A look at what's happening around the majors Wednesday:___PAIR OF ACESYu Darvish and Trevor Bauer pitch at Wrigley Field in a matchup of ace right-handers headed in different directions. Darvish, one of the front-runners for the NL Cy Young Award, is going for his eighth straight victory for the NL Central-leading Chicago Cubs. He has a sparkling 0.98 ERA during his winning streak. Bauer starts for the Cincinnati Reds. He was terrific at the beginning of the season, but he is 0-3 with a 4.08 ERA in his last three starts. BRONX BLUESThe slumping Yankees turn to rookie right-hander Deivi Garcia (0-1, 3.38) in the finale of a critical series against the Blue Jays. The 21-year-old Garcia is set for his third big league start — he overwhelmed the Mets in his debut, but struggled against Baltimore in his second game. The Yankees have lost five straight and 15 of 20 to fall three games behind Toronto for second place in the AL East. New York dropped the first two games of the series despite New... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors Wednesday:___PAIR OF ACESYu Darvish and Trevor Bauer pitch at Wrigley Field in a matchup of ace right-handers headed in different directions. Darvish, one of the front-runners for the NL Cy Young Award, is going for his eighth straight victory for the NL Central-leading Chicago Cubs. He has a sparkling 0.98 ERA during his winning streak. Bauer starts for the Cincinnati Reds. He was terrific at the beginning of the season, but he is 0-3 with a 4.08 ERA in his last three starts. BRONX BLUESThe Yankees turn to rookie right-hander Deivi Garcia (0-1, 3.38) in the finale of a critical series against the Blue Jays. The 21-year-old Garcia is set for his third big league start — he overwhelmed the Mets in his debut, but struggled against Baltimore in his second game. New York general manager Brian Cashman tried to fire up the slumping Yankees in a meeting prior to Tuesday's game.“We haven’t played well now for quite some time,” Cashman said. “We all know... [More]

The Atlanta Braves' season-long rotation woes continued Tuesday when Max Fried, the top healthy starter, was placed on the 10-day injured list.The latest blow to the rotation could accelerate the team's plans to have Cole Hamels rushed into action for his 2020 debut.Fried had been the only current healthy member of the projected rotation before the season began.Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos said Fried has a left-side muscle spasm in his lumbar spine. Anthopoulos said he hopes Fried can return from the IL as soon as he is eligible on Sept. 16.Fried said his velocity “was definitely down” after he allowed three runs in five innings against the Washington Nationals on Saturday night. He is 6-0 with a 1.98 ERA after not taking a decision in the 10-4 loss.Before the injury, Fried excelled as the team's top starter, filling the void left when the Braves lost opening day starter Mike Soroka to a torn right Achilles tendon suffered on Aug. 3 against the New York Mets.Soroka's season-ending... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Braves failed to pull off a major deal to bolster their rotation at baseball's trade deadline Monday, leaving the NL East leaders with a huge question mark as they seek a third straight division title and an extended run in the postseason for the first time time since 2001.The only trade made by the Braves came a day earlier, when they acquired journeyman Tommy Milone from the Baltimore Orioles for two players to be named.Milone was thrown right into the mix by the pitching-starved team — and it didn't go well. The 33-year-old left-hander was given a 10-1 lead but lasted just 2 1/3 innings, giving up seven runs, two homers and eight hits to the Philadelphia Phillies. The Braves managed to hang on for a 12-10 victory."There's no doubt things have not panned out the way we hoped," general manager Alex Anthopoulos said on a conference call shortly after the 4 p.m. EDT deadline passed. “We would have loved to add more starting pitching. We had those discussions. Ultimately,... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Desperate for starting pitching as they pursue a third straight NL East title, the Atlanta Braves acquired left-hander Tommy Milone from the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday for two players to be named.The division-leading Braves have struggled to put together a rotation behind Max Fried, who is 5-0 with a 1.35 ERA. Ian Anderson, who pitched one-hit ball over six innings in his major league debut last week, is the only other Atlanta starter to earn a win this season.The 33-year-old Milone will be thrown right into the mix, starting Sunday night's game at Philadelphia. The Braves chartered a flight from Buffalo, where the Orioles were playing a weekend series against the Toronto Blue Jays, to ensure their newest starter wasn't subjected to possible exposure to the coronavirus.“We've not had any players join us after after taking a commercial flight, and we'd prefer not to do it," Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos said. “We're not going to take any chances. There's no script... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Desperate for starting pitching as they pursue a third straight NL East title, the Atlanta Braves acquired left-hander Tommy Milone from the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday for two players to be named.The division-leading Braves have struggled to put together a rotation behind Max Fried, who is 5-0 with a 1.35 ERA. Ian Anderson, who pitched one-hit ball over six innings in his major league debut last week, is the only other Atlanta starter to earn a win this season.The 33-year-old Milone provides another option, though the Braves are likely to continue their pursuit for additional pitching help ahead of Monday's trade deadline. He is 1-4 with a 3.99 ERA over six starts in his first season with the Orioles.After signing a minor league deal with the Orioles in February, Milone received a major league contract in July. He started on opening day as a replacement for injured John Means and has 31 strikeouts and only four walks over 29 1/3 innings.Milone's best effort of the season... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Braves called up top prospect Ian Anderson to make his big league debut Tuesday night against Gerrit Cole and the New York Yankees. The Braves added the 22-year-old right-hander in hopes of bolstering a rotation that has struggled to find any consistency beyond top starter Max Fried.The third overall pick in the 2016 draft, the anticipation for Anderson's arrival in Atlanta grew as he made a rapid rise through the farm system. “He's a kid who's confident in his abilities," manager Brian Snitker said. "He's been throwing really well at the alternate site. He's excited. Hopefully this is the beginning of a long big league career for this young man.”Anderson started the 2019 season at Double-A Mississippi, where he went 7-5 with a 2.68 ERA in 21 starts. He had 147 strikeouts in 111 innings.Moving up to Triple-A Gwinnett late last season, Anderson struggled a bit in five starts. He went 1-2 with a 6.57 ERA, surrendering five homers in 24 2/3 innings.Snitker's advice... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Braves called up top prospect Ian Anderson to make his big league debut Tuesday night against Gerrit Cole and the New York Yankees. The Braves added the 22-year-old right-hander in hopes of bolstering a rotation that has struggled to find any consistency beyond top starter Max Fried.The third overall pick in the 2016 draft, the anticipation for Anderson's arrival in Atlanta grew as he made a rapid rise in the farm system. He started the 2019 season at Double-A Mississippi, where he went 7-5 with a 2.68 ERA in 21 starts. He had 147 strikeouts in 111 innings.Moving up to Triple-A Gwinnett late last season, Anderson struggled a bit in five starts. He went 1-2 with a 6.57 ERA, surrendering five homers in 24 2/3 innings.The plan was for Anderson to spend most of this season at Gwinnett, but the coronavirus pandemic shut down the minor leagues. So he's been working at the Braves' alternate training site, awaiting his chance.Even though the Braves are leading the NL... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors today:WILL THEY PLAY?The Reds are scheduled for an early flight to Kansas City for a two-game series against the Royals that was put in doubt after a Cincinnati player tested positive for COVID-19 over the weekend. Players, coaches and other organization members were retested for the coronavirus Saturday and Sunday after one player was sidelined because of a positive result. The final two games of a series against Pittsburgh at Great American Ball Park were postponed.The Reds made travel plans for Kansas City and expected to start Luis Castillo (0-2) in the series opener, assuming it’s played. ROUND 2The Yankees look for revenge against the Rays when they open a three-game series in the Bronx. Tampa Bay took three of four from the AL East leaders a week ago and could steal away the division lead with a sweep in the second of three series scheduled between the rivals in this pandemic-shortened season. The Yankees are still without injured stars... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors Tuesday:WILL THEY PLAY?The Reds are scheduled for an early flight to Kansas City for a two-game series against the Royals that was put in doubt after a Cincinnati player tested positive for COVID-19 over the weekend. Players, coaches and other organization members were retested for the coronavirus Saturday and Sunday after one player was sidelined because of a positive result. The final two games of a series against Pittsburgh at Great American Ball Park were postponed.The Reds made travel plans for Kansas City and expected to start Luis Castillo (0-2) in the series opener, assuming it’s played. ROUND 2The Yankees look for revenge against the Rays when they open a three-game series in the Bronx. Tampa Bay took three of four from the AL East leaders a week ago and could steal away the division lead with a sweep in the second of three series scheduled between the rivals in this pandemic-shortened season. The Yankees are still without injured stars... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Braves are facing lineup changes after placing second baseman Ozzie Albies and designated hitter Matt Adams on the 10-day injured list.In another move on Wednesday, outfielder Nick Markakis was reinstated from the restricted list. Markakis announced on July 29 that he was returning to the team, three weeks after opting out due to concerns about the coronavirus pandemic.Albies is batting only .159 after he was held without a hit in Tuesday night's 10-1 win over Toronto. He is in a 2-for-21 slump as he tried to play with a bruised right wrist. The injury led the switch-hitter to bat left-handed against left-hander Anthony Kay in the seventh inning.Adams has been the team's primary designated hitter and has made two starts at first base. He hit a second-inning homer on Tuesday night before leaving the game with a strained left hamstring.Charlie Culberson is making his first start at second base since 2018 in Wednesday night's game against Toronto. Manager Brian Snitker's... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Braves are facing lineup changes after placing second baseman Ozzie Albies and designated hitter Matt Adams on the 10-day injured list.In another move on Wednesday, outfielder Nick Markakis was reinstated from the restricted list. Markakis announced on July 29 that he was returning to the team, three weeks after opting out due to concerns about the coronavirus pandemic.Albies is batting only .159 after he was held without a hit in Tuesday night's 10-1 win over Toronto. He is in a 2-for-21 slump as he tried to play with a bruised right wrist. The injury led the switch-hitter to bat left-handed against left-hander Anthony Kay in the seventh inning.Adams has been the team's primary designated hitter and has made two starts at first base. He hit a second-inning homer on Tuesday night before leaving the game with a strained left hamstring.Among manager Brian Snitker's options at second base are Johan Camargo, who replaced Adams as the designated hitter against the... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Braves have placed right-hander Mike Soroka on the 45-day injured list following his season-ending torn right Achilles tendon and have designated right-hander Chris Rusin for assignment.Soroka, the team's opening day starter, had to be helped off the field after suffering his injury in Monday night's loss to the New York Mets.General manager Alex Anthopoulos said Soroka, who turned 23 on Tuesday, is expected to have surgery within a week.“He will recover and we expect him to be the same guy he was,” Anthopoulos said.Anthopoulos wouldn't place a timetable on Soroka's recovery period.The Braves made two moves to add depth to their bullpen, recalling right-handers Huascar Ynoa and Chad Sobotka from their alternate training site.Anthopoulos says the team is likely to fill Soroka's rotation spot from within the organization. He says a trade for a starting pitcher would be especially difficult during the coronavirus pandemic, when team are being careful to protect their depth.Rusin allowed three runs in 3 1/3 innings on Monday.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ATLANTA (AP) — When Mike Soroka's teammates heard him scream, they feared the worst.When they saw him being helped off the field, unable to put any weight on his right leg, they knew it was bad.“If Mike Soroka can't walk off the field, you know it's pretty serious,” said Freddie Freeman, the Atlanta Braves' slugging first baseman.One of baseball's brightest young pitching stars, Soroka is done for the year after tearing his right Achilles tendon during a seemingly routine play Monday night against the New York Mets.On a grounder to Freeman's right, Soroka broke toward first to cover the bag.He made it only one step.Soroka tumbled to the ground in serious pain, got up for a few tentative steps, then dropped to his knees on the infield grass."I heard him yell,” Freeman said. “It’s just a terrible injury for somebody so young, so bright, so determined to be great at this game.”The loss of Soroka is certainly a huge blow to the two-time reigning NL East champions, who already were struggling... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — When Mike Soroka's teammates heard him scream, they feared the worst.When they saw him being helped off the field, unable to put any weight on his right leg, they knew it was bad.“If Mike Soroka can't walk off the field, you know it's pretty serious,” said Freddie Freeman, the Atlanta Braves' slugging first baseman.One of baseball's brightest young pitching stars, Soroka is done for the year after tearing his right Achilles tendon during a seemingly routine play Monday night against the New York Mets.On a grounder to Freeman's right, Soroka broke toward first to cover the bag. He made it only one step.Soroka tumbled to the ground in serious pain, got up for a few tentative steps, then dropped to his knees on the infield grass. "I heard him yell,” Freeman said. “It’s just a terrible injury for somebody so young, so bright, so determined to be great at this game.”The loss of Soroka is certainly a huge blow to the two-time reigning NL East champions, who already were struggling... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Jacob deGrom struck out a season-high 10 in six innings and the New York Mets snapped a five-game skid Monday night with a 7-2 victory over the Braves that was overshadowed by a season-ending injury to Atlanta ace Mike Soroka. Soroka tore his Achilles tendon in the third inning as he took a step toward first to cover the bag — a huge blow to the two-time defending NL East champions. Robinson Canó had three RBIs before leaving the game himself — one of three New York infielders who went down with injuries. Wilson Ramos added a two-run homer for the Mets, who avoided a four-game sweep and ended Atlanta’s five-game winning streak. Travis d’Arnaud homered off deGrom (1-0) in the fifth.Soroka (0-1) allowed three hits, walked four and wound up being charged with four earned runs in 2 1/3 innings, the second-shortest outing of his career.The Mets had injury concerns, too. Jeff McNeil was scratched just before the first pitch with back tightness, and Canó exited with left groin tightness... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Jacob deGrom struck out a season-high 10 in six innings and the New York Mets snapped a five-game skid Monday night with a 7-2 victory over the Braves that was overshadowed by a season-ending injury to Atlanta ace Mike Soroka. Soroka tore his Achilles tendon in the third inning as he took a step toward first to cover the bag — a huge blow to the two-time defending NL East champions. Robinson Canó had three RBIs before leaving the game himself — one of three New York infielders who went down with injuries. Wilson Ramos added a two-run homer for the Mets, who avoided a four-game sweep and ended Atlanta’s five-game winning streak. Travis d’Arnaud homered off deGrom in the fifth.DeGrom (1-0) turned in another sterling effort. He threw 104 pitches.When Davis grounded the ball toward first baseman Freddie Freeman, Soroka broke in that direction to cover the bag if necessary — only to go down on his first step off the mound. Soroka (0-1) allowed three hits, walked four and wound... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Jacob deGrom struck out a season-high 10 in six innings and the New York Mets snapped a five-game skid Monday night with a 7-2 victory over the Braves that was overshadowed by a season-ending injury to Atlanta ace Mike Soroka. Soroka tore his Achilles tendon in the third inning as he took a step toward first to cover the bag — a huge blow to the two-time defending NL East champions. Robinson Canó had three RBIs before leaving the game himself — one of three New York infielders who went down with injuries. Wilson Ramos added a two-run homer for the Mets, who avoided a four-game sweep and ended Atlanta’s five-game winning streak. Travis d’Arnaud homered off deGrom in the fifth.DeGrom (1-0) turned in another sterling effort. He threw 104 pitches.When Davis grounded the ball toward first baseman Freddie Freeman, Soroka broke in that direction to cover the bag if necessary — only to go down on his first step off the mound. Soroka (0-1) allowed three hits, walked four and wound... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — The two-time defending NL East champion Atlanta Braves took a huge blow when young pitching star Mike Soroka was lost for the season Monday night after tearing his right Achilles tendon against the New York Mets.Soroka was hurt in the third inning after delivering a pitch to J.D. Davis, who grounded the ball toward first baseman Freddie Freeman. After completing his follow-through, Soroka broke toward first to cover the bag — only to go down on his first step off the mound. The right-hander let out a scream and appeared to know right away it was a devastating injury, one that ensures he won't be back on the mound until 2021. “There's no sugarcoating it,” Freeman said. “It's just a terrible injury for somebody so young, so bright, so determined to be great at this game.”Soroka tried to walk gingerly for a couple of steps before dropping to his knees. He couldn’t put any weight on the leg as he was helped toward the clubhouse with the assistance of a trainer and manager Brian... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta Braves ace Mike Soroka is out for the season after tearing his right Achilles tendon Monday night against the New York Mets.Soroka was hurt in the third inning after delivering a pitch to J.D. Davis, who grounded the ball toward first baseman Freddie Freeman. Soroka broke toward first to cover the bag, only to go down on his first step off the mound. The right-hander knew right away it was a devastating injury, one that ensures he won't be back on the mound until 2021. “It's a freak thing that happened,” manager Brian Snitker said, delivering the grim news after the Braves lost 7-2 to the Mets. "I'm sorry it did.”Soroka yelled in obvious pain and tried to walk gingerly for a couple of steps before dropping to his knees. He couldn't put any weight on the leg as he was helped toward the clubhouse with the assistance of Snitker and a trainer. It was a major blow to the two-time defending NL East champion Braves, who had won five straight despite struggling to put together... [More]