CINCINNATI (AP) — Adam Eaton had solo homer among his career-high five hits and Brian Goodwin hit his first career grand slam on Saturday, powering the Washington Nationals to a 13-7 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.The Nationals have won their first two games under new manager Dave Martinez, hired after Dusty Baker was fired last season following another quick exit in the playoffs. The last time they opened a season 3-0 was 2013, when they swept the Marlins.Matt Adams and Trea Turner also homered for Washington.Stephen Strasburg (1-0) gave up three runs — only one earned — in 6 1/3 innings while improving to 5-1 career against Cincinnati. Scott Schebler's homer in the fourth inning provided Cincinnati's first run of the season after 12 scoreless innings.The Nationals piled up six runs in six innings off Luis Castillo (0-1), the Reds' top young starter last season.BLUE JAYS 5, YANKEES 3TORONTO (AP) — Yangervis Solarte hit a tiebreaking homer in the eighth inning of Toronto's first win of... [More]

The catcher position may be the most frustrating and challenging to deal with, and it has long been that way throughout fantasy baseball history. The position is top-heavy with the best players and then full of risks and guys to settle for. It was seemingly the same in the days when Mike Piazza and Ivan Rodriguez were superior to anyone else at catcher.Gary Sanchez seems to be the modern-day fantasy equivalent of Piazza, as he is clearly unrivaled as the best pick at the position. He has hit 53 home runs in 672 major league at-bats in his first two years and has a National Fantasy Baseball Championship average draft position of 19.3. Considering he delivers a solid average and above-average power comparable with many top players at other positions, he is worth the early round pick because of the depth scarcity at catcher. This is especially true in two-catcher leagues.Willson Contreras is the No. 2 catcher off the board at about pick No. 51, but that number indicates the gap between Sanchez... [More]

Capsules of American League Central teams, listed in order of finish last year:___Cleveland Indians2017: 102-60, first place, lost to Yankees in ALDS.Manager: Terry Francona (sixth season).He's Here: 1B-DH Yonder Alonso, LF Rajai Davis, RHP Alexi Ogando.He's Outta Here: 1B Carlos Santana, OF Jay Bruce, RHP Bryan Shaw, RHP Joe Smith, OF Austin Jackson, LHP Boone Logan.Projected Lineup: SS Francisco Lindor (.273, 33 HRs, 89 RBIs, 44 2Bs, 15 SBs, 10 errors), 2B Jason Kipnis (.232, 12 HRs, 35 RBIs in 90 games), 3B Jose Ramirez (.318, 29, 83, AL-leading 56 2Bs), DH Edwin Encarnacion (.258, 38, 107), 1B Yonder Alonso (.266, career-high 28 HRs, 67 RBIs with Athletics and Mariners), RF Lonnie Chisenhall (.288, 12, 53 in 82 games), C Roberto Perez (.207, 8, 38, club went 44-22 in his starts) or Yan Gomes (.232, 14, 56), CF Bradley Zimmer (.241, 8, 39, 18 SBs, 0 errors), LF Michael Brantley (.299, 9, 52 in 90 games) or Rajai Davis (.235, 5, 20, 29 SBs with Oakland and Boston).Rotation: RH Corey Kluber... [More]

Capsules of American League East teams, listed in order of finish last year:___Boston Red Sox2017: 93-69, first place, lost to Houston in ALDS.Manager: Alex Cora (first season).He's Here: DH J.D. Martinez.He's Outta Here: Manager John Farrell, RHP Doug Fister, OF Chris Young, RHP Addison Reed, OF Rajai Davis, LHP Henry Owens, LHP Fernando Abad.Projected Lineup: RF Mookie Betts (.264, 24 HRs, 102 RBIs), LF Andrew Benintendi (.271, 20, 90), 1B Hanley Ramirez (.242, 23, 62) or Mitch Moreland (.246, 22, 79), DH J.D. Martinez (.303, 45, 104 with Tigers and Diamondbacks), 3B Rafael Devers (.284, 10, 30 in 58 games), SS Xander Bogaerts (.273, 10, 62), CF Jackie Bradley Jr. (.245, 17, 63), C Christian Vazquez (.290, 5, 32) or Sandy Leon (.225, 7, 39), 2B Eduardo Nunez (.313, 12, 58, 24 SBs with Giants and Red Sox) or Dustin Pedroia (.293, 7, 62, .369 OBP in 105 games, expected to be out until late May following knee surgery).Rotation: LH Chris Sale (17-8, 2.90 ERA, MLB-best 308 Ks, MLB-high 214... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — For a franchise with five straight losing seasons and one playoff appearance since the 2005 World Series championship, the Chicago White Sox sure are an optimistic bunch.They come into the year with a long line of promising prospects to go with a strong belief that they are setting themselves up to make a big jump in the standings."We're going to shoot high and we'll see where it falls," manager Rick Renteria said.Only three teams had a worse record last season than the White Sox, who went 67-95 and finished fourth in the AL Central. But they believe the breakthrough is coming — maybe sooner than later.Chicago started loading up the pipeline at the 2016 winter meetings by trading former ace Chris Sale to Boston and outfielder Adam Eaton to Washington. Those deals brought in second baseman Yoan Moncada along with hard-throwing pitchers Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez and Michael Kopech and kicked the rebuilding process into high gear.It continued during the season when the White... [More]

Giancarlo Stanton got off to a sunny start at a new position for the New York Yankees.Making his first start in left field for his new team, the NL MVP lost two flyballs in the sun and both fell for hits Sunday in a 9-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays.Stanton never played left field in his eight seasons with the Marlins, instead spending his time in right.Asked how someone should work on catching balls in the glare, the smiling slugger said: "Get sun vision gloves, see right through the sun."AROUND THE GRAPEFRUIT AND CACTUS LEAGUES:ORIOLES 10, RED SOX 8Adam Jones hit a pair of RBI doubles and a single and Manny Machado added a two-run double for Baltimore. Andrew Benintendi and Rafael Devers hit back-to-back homers for Boston off Gabriel Ynoa, who allowed six runs in two innings.The Orioles announced first baseman Chris Davis had an MRI on his sore right elbow and no structural damage was found. Manager Buck Showalter estimated Davis would be out another three to five days. Showalter also noted... [More]

SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) — Chris Davis doesn't want to forget about last season. The Baltimore Orioles first baseman wants to improve on it.Davis had 26 home runs and 61 RBIs last year. Those numbers might not be bad for many players, but for Davis they were a huge disappointment. He signed a seven-year, $161 million deal in January 2016 and led the major leagues in home runs with 53 in 2013 and 47 in 2015.He missed a month with an oblique injury last season and hit just .215 and struck out 195 times in 128 games."There were too many called third strikes," Davis said. "There were too many called first strikes. There were too many times when I was starting the at-bat 0-2 and hadn't even swung the bat, hadn't taken the bat off my shoulder. That's just not who I am as a hitter. It never has been."In recent years, the Orioles have been a power-laden team. Last season, they had eight players who hit more than 20 home runs, and all of them except for catcher Welington Castillo have returned."We have... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The White Sox go to spring training with a long line of promising prospects and a belief that better days are coming.The question is: How soon?For now, there sure is plenty of optimism for a team with five straight losing seasons. A big reason is the young players on the roster and in the pipeline."There's an excitement that you should have because it's real," manager Rick Renteria said. "I'm excited, he's excited, everybody's excited. We just have to have patience and make sure that we do it the right way so that when they get there they really give you the best that they can give you."Chicago finished fourth in the AL Central at 67-95 last season. Only three teams had a worse record.But there's been mounting optimism ever since the White Sox went all-in on rebuilding following the 2016 season. The big trades sending former ace Chris Sale to Boston and outfielder Adam Eaton to Washington at the winter meetings that year kicked the process into gear. Those deals brought back... [More]

BALTIMORE (AP) — There might come a time in the next few weeks when the Baltimore Orioles finally add a proven veteran to their stunningly thin starting rotation."There are some pitchers available, and I'm confident we'll be able to sign some between now and when we open (the regular season)," executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette said recently.Until then, manager Buck Showalter can only hope to find some quality arms among a massive array of hurlers ready to show their stuff at spring training in Sarasota, Florida."We've got 35 pitchers coming to camp, more than any in the history of the Orioles," Showalter noted. "We're staying focused on the people who are here right now, trying to see if certain people can go to another level. We've got plenty of resources to do more than compete."That's the company line, although it's hard to perceive the Orioles as a contender in the AL East coming off a last-place finish and with a rotation that currently lists only Dylan Bundy... [More]

A team-by-team look at the American League Central entering spring training, including key players each club acquired and lost, and dates of the first workout for pitchers and catchers, and the full squad:___Cleveland IndiansManager: Terry Francona (sixth season).2017: 102-60, first place, lost to New York Yankees in ALDS.Training Town: Goodyear, Arizona.Park: Goodyear Ballpark.First Workout: Feb. 15/19.He's Here: 1B-DH Yonder Alonso, OF Melvin Upton Jr., RHP Alexi Ogando.He's Outta Here: 1B Carlos Santana, OF Jay Bruce, RHP Bryan Shaw, RHP Joe Smith, OF Austin Jackson, LHP Boone Logan.Going campin': Poised to possibly end their 70-year-old World Series title drought, the Indians, who reeled off 22 straight victories in 2017, didn't even make it back to the AL Championship Series after squandering a 2-0 playoff lead against the Yankees. Unlike last winter, when the club signed DH Edwin Encarnacion in free agency, the Indians were relatively quiet, counting on their core to carry them in... [More]

C Welington Castillo has agreed to a two-year, $15 million deal with the White Sox. Castillo, 30, has a club option for the 2020 season at $8 million or a $500,000 buyout. The Dominican Republic native enjoyed the best season of his eight-year career as a member of the Baltimore Orioles in 2017, batting .282 with a .813 OPS and 20 home runs in 96 games. Castillo also led the majors by throwing out 44.4 percent of attempted base stealers. "Adding Welington benefits us both in the short and long term," said Rick Hahn, White Sox senior vice president/general manager.

C Welington Castillo continues to set the standard this season for throwing out baserunners. Castillo threw out his 20th baserunner Saturday night in a 9-6 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. There have been 45 attempts to steal against him. Castillo's 44.4 percent catcher caught stealing rate is the best in the major leagues this season.

C Welington Castillo's two-run homer accounted for the lone offense for Baltimore in Friday's 8-2 loss. He hit his 20th homer in his second game back from a brief absence due to a groin injury. Castillo is the seventh Oriole with at least 20 homers and STATS said they are the sixth team with at least seven 20-homer hitters.

C Welington Castillo returned to the Orioles' starting lineup Thursday after missing the previous two games with a groin injury. Castillo was hit by a foul ball in the second inning of Monday's game against the Blue Jays. Manager Buck Showalter said Castillo could have played Wednesday but the Orioles wanted to give him another day to recover.

C Welington Castillo (groin) left the game against the Blue Jays Monday after he was hit by a foul ball during the first inning. He completed the inning then left the game and had tests at a hospital. He returned to the team Tuesday and reported that he was sore, but had hopes or returning to action in a few days.

C Welington Castillo left the 4-3 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays in the second inning Monday. Castillo was struck in the groin area by the foul ball hit by Blue Jays catcher Miguel Montero in the bottom of the first. He remained in the game to finish the inning but was replaced by Caleb Joseph in the second. Castillo is batting .293 with 19 homers and 49 RBIs in 84 games. Castillo was undergoing testing and it was not known how long he might be out with what the club said was a contusion. C Caleb Joseph replaced him and was 1-for-3 with an RBI single.

C Welington Castillo left the game against the Blue Jays shortly after being hit in the groin by a foul ball.In the bottom of the first, Castillo was struck in the groin area by a ball hit by Blue Jays catcher Miguel Montero. He remained in the game to finish the inning but was replaced by Caleb Joseph in the second.

C Welington Castillo was a late scratch from the starting lineup on Friday night. No immediate explanation was given for the scratch. He was replaced by C Caleb Joseph.

C Wellington Castillo was a late scratch from the starting lineup. No immediate explanation was given for the scratch. He was replaced by C Caleb Joseph.

C Welington Castillo matched his career-high with a four-hit performance in Wednesday's 8-7 victory over the Seattle Mariners. Castillo went 4-for-4, including an RBI double in the second inning, his 16th homer of the season in the fourth and a pair of singles. It marked the third time in his career he has posted four hits in one game. It was his 24th multihit game this season. Over the course of 16 games in August, Castillo is hitting .379 (22-for-58) with three doubles, six home runs and 14 RBIs.