MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota Twins pitcher Michael Pineda was suspended for 60 games Saturday for taking a diuretic, a big blow to the rotation of a first-place team heading toward the postseason.Major League Baseball said Pineda tested positive for the banned substance and the suspension takes effect immediately.Pineda, 6-foot-7 and 280 pounds, said in a statement he took an over-the-counter medication given to him by an acquaintance to help manage his weight. The pills contained hydrochlorothiazide, a diuretic that can mask other substances."Michael Pineda is a big member of this team in a lot of different ways, beyond the field as well as on it," Minnesota manager Rocco Baldelli said Saturday before the Twins held a team meeting preceeding their game at home against Cleveland. "Because of that, it does create a challenge. Our team has been pretty resilient with everything that's been thrown at it to this point, and I think we're going to have the ability to acknowledge this and process... [More]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Marcus Semien provided just enough early offense and Mike Fiers and three Oakland relievers combined to shut down the Kansas City Royals in a 2-1 victory Tuesday night.Semien scored in the first inning and drove in a run in the second. That was all the offense the A's pitchers needed one day after Oakland had a season-high 19 runs.Fiers (13-3) scattered eight hits in his 5 1/3 innings, but allowed just Alex Gordon's RBI double in the sixth. He's now won 11 straight decisions, dating to May 7, tying Mark Mulder for the second-longest winning streak in Oakland history.Mike Montgomery (3-7) surrendered an unearned run in the first and another run in the second, but gave up nothing else through 6 1/3 innings.ORIOLES 2, NATIONALS 0WASHINGTON (AP) — Aaron Brooks came up with an unexpected pitching gem against the torrid-hitting Nationals, throwing six innings of two-hit ball to help Baltimore end Washington's five-game winning streak.The Nationals were coming off a weekend... [More]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Marcus Semien provided just enough early offense and Mike Fiers and three Oakland relievers combined to shut down the Kansas City Royals in a 2-1 victory Tuesday night.Semien scored in the first inning and drove in a run in the second. That was all the offense the A's pitchers needed one day after Oakland had a season-high 19 runs.Fiers (13-3) scattered eight hits in his 5 1/3 innings, but allowed just Alex Gordon's RBI double in the sixth. He's now won 11 straight decisions, dating to May 7, tying Mark Mulder for the second-longest winning streak in Oakland history.Mike Montgomery (3-7) surrendered an unearned run in the first and another run in the second, but gave up nothing else through 6 1/3 innings.ORIOLES 2, NATIONALS 0WASHINGTON (AP) — Aaron Brooks came up with an unexpected pitching gem against the torrid-hitting Nationals, throwing six innings of two-hit ball to help Baltimore end Washington's five-game winning streak.The Nationals were coming off a weekend... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — J.T. Realmuto hit a grand slam, Bryce Harper went deep twice and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Chicago Cubs 11-1 in Charlie Manuel's first game as hitting coach, ruining Cole Hamels' return home Wednesday night.Manuel was back in red pinstripes in his old dugout exactly six years to the day the franchise icon managed his last game for the Phillies. He heard "Charlie! Charlie! Charlie!" chants after Realmuto connected to make it 10-0 in the third.Hamels, the 2008 NLCS and World Series MVP with Manuel's Phillies, was roughed up in his first game in Philadelphia since he was traded to Texas in July 2015. Hamels (6-4) gave up eight runs and nine hits in two-plus innings.Aaron Nola (11-3) benefited from the offense's rare outburst. He allowed three hits, including Kris Bryant's homer, and struck out seven in seven innings.Hamels received the loudest applause during pregame introductions and got a standing ovation when he came to the plate already trailing 4-0 in the... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — J.T. Realmuto hit a grand slam, Bryce Harper went deep twice and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Chicago Cubs 11-1 in Charlie Manuel's first game as hitting coach, ruining Cole Hamels' return home Wednesday night.Manuel was back in red pinstripes in his old dugout exactly six years to the day the franchise icon managed his last game for the Phillies. He heard "Charlie! Charlie! Charlie!" chants after Realmuto connected to make it 10-0 in the third.Hamels, the 2008 NLCS and World Series MVP with Manuel's Phillies, was roughed up in his first game in Philadelphia since he was traded to Texas in July 2015. Hamels (6-4) gave up eight runs and nine hits in two-plus innings.Aaron Nola (11-3) benefited from the offense's rare outburst. He allowed three hits, including Kris Bryant's homer, and struck out seven in seven innings.Hamels received the loudest applause during pregame introductions and got a standing ovation when he came to the plate already trailing 4-0 in the... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Shane Bieber became the first pitcher this season to throw three complete games, leading the Cleveland Indians over the Los Angeles Angels 6-2 Sunday for a three-game sweep.Bieber (11-4) allowed five hits, struck out eight and walked none. Bieber, the All-Star Game MVP, is 9-2 in his last 15 starts.Cleveland is 37-15 since June 4, the best record in the major leagues in that span. After trailing by as many as 11½ games in early June, the Indians started Sunday three games back of AL Central-leading Minnesota.Jason Kipnis, Francisco Lindor and rookie Oscar Mercado homered off Jaime Barria (4-5), who gave up three runs in 3 2/3 innings. Barria is 2-4 with a 10.13 ERA on the road.Kole Calhoun homered and Albert Pujols had an RBI single for Los Angeles, which lost its fourth straight.YANKEES 7, RED SOX 4NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge homered early and a makeshift New York Yankees lineup pounded David Price in a victory that sent the defending World Series champion Boston Red Sox... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Shane Bieber became the first pitcher this season to throw three complete games, leading the Cleveland Indians over the Los Angeles Angels 6-2 Sunday for a three-game sweep.Bieber (11-4) allowed five hits, struck out eight and walked none. Bieber, the All-Star Game MVP, is 9-2 in his last 15 starts.Cleveland is 37-15 since June 4, the best record in the major leagues in that span. After trailing by as many as 11½ games in early June, the Indians started Sunday three games back of AL Central-leading Minnesota.Jason Kipnis, Francisco Lindor and rookie Oscar Mercado homered off Jaime Barria (4-5), who gave up three runs in 3 2/3 innings. Barria is 2-4 with a 10.13 ERA on the road.Kole Calhoun homered and Albert Pujols had an RBI single for Los Angeles, which lost its fourth straight.ASTROS 3, MARINERS 1HOUSTON (AP) — Justin Verlander struck out 10 in another dominant Houston pitching performance, and the Astros completed a three-game sweep.A day after Astros newcomer Aaron... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Shane Bieber became the first pitcher this season to throw three complete games, leading the Cleveland Indians over the Los Angeles Angels 6-2 Sunday for a three-game sweep.Bieber (11-4) allowed five hits, struck out eight and walked none. Bieber, the All-Star Game MVP, is 9-2 in his last 15 starts.Cleveland is 37-15 since June 4, the best record in the major leagues in that span. After trailing by as many as 11½ games in early June, the Indians started Sunday three games back of AL Central-leading Minnesota.Jason Kipnis, Francisco Lindor and rookie Oscar Mercado homered off Jaime Barria (4-5), who gave up three runs in 3 2/3 innings. Barria is 2-4 with a 10.13 ERA on the road.Kole Calhoun homered and Albert Pujols had an RBI single for Los Angeles, which lost its fourth straight.ASTROS 3, MARINERS 1HOUSTON (AP) — Justin Verlander struck out 10 in another dominant Houston pitching performance, and the Astros completed a three-game sweep.A day after Astros newcomer Aaron... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Shane Bieber became the first pitcher this season to throw three complete games, leading the Cleveland Indians over the Los Angeles Angels 6-2 Sunday for a three-game sweep.Bieber (11-4) allowed five hits, struck out eight and walked none. Bieber, the All-Star Game MVP, is 9-2 in his last 15 starts.Cleveland is 37-15 since June 4, the best record in the major leagues in that span. After trailing by as many as 11½ games in early June, the Indians started Sunday three games back of AL Central-leading Minnesota.Jason Kipnis, Francisco Lindor and rookie Oscar Mercado homered off Jaime Barria (4-5), who gave up three runs in 3 2/3 innings. Barria is 2-4 with a 10.13 ERA on the road.Kole Calhoun homered and Albert Pujols had an RBI single for Los Angeles, which lost its fourth straight.ASTROS 3, MARINERS 1HOUSTON (AP) — Justin Verlander struck out 10 in another dominant Houston pitching performance, and the Astros completed a three-game sweep.A day after Astros newcomer Aaron... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Twins will rely on largely the same roster for the stretch run as the one that originally propelled them into first place, with the exception of a few potentially valuable additions to the bullpen.Four days after acquiring Sergio Romo from Miami, the Twins got another veteran right-handed reliever in Sam Dyson in a deadline-beating deal Wednesday with San Francisco.Romo and Dyson will assume critical late-inning bridge roles to closer Taylor Rogers for a team that has led the AL Central since late April but has seen a once-cushy lead over three-time defending division champion Cleveland shrink significantly over the last month."Having real quality options helps, and it also helps push some other guys in some very important spots, and it allows you to fill up those innings in a better way," manager Rocco Baldelli said before the Twins played the Marlins.With a 4.33 bullpen ERA that ranked 13th in the major leagues entering Wednesday, the Twins addressed their... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Twins will rely on largely the same roster for the stretch run as the one that originally propelled them into first place, with the exception of a couple of potentially valuable additions to the bullpen.Four days after acquiring Sergio Romo from Miami, the Twins got another veteran right-handed reliever in Sam Dyson in a deadline-beating deal Wednesday with San Francisco. Romo and Dyson will assume critical late-inning bridge roles to closer Taylor Rogers for a team that has led the AL Central since late April but has seen a once-cushy lead over three-time defending division champion Cleveland shrink significantly over the last month."Having real quality options helps, and it also helps push some other guys in some very important spots, and it allows you to fill up those innings in a better way," manager Rocco Baldelli said before the Twins played the Marlins.With a 4.33 bullpen ERA that ranked 13th in the major leagues entering Wednesday, the Twins addressed... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Early Sunday morning, Sergio Romo flew from the bottom of the NL East into a pennant race with the Minnesota Twins.Romo joined the Twins in Chicago after he was acquired in a trade with Miami on Saturday night. The AL Central-leading Twins begin a three-game series against the Marlins on Tuesday night, but the veteran reliever had no interest in meeting his new team in Florida."There's no waiting," Romo said before the Twins' 11-1 victory over the White Sox. "This is Major League Baseball and we're in the second half and we're really trying to make a playoff push, so I've got to be here. You know what I mean. They're trying to get me to come in and help out, so the sooner the better."Romo rested during the series finale in Chicago, where he enjoyed his view for the runaway win."He came in after the game and was like 'Man, this is kind of fun,'" said Kyle Gibson, who pitched six effective innings. "So if we keep scoring 11 runs every time he's here he can stay around, that's... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Early Sunday morning, Sergio Romo flew from the bottom of the NL East into a pennant race with the Minnesota Twins.Romo joined the Twins in Chicago after he was acquired in a trade with the Miami Marlins on Saturday night. The AL Central-leading Twins begin a three-game series against the Marlins on Tuesday night, but the veteran reliever had no interest in meeting his new team in Miami."There's no waiting," Romo said before the Twins' matchup with the White Sox. "This is Major League Baseball and we're in the second half and we're really trying to make a playoff push, so I've got to be here. You know what I mean. They're trying to get me to come in and help out, so the sooner the better."Minnesota is trying to hold off Cleveland and win the division for the first time since 2010. The Twins haven't won a playoff game since they were eliminated by the New York Yankees in the AL Division Series in 2004.The addition of Romo gives Minnesota a playoff-tested performer for the... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors today:SWINGIN' FOR SEVENCardinals star Paul Goldschmidt has homered in a career-best six straight games, tying the team record shared by Matt Carpenter and Mark McGwire. Goldschmidt will next face former Arizona teammate Wade Miley (8-4, 3.18 ERA) when St. Louis hosts Houston in an interleague matchup of division leaders.The major league record for consecutive games with a home run is eight by Ken Griffey Jr. (Seattle, 1993), Don Mattingly (Yankees, 1987) and Dale Long (Pittsburgh, 1956).FENWAY FROLICLefty ace Chris Sale and the hard-hitting Red Sox try for a home sweep of the rival Yankees in prime time. Boston has outscored the AL East-leading Yankees 38-13 to win the first three of a four-game set.The Red Sox have scored eight or more runs in six straight games against New York, their best streak in the clubs' 117-year rivalry.Domingo Germán (12-2, 4.03 ERA) pitches for the Yankees. Over the past seven games, New York's starters have given... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors Sunday:SWINGIN' FOR SEVENCardinals star Paul Goldschmidt has homered in a career-best six straight games, tying the team record shared by Matt Carpenter and Mark McGwire. Goldschmidt will next face former Arizona teammate Wade Miley (8-4, 3.18 ERA) when St. Louis hosts Houston in an interleague matchup of division leaders.The major league record for consecutive games with a home run is eight by Ken Griffey Jr. (Seattle, 1993), Don Mattingly (Yankees, 1987) and Dale Long (Pittsburgh, 1956).FENWAY FROLICLefty ace Chris Sale and the hard-hitting Red Sox try for a home sweep of the rival Yankees in prime time. Boston has outscored the AL East-leading Yankees 38-13 to win the first three of a four-game set.The Red Sox have scored eight or more runs in six straight games against New York, their best streak in the clubs' 117-year rivalry.Domingo Germán (12-2, 4.03 ERA) pitches for the Yankees. Over the past seven games, New York's starters have given... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — Veteran reliever Sergio Romo is right back in a pennant race.The AL Central-leading Minnesota Twins acquired the 36-year-old righty from Miami on Saturday night, hoping to boost their beleaguered bullpen for the stretch."It's kind of hard to explain because I'm super excited," Romo said after the Marlins' 9-2 loss to Arizona. "They're in a really, really good position to make a playoff push. That's exciting. It's super fun baseball to play.""But kind of mixed feelings based on the fact I get to leave a bunch of dudes I've grown to love. Cool dudes who allowed me to be myself," he said.Romo planned to take an early-morning flight from South Florida to Chicago, where the Twins were set to play the series finale Sunday against the White Sox. Minnesota then begins a series at Miami.The Twins got Romo, minor league pitcher Chris Vallimont and a player to be named for minor league first baseman Lewin Diaz.Romo was 2-0 with 17 saves and a 3.58 ERA in 38 games this season. The righty... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — Veteran reliever Sergio Romo is right back in a pennant race.The AL Central-leading Minnesota Twins acquired the 36-year-old righty from Miami on Saturday night, hoping to boost their beleaguered bullpen for the stretch.It's kind of hard to explain because I'm super excited," Romo said after the Marlins' 9-2 loss to Arizona. "They're in a really, really good position to make a playoff push. That's exciting. It's super fun baseball to play.""But kind of mixed feelings based on the fact I get to leave a bunch of dudes I've grown to love. Cool dudes who allowed me to be myself," he said.The Twins got Romo, minor league pitcher Chris Vallimont and a player to be named for minor league first baseman Lewin Diaz.Romo was 2-0 with 17 saves and a 3.58 ERA in 38 games this season. The righty had an 0.61 ERA in his last 15 appearances for the Marlins.Romo comes with plenty of postseason experience. He has an 0.00 ERA in six World Series games, helping San Francisco win three championships.Overall,... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — The AL Central-leading Minnesota Twins have acquired veteran reliever Sergio Romo in a trade with Miami, hoping to boost their beleaguered bullpen for the stretch.The trade was announced Saturday night. The deadline for making deals to have players eligible for the postseason is Wednesday.The Twins got the 36-year-old Romo, minor league pitcher Chris Vallimont and a player to be named for minor league first baseman Lewin Diaz.Romo was 2-0 with 17 saves and a 3.58 ERA in 38 games this season. The righty had an 0.61 ERA in his last 15 appearances for the Marlins.Romo comes with plenty of postseason experience. He has an 0.00 ERA in six World Series games, helping the San Francisco Giants win three championships.Minnesota's once-big division lead has been dwindling, and was down to just two games over Cleveland going into the day. The Twins recently made several roster moves with their bullpen, sending down some relievers and calling up others while trying to improve the mix.The 22-year-old Vallimont was a combined 6-7 with a 3.16 ERA for two Class A teams this season.The 22-year-old Diaz was hitting a combined .297 with 19 home runs and 61 RBIs in Class A and Double-A.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Charlie Morton struck out 11 over seven innings and the Tampa Bay Rays avoided a three-game sweep by beating David Price and Boston 3-2 in a game that the Red Sox protested on Wednesday.Confusion reigned in the top of the eighth when a series of defensive changes involving reliever Adam Kolarek prompted Boston manager Alex Cora to protest the game due to the placement of subs into the Rays lineup after the designated hitter was removed.Kolarek replaced Morton and retired pinch-hitter Sam Travis on a pop fly. The left-hander then shifted to first base when Rays manager Kevin Cash brought in reliever Chaz Roe, who got a fly ball from Mookie Betts.After Kolarek then returned to the mound and Nate Lowe entered to play first base, Cora met with the umpires, which prompted around a 15-minute stoppage as the umpires discussed the matter.After the protest was made and the game resumed, Kolarek got a first-pitch grounder from Rafael Devers.An unhappy Cora again talked... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Charlie Morton struck out 11 over seven innings and the Tampa Bay Rays avoided a three-game sweep by beating David Price and Boston 3-2 in a game that the Red Sox protested on Wednesday.Confusion reigned in the top of the eighth when a series of defensive changes involving reliever Adam Kolarek prompted Boston manager Alex Cora to protest the game due to the placement of subs into the Rays lineup after the designated hitter was removed.Kolarek replaced Morton and retired pinch-hitter Sam Travis on a pop fly. The left-hander then shifted to first base when Rays manager Kevin Cash brought in reliever Chaz Roe, who got a fly ball from Mookie Betts.After Kolarek then returned to the mound and Nate Lowe entered to play first base, Cora met with the umpires, which prompted around a 15-minute stoppage as the umpires discussed the matter.After the protest was made and the game resumed, Kolarek got a first-pitch grounder from Rafael Devers.An unhappy Cora again talked... [More]