ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Rays’ 11-game winning streak came to an end Tuesday night when Brad Keller pitched seven strong innings and Salvador Perez hit a tiebreaking RBI single to give the Kansas City Royals a 2-1 victory. Rich Hill struck out a career-high 13 for the Rays. Tampa Bay’s winning string was the second-longest in club history, one shy of the record set in 2004 by the then-Devil Rays managed by Lou Piniella. Keller (4-4) allowed one run, four hits, four walks and struck out seven. Jake Brentz went 1 1/3 innings before Kyle Zimmer got two outs to get his second save. Perez put the Royals up 2-1 on a sixth-inning single off Hill (3-2). Hill became the oldest player to appear in a game with the Rays at 41 years, 75 days. Hall of Famer Wade Boggs was 41 years, 73 days old when he played his final game on Aug. 27, 1999. WHITE SOX 8, CARDINALS 3 CHICAGO (AP) — Lucas Giolito beat Jack Flaherty in a major league matchup of former high school teammates, leading Chicago... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Rays’ 11-game winning streak came to an end Tuesday night when Brad Keller pitched seven strong innings and Salvador Perez hit a tiebreaking RBI single to give the Kansas City Royals a 2-1 victory. Rich Hill struck out a career-high 13 for the Rays. Tampa Bay’s winning string was the second-longest in club history, one shy of the record set in 2004 by the then-Devil Rays managed by Lou Piniella. Keller (4-4) allowed one run, four hits, four walks and struck out seven. Jake Brentz went 1 1/3 innings before Kyle Zimmer got two outs to get his second save. Perez put the Royals up 2-1 on a sixth-inning single off Hill (3-2). Hill became the oldest player to appear in a game with the Rays at 41 years, 75 days. Hall of Famer Wade Boggs was 41 years, 73 days old when he played his final game on Aug. 27, 1999. WHITE SOX 8, CARDINALS 3 CHICAGO (AP) — Lucas Giolito beat Jack Flaherty in a major league matchup of former high school teammates, leading Chicago... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Corey Kluber threw the the major leagues’ sixth no-hitter this season and second in two nights, leading the New York Yankees over the Texas Rangers 2-0 on Wednesday. The 35-year-old right-hander, a two-time American League Cy Young Award winner, came within a four-pitch walk to Charlie Culberson in the third inning of twirling a perfect game. Kluber pitched his gem a night after Detroit's Spencer Turnbull threw one against Seattle, marking the first no-hitters on consecutive days since 1969. Kluber (4-2) struck out nine and and threw 71 of 101 pitches for strikes in his ninth start for the Yankees. Kluber was pitching on the mound when he was hurt after one inning last season for the Rangers, when he tore a muscle in his right shoulder on July 26 in his Texas debut. It was the 12th no-hitter in Yankees history, the 11th in the regular season and the first since David Cone’s perfect game against Montreal on July 18, 1999. It was the fifth against the Rangers, who... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Corey Kluber threw the the major leagues’ sixth no-hitter this season and second in two nights, leading the New York Yankees over the Texas Rangers 2-0 on Wednesday night. The 35-year-old right-hander, a two-time American League Cy Young Award winner, came within a four-pitch walk to Charlie Culberson in the third inning of throwing a perfect game. Kluber pitched his gem a night after Detroit's Spencer Turnbull threw one against Seattle, marking the first no-hitters on consecutive days since 1969. Kluber (4-2) struck out nine and and threw 71 of 101 pitches for strikes in his ninth start for the Yankees. Kluber was pitching on the mound when he was hurt after one inning last season for the Rangers, when he tore a muscle in his right shoulder on July 26 in his Texas debut. It was the 12th no-hitter in Yankees history, the 11th in the regular season and the first since David Cone’s perfect game against Montreal on July 18, 1999. It was the fifth against the Rangers,... [More]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Milwaukee Brewers activated Christian Yelich from the injured list Tuesday and expect the two-time All-Star to play for just the second time in five weeks when they open a two-game interleague set in Kansas City. Yelich played nine games to start the season before leaving with stiffness in his lower back on April 11 in St. Louis. He tried to return on May 3 in Philadelphia but played just one game before returning to the injured list. “I'm just excited to be back in there and contribute at some level,” Yelich said. Brewers manager Craig Counsell said the 2018 National League MVP underwent some different training methods during his last IL stint and Yelich's back finally showed some improvement. He wound up playing three consecutive rehab games at Triple-A Nashville over the weekend, going 0 for 5 with a pair of walks while playing in the outfield. More importantly than the numbers, Yelich experienced none of the pain that has sidelined him for 31 games this season.... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Jack Flaherty became the major leagues’ first seven-game winner this year with a 2-0 victory over Milwaukee on Thursday as the Brewers’ Corbin Burnes extended his streak to 58 consecutive strikeouts before his first walk. Flaherty (7-0) allowed four hits in six innings, struck out six and walked two to help the Cardinals win a three-game series that featured dominant starting pitching. Burnes (2-3) returned from the injured list after a positive test for coronavirus, which he said left him asymptomatic. He opted against getting vaccinated for what he said were personal reasons. In his first appearance since April 26, Burnes struck out nine among his first 14 outs, giving him 58 strikeouts and no walks this year before he walked Tommy Edman with two outs in the fifth. Alex Reyes remained perfect in 11 save chances by striking out Tyrone Taylor to strand two runners. Nolan Arenado’s two-out single in the first scored Edman. That marked the only... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Jack Flaherty became the major leagues’ first seven-game winner this year with a 2-0 victory over Milwaukee on Thursday as the Brewers’ Corbin Burnes extended his streak to 58 consecutive strikeouts before his first walk. Flaherty (7-0) allowed four hits in six innings, struck out six and walked two to help the Cardinals win a three-game series that featured dominant starting pitching. Burnes (2-3) returned from the injured list after a positive test for coronavirus, which he said left him asymptomatic. He opted against getting vaccinated for what he said were personal reasons. In his first appearance since April 26, Burnes struck out nine among his first 14 outs, giving him 58 strikeouts and no walks this year before he walked Tommy Edman with two outs in the fifth. Alex Reyes remained perfect in 11 save chances by striking out Tyrone Taylor to strand two runners. Nolan Arenado’s two-out single in the first scored Edman. That marked the only... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Jack Flaherty became the major leagues’ first seven-game winner this year with a 2-0 victory over Milwaukee on Thursday as the Brewers’ Corbin Burnes extended his streak to 58 consecutive strikeouts before his first walk. Flaherty (7-0) allowed four hits in six innings, struck out six and walked two to help the Cardinals win a three-game series that featured dominant starting pitching. Burnes (2-3) returned from the injured list after a positive test for coronavirus, which he said left him asymptomatic. He opted against getting vaccinated for what he said were personal reasons. In his first appearance since April 26, Burnes struck out nine among his first 14 outs, giving him 58 strikeouts and no walks this year before he walked Tommy Edman with two outs in the fifth. Alex Reyes remained perfect in 11 save chances by striking out Tyrone Taylor to strand two runners. Nolan Arenado’s two-out single in the first scored Edman. That marked the only... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors today: ___ BURNES RETURNS Brewers ace Corbin Burnes is set to face St. Louis in his first start since testing positive for the coronavirus last month. The right-hander is 2-2 with a 1.53 ERA, 49 strikeouts and no walks in 29 1/3 innings, but he hasn't pitched since April 26. Burnes confirmed Wednesday that he had COVID-19 but said he was asymptomatic. Milwaukee has achieved the 85% vaccination rate required by MLB to ease certain safety protocols, but Burnes said he opted against inoculation for personal reasons. He added he had “no clue” how he might have gotten the virus. Burnes is scheduled to square off against Cardinals ace Jack Flaherty (6-0, 2.83). HERE COME THE KIDS The future arrives for the Seattle Mariners. Two major parts of it, anyway. The team will call up touted outfield prospect Jarred Kelenic and promising right-hander Logan Gilbert before its series opener at home against Cleveland. Gilbert will be on the mound to make his major... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors Thursday: ___ PANDEMIC PROBLEMS The San Diego Padres and New York Yankees are both short-staffed due to COVID-19 outbreaks, but neither has had to interrupt their schedule. San Diego stars Fernando Tatis Jr. and Wil Myers have tested positive, and Eric Hosmer, Jurickson Profar and Jorge Mateo were held out of Wednesday's doubleheader in Colorado due to contact tracing. The Padres are off on Thursday before starting a home series against NL Central-leading St. Louis on Friday night. Yankees shortstop Gleyber Torres was kept out of Wednesday night’s starting lineup at Tampa Bay as a precaution as the number of confirmed positive tests among the team’s coaching and support staff reached seven. Manager Aaron Boone said MLB’s Joint COVID-19 Health and Safety Committee is waiting and reviewing a number of test results. The members of New York’s traveling party have been tested at least three times each since Tuesday. The Yankees have been relaxing... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee Brewers ace Corbin Burnes says he tested positive for the coronavirus last month but remained asymptomatic throughout his stint on the injured list. Burnes is expected to start Thursday against the St. Louis Cardinals in his first appearance since April 26. He is 2-2 with a 1.53 ERA, 49 strikeouts and no walks in 29 1/3 innings. Although the Brewers are among the major league teams that had some protocols relaxed after reaching an 85% vaccination rate, Burnes said Wednesday he opted against getting vaccinated for personal reasons. Burnes said he had “no clue” how he might have gotten the virus and initially believed it was a false positive. “So we did all the subsequent testing after, and it came back that it was an actual positive,” Burnes said. “We were fortunate enough that throughout the contact tracing and everything else that no one else was forced to miss time and no one else tested positive. So as far as that front goes, it was successful.” The Brewers... [More]

A look at what’s happening around the majors today: ___ MAD BUMMED Arizona LHP Madison Bumgarner (2-2, 6.31) starts against Colorado in his first appearance since pitching a seven-inning no-hitter against Atlanta last Sunday, a game that Major League Baseball does not consider to be a no-hitter. MLB’s eight-man committee on statistical accuracy decided in 1991 that a no-hitter was a game of nine or more innings that ended with no hits. Bumgarner was pitching in the second game of a doubleheader, a game shortened to seven innings under pandemic rules. RHP Jon Gray (3-1, 2.54 ERA) starts for the Rockies. ACE DOWN Corbin Burnes' dominant April has come to a disappointing end, with the Brewers right-hander landing on the injured list Thursday for undisclosed reasons. President of baseball operations David Stearns said the team is following MLB's health and safety protocols, but refused to expand on that, including on a potential timeline for Burnes' return. Burnes is 2-2 with a 1.53 ERA and... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Corbin Burnes is going on the injured list after a remarkable April run. The Brewers announced Thursday that they had placed Burnes on the IL without specifying his issue. The move comes as the Brewers begin a four-game home series with the reigning World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. “The only thing I can say is we made an IL placement, (and) we're following Major League Baseball health and safety protocols," president of baseball operations David Stearns said. "I can't comment more than that. I'm not going to speculate on a return timetable or anything along those lines.” Manager Craig Counsell said the team likely will wait until after Saturday’s game before announcing who will take Burnes’ place in the rotation against the Dodgers on Sunday. Burnes is 2-2 with a 1.53 ERA and has recorded 49 strikeouts and no walks through 29 1/3 innings. He allowed one earned run through his first four starts before giving up five runs — four earned... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Corbin Burnes is going on the injured list after a remarkable April run. The Brewers announced Thursday that they had placed Burnes on the IL without specifying his issue. The move comes as the Brewers begin a four-game home series with the reigning World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. Manager Craig Counsell said the team likely will wait until after Saturday’s game before announcing who will take Burnes’ place in the rotation against the Dodgers on Sunday. Burnes is 2-2 with a 1.53 ERA and has recorded 49 strikeouts and no walks through 29 1/3 innings. He allowed one earned run through his first four starts before giving up five runs — four earned — over five innings in an 8-0 loss to the Miami Marlins on Monday. The Brewers have already endured numerous injuries to key players. Outfielder Christian Yelich hasn’t played since April 11 due to a strained lower back. Outfielder Lorenzo Cain has been sidelined since April 13 because of... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Jordan Luplow hit a two-run homer in the 10th inning off Alex Colomé, giving the Cleveland Indians a 5-3 victory over the Minnesota Twins in their series opener Monday night. Luplow’s second career game-ending homer was a leadoff shot that easily cleared the wall in left field, scoring free runner César Hernández from second base. Minnesota fell to 0-5 in extra-inning games. Emmanuel Clase (2-1) worked a perfect inning, helping Cleveland to its second straight win. Luplow was the only batter faced by Colomé (1-3). It was the first of 19 meetings this season between teams that have combined to win the last five AL Central titles. Minnesota is the two-time defending champion. Luis Arraez gave the Twins a 3-2 lead in the eighth when he singled home Jake Cave with two outs, but José Ramírez answered in the bottom half with a homer off Tyler Duffey. ANGELS 9, RANGERS 4 ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Shohei Ohtani struck out nine after a shaky first inning on the mound, and also scored... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Jordan Luplow hit a two-run homer in the 10th inning off Alex Colomé, giving the Cleveland Indians a 5-3 victory over the Minnesota Twins in their series opener Monday night. Luplow’s second career game-ending homer was a leadoff shot that easily cleared the wall in left field, scoring free runner César Hernández from second base. Minnesota fell to 0-5 in extra-inning games. Emmanuel Clase (2-1) worked a perfect inning, helping Cleveland to its second straight win. Luplow was the only batter faced by Colomé (1-3). It was the first of 19 meetings this season between teams that have combined to win the last five AL Central titles. Minnesota is the two-time defending champion. Luis Arraez gave the Twins a 3-2 lead in the eighth when he singled home Jake Cave with two outs, but José Ramírez answered in the bottom half with a homer off Tyler Duffey. ANGELS 9, RANGERS 4 ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Shohei Ohtani struck out nine after a shaky first inning on the mound, and also scored... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Jordan Luplow hit a two-run homer in the 10th inning off Alex Colomé, giving the Cleveland Indians a 5-3 victory over the Minnesota Twins in their series opener Monday night. Luplow’s second career game-ending homer was a leadoff shot that easily cleared the wall in left field, scoring free runner César Hernández from second base. Minnesota fell to 0-5 in extra-inning games. Emmanuel Clase (2-1) worked a perfect inning, helping Cleveland to its second straight win. Luplow was the only batter faced by Colomé (1-3). It was the first of 19 meetings this season between teams that have combined to win the last five AL Central titles. Minnesota is the two-time defending champion. Luis Arraez gave the Twins a 3-2 lead in the eighth when he singled home Jake Cave with two outs, but José Ramírez answered in the bottom half with a homer off Tyler Duffey. ANGELS 9, RANGERS 4 ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Shohei Ohtani struck out nine after a shaky first inning on the mound, and also scored... [More]

A look at what’s happening around the majors today: ___ HOW BOUT A HIT? Limited to a total of one hit in an entire doubleheader, Freddie Freeman and the Braves try to do better with the bats when they begin a set against the Cubs. Freeman got Atlanta’s only hit in Sunday’s pair of seven-inning shutouts by Arizona. He singled in the sixth off Zac Gallen in the opener, then Madison Bumgarner pitched a no-hitter in the second game. Bumgarner’s gem won’t go into the official list of Major League Baseball no-hitters — MLB’s eight-man committee on statistical accuracy decided in 1991 that a no-hitter was a game of nine or more innings that ended with no hits. Zach Davies (1-2, 8.80) starts for Chicago in the series opener at Atlanta. The Diamondbacks are off Monday. Merrill Kelly (1-2, 7.71) pitches on Tuesday, when Arizona hosts San Diego. BURNESING UP Milwaukee right-hander Corbin Burnes looks to build on his impressive start and amazing K/W ratio when he gets the ball for the opener of a three-game... [More]

A look at what’s happening around the majors Monday: ___ HOW BOUT A HIT? Limited to a total of one hit in an entire doubleheader, Freddie Freeman and the Braves try to do better with the bats when they begin a set against the Cubs. Freeman got Atlanta’s only hit in Sunday’s pair of seven-inning shutouts by Arizona. He singled in the sixth off Zac Gallen in the opener, then Madison Bumgarner pitched a no-hitter in the second game. Bumgarner’s gem won’t go into the official list of Major League Baseball no-hitters — MLB’s eight-man committee on statistical accuracy decided in 1991 that a no-hitter was a game of nine or more innings that ended with no hits. Zach Davies (1-2, 8.80) starts for Chicago in the series opener at Atlanta. The Diamondbacks off Monday. Merrill Kelly (1-2, 7.71) pitches on Tuesday when Arizona hosts San Diego. BURNESING UP Milwaukee right-hander Corbin Burnes looks to build on his impressive start and amazing K/W ratio when he gets the ball for the opener of a three-game... [More]

SEATTLE (AP) — Julio Urías threw seven dominant innings of one-hit ball, striking out a career-high 11 and leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 1-0 win over the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday. Corey Seager drove in the only run with a two-out single in the third inning after AJ Pollock’s leadoff double. Those were the Dodgers’ only hits in the game. Seattle’s lone hit against Urías (3-0) was Mitch Haniger’s slow infield single with two outs in the third inning. Victor González worked the eighth, and Kenley Jansen pitched a perfect ninth for his fourth save to complete the one-hittter. Gonzales (1-2) allowed two hits and struck out six. He retired the final 13 batters he faced. ATHLETICS 7, TWINS 0, 1ST GAME ATHLETICS 1, TWINS 0, 2ND GAME OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Matt Olson hit a grand slam and Mitch Moreland homered twice to back Sean Manaea’s shutout, and Jesús Luzardo followed with his own Game 2 gem as Oakland swept a doubleheader against depleted Minnesota. The Athletics have won 10 straight.... [More]