NEW YORK (AP) — Brett Gardner capped a slump-busting performance with a go-ahead, two-run triple off Craig Kimbrel in the eighth inning, Aaron Judge followed with a homer and the New York Yankees rallied to beat the Boston Red Sox 9-6 Wednesday night for their 17th victory in 18 games.Kimbrel entered with two on and one out to face Gardner seeking the first five-out save of his career. Gardner drilled a full-count pitch into left-center field, well over the head of center fielder Mookie Betts, who was playing shallow. Neil Walker scored easily from third and rookie Gleyber Torres raced from first and slid past a lunging tag attempted by catcher Christian Vazquez.Judge followed with a line drive to center measured at 117 mph off the bat, his ninth homer of the season. He had three hits and three RBIs as New York won its eighth straight overall and 11th in a row at home.Kimbrel replaced Matt Barnes (0-1) after a double by Walker and a one-out walk to Torres.Yankees reliever Jonathan Holder... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Brett Gardner capped a slump-busting performance with a go-ahead, two-run triple off Craig Kimbrel in the eighth inning, Aaron Judge followed with a homer and the New York Yankees rallied to beat the Boston Red Sox 9-6 Wednesday night for their 17th victory in 18 games.Kimbrel (1-2) entered with two on and one out to face Gardner seeking the first five-out save of his career. Gardner drilled a full-count pitch into left-center field, well over the head of center fielder Mookie Betts, who was playing shallow. Neil Walker scored easily from third and rookie Gleyber Torres raced from first and slid past a lunging tag attempted by catcher Christian Vazquez.Judge followed with a line drive to center measured at 117 mph off the bat, his ninth homer of the season. He had three hits and three RBIs as New York won its eighth straight.Yankees reliever Jonathan Holder (1-1) cleaned up a mess left by Chasen Shreve in the eighth, getting Benintendi to ground out with the bases loaded.Aroldis... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Gerrit Cole struck out nine to raise his major league-leading total to 86, and the Houston Astros beat the Oakland Athletics 4-1 Wednesday to complete a three-game sweep.Max Stassi and Derek Fisher hit consecutive home runs with two outs in the seventh off Daniel Mengden (2-4) for a 2-1 lead. Yuli Gurriel added a two-run double against Yusmiero Petit that extended his hitting streak to 11 games.Cole (4-1) allowed one run, four hits and three walks in six innings. His 1.43 ERA is second in the major leagues behind the 1.17 of teammate Justin Verlander.Ken Giles pitched a perfect ninth for his fifth save and second in two days. Before Tuesday, he had not pitched since allowing four runs in the ninth inning of a May 1 loss to the New York Yankees.REDS 2, METS 1, 10 INNINGSCINCINNATI (AP) — The New York Mets wasted a first-inning rally by batting out of turn, and Adam Duvall led off the 10th with a homer to win it for Cincinnati.Duvall connected for his first career game-ending... [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.ANGELS... [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]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Bryce Harper hit two more homers from the leadoff spot and the Washington Nationals beat the Philadelphia Phillies 7-3 Friday night for their sixth straight win.Harper opened the Washington first by lining a fastball from Nick Pivetta (1-2) to the opposite field in left. With a runner on first in the third inning, Harper crushed a changeup 473 feet to dead center for his 12th homer this season — including four games from the leadoff slot.Gio Gonzalez (4-2) allowed two hits in five scoreless innings.YANKEES 7, INDIANS 6NEW YORK (AP) — Rookie Miguel Andujar flared an RBI single off Cody Allen with two outs in the ninth and New York, after blowing 5-0 and 6-5 leads, won for the 13th time in 14 games.Gleyber Torres, at 21, became the youngest Yankees player to hit a home run since John Ellis in 1969. Aaron Judge homered, doubled and drew a bases-loaded walk in the eighth that put the Yankees ahead 6-5. Cleveland tied it in the ninth, scoring on the second wild pitch of the... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Mookie Betts hit a grand slam on a monster night, leading Chris Sale and the Boston Red Sox over the New York Yankees 14-1 Tuesday for their ninth straight victory.Betts went 4 for 4, scoring five runs and driving in four. His third career slam capped a nine-run burst in the sixth inning that turned the first matchup of the season between the AL East rivals into a rout.Sale (1-0) allowed one run in six innings, striking out eight. Luis Severino (2-1) gave up five runs in five innings.Aaron Judge had three hits for the Yankees, including his third home run of the season.Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton went 2 for 4. He struck out his first two times up against Sale, and has now fanned 22 times in 46 at-bats.GIANTS 5, DIAMONDBACKS 4SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Andrew McCutchen hit a bases-loaded single for his second walk-off of San Francisco's homestand.McCutchen lined the first pitch he got from Jorge De La Rosa (0-1) for a clean single into left-center, his 10th career game-ending... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Mookie Betts hit a grand slam on a monster night, leading Chris Sale and the Boston Red Sox over the New York Yankees 14-1 Tuesday for their ninth straight victory.Betts went 4 for 4, scoring five runs and driving in four. His third career slam capped a nine-run burst in the sixth inning that turned the first matchup of the season between the AL East rivals into a rout.Sale (1-0) allowed one run in six innings, striking out eight. Luis Severino (2-1) gave up five runs in five innings.Aaron Judge had three hits for the Yankees, including his third home run of the season.Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton went 2 for 4. He struck out his first two times up against Sale, and has now fanned 22 times in 46 at-bats.BLUE JAYS 2, ORIOLES 1BALTIMORE (AP) — Aaron Sanchez lost his no-hit bid when Baltimore's Tim Beckham led off the eighth inning with a sharp grounder through the legs of third baseman Josh Donaldson, and Curtis Granderson hit a tiebreaking homer in the ninth to carry Toronto.Seeking... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Mookie Betts hit a grand slam on a monster night, leading Chris Sale and the Boston Red Sox over the New York Yankees 14-1 Tuesday for their ninth straight victory.Betts went 4 for 4, scoring five runs and driving in four. His third career slam capped a nine-run burst in the sixth inning that turned the first matchup of the season between the AL East rivals into a rout.Sale (1-0) allowed one run in six innings, striking out eight. Luis Severino (2-1) gave up five runs in five innings.Aaron Judge had three hits for the Yankees, including his third home run of the season.Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton went 2 for 4. He struck out his first two times up against Sale, and has now fanned 22 times in 46 at-bats.BLUE JAYS 2, ORIOLES 1BALTIMORE (AP) — Aaron Sanchez lost his no-hit bid when Baltimore's Tim Beckham led off the eighth inning with a sharp grounder through the legs of third baseman Josh Donaldson, and Curtis Granderson hit a tiebreaking homer in the ninth to carry Toronto.Seeking... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Pirates closer Felipe Rivero has changed his name to Felipe Vazquez.Vazquez told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Monday that he legally changed his surname to match that of his sister, Prescilla.The 26-year-old from Venezuela took over as Pittsburgh's closer last season and saved 21 games with a 1.67 ERA. His uniform will reflect the change soon, though Rivero said Monday he wasn't sure when. He apologized on Twitter to fans who had purchased his No. 73 jersey with his name on the back.Vazquez lives with his sister in Florida during the offseason, and she has advised him on a number of career decisions, including when he dropped Scott Boras as his agent this offseason. Vazquez says his sister was a primary negotiator for his new contract with the Pirates, which was signed in January and could keep him with Pittsburgh until 2023.Vazquez says he may also change his jersey number next season — if Prescilla wants him to."When she says it's time to change my number, I'll do it," he told the Post-Gazette.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Jameson Taillon downplayed the idea that the location of his locker inside the Pittsburgh Pirates clubhouse symbolizes anything."I guess I can trip people on the way to the kitchen," the linchpin of Pittsburgh's young starting rotation said with a laugh.Clubhouse manager Scott Bonnett scooted Taillon over a few spots during the offseason to some prime real estate in one of the corners, a position that offers a quick exit should Taillon need it.It also confers, at least in a small way, a sense of status. The last two tenants of Taillon's new digs happened to be Gerrit Cole and A.J. Burnett, important figures in Pittsburgh's run to three straight playoff berths from 2013-15."Those two guys had some pretty good things working for them here," Taillon said.At the moment, Taillon does, too. He overpowered the Minnesota Twins for more than five innings in Pittsburgh's 5-4 victory at cold, cloudy and not particularly crowded PNC Park on Monday, a victory that gave the Pirates... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Shohei Ohtani won his major league pitching debut, throwing three-hit ball over six innings and leading the Los Angeles Angels past the Oakland Athletics 7-4 on Sunday.The two-way star from Japan took the mound three days after he was the designated hitter in the opener. Reaching the upper-90s (mph) with his fastball and showing a nifty splitter, Ohtani struck out six and retired 14 of his final 15 batters.Ohtani didn't hit while pitching. Albert Pujols was the DH and went 0 for 5.Ohtani (1-0) pounded his glove following a 1-2-3 shutdown fifth. He walked one, and the only damage against him came on Matt Chapman's three-run homer in the second.Mike Trout hit a tying double in the fifth and Justin Upton followed with a go-ahead sacrifice fly. Keynan Middleton earned his first save.Daniel Gossett (0-1) allowed four runs in four innings for Oakland.ASTROS 8, RANGERS 2ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Gerrit Cole struck out 11 over seven innings in his Houston debut, and the defending... [More]

TORONTO (AP) — Justin Smoak hit a two-run homer in the seventh inning and a go-ahead grand slam in the eighth to rally the Toronto Blue Jays past the New York Yankees 7-4 on Sunday.After connecting off reliever Tommy Kahnle in the seventh, Smoak brought the crowd of 29,091 to its feet with his second career slam, a drive against David Robertson (0-1).Smoak went 3 for 4 with a walk and six RBIs as Toronto gained a series split, winning the final two games.Smoak's other grand slam also came against the Yankees, in 2015.Tyler Clippard (1-0) pitched a scoreless inning, and Seung Hwan Oh finished for his first save.TWINS 7, ORIOLES 0BALTIMORE (AP) — Jose Berrios pitched a three-hitter for his first career complete game, and Minnesota got two home runs from Brian Dozier in a rout of Baltimore.Only one batter reached against Berrios over the first eight innings — No. 9 hitter Chance Sisco, whose third-inning double whisked by the raised glove of left fielder Eddie Rosario at the wall.Berrios then... [More]

Capsules of National League Central teams, listed in order of finish last year:___Chicago Cubs2017: 92-70, first place, lost to Dodgers in NLCS.Manager: Joe Maddon (fourth season).He's Here: RHP Yu Darvish, RHP Brandon Morrow, RHP Tyler Chatwood, RHP Steve Cishek, LHP Drew Smyly, C Chris Gimenez.He's Outta Here: RHP Wade Davis, C Alex Avila, C Rene Rivera.Projected Lineup: CF Ian Happ (.253, 24 HRs, 68 RBIs, .842 OPS) or Albert Almora Jr. (.298, 8, 46), 3B Kris Bryant (.295, 29, 73, 38 2Bs, 111 runs), 1B Anthony Rizzo (.273, 32, 109, 91 BBs), C Willson Contreras (.276, 21, 74), LF Kyle Schwarber (.211, 30, 59), SS Addison Russell (.239, 12, 43), RF Jason Heyward (.259, 11, 59), 2B Javier Baez (.273, 23, 75, .796 OPS).Rotation: LH Jon Lester (13-8, 4.33 ERA, 180 Ks), RH Kyle Hendricks (7-5, 3.03), RH Yu Darvish (10-12, 3.86, 209 Ks with Rangers and Dodgers), LH Jose Quintana (11-11, 4.15, 207 Ks with White Sox and Cubs), RH Tyler Chatwood (8-15, 4.69 with Rockies).Key Relievers: RH Brandon... [More]

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Depending on the person asked in the clubhouse, the Pittsburgh Pirates are rebuilding. Or they're not. They're retooling. Or they're not. They're pointing toward 2019 and beyond. Or they're focused on the here and now.The next six months will offer a chance at clarity.The Pirates head into 2018 without Andrew McCutchen in the outfield on opening day for the first time in nearly a decade and without Gerrit Cole in the rotation for the first time since the start of 2013, traded in offseason moves that saved the franchise millions of dollars. Though both transactions included the Pirates picking up a handful of players they believe can make an immediate impact — including starting pitcher Joe Musgrove and third baseman Colin Moran — they left established Pirates like Josh Harrison wondering aloud whether the club cared about winning or making money.Harrison suggested the team consider moving him if it didn't plan to contend. Third baseman David Freese chastised a clubhouse... [More]

Capsules of National League Central teams, listed in order of finish last year:___Chicago Cubs2017: 92-70, first place, lost to Dodgers in NLCS.Manager: Joe Maddon (fourth season).He's Here: RHP Yu Darvish, RHP Brandon Morrow, RHP Tyler Chatwood, RHP Steve Cishek, LHP Drew Smyly, C Chris Gimenez.He's Outta Here: RHP Wade Davis, C Alex Avila, C Rene Rivera.Projected Lineup: CF Ian Happ (.253, 24 HRs, 68 RBIs, .842 OPS) or Albert Almora Jr. (.298, 8, 46), 3B Kris Bryant (.295, 29, 73, 38 2Bs, 111 runs), 1B Anthony Rizzo (.273, 32, 109, 91 BBs), C Willson Contreras (.276, 21, 74), LF Kyle Schwarber (.211, 30, 59), SS Addison Russell (.239, 12, 43), RF Jason Heyward (.259, 11, 59), 2B Javier Baez (.273, 23, 75, .796 OPS).Rotation: LH Jon Lester (13-8, 4.33 ERA, 180 Ks), RH Kyle Hendricks (7-5, 3.03), RH Yu Darvish (10-12, 3.86, 209 Ks with Rangers and Dodgers), LH Jose Quintana (11-11, 4.15, 207 Ks with White Sox and Cubs), RH Tyler Chatwood (8-15, 4.69 with Rockies).Key Relievers: RH Brandon... [More]

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Pittsburgh's Joe Musgrove allowed two runs, one hit, three walks and five strikeouts over 2 2/3 innings in a 9-5 loss to the New York Yankees on Thursday."I was super-excited to get out there," Musgrove said. "It's my first taste of a live-action game and it feels good."Slowed by right shoulder discomfort, Musgrove worked two innings in a minor league camp game Friday. He reached 94 mph with his fastball Thursday."I worked hard this offseason," Musgrove said. "I've had a lot of extra time this spring to prepare and strengthen my shoulder. Just try to build on it. The arm strength and stuff feels like it is there."Acquired from Houston in the trade that sent Gerrit Cole to the Astros, Musgrove is optimistic about being ready to start the regular season on time."Making an opening-day roster is important to me, especially being on a new team," Musgrove said. "If things continue to progress the way they have, there's a good chance I can be there. If I need to take a step... [More]

Never pay for saves. That mantra has been a constant in fantasy baseball circles almost as long as it has been played.Top relievers dominated the saves category, but their dearth of wins and strikeouts limited their value in comparison to starting pitchers. Despite posting elite ratios, relievers just didn't pitch enough innings to hang with even a mid-level starting pitcher. Add all that onto the relative ease of acquiring saves in-season and it's easy to see why many people bypassed the top relievers and scavenged the lower rungs of closers for value.Not anymore. Changes in real baseball mean values in fantasy are changing as a result.As MLB managers lean more on their bullpens, the statistical landscape has changed for pitchers. Managers are quicker with the hook and more starters are limited to five or six innings a start. This means once you get past the top few elite starters, the gap in strikeouts and wins is shrinking. As relievers grab an increasing percentage of innings, their... [More]

On the day the Kansas City Royals welcomed back Mike Moustakas, they found out Jorge Bonifacio will miss half the season.Bonifacio was suspended 80 games by Major League Baseball on Saturday after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance.The outfielder was banned after a positive test for Boldenone. The ban will begin on opening day."It really kind of made me sick to my stomach," Royals manager Ned Yost said.The 24-year-old Bonifacio made his major league debut last season, hitting .255 with 17 home runs and 40 RBIs in 113 games.Bonifacio's suspension cleared a roster spot for Moustakas, who re-signed with the Royals this week after becoming a free agent last fall.Moustakas set a Royals record with 38 home runs last season, then rejected a $17.4 million offer from the team. But the third baseman never received the multiyear, mega-million dollar contract he and his agent Scott Boras anticipated.The Royals signed Moustakas to a one-year $6.5 million contract with a mutual option... [More]

Bartolo Colon could always throw strikes. Two months shy of turning 45, he still can.Colon filled up the strike zone Thursday in his spring training debut for Texas, a two-inning start against San Diego.The portly right-hander gave up two hits, including a home run by Wil Myers, struck out Chase Headley looking and walked none. He threw 23 of 32 pitches for strikes, and his fastball was mostly in the mid-80s mph range.Colon signed a minor league contract with Texas after going a combined 7-14 with a 6.48 ERA in 28 starts last season with Atlanta and Minnesota."I feel well and I'm throwing strikes," he said. "I'm happy with the way I feel. All I need to do is keep working hard and then it's up to them."Texas added Colon to see if he had anything left."He's got deception, a great feel for a pitch and commanding the fastball and puts it where he wants to," Rangers manager Jeff Banister said. "Day one, he walks out here for live BP and young, fresh hitters walk away scratching their heads.... [More]