DENVER (AP) — Trevor Bauer took a no-hit bid into the seventh inning of his Los Angeles debut before allowing a pair of two-run homers, and the Dodgers held on after building a big lead to beat the Colorado Rockies 11-6 on Friday night. The game had a little bit of everything, including a gray cat making a surprise appearance in center field before being ushered out by stadium personnel. Bauer (1-0), the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner, purred along through six innings until Trevor Story broke up the no-hit bid with a single and Charlie Blackmon ended the shutout with a two-run homer. Ryan McMahon later followed with another two-run homer. David Price eventually replaced Bauer and gave up back-to-back homers to Dom Nuñez and Sam Hilliard, suddenly turning a 10-0 rout into a 10-6 game. It was the second time in Rockies history they homered four times in an inning. Bauer went 6 1/3 innings and allowed four runs while striking out 10. The right-hander signed a $102 million, three-year deal... [More]

SEATTLE (AP) — The Seattle Mariners placed center fielder Kyle Lewis on the 10-day injured list Wednesday due to a bone bruise in his right knee, sidelining the reigning American League Rookie of the Year for opening day. Seattle manager Scott Servais hinted last week that Lewis’ injury was not responding as the training staff had hoped and was uncertain whether Lewis would be available for the opener Thursday against San Francisco. Servais said there was a chance Lewis could play but the team is exercising caution with one of its young stars. “Could he go? Possibly,” Servais said. “This is a training staff, myself call. We are in for the long haul here, and playing the long game and what this season is going to take just having everybody moving forward for the big chunk of the season." Lewis missed the final week of spring training after crashing into the wall during an exhibition game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on March 22. The bruise didn’t seem significant at first but didn’t respond... [More]

This past offseason was not going to be the time the Seattle Mariners made a bevy of high-priced moves in free agency. Not with the team focused on getting its young prospects closer to the majors and money tight after a season with no fans in stadiums. The Mariners had to be clever to bolster some of their needs. Enter Chris Flexen. Seattle needed at least one more arm for its pitching rotation and it unearthed Flexen, who after spending the 2020 season pitching in South Korea, was ready for a return to the majors and the chance to restart a career that didn’t begin well during his time with the New York Mets. Flexen signed a $4.75 million, two-year contract with a club option for 2023. “One thing to keep in mind I think, everybody says, ‘ah, he spent some time in Korea.’ He is still only 26 years old,” Seattle manager Scott Servais said. “I look at it, he fits right into our group. He had success over in Korea. He’s looking to get that to translate over here.” Barring a setback during... [More]

It feels very much like Yusei Kikuchi just arrived in the majors after his highly anticipated move from Japan. Yet, the left-hander is already about to start his third season with the Seattle Mariners and easily his most important to date. “I feel that he’s kind of got his arms around where he’s at as a pitcher and hopefully it starts playing out on the field more consistently,” manager Scott Servais said. “We’ve seen it. We’ve seen it in flashes, we just haven’t seen consistent stretches of it.” Kikuchi got in his first work of spring training Tuesday, throwing two innings, allowing one hit, one run and striking out three against the Cleveland Indians. His plan is to build up to five or six innings prior to the start of the season, when Kikuchi seems likely to fit into the six-man rotation behind staff ace Marco Gonzales. And when the season begins, so will the analysis of how and whether the Mariners will move forward with Kikuchi. Kikuchi’s contract is structured so that he and the Mainers... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Left-hander James Paxton is returning to the Seattle Mariners after an injury filled second season with the New York Yankees. The 32-year-old left-hander and the Mariners agreed Saturday to an $8.5 million, one-year contract, a person with knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the agreement was subject to a successful physical. Paxton can earn an additional $1.5 million in performance bonuses for starts: $150,000 each for six to 10 and $750,000 more over starts 11-22. He earned $4,629,630 in prorated pay from a $12.5 million salary last year with New York. Paxton was 41-26 with a 3.42 ERA for the Mariners from 2013-18, striking out 617 and walking 168 in 582 1/3 innings. He was traded to the Yankees in November 2018 for a top prospect, left-hander Justus Sheffield, along with outfielder Dom Thompson-Williams and right-hander Erik Swanson. The Mariners held out hope when Paxton was traded there could be... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Left-hander James Paxton is returning to the Seattle Mariners after an injury filled second season with the New York Yankees. The 32-year-old left-hander and the Mariners agreed Saturday to an $8.5 million, one-year contract, a person with knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the agreement was subject to a successful physical. Paxton can earn an additional $1.5 million in performance bonuses for starts: $150,000 each for six to 10 and $750,000 more over starts 11-22. He earned $4,629,630 in prorated pay from a $12.5 million salary last year with New York. Paxton was 41-26 with a 3.42 ERA for the Mariners from 2013-18, striking out 617 and walking 168 in 582 1/3 innings. He was traded to the Yankees in November 2018 for a top prospect, left-hander Justus Sheffield, along with outfielder Dom Thompson-Williams and right-handed pitcher Erik Swanson. Paxton struggled in the first half of his first season in... [More]

SEATTLE (AP) — Sometime around the midpoint of the truncated 60-game season, Scott Servais noticed an obvious shift in the Seattle Mariners clubhouse. While the focus on development of young players was still there, Servais said it became clear his young team was growing in confidence, and the expectation of just being competitive wasn’t good enough. The Mariners believed they were ready to win. “I do think we were able to accomplish a lot of what we’re looking to do and maybe it’s happening a little bit quicker than we thought,” Servais said. “So that excites me a ton. I know the mindset of our team shifted. It shifted about halfway through this thing. "I really felt there was an everyday focus on winning the ball game. And along the way, we were going to focus on getting better no question about it. But the attitude among our players, our coaching staff, it shifted.” How that shift carries into the 2021 season will be a major determinant in the next stage of the Mariners rebuilding project.... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Nate Lowe hit two homers and drove in four runs as Tampa Bay fielded a lineup of all lefties, Blake Snell worked 5 1/3 scoreless innings and the AL East-leading Rays routed the cellar-dwelling Boston Red Sox 11-1 on Friday night.Tampa Bay became the first major league team since at least 1900 to use a batting order with only left-handed batters, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.Snell (4-1) gave up five hits and two walks. He struck out five.Yoshi Tsutsugo also homered for the Rays, who stopped a three-game skid. Boston rookie Bobby Dalbec had his five-game home run streak end but had an RBI double in the ninth.Rays manager Kevin Cash stacked his lineup with lefties against right-hander Andrew Triggs, who made his second start with Boston.Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke quickly countered by removing Triggs after he allowed a hit and walk in a scoreless first. However, Tsutsugo started the second with a homer off lefty Matt Hall (0-3).Kevin Kiermaier had an RBI... [More]

BALTIMORE (AP) — The Baltimore Orioles ended their 19-game losing streak against the New York Yankees, using a strong offensive performance by rookie Ryan Mountcastle in a 6-3 victory Friday night for a doubleheader split. In the opener, Miguel Andújar singled in the tiebreaking run in the ninth inning and Clint Frazier added an RBI single to give New York a 6-5 win. Gary Sanchez homered and Brett Gardner drove in two runs for the Yankees.Mountcastle hit a two-run homer off 21-year-old Deivi García in second inning of the nightcap and sparked a four-run fifth inning with an RBI single off Clarke Schmidt, who was making his major league debut. Rio Ruiz followed with a run-scoring single and Pat Valaika capped the uprising with a two-run double.That helped Baltimore secure its first win over New York since March 31, 2019. It also snapped the Yankees’ 18-game winning streak at Camden Yards.García (0-1) allowed four runs and five hits with six strikeouts in his second big league appearance.... [More]

BALTIMORE (AP) — The Baltimore Orioles ended their 19-game losing streak against the New York Yankees, using a strong offensive performance by rookie Ryan Mountcastle in a 6-3 victory Friday night for a doubleheader split. In the opener, Miguel Andújar singled in the tiebreaking run in the ninth inning and Clint Frazier added an RBI single to give New York a 6-5 win. Gary Sanchez homered and Brett Gardner drove in two runs for the Yankees.Mountcastle hit a two-run homer off 21-year-old Deivi García in second inning of the nightcap and sparked a four-run fifth inning with an RBI single off Clarke Schmidt, who was making his major league debut. Rio Ruiz followed with a run-scoring single and Pat Valaika capped the uprising with a two-run double.That helped Baltimore secure its first win over New York since March 31, 2019. It also snapped the Yankees’ 18-game winning streak at Camden Yards.García (0-1) allowed four runs and five hits with six strikeouts in his second big league appearance.... [More]

BALTIMORE (AP) — The Baltimore Orioles ended their 19-game losing streak against the New York Yankees, using a strong offensive performance by rookie Ryan Mountcastle in a 6-3 victory Friday night for a doubleheader split. In the opener, Miguel Andújar singled in the tiebreaking run in the ninth inning and Clint Frazier added an RBI single to give New York a 6-5 win. Gary Sanchez homered and Brett Gardner drove in two runs for the Yankees.Mountcastle hit a two-run homer off 21-year-old Deivi García in second inning of the nightcap and sparked a four-run fifth inning with an RBI single off Clarke Schmidt, who was making his major league debut. Rio Ruiz followed with a run-scoring single and Pat Valaika capped the uprising with a two-run double.That helped Baltimore secure its first win over New York since March 31, 2019. It also snapped the Yankees’ 18-game winning streak at Camden Yards.García (0-1) allowed four runs and five hits with six strikeouts in his second big league appearance.... [More]

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Rookie José Marmolejos hit his first grand slam and Shed Long Jr. also connected in the six-run first inning that carried the Seattle Mariners to an 8-3 victory against the San Diego Padres and a split of Thursday’s doubleheader.The Mariners took two of three from the Padres, who got three home runs in the doubleheader from red-hot Manny Machado.In the first game, Wil Myers hit a game-ending three-run homer to cap a seven-run rally with two outs in the seventh inning and give the Padres a 10-7 win. Machado had two homers among his three hits and drove in four runs.The Mariners jumped all over Garrett Richards (1-2) in the first. Marmolejos, added as the “29th” player for the doubleheader, hit his grand slam with one out and Long connected with two outs to give Seattle a 6-0 lead and chase Richards. It was Marmolejos’ third and Long’s second. Machado homered in the bottom of the first off Yusei Kikuchi (1-2), his 11th. The Padres continued to cut into the lead on Jurickson... [More]

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Rookie José Marmolejos hit his first grand slam and Shed Long Jr. also connected in the six-run first inning that carried the Seattle Mariners to an 8-3 victory against the San Diego Padres and a split of Thursday’s doubleheader.The Mariners took two of three from the Padres, who got three home runs in the doubleheader from red-hot Manny Machado.In the first game, Wil Myers hit a game-ending three-run homer to cap a seven-run rally with two outs in the seventh inning and give the Padres a 10-7 win. Machado had two homers among his three hits and drove in four runs.The Mariners jumped all over Garrett Richards (1-2) in the first. Marmolejos, added as the “29th” player for the doubleheader, hit his grand slam with one out and Long connected with two outs to give Seattle a 6-0 lead and chase Richards. It was Marmolejos’ third and Long’s second. Machado homered in the bottom of the first off Yusei Kikuchi (1-2), his 11th. The Padres continued to cut into the lead on Jurickson... [More]

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Rookie José Marmolejos hit his first grand slam and Shed Long Jr. also connected in the six-run first inning that carried the Seattle Mariners to an 8-3 victory against the San Diego Padres and a split of Thursday’s doubleheader.The Mariners took two of three from the Padres, who got three home runs in the doubleheader from red-hot Manny Machado.In the first game, Wil Myers hit a game-ending three-run homer to cap a seven-run rally with two outs in the seventh inning and give the Padres a 10-7 win. Machado had two homers among his three hits and drove in four runs.The Mariners jumped all over Garrett Richards (1-2) in the first. Marmolejos, added as the “29th” player for the doubleheader, hit his grand slam with one out and Long connected with two outs to give Seattle a 6-0 lead and chase Richards. It was Marmolejos’ third and Long’s second. Machado homered in the bottom of the first off Yusei Kikuchi (1-2), his 11th. The Padres continued to cut into the lead on Jurickson... [More]

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Angels star Mike Trout flinched after yet another high-and-tight fastball from San Francisco reliever Shaun Anderson, prompting a warning from the plate umpire Thursday night in the Giants’ 10-5 win over Los Angeles.Two days earlier in Anaheim, Trout was upset when Anderson twice threw near his head in the ninth inning. After that game, Giants manager Gabe Kapler said he was giving Anderson, a 25-year-old with control issues, some needed work after not pitching for a while.This time, the three-time AL MVP turned his head after another heater sailed up and in. Angels manager Joe Maddon loudly cursed and complained before emerging from the dugout to continue — after this week’s previous episode, Maddon said of Anderson: “That’s just a young man that’s not ready to be here, that’s all that is.”A few people in the Giants barked back as Maddon came onto the field and the umpires conferred in the infield, prompting the warning from plate ump Lance Barrett.Once play resumed,... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Gerrit Cole posted his 20th straight regular-season win, becoming the sixth pitcher to reach the mark by throwing seven sharp innings to lead the New York Yankees over the Boston Red Sox 10-3 Friday night.Cole (4-0) allowed one run and four hits. He struck out eight, walked none and threw 95 pitches.Cole’s only defeat since May 2019 was in the World Series opener last year, when he pitched for Houston and lost to Washington. The Yankees improved to 7-0 at home for the fourth time since 1959 (also 2017, 1998 and 1987). New York also beat Boston for the seventh straight time.Gary Sánchez homered for the second straight game and Gleyber Torres had four hits, including a two-run double in the third. Mike Tauchman drove in four runs and started in right field for Aaron Judge, who landed on the injured list with a mild right calf strain. Clint Frazier also hit a two-run double in the eighth.DJ LeMahieu had two more hits and ended the night with a .429 average. It was his 69th... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Gerrit Cole posted his 20th straight regular-season win, becoming the sixth pitcher to reach the mark by throwing seven sharp innings to lead the New York Yankees over the Boston Red Sox 10-3 Friday night.Cole (4-0) allowed one run and four hits. He struck out eight, walked none and threw 95 pitches.Cole’s only defeat since May 2019 was in the World Series opener last year, when he pitched for Houston and lost to Washington. The Yankees improved to 7-0 at home for the fourth time since 1959 (also 2017, 1998 and 1987). New York also beat Boston for the seventh straight time.Gary Sánchez homered for the second straight game and Gleyber Torres had four hits, including a two-run double in the third. Mike Tauchman drove in four runs and started in right field for Aaron Judge, who landed on the injured list with a mild right calf strain. Clint Frazier also hit a two-run double in the eighth.DJ LeMahieu had two more hits and ended the night with a .429 average. It was his 69th... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Pinch-hitter Michael Perez hit a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning on his 28th birthday, six Tampa Bay pitchers combined on a two-hitter and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the AL East-leading New York Yankees 1-0 on Friday night.Yoshi Tsutsugo drew a leadoff walk from Adam Ottavino (2-1) in the eighth and went to second with one out when Kevin Kiermaier walked. Both runners advanced a base on a wild pitch before Perez put the Rays up 1-0 on his fly to center.Chaz Roe (2-0) went the final two innings for the win.Masahiro Tanaka allowed one hit and struck out five over five innings, retiring his final 13 batters after giving up a first-inning single to Yandy Diaz. The Yankees’ right-hander needed just 59 pitches in his second start after beginning the season on the concussion list after being struck in the head by Giancarlo Stanton’s liner during a July 4th summer camp simulated game.Three New York pitchers also limited the Rays to just two hits.MARLINS 4, METS 3NEW... [More]

Mariners second. Daniel Vogelbach grounds out to shortstop, Nolan Arenado to Daniel Murphy. Tim Lopes strikes out swinging. Dee Gordon reaches on error to shortstop, advances to 2nd. Throwing error by Trevor Story. Mallex Smith singles to left field, advances to 2nd. Dee Gordon scores. Shed Long Jr. strikes out swinging.1 run, 1 hit, 1 error, 1 left on. Mariners 1, Rockies 0.Rockies third. Chris Owings singles to right field. Elias Diaz doubles to shallow left field. Chris Owings to third. Garrett Hampson grounds out to shallow infield, Yusei Kikuchi to Dee Gordon to Dylan Moore. Elias Diaz to third. Chris Owings scores. Trevor Story reaches on a fielder's choice to shallow infield. Elias Diaz scores. Charlie Blackmon singles to deep center field. Trevor Story to second. Nolan Arenado grounds out to shallow left field. Charlie Blackmon out at second.2 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on. Rockies 2, Mariners 1.Rockies sixth. Trevor Story strikes out swinging. Charlie Blackmon singles to right... [More]

SEATTLE (AP) — When the Seattle Mariners kicked off summer camp Friday, figuring out how to get pitchers ready in just three weeks was a primary concern. One way the Mariners hope to combat worries about putting strain on pitchers' arms is by going with a six-man rotation for the full 60-game season. That may lead to starters throwing just once a week and perhaps making around 10 starts between the start of the regular season and late September. But for a franchise that’s still building toward 2021 and beyond, avoiding arm injuries is of the utmost importance during this truncated season. “I think the six-men rotation is a great thing for where we’re at right now and something that we’ll look at going forward into the future,” manager Scott Servais said before the Mariners' first workout. “It’s really, really important to keep these guys healthy. And we do know the impact that they’ll be able to make by having an extra day off; all these guys throw better when they have an extra day. So... [More]