PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Pinch-running pitcher Vince Velasquez was called out for leaving second base early while tagging up, resulting in a game-ending double play that gave the Washington Nationals a 5-4 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday.After Aaron Nola outpitched Max Scherzer for the second time in six days in a matchup of NL Cy Young Award contenders, the Phillies watched Washington rally for three runs in the ninth to take a 5-3 lead.Ramos got Philadelphia within a run with a pinch-hit double in the ninth, and Velasquez pinch-ran for the catcher. Greg Holland relieved and retired Jorge Alfaro on a flyball to center, with Velasquez moving to third as the potential tying run.But the Nationals appealed that Velasquez left too soon, and he was called out. A replay upheld the ruling.Anthony Rendon hit a go-ahead, two-run homer off Pat Neshek (1-1) in the Nationals ninth. The Nationals trailed 3-2 when Bryce Harper drew a leadoff walk from Tommy Hunter. Neshek surrendered Rendon's... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Pinch-running pitcher Vince Velasquez was called out for leaving second base early while tagging up, resulting in a game-ending double play that gave the Washington Nationals a 5-4 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday.After Aaron Nola outpitched Max Scherzer for the second time in six days in a matchup of NL Cy Young Award contenders, the Phillies watched Washington rally for three runs in the ninth to take a 5-3 lead.Ramos got Philadelphia within a run with a pinch-hit double in the ninth, and Velasquez pinch-ran for the catcher. Greg Holland relieved and retired Jorge Alfaro on a flyball to center, with Velasquez moving to third as the potential tying run.But the Nationals appealed that Velasquez left too soon, and he was called out. A replay upheld the ruling.Anthony Rendon hit a go-ahead, two-run homer off Pat Neshek (1-1) in the Nationals ninth. The Nationals trailed 3-2 when Bryce Harper drew a leadoff walk from Tommy Hunter. Neshek surrendered Rendon's... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors today:WE MEET AGAINNL Cy Young Award candidates Max Scherzer and Aaron Nola share the mound for the second time in five days, this time at Nola's home park in Philadelphia. Nola (15-3, 2.13) got the better of Scherzer (16-6, 2.13) and the Nationals last Thursday in Washington, pitching eight innings with nine strikeouts in a 2-0 victory. Scherzer held the Phillies to two runs over seven innings, taking his first loss since July 2.REELING RED SOXBoston tries to end a three-game skid against Miami right-hander Jose Urena, who is returning from a suspension for hitting breakout Braves rookie Ronald Acuna Jr. with a pitch. The Red Sox were swept by the Rays over the weekend — Boston's first sweep of the season — and have lost six of eight to drop to 90-42. They'll turn to lefty Brian Johnson (4-3, 4.12) to end that skid.Urena (4-12, 4.50) was suspended six games by Major League Baseball after plunking Acuna on Aug. 15, though he pitched a complete... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors Tuesday:WE MEET AGAINNL Cy Young Award candidates Max Scherzer and Aaron Nola share the mound for the second time in five days, this time at Nola's home park in Philadelphia. Nola (15-3, 2.13) got the better of Scherzer (16-6, 2.13) and the Nationals last Thursday in Washington, pitching eight innings with nine strikeouts in a 2-0 victory. Scherzer held the Phillies to two runs over seven innings, taking his first loss since July 2.REELING RED SOXBoston tries to end a three-game skid against Miami right-hander Jose Urena, who is returning from a suspension for hitting breakout Braves rookie Ronald Acuna Jr. with a pitch. The Red Sox were swept by the Rays over the weekend — Boston's first sweep of the season — and have lost six of eight to drop to 90-42. They'll turn to lefty Brian Johnson (4-3, 4.12) to end that skid.Urena (4-12, 4.50) was suspended six games by Major League Baseball after plunking Acuna on Aug. 15, though he pitched a complete... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Khris Davis has become known as Oakland's other superstar "KD."The Athletics slugger is having a special season right next door to where Kevin Durant led the Golden State Warriors to a second straight NBA championship two months ago.Davis is on such a home run streak, he has considered the idea he might hit 50.It's right within reach at the pace he's on after two straight 40-homer years in his first two seasons with the Athletics."It's been on my mind for a little while," Davis said. "It's just another number, another benchmark."Yet he is far from concerned with his individual total — because that will mean little if he doesn't help Oakland end a three-year postseason drought following last-place finishes in the AL West each of the past three years.Davis leads the majors with 39 home runs and ranks second in RBIs with 103 behind Boston's J.D. Martinez.Davis is a big reason the A's are on such a remarkable roll in the second half: Oakland is 17-1-2 in its past 20 series... [More]

As fantasy baseball nears its playoff stretch, some players are available that can help you push the power totals.It's also a good week to stream starters given some of the matchups.PLAYERS TO PICK UPKENDRYS MORALES, 1B, Toronto Blue Jays (24 percent owned in CBSSports.com leagues) — The veteran slugger has been on a power surge recently. Over the past two weeks he's batting .358 with five home runs and 10 RBIs.TYLER WHITE, 1B, Houston Astros (9 percent) - White has also been hitting the long ball. In his last 12 games he's batting .381 with five home runs and 12 RBIs. It appears the Astros will continue to put him in the lineup every day until his bat cools off.DANSBY SWANSON SS, Atlanta Braves (38 percent) - Many forget that the talented Swanson was the No. 1 pick of the 2015 draft. Fantasy baseball players have been waiting for him to fulfill his potential and it seems like he may have turned the corner. He has 12 home runs and six stolen bases this season, and in his last 12 games he's... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Paul DeJong hit a go-ahead, two-run homer off Kenley Jansen in the ninth inning, lifting the St. Louis Cardinals to a 3-1 victory and a three-game sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday night.The Cardinals' eighth straight road win helped them improve to 17-4 this month, the most wins in the majors. They've homered in 15 straight games, one off the current season mark of 16 in a row by Philadelphia.St. Louis remained 2½ games behind the NL Central-leading Cubs.For Jansen, it was a familiar ending.The All-Star closer, who became a father for the third time earlier in the day, gave up consecutive homers to Jedd Gyorko and Matt Carpenter in the series opener Monday. That was Jansen's first game back after missing time because of an irregular heartbeat.This time, Gyorko singled off Jansen (0-5) and DeJong followed with a drive to left-center to give the Cardinals their first lead.Jordan Hicks struck out Cody Bellinger, Brian Dozier and Chris Taylor to earn his fifth... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Rookie Freddy Peralta tossed seven scoreless innings and drove in a run with his first career hit, combining with two relievers on a five-hitter to lead the Milwaukee Brewers past the Cincinnati Reds 4-0 on Wednesday.Christian Yelich homered and finished a triple shy of the cycle, reaching base five times and driving in two runs for Milwaukee. He opened the first with his 21st homer, doubled in the third, walked in the fourth and singled in the sixth and eighth.Peralta (6-4) allowed just three singles, striking out seven and walking two to win for the second time in seven starts. The 22-year-old right-hander did not allow a hit until Jose Peraza's single to open the fourth.Peralta was 0-for-22 with 11 strikeouts this season before he drove in the Brewers' second run with a fourth-inning single.Robert Stephenson (0-2) allowed four runs on nine hits in five innings, walking three and striking out four.The Reds loaded the bases in the eighth against Taylor Williams, but Jeremy... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Rookie Freddy Peralta tossed seven scoreless innings and drove in a run with his first career hit, combining with two relievers on a five-hitter to lead the Milwaukee Brewers past the Cincinnati Reds 4-0 on Wednesday.Christian Yelich homered and finished a triple shy of the cycle, reaching base five times and driving in two runs for Milwaukee. He opened the first with his 21st homer, doubled in the third, walked in the fourth and singled in the sixth and eighth.Peralta (6-4) allowed just three singles, striking out seven and walking two to win for the second time in seven starts. The 22-year-old right-hander did not allow a hit until Jose Peraza's single to open the fourth.Peralta was 0-for-22 with 11 strikeouts this season before he drove in the Brewers' second run with a fourth-inning single.Robert Stephenson (0-2) allowed four runs on nine hits in five innings, walking three and striking out four.The Reds loaded the bases in the eighth against Taylor Williams, but Jeremy... [More]

SEATTLE (AP) — Rookie Freddy Peralta tossed seven scoreless innings and drove in a run with his first career hit, combining with two relievers on a five-hitter to lead the Milwaukee Brewers past the Cincinnati Reds 4-0 on Wednesday.Christian Yelich homered and finished a triple shy of the cycle, reaching base five times and driving in two runs for Milwaukee. He opened the first with his 21st homer, doubled in the third, walked in the fourth and singled in the sixth and eighth.Peralta (6-4) allowed just three singles, striking out seven and walking two to win for the second time in seven starts. The 22-year-old right-hander did not allow a hit until Jose Peraza's single to open the fourth.Peralta was 0-for-22 with 11 strikeouts this season before he drove in the Brewers' second run with a fourth-inning single.Robert Stephenson (0-2) allowed four runs on nine hits in five innings, walking three and striking out four.The Reds loaded the bases in the eighth against Taylor Williams, but Jeremy... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors today:HOW THE WEST IS WONAll-Star outfielder George Springer is expected to come off the disabled list for the Houston Astros when the defending champions visit Oakland for the opener of a pivotal three-game series between AL West contenders. Last year's World Series MVP has been sidelined with a sprained left thumb. Charlie Morton (12-3, 2.88 ERA) pitches for the banged-up Astros, who have a two-game lead in the division over the surprising Athletics. Edwin Jackson (4-2, 2.48) gets the ball for Oakland.ON PUNISHMENTUnless he appeals, Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig is scheduled to begin a two-game suspension when Los Angeles plays at Seattle in an interleague clash between playoff contenders. Puig also was fined Thursday by Major League Baseball for fighting and inciting a bench-clearing fracas against San Francisco. The penalties were announced two days after Puig took a swing at Giants catcher Nick Hundley, who also was fined. ... MLB also... [More]

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Trevor Williams and two relievers combined on a six-hitter, and the Pittsburgh Pirates blanked the San Francisco Giants 4-0 on Saturday night.Josh Bell homered for the second time in three days. Elias Diaz added two hits for the Pirates after coming in as an injury replacement for Francisco Cervelli.The start of the game was delayed for a ceremony honoring home run king Barry Bonds, who became the 10th player in Giants history to have his jersey retired. Several of his former teammates and managers, including Dusty Baker and Jim Leyland, were on hand.Buster Posey and Evan Longoria had two hits apiece for San Francisco. Ty Blach (6-7) allowed four runs over four innings.Williams (10-8) allowed five hits and walked one in seven innings.ROCKIES 3, DODGERS 2DENVER (AP) — Ryan McMahon hit a three-run homer with two out in the ninth inning, lifting Colorado to the win.McMahon's drive off J.T. Chargois (2-4) cleared the right-field wall just above the out-of-town scoreboard.... [More]

Mike Fiers may end up with another chance to pitch in the postseason.The Oakland Athletics acquired the right-hander from the Detroit Tigers on Monday for two players to be named or cash. The 33-year-old Fiers is 7-6 with a 3.48 ERA this season.Fiers was with the World Series champion Astros last year, but he was not included on any of Houston's postseason rosters. He did make one relief appearance for the Astros in the 2015 Division Series.The rebuilding Tigers picked Fiers up before the season on a $6 million, one-year contract , and he pitched well enough that he became a candidate to be traded to a contender.Detroit traded outfielder Leonys Martin to Cleveland, and general manager Al Avila said last week that Oakland and Milwaukee had shown interest in Fiers. But the Tigers weren't able to work out a deal before the non-waiver trade deadline.Now the Tigers have sent Fiers to an Oakland team that, if the season ended now, would be the American League's second wild card."There's always... [More]

Mike Fiers may end up with another chance to pitch in the postseason.The Oakland Athletics acquired the right-hander from the Detroit Tigers on Monday for two players to be named or cash. The 33-year-old Fiers is 7-6 with a 3.48 ERA this season.Fiers was with the World Series champion Astros last year, but he was not included on any of Houston's postseason rosters. He did make one relief appearance for the Astros in the 2015 Division Series.The rebuilding Tigers picked Fiers up before the season on a $6 million, one-year contract , and he pitched well enough that he became a candidate to be traded to a contender.Detroit traded outfielder Leonys Martin to Cleveland, and general manager Al Avila said last week that Oakland and Milwaukee had shown interest in Fiers. But the Tigers weren't able to work out a deal before the non-waiver trade deadline.Now the Tigers have sent Fiers to an Oakland team that, if the season ended now, would be the American League's second wild card."There's always... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Corey Kluber pitched a three-hitter for his first shutout this season and new arrival Leonys Martin homered again as the Cleveland Indians beat the Los Angeles Angels 3-0 Saturday night.After the game, there was a report that Los Angeles Angels manager Mike Scioscia is expected to step down at the end of this season. The report by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic cited unidentified major league sources.The 59-year-old Scioscia is the longest-tenured manager in the majors and has guided the Angels since 2000. They are 55-57 this year.Kluber (14-6) matched zeros for five innings with Felix Pena (1-3), who carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning before Martin led off with a homer. Martin has two homers in three games since coming to Cleveland in a trade with Detroit.The Angels were again without All-Star outfielder Mike Trout, who missed his third straight game with a sore right wrist.ASTROS 14, DODGERS 0LOS ANGELES (AP) — Josh Reddick's three-run homer highlighted Houston's... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Corey Kluber pitched a three-hitter for his first shutout this season and new arrival Leonys Martin homered again as the Cleveland Indians beat the Los Angeles Angels 3-0 Saturday night.After the game, there was a report that Los Angeles Angels manager Mike Scioscia is expected to step down at the end of this season. The report by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic cited unidentified major league sources.The 59-year-old Scioscia is the longest-tenured manager in the majors and has guided the Angels since 2000. They are 55-57 this year.Kluber (14-6) matched zeros for five innings with Felix Pena (1-3), who carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning before Martin led off with a homer. Martin has two homers in three games since coming to Cleveland in a trade with Detroit.The Angels were again without All-Star outfielder Mike Trout, who missed his third straight game with a sore right wrist.REDS 7, NATIONALS 1, 1ST GAMENATIONALS 6, REDS 2, 2ND GAMEWASHINGTON (AP) — Nationals slugger... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Blake Swihart doubled into the Red Sox bullpen to score Eduardo Nunez in the 13th inning and Boston beat the Philadelphia Phillies 2-1 on Monday night to move a season-high six games ahead of the New York Yankees in the AL East.Boston announced after the game it had acquired Ian Kinsler from the Angels to fill in for injured second baseman Dustin Pedroia.Hector Velazquez (7-0) pitched a scoreless inning for the win and Austin Davis (1-1) took the loss after pitching a perfect 12th before allowing Nunez's leadoff single in the next inning. Luis Garcia, the 12th pitcher of the night, struck out Brock Holt but allowed Nunez to steal second.Swihart lined the first pitch he saw toward the gap and into the bullpen on one hop for his first career walk-off RBI.The Red Sox have won 19 of their last 23 games and matched their biggest lead in the division of the season. At 75-33, they have the best record in baseball and are 42 games above .500 for the first time since the end of the... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Noah Syndergaard pitched out of trouble in a rusty return from the disabled list and helped himself with an RBI single as the New York Mets beat the Washington Nationals 4-2 on Friday night.Amed Rosario tripled and doubled, both times over Bryce Harper's head in center field, and the Mets won for only the sixth time in their last 26 home games. Brandon Nimmo had three hits for New York, which built a three-run cushion in the first inning against struggling starter Tanner Roark.Roark (3-12) became the first 12-game loser in the majors this season. He allowed four runs and eight hits in five innings.Matt Adams homered for the inconsistent Nationals, who fell back to .500 at 47-47. They have lost just three of 13 games at Citi Field since the start of last season.After missing seven weeks with a strained ligament in his right index finger, Syndergaard (5-1) came out firing 99 mph fastballs.Robert Gsellman gave up Adams' upper-deck shot in the eighth but got six outs for his... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors today:HEAVEN 11Mookie Betts and the rolling Boston Red Sox try to win their 11th consecutive game when they host Toronto again at Fenway Park. Betts, who leads the majors with a .352 batting average, had a grand slam and five RBIs in Thursday night's 6-4 victory. Boston owns the longest current winning streak in the big leagues and hasn't lost since getting routed July 1 at Yankee Stadium. At 66-29, the major league-leading Red Sox are 37 games over .500 for the first time since 1949. Rick Porcello (11-3, 3.58 ERA) starts for Boston against rookie left-hander Ryan Borucki (0-1, 2.25).BACK IN BUSINESSMets right-hander Noah Syndergaard (4-1, 3.06 ERA) comes off the disabled list to make his first big league start since May 25. The 2016 All-Star has been sidelined by a strained ligament in his right index finger. On the mound for the Nationals is Tanner Roark (3-11, 4.76), who is tied for the major league lead in losses. He got no-decisions in two... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors on Friday:HEAVEN 11Mookie Betts and the rolling Boston Red Sox try to win their 11th consecutive game when they host Toronto again at Fenway Park. Betts, who leads the majors with a .352 batting average, had a grand slam and five RBIs in Thursday night's 6-4 victory. Boston owns the longest current winning streak in the big leagues and hasn't lost since getting routed July 1 at Yankee Stadium. At 66-29, the major league-leading Red Sox are 37 games over .500 for the first time since 1949. Rick Porcello (11-3, 3.58 ERA) starts for Boston against rookie left-hander Ryan Borucki (0-1, 2.25).BACK IN BUSINESSMets right-hander Noah Syndergaard (4-1, 3.06 ERA) comes off the disabled list to make his first big league start since May 25. The 2016 All-Star has been sidelined by a strained ligament in his right index finger. On the mound for the Nationals is Tanner Roark (3-11, 4.76), who is tied for the major league lead in losses. He got no-decisions... [More]