WASHINGTON (AP) — Washington Nationals slugger Juan Soto tested positive for COVID-19 and was put on the injured list Thursday, forcing him to miss the start of the pandemic-delayed season.“You feel bad for him. He's a great player. The fans want to see him. And it affects our lineup,” Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said as he announced Soto's test less than five hours before the 2019 World Series champions were scheduled to host the New York Yankees on opening day.“But what can you do about it?” Rizzo said. “You've got to play ball. ... We’re going to have to win without our best guy. It’s a challenge.”Soto, a 21-year-old left fielder who was a breakout star of last postseason, will be sidelined until he can come up negative on two consecutive coronavirus tests.“He's asymptomatic,” Rizzo said. “He's following all major league protocols.”Rizzo said the Nationals had done contact tracing to check whether other members of the organization had been exposed.“At this time, there's nobody... [More]

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Erick Fedde and Austin Voth take their pets to the dog beach together. They check out new restaurants together, too. Fedde and Joe Ross play each other in video games. When Fedde was called up to the majors for the first time, he crashed on Ross' couch in the Navy Yard neighborhood not far from Nationals Park.The trio of right-handers has known each other for years by now. They're pals. Their lockers are all in a row at spring training -- Ross, then Voth, then Fedde. And their futures in Washington are connected, too. In all likelihood, one member of the group will earn a spot in the rotation as the No. 5 starter, one will land a bullpen job as a long reliever and one will not make the opening day roster at all. It's one of the few areas of competition for last year's champions as the start of the regular season approaches in less than three weeks.Could make for some uncomfortable moments in the close quarters of a clubhouse."I really don't think it's awkward,... [More]

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (AP) — José Quintana pitched seven crisp innings, Anthony Rizzo hit a two-run homer and the Chicago Cubs beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-1 on Sunday night in the MLB Little League Classic.Nicholas Castellanos and Jason Heyward also connected as Chicago earned its second straight win since consecutive heartbreaking losses to the Phillies and Pirates.The Cubs took two of three in the unusual weekend set and remain in a virtual tie with St. Louis for the top spot in the NL Central.Starling Marté had three hits for Pittsburgh, including his 21st homer in the ninth. Mitch Keller (1-2) allowed six runs in 4 1/3 innings.With grinning Little Leaguers dressed in their uniforms filling the stands at BB&T Ballpark, Quintana (11-7) allowed five hits and walked none. The left-hander improved to 7-0 in nine starts since his last loss June 22.ASTROS 4, ATHLETICS 1OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Zack Greinke threw seven smooth innings for his 200th win, helping the AL West-leading Astros avoid... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Zack Greinke threw seven smooth innings for his 200th win, pitching the first-place Houston Astros past the Oakland Athletics 4-1 on Sunday to avoid a four-game sweep.Alex Bregman had a three-run homer among his four hits to back Greinke, who won his third straight start since joining the Astros from the Arizona Diamondbacks at the July 31 trade deadline.Greinke (13-4) went nine up, nine down on 25 pitches to start the game before giving up Marcus Semien's 21st homer. The right-hander allowed four hits with three walks and six strikeouts. He became the 115th pitcher in major league history to reach 200 career wins, and the second in Houston's rotation along with Justin Verlander.Roberto Osuna finished for his 27th save as the Astros stopped a five-game slide.Yuli Gurriel added an RBI double for Houston, which snapped Oakland's four-game winning streak. The Astros went back ahead of the A's by 7 1/2 games in the AL West race.Athletics lefty Brett Anderson (10-9) allowed... [More]

Nationals first. Trea Turner singles to right center field. Adam Eaton walks. Trea Turner to second. Anthony Rendon pops out to shallow left field to Orlando Arcia. Juan Soto flies out to right field to Christian Yelich. Matt Adams homers to center field. Adam Eaton scores. Trea Turner scores. Victor Robles homers to center field. Brian Dozier grounds out to shortstop, Orlando Arcia to Eric Thames.4 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 0 left on. Nationals 4, Brewers 0.Nationals second. Yan Gomes singles to shallow right field. Erick Fedde out on a sacrifice bunt to shallow infield, Chase Anderson to Keston Hiura. Yan Gomes to second. Trea Turner walks. Adam Eaton triples to right center field. Trea Turner scores. Yan Gomes scores. Anthony Rendon grounds out to shallow infield, Orlando Arcia to Eric Thames. Juan Soto strikes out swinging.2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on. Nationals 6, Brewers 0.Nationals third. Matt Adams singles to right field. Victor Robles doubles to left field. Matt Adams to third.... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Right now, 19-31 is just a distant memory for the Washington Nationals.Even without Max Scherzer for all but one game over the past month-plus, even with recurring bullpen issues, even though they dug themselves quite a hole, the Nationals are suddenly 65-55 — 10 games over .500 for the first time in 14 months.What's more, they're leading the NL wild-card standings as they head into Friday's opener of a three-game series against one of the clubs chasing them for a playoff berth: reigning league MVP Christian Yelich and the Milwaukee Brewers.Winning the NL East presents more of a challenge, because Washington entered Thursday trailing the first-place Atlanta Braves by six games. The rivals play each other seven more times, though: four games at Atlanta on Sept. 5-8, and three at Washington on Sept. 13-15."Still a lot of work to be done. We need to keep our foot on the accelerator," right fielder Adam Eaton said after hitting one of Washington's three homers during a 10-run... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Max Scherzer is back on the 10-day injured list, unwelcome news for the Washington Nationals as they push for a wild card berth and try to catch the Atlanta Braves in the NL East.The Nationals announced Monday that Scherzer was placed on the IL with a minor rhomboid strain. The injury is in the same area as the inflammation under his right shoulder that forced the ace right-hander to the IL for 19 days earlier this month.Scherzer was dominant in June and won seven consecutive starts as Washington worked its way back into playoff contention following a 19-31 start. He returned from the IL last Thursday and allowed three runs in five innings in a no-decision against the Rockies. The next day, he had an MRI that revealed the injury.Last week, Nationals manager Dave Martinez said he was relieved the famously intense Scherzer, known as "Mad Max," would be back on the mound, giving him an outlet for his competitive energy. But on Monday, Martinez said Scherzer needs to be cautious... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Max Scherzer is back on the 10-day injured list, unwelcome news for the Washington Nationals as they try to catch the Atlanta Braves in the NL East while pushing for a wild card berth.The Nationals announced Monday that Scherzer was placed on the IL with a minor rhomboid strain. It's similar to the inflammation under his right shoulder that forced the ace right-hander to the IL for 19 days earlier this month.Scherzer was dominant in June and won seven consecutive starts as Washington worked its way back into playoff contention following a 19-31 start. He returned from the IL last Thursday and allowed three runs in five innings in a no-decision against the Rockies. The next day, he had an MRI that revealed the injury. The three-time Cy Young Award winner is 9-5 with a 2.41 ERA.Washington recalled right-hander Erick Fedde from Double-A Harrisburg to take Scherzer's place on the roster. Fedde was slated to start Tuesday night against the Braves in Scherzer's rotation spot.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

A look at what's happening around the majors today:WELCOMEZac Gallen is set to make his major league debut when he starts for the Marlins at St. Louis. The 23-year-old righty was 9-1 with a 1.77 ERA at Triple-A New Orleans, striking out 112 in 91 1/3 innings.Gallen might see some familiar faces at Busch Stadium. He was traded by the Cardinals to Miami in the deal for outfielder Marcell Ozuna after the 2017 season.DIFFERENT DIRECTIONSAlex Bregman and the Astros have lost a season-most four straight as they open a four-game series between AL division leaders at Yankee Stadium.Houston was swept in Cincinnati this week, but former AL MVP Jose Altuve returned to the lineup after missing 35 games with a hamstring strain. He went 0 for 4 and grounded into a double play Wednesday.Big-hitting Gary S�nchez and the Yankees have won five in a row, capped by a sweep of the second-place Rays. Slugging outfielder Aaron Judge is expected to rejoin New York on Friday after being sidelined in late April... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two consecutive rainouts — and one batting practice injury for Max Scherzer — have thrown the Washington Nationals' pitching plans into question.The Nationals and Philadelphia Phillies were rained out Tuesday after a nearly two-hour delay, the teams' second consecutive postponement. The game will be made up on Sept. 24 at 1:05 p.m. as part of a day-night doubleheader.The truncated three-game series between NL East rivals will now start with a day-night doubleheader on Wednesday, with the front end the makeup of Monday's washout.Neither team immediately announced its pitching plans, though the one thing that seemed certain early Tuesday afternoon — that Scherzer would start one of the games — was thrown into doubt by a batting practice mishap.Scherzer suffered a broken nose when he took a ball off his face while attempting a bunt. The team said a CT scan was negative and that Scherzer's status was still to be determined.Washington will need to find at least one starter... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — Rafael Devers homered off Justin Verlander, and the Boston Red Sox took advantage of two errors by the Houston Astros to avoid a series sweep with a 4-1 victory Sunday.Eduardo Rodriguez (5-3) held Houston to one run and four hits in six innings, improving to 5-1 in his last eight starts.The Astros lost for just the fifth time in 22 games and finished the regular season 4-2 against the Red Sox, who beat them 4-1 in the ALCS last season on the way to a World Series championship.Devers' solo shot in the fourth gave the Red Sox a 2-1 lead. It was Devers' seventh homer of the season and fourth in six games.Marcus Walden earned his second major league save and first this season.Verlander (8-2) permitted three runs and six hits in seven innings, striking out six.ATHLETICS 7, MARINERS 1OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Matt Chapman homered for the second consecutive day, Josh Phegley also went deep and had three RBIs, and the streaking Oakland Athletics won their ninth straight, beating Seattle... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — Rafael Devers homered off Justin Verlander, and the Boston Red Sox took advantage of two errors by the Houston Astros to avoid a series sweep with a 4-1 victory Sunday.Eduardo Rodriguez (5-3) held Houston to one run and four hits in six innings, improving to 5-1 in his last eight starts.The Astros lost for just the fifth time in 22 games and finished the regular season 4-2 against the Red Sox, who beat them 4-1 in the ALCS last season on the way to a World Series championship.Devers' solo shot in the fourth gave the Red Sox a 2-1 lead. It was Devers' seventh homer of the season and fourth in six games.Marcus Walden earned his second major league save and first this season.Verlander (8-2) permitted three runs and six hits in seven innings, striking out six.ATHLETICS 7, MARINERS 1OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Matt Chapman homered for the second consecutive day, Josh Phegley also went deep and had three RBIs, and the streaking Oakland Athletics won their ninth straight, beating Seattle... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — A day after he failed to come up with a line drive and misplayed a grounder for an error, rookie shortstop Carter Kieboom was demoted by the Washington Nationals to Triple-A Fresno.Both miscues Kieboom led to Milwaukee runs in the Brewers' 5-3 win Monday night. Kieboom, a 21-year-old who debuted April 26, was hitting .128 (5 for 39) with two home runs in 11 games. He made four errors."We brought him up here out of necessity because we were beat up," Nationals manager Dave Martinez said Tuesday. He was doing well in Triple-A and we wanted him to get his feet wet and get him an opportunity to come up here and see what it's all about. He'll be back."Kieboom was optioned to Fresno as part of a flurry of moves. Third baseman Anthony Rendon was activated from the injured list after recovering from a bruised left elbow and was third in the batting order against the Brewers. Left-hander Tony Sipp was placed on the injured list because of a strained oblique muscle and right-hander... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — First baseman Ryan Zimmerman was put on the 10-day injured list Sunday by the Washington Nationals because of plantar fasciitis in his right foot.Zimmerman, who is hitting .213 with three homers and 11 RBI in 22 games, was hurt while trying to make a catch in Tuesday's game in Colorado. Zimmerman played in Washington's previous two games before the roster move but experienced growing discomfort. He had an MRI on Sunday."We're going to get him treatment and keep him off his feet for 10 days," manager Dave Martinez said.Washington recalled right-hander Erick Fedde from Double-A Harrisburg, where he was 2-0 with a 2.66 ERA. Fedde made 14 starts for the Nationals during the previous two seasons.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Tanner Roark figured he would be pitching in Washington's star-studded rotation next year alongside Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg and newcomer Patrick Corbin.Instead, he found himself part of the majors' first Tanner-for-Tanner trade, headed to the rebuilding Reds. Cincinnati acquired him for fellow right-hander Tanner Rainey on Wednesday during the winter meetings."I felt like we would have a pretty good staff over there in D.C. but they thought otherwise and I don't know what their plans are," Roark said in a conference call. "I'm just grateful to be a National. It was good times over there."As of now, Roark could lead a young Reds rotation — though president of baseball operations Dick Williams made it clear his last-place club is hardly done dealing. Righty starter Matt Harvey came to Cincinnati from the Mets last May.There have been only a handful of big league players over the years with the first name of Tanner, and this was the first time two of them were traded... [More]

Triple Crown contender Christian Yelich and the Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field. Nolan Arenado and the big-hitting Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium.October baseball is about to begin with Game No. 163 on Monday.Two tiebreakers on the same day for the first time in major league history. Both to divvy up divisions, too."It's interesting that baseball is such a perfect game in some ways that it takes 162 to not decide anything," Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon said.Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo and the Cubs begin the doubleheader drama when they host Milwaukee for the NL Central crown. Later in the afternoon, Dodgers rookie Walker Buehler is set to start when Los Angeles faces Colorado for the NL West title.There's a catch, though.All four teams are already assured playoff spots, either as a division champ or wild card. The Dodgers, Rockies, Brewers and Cubs knew that going into Sunday, the final scheduled day of the regular season, and then romped by a combined score of 48-5.So, it means... [More]

Triple Crown contender Christian Yelich and the Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field. Nolan Arenado and the big-hitting Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium.October baseball is about to begin with Game No. 163 on Monday.Two tiebreakers on the same day for the first time in major league history. Both to divvy up divisions, too."It's interesting that baseball is such a perfect game in some ways that it takes 162 to not decide anything," Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon said.Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo and the Cubs begin the doubleheader drama when they host Milwaukee for the NL Central crown. Later in the afternoon, Dodgers rookie Walker Buehler is set to start when Los Angeles faces Colorado for the NL West title.There's a catch, though.All four teams are already assured playoff spots, either as a division champ or wild card. The Dodgers, Rockies, Brewers and Cubs knew that going into Sunday, the final scheduled day of the regular season, and then romped by a combined score of 48-5.So, it means... [More]

Triple Crown contender Christian Yelich and the Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field. Nolan Arenado and the big-hitting Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium.October baseball is about to begin with Game No. 163 on Monday.Two tiebreakers on the same day for the first time in major league history. Both to divvy up divisions, too."It's interesting that baseball is such a perfect game in some ways that it takes 162 to not decide anything," Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon said.Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo and the Cubs begin the doubleheader drama when they host Milwaukee for the NL Central crown. Later in the afternoon, Dodgers rookie Walker Buehler is set to start when Los Angeles faces Colorado for the NL West title.There's a catch, though.All four teams are already assured playoff spots, either as a division champ or wild card. The Dodgers, Rockies, Brewers and Cubs knew that going into Sunday, the final scheduled day of the regular season, and then romped by a combined score of 48-5.So, it means... [More]

Triple Crown contender Christian Yelich and the Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field. Nolan Arenado and the big-hitting Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium.October baseball is about to begin with Game No. 163 on Monday.Two tiebreakers on the same day for the first time in major league history. Both to divvy up divisions, too."It's interesting that baseball is such a perfect game in some ways that it takes 162 to not decide anything," Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon said.Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo and the Cubs begin the doubleheader drama when they host Milwaukee for the NL Central crown. Later in the afternoon, Dodgers rookie Walker Buehler is set to start when Los Angeles faces Colorado for the NL West title.There's a catch, though.All four teams are already assured playoff spots, either as a division champ or wild card. The Dodgers, Rockies, Brewers and Cubs knew that going into Sunday, the final scheduled day of the regular season, and then romped by a combined score of 48-5.So, it means... [More]

The NL West and NL Central were on track for tiebreaker games when the Los Angeles Dodgers, Colorado Rockies, Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers all took leads in Game 162.Any tiebreakers would be one-game matchups Monday and would be played at Wrigley Field and Dodger Stadium. If there are two games, the winners would get the division title and the losers would meet in the NL wild-card game Tuesday.The Dodgers and Rockies were both at 90-71 entering Sunday, while the Cubs and Brewers were deadlocked at 94-67.Los Angeles led 14-0 at San Francisco in the eighth inning. Justin Turner, Manny Machado, Matt Kemp and Brian Dozier all had big hits.Colorado was ahead 9-0 at home against Washington in the eighth on two home runs by Nolan Arenado. The Nationals scratched ace Max Scherzer in a game with no meaning for them and started rookie Erick Fedde.Milwaukee held a 4-0 lead against visiting Detroit in the seventh on Jesus Aguilar's home run and RBI single.The Cubs were up 8-4 at home against St. Louis in the sixth. Anthony Rizzo had three hits for Chicago.The NL West winner advances to a best-of-five Division Series against Atlanta starting Thursday, and the NL Central winner moves on to a Division Series against the winner of Tuesday's wild card game.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/tag/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports