WASHINGTON (AP) — Max Scherzer stole the first base of his professional career and allowed only two singles in his fifth big league shutout, and the Washington Nationals ended a five-game losing skid while getting back to .500 with a 2-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Monday night.Scherzer (2-1), the winner of the past two NL Cy Young Awards, did not let the Braves push a runner beyond first base. Kurt Suzuki got a hit in the second, and Nick Markakis did in the fifth, but neither advanced.Scherzer managed to get farther than that: He swiped second after singling off reliever Peter Moylan in the seventh.Howie Kendrick delivered all the offense Washington needed with a two-run double.Scherzer struck out 10 and walked none in his ninth complete game in 299 major league starts. And he needed only 102 pitches, a far more efficient outing than his previous time on the mound: He threw 110 over five innings in a 7-1 loss at Atlanta on April 4.Julio Teheran (0-1) went six innings for the Braves,... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Max Scherzer stole the first base of his professional career and allowed only two singles in his fifth big league shutout, and the Washington Nationals ended a five-game losing skid while getting back to .500 with a 2-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Monday night.Scherzer (2-1), the winner of the past two NL Cy Young Awards, did not let the Braves push a runner beyond first base. Kurt Suzuki got a hit in the second, and Nick Markakis did in the fifth, but neither advanced.Scherzer managed to get farther than that: He swiped second after singling off reliever Peter Moylan in the seventh.Howie Kendrick delivered all the offense Washington needed with a two-run double.Scherzer struck out 10 and walked none in his ninth complete game in 299 major league starts. And he needed only 102 pitches, a far more efficient outing than his previous time on the mound: He threw 110 over five innings in a 7-1 loss at Atlanta on April 4.Julio Teheran (0-1) went six innings for the Braves,... [More]

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Shohei Ohtani hit his second homer in two games at Angel Stadium in the fifth inning, and Zack Cozart had walk-off homer in the 13th inning of the Los Angeles Angels' 3-2 victory over the Cleveland Indians on Wednesday.One day after Ohtani hit an electrifying three-run homer in his first home plate appearance, the Japanese two-way rookie connected for a tying two-run homer off AL Cy Young winner Corey Kluber in his second game at the Big A.Neither team scored again after Ohtani's blast until Cozart, the Angels' new infielder, connected for his first career walk-off homer against Zach McAllister (0-1).Ohtani also singled leading off the 10th to go 2 for 5, giving him six hits this season and five in his only two home games. The Angels' rookie sensation will make his first home pitching start Sunday against Oakland, one week after beating the Athletics on the road in his big-league pitching debut.The Angels hadn't had a walk-off homer in extra innings since Aug. 9,... [More]

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The rebuilding San Diego Padres won't be hurting for veteran presence when they open the season Thursday against the Milwaukee Brewers.Left-hander Clayton Richard, at 34 the second-oldest player on the team, will make his first career opening-day start. First baseman Eric Hosmer, 28, will make his Padres debut after signing a $144 million, eight-year free agent contract early in spring training. Third baseman Chase Headley, 33, is back after spending the last 3 1/2 seasons with the New York Yankees.Owner Ron Fowler doesn't expect the Padres to be competitive for another year or two, after another few waves of prospects come up from the minor leagues.That doesn't mean the veterans are going to mail it in."I mean, that's their vision from 30,000 feet," Headley said Wednesday. "I think guys in this clubhouse expect more than that. And that's really the only way to approach it as a player. You understand where he's coming from, you understand the philosophy that's going on,... [More]

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The rebuilding San Diego Padres won't be hurting for veteran presence when they open the season Thursday against the Milwaukee Brewers.Left-hander Clayton Richard, at 34 the second-oldest player on the team, will make his first career opening day start. First baseman Eric Hosmer, 28, will make his Padres debut after signing a $144 million, eight-year free agent contract early in spring training. Third baseman Chase Headley, 33, is back after spending the last 3 ½ seasons with the New York Yankees.Owner Ron Fowler doesn't expect the Padres to be competitive for another year or two, after another few waves of hotshot prospects come up from the minor leagues.That doesn't mean the veterans are going to mail it in."I mean, that's their vision from 30,000 feet," Headley said Wednesday. "I think guys in this clubhouse expect more than that. And that's really the only way to approach it as a player. You understand where he's coming from, you understand the philosophy that's going... [More]

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The rebuilding San Diego Padres won't be hurting for veteran presence when they open the season Thursday against the Milwaukee Brewers.Left-hander Clayton Richard, at 34 the second-oldest player on the team, will make his first career opening day start. First baseman Eric Hosmer, 28, will make his Padres debut after signing a $144 million, eight-year free agent contract early in spring training. Third baseman Chase Headley, 33, is back after spending the last 3 ½ seasons with the New York Yankees.Owner Ron Fowler doesn't expect the Padres to be competitive for another year or two, after another few waves of hotshot prospects come up from the minor leagues.That doesn't mean the veterans are going to mail it in."I mean, that's their vision from 30,000 feet," Headley said Wednesday. "I think guys in this clubhouse expect more than that. And that's really the only way to approach it as a player. You understand where he's coming from, you understand the philosophy that's going... [More]

PEORIA, Ariz. (AP) — San Diego Padres right-hander Dinelson Lamet left Sunday's spring training start with an elbow injury, possibly jeopardizing his chance to pitch this week in the regular season.Padres manager Andy Green said he didn't have a medical update on Lamet's condition after an 11-7 loss to Seattle."Hopefully he's not out for long, but usually when you walk off the mound and your elbow hurts, it's not a good thing," Green said.The 25-year-old Lamet made his fourth spring training start. He had been expected to be the second-day starter in the Padres' rotation after Clayton Richard opened Thursday at home against Milwaukee."He threw a slider and felt it," Green said. "It was the last or second-to-last pitch. Anytime you pull one of your main guys out of a game, at any time in spring training, it's concerning. The last tuneup outing before the season, it's very concerning. We'd love to have him, he's a big part of what we plan on doing."Lamet exited in the top of the second inning after a pitch he threw got away for a passed ball. His start lasted 1 1-3 innings and he allowed an earned run on two hits with two strikeouts.Last season, Lamet went 7-8 in 21 starts with a 4.57 ERA. He struck out 139 in 114 1-3 innings.This spring, Lamet posted a 3.75 ERA in 12 innings.

Chris Sale and his fellow aces are having all sorts of trouble with these tuneup starts.Sale was knocked off the mound by a line drive Saturday and exited with a bruised left hip. He said the injury wasn't serious and wouldn't jeopardize his opening day start Thursday for the AL East champion Boston Red Sox at Tampa Bay."I don't see anything lingering from this," Sale said. "Looked a lot worse than it really is."Sale was hit by a liner off the bat of Houston's J.D. Davis in the first inning. The left-hander crumpled to the ground, then walked off the field under his own power.On Friday, San Francisco ace Madison Bumgarner sustained a broken pinkie on his pitching hand when he was struck by a line drive. He is expected to miss at least two months.The same day, Tampa Bay star Chris Archer — set to pitch against Sale — was hit by a grounder in the forearm of his pitching arm and had to leave a minor league game.Hours after Sale was hurt, Kansas City lefty Danny Duffy exited in the third inning... [More]

Chris Sale and his fellow aces are having all sorts of trouble with these tuneup starts.Sale was knocked off the mound by a line drive Saturday and exited with a bruised left hip. He said the injury wasn't serious and wouldn't jeopardize his opening day start for the AL East champions Thursday at Tampa Bay."I don't see anything lingering from this," Sale said. "Looked a lot worse than it really is."Sale was hit by a liner off the bat of Houston's J.D. Davis in the first inning. He crumpled to the ground, then walked off the field under his own power.On Friday, San Francisco ace Madison Bumgarner sustained a broken finger on his pitching hand when he was struck by a line drive. He will miss at least a month.The same day, Tampa Bay star Chris Archer — set to pitch against Sale — was hit by a grounder in the forearm of his pitching arm and had to leave a minor league game.Hours after Sale was hurt, Kansas City lefty Danny Duffy exited in the third inning because of shoulder tightness. He said... [More]

Capsules of National League West teams, listed in order of finish last year:___Los Angeles Dodgers2017: 104-58, first place, lost to Houston in World Series.Manager: Dave Roberts (third season).He's Here: OF Matt Kemp, RHP Tom Koehler, LHP Scott Alexander, LHP Henry Owens.He's Outta Here: 1B Adrian Gonzalez, RHP Yu Darvish, RHP Brandon Morrow, RHP Brandon McCarthy, LHP Tony Watson, LHP Luis Avilan, LHP Scott Kazmir, LHP Adam Liberatore, OF Andre Ethier, INF Charlie Culberson, OF Curtis Granderson, LHP Grant Dayton, OF Franklin Gutierrez, RHP Josh Ravin.Projected Lineup: CF Chris Taylor (.288, 21 HRs, 72 RBIs, 17 SBs), SS Corey Seager (.295, 22, 77), 3B Justin Turner (.322, 21, 71, will start season on DL with broken left wrist), 1B Cody Bellinger (.267, 39, 97, 10 SBs), RF Yasiel Puig (.263, 28, 74), LF Matt Kemp (.276, 19, 64 in 115 games with Braves) or Joc Pederson (.212, 11, 35 in 102 games), C Austin Barnes (.289, 8, 38) or Yasmani Grandal (.247, 22, 58), 2B Logan Forsythe (.224, 6,... [More]

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The San Diego Padres' deep rebuild is starting to come into focus, even if contending for a playoff berth is still a few seasons away.With their farm system fully stocked via the draft, international signings and various deals, the Padres made a bold move by signing 28-year-old first baseman Eric Hosmer to a $144 million, eight-year contract early in spring training.The Padres, who haven't had a winning record since 2010 or been to the playoffs since 2006, figured it was time to start building a culture and an identity, and give their young players someone to look up to.Hosmer was the perfect fit because of his work ethic and what he accomplished in helping the Kansas City Royals win the World Series three seasons ago.Padres owners Ron Fowler and Peter Seidler considered the signing a "significant moment" for a franchise that has had woefully few big moments."Speaking for Ron and myself, when you have to sign a check like that you better have a smile on your face, and we... [More]

Capsules of National League West teams, listed in order of finish last year:___Los Angeles Dodgers2017: 104-58, first place, lost to Houston in World Series.Manager: Dave Roberts (third season).He's Here: OF Matt Kemp, RHP Tom Koehler, LHP Scott Alexander, LHP Henry Owens.He's Outta Here: 1B Adrian Gonzalez, RHP Yu Darvish, RHP Brandon Morrow, RHP Brandon McCarthy, LHP Tony Watson, LHP Luis Avilan, LHP Scott Kazmir, LHP Adam Liberatore, OF Andre Ethier, INF Charlie Culberson, OF Curtis Granderson, LHP Grant Dayton, OF Franklin Gutierrez, RHP Josh Ravin.Projected Lineup: CF Chris Taylor (.288, 21 HRs, 72 RBIs, 17 SBs), SS Corey Seager (.295, 22, 77), 3B Justin Turner (.322, 21, 71, will start season on DL with broken left wrist), 1B Cody Bellinger (.267, 39, 97, 10 SBs), RF Yasiel Puig (.263, 28, 74), LF Matt Kemp (.276, 19, 64 in 115 games with Braves) or Joc Pederson (.212, 11, 35 in 102 games), C Austin Barnes (.289, 8, 38) or Yasmani Grandal (.247, 22, 58), 2B Logan Forsythe (.224, 6,... [More]

SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) — In a story March 13 about Major League Baseball players who have played at least 20 seasons, The Associated Press reported erroneously that about one-thousandth of 1 percent of all players had played that long. The correct number is eight-tenths of a 1 percent.A corrected version of the story is below:Long time: Beltre, Colon only in MLB with 20-plus seasonsTexas Rangers teammates Adrian Beltre and Bartolo Colon are the only current MLB players who have played at least 20 MLB seasonsBy STEPHEN HAWKINSAP Sports WriterSURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) — Adrian Beltre is long past going to spring training trying to make the team. The five-time Gold Glove third baseman with more than 3,000 career hits is quite a rarity.Going into his 21st big-league season, Beltre is one of only two current players who have played at least 20 MLB seasons.The other is his new teammate with the Texas Rangers, 44-year-old pitcher Bartolo Colon."One, they're extremely durable," San Diego Padres pitcher... [More]

SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) — Adrian Beltre is long past going to spring training trying to make the team. The five-time Gold Glove third baseman with more than 3,000 career hits is quite a rarity.Going into his 21st big-league season, Beltre is one of only two current players who have played at least 20 MLB seasons.The other is his new teammate with the Texas Rangers, 44-year-old pitcher Bartolo Colon."One, they're extremely durable," San Diego Padres pitcher Clayton Richard said. "And two, they have to be super talented, because to have that long of a career, you have to start really early and that means from an early age you're talented enough to play with the best people in the world. So to combine those two things and play that long is one of the most impressive things in professional athletics."Of the 19,183 players listed by baseballreference.com as appearing in a big league game, only 156 have played at least 20 seasons . That is about one-thousandth of 1 percent of all players.Carlos... [More]

SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) — Adrian Beltre is long past going to spring training trying to make the team. The five-time Gold Glove third baseman with more than 3,000 career hits is quite a rarity.Going into his 21st big-league season, Beltre is one of only two current players who have played at least 20 MLB seasons.The other is his new teammate with the Texas Rangers, 44-year-old pitcher Bartolo Colon."One, they're extremely durable," San Diego Padres pitcher Clayton Richard said. "And two, they have to be super talented, because to have that long of a career, you have to start really early and that means from an early age you're talented enough to play with the best people in the world. So to combine those two things and play that long is one of the most impressive things in professional athletics."Of the 19,183 players listed by baseballreference.com as appearing in a big league game, only 156 have played at least 20 seasons . That is about one-thousandth of 1 percent of all players.Carlos... [More]

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Los Angeles Angels rookie Shohei Ohtani allowed six runs while pitching three innings in an exhibition game against the Mexican League's Tijuana Toros on Friday.The 23-year-old Ohtani struck out six and walked one.Ohtani spent five seasons with the Nippon Ham Fighters before signing with the Angels as an international free agent on Dec. 10. He is trying to become the first player in nearly 100 years to play regularly as a pitcher and hitter, but he has had mixed results so far this spring.AROUND THE GRAPEFRUIT AND CACTUS LEAGUESDODGERS 6, ROYALS (SS) 4Los Angeles closer Kenley Jansen was held out of what was supposed to be his first big league spring training game this year due to an injured upper right hamstring."When he was getting ready today, his pregame stuff and kind of getting his legs loose, it tightened up on him," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "We had the trainers look at him and it just made sense to just not throw him out there."Roberts said he expects... [More]

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Los Angeles Angels rookie Shohei Ohtani allowed six runs while pitching three innings in an exhibition game against the Mexican League's Tijuana Toros on Friday.The 23-year-old Ohtani struck out six and walked one.Ohtani spent five seasons with the Nippon Ham Fighters before signing with the Angels as an international free agent on Dec. 10. He is trying to become the first player in nearly 100 years to play regularly as a pitcher and hitter, but he has had mixed results so far this spring.AROUND THE GRAPEFRUIT AND CACTUS LEAGUESDODGERS 6, ROYALS (SS) 4Los Angeles closer Kenley Jansen was held out of what was supposed to be his first big league spring training game this year due to an injured upper right hamstring."When he was getting ready today, his pregame stuff and kind of getting his legs loose, it tightened up on him," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "We had the trainers look at him and it just made sense to just not throw him out there."Roberts said he expects... [More]

SAN DIEGO (AP) — With the San Diego Padres still in deep rebuilding mode, the player a lot of fans are interested in seeing the most is a 19-year-old shortstop who has yet to spend a day in the big leagues.Fernando Tatis Jr., the son of the former major leaguer, earned an invitation to spring training with the big league club. So did some other top prospects, including second baseman Luis Arias and pitchers Cal Quantrill — also the son of a former big leaguer — Eric Lauer, Joey Lucchesi and Jacob Nix.Tatis is the crown jewel of the Padres' highly rated farm system. Once he reaches the big leagues, the organization hopes he can stop the years-long turnstile at shortstop.Manager Andy Green is looking forward to working with Tatis and other young players who will form the next waves of callups for a franchise that hasn't been to the playoffs since 2006."These are guys we've been talking about for a while and now they're here," Green said, "For me, that's exciting."Here are some things to look... [More]

LHP Clayton Richard was roughed up for eight hits, eight runs (six earned) and three walks in his final start of the season. He dropped his record to 8-15. The 34-year-old signed a two-year contract extension through 2019 earlier this month. Padres GM A.J. Preller said Richard wanted to remain with the Padres and that his presence as a veteran in a young clubhouse is valuable. "We bet on people, and he's a pretty easy person to bet on in terms of work ethic and the way he goes about it," Preller said.

LHP Clayton Richard made his club-leading 31st start and threw 7 1/3 scoreless innings in the Padres' victory over the Rockies on Thursday night. It was the fifth start this season in which he didn't allow an earned run.