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]

BALTIMORE (AP) — The Oakland Athletics won their 12th consecutive game — their longest winning streak in almost two decades — with a 3-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night. Oakland’s string is its longest since it won a franchise-record 20 in a row in 2002. It is the Athletics’ third-longest winning streak since moving to Oakland in 1968, and is the longest in the majors since Houston’s 12-game run from June 6-18, 2018. Ramón Laureano homered and Cole Irvin won consecutive starts for the first time in nearly two years as the A’s improved to 13-1 since dropping their first six games. Baltimore has lost seven of its eight home games. Irvin (2-2) had won back-to-back starts just once before, his first two career starts for Philadelphia in May 2019. Coming off six shutout innings against Detroit on Saturday, he stymied the Orioles for five innings. But Baltimore stitched together four singles in the sixth, capped by Pedro Severino’s RBI single, to end Irvin’s night. Jake Diekman... [More]

BALTIMORE (AP) — The Oakland Athletics won their 12th consecutive game — their longest winning streak in almost two decades — with a 3-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night. Oakland’s string is its longest since it won a franchise-record 20 in a row in 2002. It is the Athletics’ third-longest winning streak since moving to Oakland in 1968, and is the longest in the majors since Houston’s 12-game run from June 6-18, 2018. Ramón Laureano homered and Cole Irvin won consecutive starts for the first time in nearly two years as the A’s improved to 13-1 since dropping their first six games. Baltimore has lost seven of its eight home games. Irvin (2-2) had won back-to-back starts just once before, his first two career starts for Philadelphia in May 2019. Coming off six shutout innings against Detroit on Saturday, he stymied the Orioles for five innings. But Baltimore stitched together four singles in the sixth, capped by Pedro Severino’s RBI single, to end Irvin’s night. Jake Diekman... [More]

BALTIMORE (AP) — The Oakland Athletics won their 12th consecutive game — their longest winning streak in almost two decades — with a 3-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night. Oakland’s string is its longest since it won a franchise-record 20 in a row in 2002. It is the Athletics’ third-longest winning streak since moving to Oakland in 1968, and is the longest in the majors since Houston’s 12-game run from June 6-18, 2018. Ramón Laureano homered and Cole Irvin won consecutive starts for the first time in nearly two years as the A’s improved to 13-1 since dropping their first six games. Baltimore has lost seven of its eight home games. Irvin (2-2) had won back-to-back starts just once before, his first two career starts for Philadelphia in May 2019. Coming off six shutout innings against Detroit on Saturday, he stymied the Orioles for five innings. But Baltimore stitched together four singles in the sixth, capped by Pedro Severino’s RBI single, to end Irvin’s night. Jake Diekman... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The Oakland Athletics extended their winning streak to 11, rallying from a two-run deficit and beating the Twins 13-12 on Wednesday when Luis Arraez threw away Ramón Laureano’s grounder for Minnesota’s second error of the 10th inning. Nelson Cruz had two home runs and four RBIs for the Twins, and Byron Buxton hit a two-run homer against Lou Trivino for a 12-10 lead in the 10th. Alex Colomé (1-2) got the first two outs in the bottom half with the automatic runner on second, then walked Seth Brown and Elvis Andrus, loading the bases. Mark Canha hit what should have been a game-ending grounder to second baseman Travis Blankehorn, who entered as a pinch runner for Josh Donaldson in the 10th, but Blankenhorn allowed the ball to bounce off his glove for a run-scoring error. Laureano hit a one-hopper to Arraez for what again should have been the final out. Arraez, who had moved to third from second base to third for the 10th, sailed his throw over first baseman Willians... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The Oakland Athletics extended their winning streak to 11, rallying from a two-run deficit and beating the Twins 13-12 on Wednesday when Luis Arraez threw away Ramón Laureano’s grounder for Minnesota’s second error of the 10th inning. Nelson Cruz had two home runs and four RBIs for the Twins, and Byron Buxton hit a two-run homer against Lou Trivino for a 12-10 lead in the 10th. Alex Colomé (1-2) got the first two outs in the bottom half with the automatic runner on second, then walked Seth Brown and Elvis Andrus, loading the bases. Mark Canha hit what should have been a game-ending grounder to second baseman Travis Blankehorn, who entered as a pinch runner for Josh Donaldson in the 10th, but Blankenhorn allowed the ball to bounce off his glove for a run-scoring error. Laureano hit a one-hopper to Arraez for what again should have been the final out. Arraez, who had moved to third from second base to third for the 10th, sailed his throw over first baseman Willians... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The Oakland Athletics extended their winning streak to 11, rallying from a two-run deficit and beating the Twins 13-12 on Wednesday when Luis Arraez threw away Ramón Laureano’s grounder for Minnesota’s second error of the 10th inning. Nelson Cruz had two home runs and four RBIs for the Twins, and Byron Buxton hit a two-run homer against Lou Trivino for a 12-10 lead in the 10th. Alex Colomé (1-2) got the first two outs in the bottom half with the automatic runner on second, then walked Seth Brown and Elvis Andrus, loading the bases. Mark Canha hit what should have been a game-ending grounder to second baseman Travis Blankehorn, who entered as a pinch runner for Josh Donaldson in the 10th, but Blankenhorn allowed the ball to bounce off his glove for a run-scoring error. Laureano hit a one-hopper to Arraez for what again should have been the final out. Arraez, who had moved to third from second base to third for the 10th, sailed his throw over first baseman Willians... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The Oakland Athletics extended their winning streak to 11, rallying from a two-run deficit and beating the Twins 13-12 on Wednesday when Luis Arraez threw away Ramón Laureano’s grounder for Minnesota’s second error of the 10th inning. Nelson Cruz had two home runs and four RBIs for the Twins, and Byron Buxton hit a two-run homer against Lou Trivino for a 12-10 lead in the 10th. Alex Colomé (1-2) got the first two outs in the bottom half with the automatic runner on second, then walked Seth Brown and Elvis Andrus, loading the bases. Mark Canha hit what should have been a game-ending grounder to second baseman Travis Blankehorn, who entered as a pinch runner for Josh Donaldson in the 10th, but Blankenhorn allowed the ball to bounce off his glove for a run-scoring error. Laureano hit a one-hopper to Arraez for what again should have been the final out. Arraez, who had moved to third from second base to third for the 10th, sailed his throw over first baseman Willians... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The Oakland Athletics extended their winning streak to 11, rallying from a two-run deficit and beating the Twins 13-12 on Wednesday when Luis Arraez threw away Ramón Laureano’s grounder for Minnesota’s second error of the 10th inning. Nelson Cruz had two home runs and four RBIs for the Twins, and Byron Buxton hit a two-run homer against Lou Trivino for a 12-10 lead in the 10th. Alex Colomé (1-2) got the first two outs in the bottom half with the automatic runner on second, then walked Seth Brown and Elvis Andrus, loading the bases. Mark Canha hit what should have been a game-ending grounder to second baseman Travis Blankehorn, who entered as a pinch runner for Josh Donaldson in the 10th, but Blankenhorn allowed the ball to bounce off his glove for a run-scoring error. Laureano hit a one-hopper to Arraez for what again should have been the final out. Arraez, who had moved to third from second base to third for the 10th, sailed his throw over first baseman Willians... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The Oakland Athletics extended their winning streak to 11, rallying from a two-run deficit and beating the Twins 13-12 on Wednesday when Luis Arraez threw away Ramón Laureano’s grounder for Minnesota’s second error of the 10th inning. Nelson Cruz had two home runs and four RBIs for the Twins, and Byron Buxton hit a two-run homer against Lou Trivino for a 12-10 lead in the 10th. Alex Colomé (1-2) got the first two outs in the bottom half with the automatic runner on second, then walked Seth Brown and Elvis Andrus, loading the bases. Mark Canha hit what should have been a game-ending grounder to second baseman Travis Blankehorn, who entered as a pinch runner for Josh Donaldson in the 10th, but Blankenhorn allowed the ball to bounce off his glove for a run-scoring error. Laureano hit a one-hopper to Arraez for what again should have been the final out. Arraez, who had moved to third from second base to third for the 10th, sailed his throw over first baseman Willians... [More]

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Even Oscar the Grouch showed up at Angel Stadium on Tuesday to trash the Houston Astros. A person in a life-sized “Sesame Street” costume of the show's trash can-dwelling green creature sat nine rows behind Houston's dugout while the Los Angeles Angels finished their two-game series with the Astros. Houston will get the full force of baseball fans' displeasure over their sign-stealing scandal this season, and Anaheim was quite inhospitable to the Angels' AL West rivals — just as Oakland was last weekend in the Astros' first road series of the new season. The relentless jeers haven't done much to disrupt this veteran powerhouse of a ballclub, though. Houston won five of its six games on the season-opening California trip after beating the Angels 4-2 Tuesday on a ninth-inning homer by Carlos Correa, one of the top targets for most fans' ire. “They seem unfazed by all the jeers and all the booing,” said Houston manager Dusty Baker, who wasn't with the club during the... [More]

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Even Oscar the Grouch showed up at Angel Stadium on Tuesday to trash the Houston Astros. A person in a life-sized costume of Sesame Street's trash can-dwelling green creature sat nine rows behind the Astros' dugout while the Los Angeles Angels finished up their two-game series with the Astros. Houston will get the full force of baseball fans' displeasure over their sign-stealing scandal this season, and Anaheim has been quite inhospitable to the Angels' AL West rivals — just as Oakland was last weekend in the Astros' first road series of the new season. The fans at both games in Anaheim incessantly booed the Astros veterans who were involved with the cheating scheme while winning the 2017 World Series over the Los Angeles Dodgers, who play just 30 miles up the I-5 freeway from Angel Stadium. Angels fans and Dodgers fans typically don't get along, but they're united behind this particular cause. On Monday night, fans threw an inflatable trash can and a real trash can... [More]

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Shohei Ohtani hit a 451-foot homer and pitched two-hit ball into the fifth inning in a historic two-way performance, and Jared Walsh hit a walkoff homer in the Los Angeles Angels’ 7-4 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Sunday night. Walsh hit two homers, including a big three-run shot off Matt Foster to end the Angels’ third win over Chicago in their four-game, season-opening series. Ohtani reached another milestone in his unique career when he took the mound and occupied the No. 2 slot in the batting order for the Angels. He was just the third pitcher in 45 seasons to hit for himself in a game with the designated hitter available, and the first to bat second since Jack Dunleavy did it for the Cardinals in 1903. In the first inning alone, Ohtani both threw the hardest pitch by any starting pitcher in baseball this season and produced the hardest hit by any batter this season. Ohtani touched 101 mph with a fastball, and his first-pitch homer off Chicago’s Dylan... [More]

Alec Bohm hit a tiebreaking single in the eighth inning, Zach Eflin gave Philadelphia another strong start and the Phillies completed a three-game sweep of the defending NL East champion Atlanta Braves with a 2-1 win Sunday. Philadelphia’s starting trio of Aaron Nola, Zack Wheeler and Eflin (1-0) surrendered three runs, 11 hits and one walk in 20 2/3 innings against an Atlanta lineup that led the majors in 2020 with 556 hits. The Phillies bullpen, which posted a 7.06 ERA in 2020, didn’t yield a run in 7 1/3 innings in the set. Philadelphia regained the lead in the eighth as Rhys Hoskins, Bryce Harper and Bohm hit consecutive singles off Chris Martin (0-1). Hector Neris got his first save. REDS 12, CARDINALS 1 Nick Castellanos came out swinging with his bat a day after being ejected for inciting a bench-clearing melee, hitting a three-run homer off Carlos Martinez (0-1) and triple to finish the series 6 for 11 with five RBIs. Tyler Naquin also a three-run shot for the Reds, who won two in... [More]

DENVER (AP) — Trevor Bauer took a no-hit bid into the seventh inning of his Los Angeles debut before allowing a pair of two-run homers, and the Dodgers held on after building a big lead to beat the Colorado Rockies 11-6 on Friday night. The game had a little bit of everything, including a gray cat making a surprise appearance in center field before being ushered out by stadium personnel. Bauer (1-0), the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner, purred along through six innings until Trevor Story broke up the no-hit bid with a single and Charlie Blackmon ended the shutout with a two-run homer. Ryan McMahon later followed with another two-run homer. David Price eventually replaced Bauer and gave up back-to-back homers to Dom Nuñez and Sam Hilliard, suddenly turning a 10-0 rout into a 10-6 game. It was the second time in Rockies history they homered four times in an inning. Bauer went 6 1/3 innings and allowed four runs while striking out 10. The right-hander signed a $102 million, three-year deal... [More]

Stephen Strasburg pronounced his fastball command better than it was before his carpal tunnel surgery and said his first game action in nearly seven full months essentially was the same as any Grapefruit League debut after throwing 1 2/3 innings Tuesday night against the Houston Astros. “It didn’t really feel any different than it has in past springs, so I guess, in a way, that’s a relief,” said the 2019 World Series MVP, who made just two starts and pitched only five innings in 2020. In 2019, he led the NL with 209 innings and 18 wins, then went 5-0 in the postseason — no pitcher ever had done that — while helping the Nationals win the franchise's first championship. “This isn’t my first rodeo when it comes to injuries and stuff,” Strasburg said on a video conference with a chuckle, knowing he has made more than 10 trips to the injured list over the years and had Tommy John surgery in 2012. “So I’m kind of at a point where I’m going to go out there and give it everything I have and roll... [More]

American LeagueP Kenta Maeda Minnesota Twins; Griffin Canning Los Angeles Angels; Zach Plesac Cleveland Indians. C Yasmani Grandal Chicago White Sox; James McCann Chicago White Sox; Roberto Perez Cleveland Indians. 1B Matt Olson Oakland Athletics; Evan White Seattle Mariners; Yuli Gurriel Houston Astros. 2B Cesar Hernandez Cleveland Indians; Danny Mendick Chicago White Sox; Jonathan Schoop Detroit Tigers; Nicky Lopez Kansas City Royals. 3B Yoan Moncada Chicago White Sox; Gio Urshela New York Yankees; Isiah Kiner-Falefa Texas Rangers. SS Niko Goodrum Detroit Tigers; J.P. Crawford Seattle Mariners; Carlos Correa Houston Astros. LF Lourdes Gurriel Jr. Toronto Blue Jays; Alex Gordon Kansas City Royals; Kyle Tucker Houston Astros. CF Ramon Laureano Oakland Athletics; Byron Buxton Minnesota Twins; Luis Robert Chicago White Sox. RF Clint Frazier New York Yankees; Joey Gallo Texas Rangers; Anthony Santander Baltimore Orioles. National LeagueP Max Fried Atlanta Braves; Alec Mills Chicago Cubs; Kyle... [More]

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Whether they're in the field or at the plate, the Houston Astros are finding it tough to summon their usual postseason proficiency so far in the AL Championship Series. Almost as tough as José Altuve is finding it to throw to first base from shallow right field. Altuve's two throwing errors were the lowlight of Houston's 4-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 2 on Monday, with his first error prolonging the first inning and leading directly to Manuel Margot's decisive three-run homer. “We’re very surprised,” Astros manager Dusty Baker said. “That’s his first throwing error all year, and he hit two of them today." Altuve's mistakes and another quiet day at the plate have put the defending AL champion Astros in a 2-0 series hole in less than 24 hours in San Diego. Houston is facing an 0-2 series deficit for only the second time during its current run of four consecutive playoff appearances with two AL pennants. The Astros lost the first two games of last year's World Series... [More]