DENVER (AP) — Atlanta's Ronald Acuña Jr., elected to start Tuesday's All-Star Game as the NL's top vote-getter among outfielders, tore the ACL in his right knee Saturday during Atlanta’s 5-4 win over the Miami Marlins and will miss the rest of the season. Acuña landed awkwardly on his right leg after jumping on the warning track in right field to try to catch a drive from Jazz Chisholm Jr. in the fifth inning at Miami. The 23-year-old slammed into the outfield wall and crumbled on the warning track, immediately grabbing his right knee while Chisholm sprinted out an inside-the-park homer. Acuña needs surgery and was replaced on the All-Star roster by third baseman Manny Machado. Philadelphia’s J.T. Realmuto will take over for injured San Francisco catcher Buster Posey as the NL starter in Tuesday’s All-Star Game at Coors Field. St. Louis catcher Yadier Molina earned his 10th All-Star selection, among 10 replacements announced Saturday by Major League Baseball, then said hours later he would... [More]

DENVER (AP) — Philadelphia's J.T. Realmuto will take over for injured San Francisco catcher Buster Posey as the National League's starter in Tuesday's All-Star Game at Coors Field. St. Louis catcher Yadier Molina earned his 10th All-Star selection, among 10 replacements announced Saturday by Major League Baseball, then said hours later he would also skip the All-Star Game. He was replaced by Milwaukee catcher Omar Narváez. Molina was elected on the players' ballot and filled the spot vacated when Posey was put on the injured list Friday, five days after his left thumb was bruised by a foul tip. Narváez will make his first All-Star appearance. Major League Baseball also said Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts was injured and won't participate, though Betts played an entire nine innings Friday night. “An All-Star Game is definitely an honor, especially being voted in by your peers, so I definitely don’t want to discount that honor. But I do understand that I do have some nagging things going... [More]

DENVER (AP) — Philadelphia's J.T. Realmuto will take over for injured San Francisco catcher Buster Posey as the National League's starter in Tuesday's All-Star Game at Coors Field. St. Louis catcher Yadier Molina earned his 10th All-Star selection, among 10 replacements announced Saturday by Major League Baseball, then said hours later he would also skip the All-Star Game. He was replaced by Milwaukee catcher Omar Narváez. Molina was elected on the players' ballot and filled the spot vacated when Posey was put on the injured list Friday, five days after his left thumb was bruised by a foul tip. Narváez will make his first All-Star appearance. Major League Baseball also said Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts was injured and won't participate, though Betts played an entire nine innings Friday night. Kansas City second baseman Whit Merrifield and Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson also earned selections from the players' ballot, replacing Houston second baseman José Altuve and shortstop... [More]

DENVER (AP) — Philadelphia's J.T. Realmuto will take over for injured San Francisco catcher Buster Posey as the National League's starter in Tuesday's All-Star Game at Coors Field. St. Louis catcher Yadier Molina earned his 10th All-Star selection, among 10 replacements announced Saturday by Major League Baseball. Molina was elected on the players' ballot and filled the spot vacated when Posey was put on the injured list Friday, five days after his left thumb was bruised by a foul tip. Molina said later Saturday that he will also skip the All-Star Game to rest. Major League Baseball also said Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts was injured and won't participate, though Betts played an entire nine innings Friday night. Kansas City second baseman Whit Merrifield and Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson also earned selections from the players' ballot, replacing Houston second baseman José Altuve and shortstop Carlos Correa. Altuve said he needed time off to deal with unspecified issues with... [More]

DENVER (AP) — Philadelphia's J.T. Realmuto will take over for injured San Francisco catcher Buster Posey as the National League's starter in Tuesday's All-Star Game at Coors Field. St. Louis catcher Yadier Molina earned his 10th All-Star selection, among 10 replacements announced Saturday by Major League Baseball. Molina was elected on the players' ballot and filled the spot vacated when Posey was put on the injured list Friday, five days after his left thumb was bruised by a foul tip. Molina said later Saturday that he will also skip the All-Star Game to rest. Kansas City second baseman Whit Merrifield and Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson also earned selections from the players' ballot, replacing Houston second baseman José Altuve and shortstop Carlos Correa. Altuve said he needed time off to deal with unspecified issues with his left leg, and Correa said he wanted to spend time with wife Daniella, who is pregnant with the couple’s first child. Merrifield became a two-time All-Star.... [More]

DENVER (AP) — Philadelphia's J.T. Realmuto will take over from injured San Francisco catcher Buster Posey as the National League's starter in Tuesday's All-Star Game at Coors Field. St. Louis catcher Yadier Molina earned his 10th All-Star selection, among 10 replacements announced Saturday by Major League Baseball. Molina was elected on the players' ballot and filled the spot vacated when Posey was put on the injured list Friday, five days after his left thumb was bruised by a foul tip. Kansas City second baseman Whit Merrifield and Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson also earned selections from the players' ballot, replacing Houston second baseman José Altuve and shortstop Carlos Correa. Altuve said he needed time off to deal with unspecified issues with his left leg, and Correa said he wanted to spend time with wife Daniella, who is pregnant with the couple’s first child. Merrifield became a two-time All-Star. Anderson, the 2019 AL batting champion, earned his first All-Star trip.... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Shohei Ohtani achieved a first in the near century history of baseball’s All-Star Game: selection as both a hitter and pitcher. The Los Angeles Angels’ two-way sensation was among the American League starting pitchers picked Sunday for the July 13 showcase at Denver’s Coors Field. Ohtani, who leads the majors in home runs, had already been elected by fans to start as the AL's designated hitter. Boston has the most All-Stars for the first time since 2009, sending five. Designated hitter J.D. Martinez, starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi and reliever Matt Barnes were chosen to join a pair of starters: shortstop Xander Bogaerts and third baseman Rafael Devers. Houston and Toronto have four All-Stars each. Ohtani received 121 votes in balloting by players, managers and coaches announced three days after fan-elected starters were revealed. “The guy’s going to participate in Home Run Derby, pitch in the game and hit in the game. That doesn’t happen like, ever,” Angels manager Joe... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Shohei Ohtani achieved a first in the near century history of baseball’s All-Star Game: selection as both a hitter and a pitcher. The Los Angeles Angels’ two-way sensation was among the American League starting pitchers picked Sunday for the July 13 showcase at Denver’s Coors Field. Ohtani, who leads the majors in home runs, had already been elected by fans to start as the AL's designated hitter. Boston has the most All-Stars for the first time since 2009, sending five. Designated hitter J.D. Martinez, starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi and reliever Matt Barnes were chosen to join a pair of starters: shortstop Xander Bogaerts and third baseman Rafael Devers. Houston and Toronto have four All-Stars each. Ohtani received 121 votes in balloting by players, managers and coaches announced three days after fan-elected starters were revealed. “The guy’s going to participate in Home Run Derby, pitch in the game and hit in the game. That doesn’t happen like, ever,” Angels manager Joe... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Shohei Ohtani achieved a first in the near century history of baseball’s All-Star Game: selection as both a hitter and a pitcher. The Los Angeles Angels’ two-way sensation was among the American League starting pitchers picked Sunday for the July 13 showcase at Denver’s Coors Field. Ohtani, who leads the majors in home runs, had already been elected by fans to start as the AL's designated hitter. Boston has the most All-Stars for the first time since 2009, sending five. Designated hitter J.D. Martinez, starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi and reliever Matt Barnes were chosen to join a pair of starters: shortstop Xander Bogaerts and third baseman Rafael Devers. Houston and Toronto have four All-Stars each. Ohtani received 121 votes in balloting by players, managers and coaches announced three days after fan-elected starters were revealed. “The guy’s going to participate in Home Run Derby, pitch in the game and hit in the game. That doesn’t happen like, ever,” Angels manager Joe... [More]

Tuesday, July 13At Coors Field, Denverp-voted by players; m-selected by MLBAmerican LeagueManager — Kevin Cash, Tampa Bay StartersCatcher — Salvador Perez, Kansas City First Baseman — Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Second Baseman — Marcus Semien, Toronto Shortstop — Xander Bogaerts, Boston Third Baseman — Rafael Devers, Boston Outfield — Teoscar Hernandez, Toronto Outfield — Aaron Judge, N.Y. Yankees Outfield — Mike Trout, L.A. Angels Designated Hitter — Shohei Ohtani, L.A. Angels ReservesCatchersp-Mike Zunino, Tampa Bay Infieldersp-Matt Olson, Oakland p-Jose Altuve, Houston m-Bo Bichette, Toronto p-Jose Ramirez, Cleveland p-Carlos Correa, Houston m-Jared Walsh Outfieldersp-Michael Brantley, Houston m-Joey Gallo, Texas p-Adolis Garcia, Texas p-Cedric Mullins, Baltimore Designated Hittersm-Nelson Cruz, Minnesota p-J.D. Martinez, Boston PitchersStartersp-Shane Bieber, Cleveland p-Gerrit Cole, N.Y. Yankees m-Nathan Eovaldi, Boston m-Kyle Gibson, Texas m-Yusei Kikuchi, Seattle p-Lance Lynn,... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Zack Collins hit a tiebreaking homer in the sixth inning and the Chicago White Sox scored at least seven runs for the fourth straight game, beating the Minnesota Twins 8-5 on Thursday for a four-game sweep. Chicago got four runs off Minnesota’s bullpen after the Twins erased a 3-0 deficit. The AL Central-leading White Sox won their fourth straight after losing seven of nine. Collins broke a 4-4 tie when he hit a fastball from Jorge Alcala (1-3) into the left-center field bleachers. Jose Abreu drove in another run in the sixth, and Danny Mednick and Collins drove in two more in the seventh. Michael Kopech (3-0) pitched a scoreless sixth and Garrett Crochet struck out Miguel Sano to escape a bases-loaded jam in the seventh. BRAVES 4, METS 3 ATLANTA (AP) — Freddie Freeman singled home the winning run with a low line drive that deflected off reliever Seth Lugo in the ninth inning, Atlanta beat New York. Dominic Smith homered twice for the Mets, including a tying solo shot off... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Zack Collins hit a tiebreaking homer in the sixth inning and the Chicago White Sox scored at least seven runs for the fourth straight game, beating the Minnesota Twins 8-5 on Thursday for a four-game sweep. Chicago got four runs off Minnesota’s bullpen after the Twins erased a 3-0 deficit. The AL Central-leading White Sox won their fourth straight after losing seven of nine. Collins broke a 4-4 tie when he hit a fastball from Jorge Alcala (1-3) into the left-center field bleachers. Jose Abreu drove in another run in the sixth, and Danny Mednick and Collins drove in two more in the seventh. Michael Kopech (3-0) pitched a scoreless sixth and Garrett Crochet struck out Miguel Sano to escape a bases-loaded jam in the seventh. BRAVES 4, METS 3 ATLANTA (AP) — Freddie Freeman singled home the winning run with a low line drive that deflected off reliever Seth Lugo in the ninth inning, Atlanta beat New York. Dominic Smith homered twice for the Mets, including a tying solo shot off... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Zack Collins hit a tiebreaking homer in the sixth inning and the Chicago White Sox scored at least seven runs for the fourth straight game, beating the Minnesota Twins 8-5 on Thursday for a four-game sweep. Chicago got four runs off Minnesota’s bullpen after the Twins erased a 3-0 deficit. The AL Central-leading White Sox won their fourth straight after losing seven of nine. Collins broke a 4-4 tie when he hit a fastball from Jorge Alcala (1-3) into the left-center field bleachers. Jose Abreu drove in another run in the sixth, and Danny Mednick and Collins drove in two more in the seventh. Michael Kopech (3-0) pitched a scoreless sixth and Garrett Crochet struck out Miguel Sano to escape a bases-loaded jam in the seventh. ASTROS 7, INDIANS 2 CLEVELAND (AP) — José Altuve hit a grand slam to briefly quiet constant booing by Cleveland fans, Yordan Álvarez and Michael Brantley homered, and Houston snapped a four-game losing streak. Jeered from the moment he stepped into the batter’s... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — For Yuli Gurriel and the Houston Astros, the fight is on when the count gets to two strikes. There is nothing complicated about their success, either. "You got to have pride,” manager Dusty Baker said. “You got to have pride in it, like when you were a kid playing strikeout with your little brother. They say strikeouts aren’t important, but you see how many games that we won just by putting the ball in play.” The Astros are on top of the AL West, and their two-strike approach is a key part of one of baseball's best lineups. Gurriel leads the majors with a .291 batting average with two strikes heading into play on Wednesday, and teammates Michael Brantley (.267) and Yordan Alvarez (.252) rank among the top six on the list. Baker's club has a big league-best .205 team batting average with two strikes — easily clearing the MLB average of .161. While strikeouts, spin rates and sticky substances have been the talk of baseball this year, Gurriel and Co. are among a group of hitters... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Kyle Schwarber homered twice, becoming the first player in major league history to hit 15 home runs in a 17-day span, and the Washington Nationals beat the New York Mets 8-4 on Monday night. Schwarber socked a 1-0 fastball from Jared Eickhoff an estimated 439 feet into the upper deck in right field in the first inning. It was his sixth leadoff homer this season, and Trea Turner followed with a 435-foot bomb to left to make it 2-0. Schwarber took Eickhoff (0-1) deep again in the fifth inning, his 24th of the year. The Nationals have won 12 of 15 to return to .500 and move within three games of the first-place Mets in the NL East. Ryan Zimmerman had a pinch-hit a three-run homer in the eighth inning for the Nationals after New York had cut the lead to 5-4. Paolo Espino (2-2) threw five scoreless innings in a spot start. Brad Hand got five outs for his 17th save. DODGERS 3, GIANTS 2 LOS ANGELES (AP) — Mookie Betts and Max Muncy hit back-to-back home runs to begin the first... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Kyle Schwarber homered twice, becoming the first player in major league history to hit 15 home runs in a 17-day span, and the Washington Nationals beat the New York Mets 8-4 on Monday night. Schwarber socked a 1-0 fastball from Jared Eickhoff an estimated 439 feet into the upper deck in right field in the first inning. It was his sixth leadoff homer this season, and Trea Turner followed with a 435-foot bomb to left to make it 2-0. Schwarber took Eickhoff (0-1) deep again in the fifth inning, his 24th of the year. The Nationals have won 12 of 15 to return to .500 and move within three games of the first-place Mets in the NL East. Ryan Zimmerman had a pinch-hit a three-run homer in the eighth inning for the Nationals after New York had cut the lead to 5-4. Paolo Espino (2-2) threw five scoreless innings in a spot start. Brad Hand got five outs for his 17th save. ANGELS 5, YANKEES 3 NEW YORK (AP) — Shohei Ohtani pounded his hardest-hit home run of the season, José Suarez... [More]

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The Arizona Diamondbacks set a major league record with their 23rd straight road loss, making dubious history in getting trounced by the San Francisco Giants 10-3 Thursday. The dejected D-backs trudged off the field after breaking a tie with the 1963 Mets and ’43 Philadelphia Athletics for road futility. Held to just a lone single by pitcher Zac Gallen through six innings, Arizona fell behind 6-0. The Diamondbacks don’t play again on the road until June 25 at San Diego. Gallen (1-2) allowed four earned runs in 2 2/3 innings in his first start back from a sprained pitching elbow. Giants starter Kevin Gausman (8-1) limited the D-backs to two runs on four hits in eight innings. The right-hander struck out six and walked one. Curt Casali homered and drove in four runs for San Francisco, finishing a double shy of the cycle. Steven Duggar went 3 for 3 with an RBI double and Mauricio Dubón and Mike Yastrzemski drove in two runs each as the Giants improved the best record in... [More]

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The Arizona Diamondbacks set a major league record with their 23rd straight road loss, making dubious history in getting trounced by the San Francisco Giants 10-3 Thursday. The dejected D-backs trudged off the field after breaking a tie with the 1963 Mets and ’43 Philadelphia Athletics for road futility. Held to just a lone single by pitcher Zac Gallen through six innings, Arizona fell behind 6-0. The Diamondbacks don’t play again on the road until June 25 at San Diego. Gallen (1-2) allowed four earned runs in 2 2/3 innings in his first start back from a sprained pitching elbow. Giants starter Kevin Gausman (8-1) limited the D-backs to two runs on four hits in eight innings. The right-hander struck out six and walked one. Curt Casali homered and drove in four runs for San Francisco, finishing a double shy of the cycle. Steven Duggar went 3 for 3 with an RBI double and Mauricio Dubón and Mike Yastrzemski drove in two runs each as the Giants improved the best record in... [More]

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The Arizona Diamondbacks set a major league record with their 23rd straight road loss, making dubious history in getting trounced by the San Francisco Giants 10-3 Thursday. The dejected D-backs trudged off the field after breaking a tie with the 1963 Mets and ’43 Philadelphia Athletics for road futility. Held to just a lone single by pitcher Zac Gallen through six innings, Arizona fell behind 6-0. The Diamondbacks don’t play again on the road until June 25 at San Diego. Gallen (1-2) allowed four earned runs in 2 2/3 innings in his first start back from a sprained pitching elbow. Giants starter Kevin Gausman (8-1) limited the D-backs to two runs on four hits in eight innings. The right-hander struck out six and walked one. Curt Casali homered and drove in four runs for San Francisco, finishing a double shy of the cycle. Steven Duggar went 3 for 3 with an RBI double and Mauricio Dubón and Mike Yastrzemski drove in two runs each as the Giants improved the best record in... [More]

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The Arizona Diamondbacks set a major league record with their 23rd straight road loss, making dubious history in getting trounced by the San Francisco Giants 10-3 Thursday. The dejected D-backs trudged off the field after breaking a tie with the 1963 Mets and ’43 Philadelphia Athletics for road futility. Held to just a lone single by pitcher Zac Gallen through six innings, Arizona fell behind 6-0. The Diamondbacks don’t play again on the road until June 25 at San Diego. Gallen (1-2) allowed four earned runs in 2 2/3 innings in his first start back from a sprained pitching elbow. Giants starter Kevin Gausman (8-1) limited the D-backs to two runs on four hits in eight innings. The right-hander struck out six and walked one. Curt Casali homered and drove in four runs for San Francisco, finishing a double shy of the cycle. Steven Duggar went 3 for 3 with an RBI double and Mauricio Dubón and Mike Yastrzemski drove in two runs each as the Giants improved the best record in... [More]