an additional day for testing.“There will be increased testing for a small group of players that was determined to have had closer contact than the rest of us,” Reds president Dick Williams said. “They did contact tracing, watched video and they determined in their judgment that a small group of players would need some extra testing and possibly keep them off team flights a bit longer.”Williams added that those players — three in all — have been cleared to participate in games, but... [More]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Cincinnati Reds put outfielder Nick Senzel on the injured list and reinstated third baseman Mike Moustakas to face his former team before a doubleheader Wednesday against the Kansas City Royals.The Reds also chose infielder Robel Garcia as their 29th man for the doubleheader, which was caused by a postponement of the series opener Tuesday night. The Reds had two games postponed over the weekend because of a positive COVID-19 test and Major League Baseball wanted to provide them with an additional day for testing.The reason for Senzel's injury designation was not provided, though he missed time earlier this season after reporting symptoms of COVID-19. He was hitting .244 with two homers, five doubles and two steals in 14 games.Moustakas has been out since Aug. 4 because of a injured left quadriceps. He is hitting .238 through seven games.In other roster moves, the Reds assigned infielder Alex Blandino, outfieler Mark Payton and catcher Tyler Stephenson to the taxi squad. They also assigned another ex-Royals infielder, Christian Colon, to the taxi squad.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CINCINNATI (AP) — The Reds scheduled a flight to Kansas City early Tuesday for a two-game series against the Royals that was put in doubt after a Cincinnati player tested positive for COVID-19 over the weekend.Players, coaches and other organization members were retested for the novel coronavirus on Saturday and Sunday after one player was sidelined because of a positive result. The final two games of a series against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Great American Ball Park were postponed.Monday was a scheduled day off, with Major League Baseball awaiting test results.The Reds made travel plans for Kansas City and expected to start Luis Castillo (0-2) in the series opener Tuesday night, assuming it's played. After two games in Kansas City, the Reds are scheduled to fly to St. Louis for four games and to Milwaukee for four more.The Reds are the third MLB team to have games postponed because at least one of its players tested positive for COVID-19, joining the Marlins and the Cardinals.The two... [More]

CINCINNATI (AP) — Reds players and staff were tested for COVID-19 again Sunday as Major League Baseball tried to determine if more than one Cincinnati player has been exposed to the novel coronavirus.The last two games of a series between the Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates were postponed Saturday after the player tested positive. Both teams had days off Monday, creating an opportunity for a makeup doubleheader, but MLB was waiting on further testing.The Pirates worked out Sunday at Great American Ball Park and returned to Pittsburgh, where they will start a three-game series against the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday.Cincinnati is scheduled to go to Kansas City for a two-game series starting Tuesday night. The Reds then are scheduled to head to St. Louis for four games, followed by four in Milwaukee.The Reds expect results of their latest tests on Monday, when a decision will be made whether they travel to Kansas City.The Reds are the third MLB team to have games postponed because one of its... [More]

CINCINNATI (AP) — The Cincinnati Reds became the third Major League Baseball team to have games called off because one of its players tested positive for COVID-19.The last two games of a series between the Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates at Great American Ball Park were postponed Saturday after one Cincinnati player tested positive.The Reds join the Marlins and Cardinals with games called off because of positive tests on their roster, creating a ripple effect through the schedule that has limited some teams to a handful of games.Major League Baseball was awaiting further test results and doing contact tracing to gauge the extent of the concerns. The Reds had one player sidelined earlier this season after a COVID-19 test that later turned out to be a false positive.Matt Davidson tested positive during the opening series of the abbreviated, 60-game season and went on the injured list. Later tests cleared him. Three other Reds — Joey Votto, Mike Moustakas and Nick Senzel — missed games after feeling... [More]

CINCINNATI (AP) — The last two games of a series between Cincinnati and Pittsburgh were called off Saturday because a Reds player tested positive for COVID-19.Major League Baseball was awaiting further testing to see if the result was a false positive. The Reds are the third team to have a game postponed because someone on their roster tested positive, joining the Marlins and Cardinals.It's the second time a Reds player has tested positive during the abbreviated 60-game season. Matt Davidson went on the injured list after a positive test, but subsequent tests were negative and he returned to the team. No games were postponed.Also this season, Reds players Joey Votto, Nick Senzel and Mike Moustakas missed games after feeling ill, but COVID-19 tests game back negative and they rejoined the team.The Pirates had three days off this week when their series against the Cardinals was called off. Pittsburgh and Cincinnati split the first two games of their series at Great American Ball Park before their games scheduled for Saturday night and Sunday afternoon were called off.The Reds and Pirates both have off-days on Monday.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Reds second. Jesse Winker homers to left field. Nick Senzel walks. Josh VanMeter flies out to deep right field to Gregory Polanco. Nick Senzel out at second. Freddy Galvis called out on strikes.1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 left on. Reds 1, Pirates 0.Pirates fourth. Josh Bell lines out to deep right field to Nick Castellanos. Colin Moran called out on strikes. Bryan Reynolds homers to center field. Gregory Polanco strikes out swinging.1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 left on. Pirates 1, Reds 1.Reds fourth. Joey Votto doubles to deep right center field. Jesse Winker homers to right field. Joey Votto scores. Nick Senzel flies out to right center field to Gregory Polanco. Josh VanMeter grounds out to shallow right field, Adam Frazier to Chad Kuhl. Freddy Galvis flies out to deep center field to Cole Tucker.2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 0 left on. Reds 3, Pirates 1.Reds seventh. Josh VanMeter doubles to right center field. Freddy Galvis singles to shallow infield. Josh VanMeter to third. Tucker Barnhart reaches... [More]

Pirates first. Adam Frazier homers to center field. Kevin Newman lines out to deep center field to Nick Senzel. Josh Bell strikes out swinging. Colin Moran homers to center field. Bryan Reynolds flies out to deep left center field to Nick Senzel.2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 0 left on. Pirates 2, Reds 0.Pirates second. Gregory Polanco homers to right field. Erik Gonzalez doubles to deep left field. Jarrod Dyson flies out to deep right field to Nick Castellanos. Erik Gonzalez to third. Jacob Stallings singles to shallow center field. Erik Gonzalez scores. Adam Frazier singles to shallow left field. Jacob Stallings to second. Kevin Newman singles to center field. Adam Frazier to second. Jacob Stallings to third. Josh Bell singles to left field. Kevin Newman to second. Adam Frazier scores. Jacob Stallings scores. Colin Moran singles to deep center field. Josh Bell to second. Kevin Newman scores. Bryan Reynolds walks. Colin Moran to second. Josh Bell to third. Gregory Polanco walks. Bryan Reynolds... [More]

Reds second. Matt Davidson walks. Jesse Winker singles to shallow center field. Matt Davidson to second. Curt Casali singles to shortstop. Jesse Winker to second. Christian Colon reaches on a fielder's choice to third base. Curt Casali to second. Jesse Winker out at third. Kyle Farmer doubles to deep right center field. Christian Colon scores. Curt Casali scores. Nick Senzel lines out to deep center field to Whit Merrifield.2 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on. Reds 2, Royals 0.Royals third. Whit Merrifield lines out to deep center field to Nick Senzel. Jorge Soler walks. Salvador Perez reaches on error. Jorge Soler to second. Fielding error by Eugenio Suarez. Hunter Dozier reaches on error. Salvador Perez to second. Jorge Soler to third. Fielding error by Joey Votto. Ryan O'Hearn singles to deep left field. Hunter Dozier to second. Salvador Perez to third. Jorge Soler scores. Adalberto Mondesi strikes out swinging. Maikel Franco lines out to deep right field to Nick Castellanos.1 run, 1... [More]

Reds second. Christian Colon walks. Jesse Winker singles to shallow right field. Christian Colon to second. Phillip Ervin flies out to deep right field to Mark Mathias. Christian Colon to third. Kyle Farmer doubles to deep left field. Jesse Winker to third. Christian Colon scores. Nick Senzel out on a sacrifice fly to deep center field to Ben Gamel. Kyle Farmer to third. Jesse Winker scores. Nick Castellanos doubles to left center field. Kyle Farmer scores. Eugenio Suarez walks. Matt Davidson homers to center field. Eugenio Suarez scores. Nick Castellanos scores. Curt Casali flies out to right field to Mark Mathias.6 runs, 4 hits, 0 errors, 0 left on. Reds 6, Brewers 0.Brewers fourth. Keston Hiura strikes out swinging. Christian Yelich strikes out swinging. Logan Morrison homers to center field. Justin Smoak hit by pitch. Ben Gamel called out on strikes.1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 left on. Reds 6, Brewers 1.Reds sixth. Phillip Ervin walks. Kyle Farmer flies out to deep center field to Ben... [More]