A look at what's happening around the majors Tuesday:IRATE WITH RIZZOThe Pirates are upset with Anthony Rizzo after the Cubs star slid hard into catcher Elias Diaz while being forced out at home Monday afternoon, and tensions could spill over as the teams resume their series. Rizzo claimed he "wasn't trying to hurt anyone" when he went leg-first into Diaz, who had already touched home plate for the force out and was a full step in front of the base. Diaz remained in the game after being tended to by trainers, but Rizzo gave him a real scare. "When I saw the replay, I was like 'Man, this guy could have ended my career right here,'" Diaz said. "I understand they called it a legal slide, but out of what I've been trained and what I've been told, that was not a legal slide." Diaz said Rizzo apologized before his at-bat in the ninth inning.GAME 7 REMATCHYankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton is hoping a day off Monday will get him going. Last year's NL MVP struck out in all four at-bats Sunday at... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Justin Verlander tamed the Yankees again, slowing down the highest-scoring team in the majors and pitching the Houston Astros past New York 5-1 Monday.Verlander exited in the seventh inning with a major league-best 1.11 ERA. J.D. Davis hit an early three-run homer and Jose Altuve had a solo drive, helping Houston win for the sixth time in eight games.Davis hit his first homer of the season, connecting in the second off Domingo German (0-3).Closer Ken Giles, tagged Sunday as the Astros blew a five-run lead in the ninth at Cleveland, pitched the final inning and worked around a leadoff single.Facing the only club in baseball that hasn't been shut out this season, Verlander (7-2) blanked the Yankees until Greg Bird hit a leadoff home run in the seventh.As he left, Verlander took off his cap and waved it toward a solid contingent of Astros fans wearing bright orange behind the dugout.NATIONALS 6, ORIOLES 0BALTIMORE (AP) — Anthony Rendon hit a three-run homer to back a sharp... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Jake Lamb was reinstated from the disabled list Friday by the Arizona Diamondbacks, who hope the return of their All-Star third baseman will boost a struggling lineup."I just know having an impact bat in there is very relieving to everybody. It's 30 home runs and 100 RBIs that's returning to us. We're excited about that. I know there might be some growing pains early," manager Torey Lovullo said, "but we're going to expect big things from him as we did last year."The move came just a few days after the NL West leaders lost center fielder A.J. Pollock for the next four to eight weeks because of a broken left thumb. Pollock was hitting .293 with 11 home runs and 33 RBIs, pacing the team in all three categories.Arizona began the day with a .220 batting average that ranked last in the majors. Then the Diamondbacks opened a three-city road trip with their eighth defeat in nine games, striking out 16 times in a 3-1 loss to the New York Mets.Lamb went 1 for 4 with an RBI double... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona's already sputtering offense has taken a severe hit: center fielder A.J. Pollock is expected to miss four-to-eight weeks with a broken left thumb.Pollock was injured diving unsuccessfully for Tyler Saladino's line drive that turned into an inside-the-park home run in the ninth inning of Monday's 7-2 loss to Milwaukee.Manager Torey Lovullo said Tuesday that Pollock has an avulsion fracture, which occurs where a tendon or ligament attaches to the bone.The 30-year-old Pollock leads the team with a .293 average, 11 home runs and 33 RBIs. He was an All-Star in 2015 but has not played more than 112 games in a season since because of injuries."It's tough to lose anybody," Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen said, "but A.J., the way he was playing, it's a pretty big blow. But nobody's going to feel sorry for us. We've got to pick up and move on."Pollock, who becomes a free agent after this season, missed all but 12 games in 2016 after fracturing his elbow in a headfirst... [More]

MONTERREY, Mexico (AP) — The Dodgers have the most no-hitters in the majors — and now the most in Mexico, too.Walker Buehler and a trio of Los Angeles relievers combined for the franchise's 23rd no-hitter in a 4-0 victory over the San Diego Padres in the opener of a neutral-site series Friday night.Mexico had waited since 1999 to host a regular-season major league game, and it got a historic one: the first no-hitter ever outside the U.S. or Canada and the 12th combined no-hitter in major league history.Buehler pitched six innings in his third major league start. The touted right-hander struck out eight and walked three over 93 pitches before handing off to left-hander Tony Cingrani, who walked two in the seventh but kept the bid intact.Yimi Garcia struck out two in a perfect eighth and Adam Liberatore threw a 1-2-3 ninth, striking out Franchy Cordero to end it with the Dodgers' 146th pitch.Joey Lucchesi (3-2) allowed three runs and five hits as the last-place Padres dropped to 11-22.ASTROS... [More]

CINCINNATI (AP) — Ronald Acuna Jr. and Ozzie Albies, the two youngest players in the major leagues, both homered and combined for five RBIs to lead Atlanta over the Cincinnati Reds 7-4 Thursday and give the Braves a split of the four-game series.A day after the 20-year-old Acuna made his big league debut, he homered into the left-field upper deck leading off the second inning, singled in the sixth and hit a tiebreaking double off Wandy Peralta (1-1) in the eighth following Freddie Freeman's third double.Albies, a 21-year-old who made his debut last August, hit a two-run homer in the fifth for a 4-0 lead and added an RBI double in the ninth.Sam Freeman (1-1) retired all four batters he faced, and Arodys Vizcaino pitched a one-hit ninth for his second save. Cincinnati dropped to 5-20 for the first time in franchise history.YANKEES 4, TWINS 3NEW YORK (AP) — Gary Sanchez hit a three-run homer in the ninth off Fernando Rodney (1-2), extending New York's winning streak to six and completing an... [More]

CINCINNATI (AP) — Ronald Acuna Jr. and Ozzie Albies, the two youngest players in the major leagues, both homered and combined for five RBIs to lead Atlanta over the Cincinnati Reds 7-4 Thursday and give the Braves a split of the four-game series.A day after the 20-year-old Acuna made his big league debut, he homered into the left-field upper deck leading off the second inning, singled in the sixth and hit a tiebreaking double off Wandy Peralta (1-1) in the eighth following Freddie Freeman's third double.Albies, a 21-year-old who made his debut last August, hit a two-run homer in the fifth for a 4-0 lead and added an RBI double in the ninth.Sam Freeman (1-1) retired all four batters he faced, and Arodys Vizcaino pitched a one-hit ninth for his second save. Cincinnati dropped to 5-20 for the first time in franchise history.YANKEES 4, TWINS 3NEW YORK (AP) — Gary Sanchez hit a three-run homer in the ninth off Fernando Rodney (1-2), extending New York's winning streak to six and completing an... [More]

CINCINNATI (AP) — Ronald Acuna Jr. and Ozzie Albies, the two youngest players in the major leagues, both homered and combined for five RBIs to lead Atlanta over the Cincinnati Reds 7-4 Thursday and give the Braves a split of the four-game series.A day after the 20-year-old Acuna made his big league debut, he homered into the left-field upper deck leading off the second inning, singled in the sixth and hit a tiebreaking double off Wandy Peralta (1-1) in the eighth following Freddie Freeman's third double.Albies, a 21-year-old who made his debut last August, hit a two-run homer in the fifth for a 4-0 lead and added an RBI double in the ninth.Sam Freeman (1-1) retired all four batters he faced, and Arodys Vizcaino pitched a one-hit ninth for his second save. Cincinnati dropped to 5-20 for the first time in franchise history.YANKEES 4, TWINS 3NEW YORK (AP) — Gary Sanchez hit a three-run homer in the ninth off Fernando Rodney (1-2), extending New York's winning streak to six and completing an... [More]

RENTON, Wash. (AP) — Players have been altering bats for decades in a bid to improve their grip — adding pine-tar or some specialized grip tape, maybe shaving the handle slightly to make it thinner.Gradually, some players have started gravitating to a more revolutionary option offered by a company that set up shop deep in a warehouse in Renton, Washington. As the company's name suggests, Axe Bat has developed a bat that fundamentally changes the shape of the bat's handle so you hold it like an axe.Some major leaguers like the feel. Others have turned to the axe handle as an option after hand or forearm injuries.Red Sox right fielder Mookie Betts and Astros outfielder George Springer are the biggest proponents and the only two paid endorsers by the company. But there are many others — Jake Lamb, Dustin Pedroia, Carlos Correa, even Kris Bryant this season — who have used the bat handle at one time or another.Each has a different reason for turning to this style of bat, whether it's a desire... [More]

RENTON, Wash. (AP) — Players have been altering bats for decades in a bid to improve their grip — adding pine-tar or some specialized grip tape, maybe shaving the handle slightly to make it thinner.Gradually, some players have started gravitating to a more revolutionary option offered by a company that set up shop deep in a warehouse in Renton, Washington. As the company's name suggests, Axe Bat has developed a bat that fundamentally changes the shape of the bat's handle so you hold it like an axe.Some major leaguers like the feel. Others have turned to the axe handle as an option after hand or forearm injuries.Red Sox right fielder Mookie Betts and Astros outfielder George Springer are the biggest proponents and the only two paid endorsers by the company. But there are many others — Jake Lamb, Dustin Pedroia, Carlos Correa, even Kris Bryant this season — who have used the bat handle at one time or another.Each has a different reason for turning to this style of bat, whether it's a desire... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona right fielder Chris Owings has left the Diamondbacks' game against the San Francisco Giants after colliding with center fielder A.J. Pollock.Owings was injured in the third inning Thursday night on a long fly to the gap in right-center by Joe Panik.Owings slid to make the catch and appeared to get hit on the head by Pollock's knee. An athletic trainer ran out to attend to Owings, who walked slowly back to the dugout to applause from the home fans.He was replaced by Jarrod Dyson.Owings has played multiple positions during six seasons with the Diamondbacks. He is hitting .275 with a homer and six RBIs this year.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

HOUSTON (AP) — Charlie Morton pitched six scoreless innings, Marwin Gonzalez homered and the Houston Astros unveiled their World Series banner before defeating the Baltimore Orioles 6-1 on Monday night in their home opener.Morton (1-0) allowed three hits and struck out six. The right-hander picked up where he left off after getting the final 12 outs in Game 7 against the Dodgers to help secure Houston's first championship.Brad Peacock pitched a perfect seventh and Will Harris allowed one hit in the eighth before Collin McHugh took over. The starter-turned-reliever allowed a homer to Trey Mancini and a double to Colby Rasmus before retiring the last three batters.Baltimore has dropped three straight after winning its opener. Orioles starter Chris Tillman (0-1) was tagged for seven hits and four runs in four-plus innings.DIAMONDBACKS 8, DODGERS 7, 15 INNINGSPHOENIX (AP) — Chris Owings hit a three-run homer off All-Star closer Kenley Jansen with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to force... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — Infielder Ketel Marte and the Arizona Diamondbacks finalized a $24 million, five-year contract, a deal that contains a pair of club options that could make the agreement worth $46 million over seven seasons.The 24-year-old was on track to become eligible for salary arbitration next winter and for free agency after the 2022 season.Marte gets a $2 million signing bonus payable May 15 and salaries of $1 million this year, $2 million in 2019, $4 million in 2020, $6 million in 2021 and $8 million in 2022.Arizona has a 2023 option at $10 million with a $1 million buyout and a 2024 option at $12 million with a $1.5 million buyout. The 2024 option would become guaranteed if he has at least 1,100 plate appearances in 2022-23 combined, including at least 550 in 2023, and does not finish 2023 on the disabled list.His salary in the option years could escalate by up to $2 million depending on his finish in MVP voting in prior seasons: $2 million for winning, $1 million for second to fifth... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — Infielder Ketel Marte and the Arizona Diamondbacks finalized a $24 million, five-year contract, a deal that contains a pair of club options that could make the agreement worth $46 million over seven seasons.The 24-year-old was on track to become eligible for salary arbitration next winter and for free agency after the 2022 season.A switch-hitter who plays both middle infield positions, Marte was obtained from Seattle after the 2016 season and filled in when shortstops Nick Ahmed and Chris Owings were hurt last year. He batted .260 with five homers and 18 RBIs in 73 games, then went 7 for 17 at the plate in four postseason games, including triples from each side of the plate in the NL wild-card win over Colorado."We saw in Ketel a very dynamic player, someone that could man the middle of the infield, his speed, his ability to just be a very good baseball player all the way around," general manager Mike Hazen said Tuesday.Manager Torey Lovullo said Marte will be in the lineup... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — Infielder Ketel Marte and the Arizona Diamondbacks finalized a $24 million, five-year contract, a deal that contains a pair of club options that could make the agreement worth $46 million over seven seasons.The 24-year-old was on track to become eligible for salary arbitration next winter and for free agency after the 2022 season.A switch-hitter who plays both middle infield positions, Marte was obtained from Seattle after the 2016 season and filled in when shortstops Nick Ahmed and Chris Owings were hurt last year. He batted .260 with five homers and 18 RBIs in 73 games, then went 7 for 17 at the plate in four postseason games, including triples from each side of the plate in the NL wild-card win over Colorado."We saw in Ketel a very dynamic player, someone that could man the middle of the infield, his speed, his ability to just be a very good baseball player all the way around," manager Torey Lovullo said Tuesday.Lovullo said Marte will be in the lineup for Thursday's opener... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — A person familiar with the deal says the Arizona Diamondbacks and infielder Ketel Marte have agreed to a $24 million, five-year contract.The person spoke on condition of anonymity Monday because the agreement had not been announced. The deal includes two club options worth a total of $22 million.The 24-year-old Marte came up from Triple-A Reno last season to fill a critical role at shortstop when Nick Ahmed and Chris Owings went down with injuries. Marte will spend a lot of time at second base this season with Ahmed back at shortstop.Marte came to the Diamondbacks with starting pitcher Taijuan Walker in the trade that sent infielder Jean Segura to Seattle shortly after Mike Hazen took over as Arizona's general manager before last season.The extension shows how strongly Hazen and those around him feel about Marte's future.Marte hit .260 with five home runs and 17 RBIs in 73 regular-season games for the Diamondbacks, and he had an outstanding run in Arizona's brief stint in... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — A person familiar with the deal says the Arizona Diamondbacks and infielder Ketel Marte have agreed to a $24 million, five-year contract.The person spoke on condition of anonymity Monday because the agreement had not been announced. The deal includes two club options worth a total of $22 million.The 24-year-old Marte came up from Triple-A Reno last season to fill a critical role at shortstop when Nick Ahmed and Chris Owings went down with injuries. Marte will spend a lot of time at second base this season with Ahmed back at shortstop.Marte came to the Diamondbacks with starting pitcher Taijuan Walker in the trade that sent infielder Jean Segura to Seattle shortly after Mike Hazen took over as Arizona's general manager before last season.The extension shows how strongly Hazen and those around him feel about Marte's future.Marte hit .260 with five home runs and 17 RBIs in 73 regular-season games for the Diamondbacks, and he had an outstanding run in Arizona's brief stint in... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — A person familiar with the deal says the Arizona Diamondbacks and infielder Ketel Marte have agreed to a $24 million, five-year contract.The person spoke on condition of anonymity Monday because the agreement had not been announced. The deal includes two club options worth a total of $22 million.The 24-year-old Marte came up from Triple-A Reno last season to fill a critical role at shortstop when Nick Ahmed and Chris Owings went down with injuries. Marte will spend a lot of time at second base this season with Ahmed back at shortstop.Marte came to the Diamondbacks with starting pitcher Taijuan Walker in the trade that sent infielder Jean Segura to Seattle shortly after Mike Hazen took over as Arizona's general manager before last season.

The Philadelphia Phillies are banking on young Scott Kingery.A prized prospect who has never played in the majors, Kingery reached a six-year deal with the Phillies on Sunday that takes him through the 2023 season.The contract includes three team options running through 2026. Multiple media reports said Kingery was guaranteed more than $23 million.The 23-year-old Kingery is batting .392 in 20 spring training games and is tied for the Grapefruit League lead with 20 hits.Kingery hit a combined .304 with 26 home runs and 29 steals as a second baseman for Triple-A Lehigh Valley and Double-A Reading last year. He was a second-round pick in the 2015 draft from the University of Arizona.Kingery is regarded as the best second-base prospect in baseball. The Phillies currently have Cesar Hernandez as their starting second baseman, so Kingery has also seen time at third base this spring and worked in the outfield.Coming off a 66-96 record and last-place finish in the NL East, the Phillies have been... [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]