OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — In the first major league game with the new, unpopular extra-inning rule, automatic runner Marcus Semien began the bottom of the 10th on second base and scored on Matt Olson’s grand slam, sending the Oakland Athletics over the Los Angeles Angels 7-3 Friday night.Olson, whose alert throw from first base nailed Angels free runner Shohei Ohtani in the top of the 10th, connected with one out. Major League Baseball instituted the controversial extra-inning runner rule for this season to keep games from dragging on amid a compressed, 60-game schedule that started late because of the virus outbreak.After Semien took second, the A’s loaded the bases against Hansel Robles (0-1) on a hit by pitch, wild pitch and a walk.New Angels manager Joe Maddon brought in reliever Hoby Milner and, with a five-man infield in place, Olson hit the first pitch far over the right-field wall.According to STATS, Olson became the third player to hit a walkoff grand slam on opening day. He joined... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Max Muncy homered twice and doubled, Ross Stripling pitched seven neat innings and the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the San Francisco Giants 9-1 on Friday night.A day after beating the Giants 8-1 on opening day, the NL West champion Dodgers scored in every inning except the third and outhit the Giants 13-4.NL MVP Cody Bellinger raised his arms as if encouraging the fake crowd cheers when the game ended.“They're doing their best with the crowd noise but it's not the same,” Muncy said. “There’s not that adrenaline rush.”Mookie Betts notched his first RBI for Los Angeles in going 1 for 6. He went 1 for 5 in the opener, having signed a 12-year, $365 million contract the previous day.Muncy hit solo shots in the first off Tyler Anderson (0-1) and in the sixth off Kevin Gausman. He and Justin Turner doubled back-to-back in the fourth.Corey Seager added three hits for the Dodgers.Jaylin Davis, who knelt during the national anthem, homered leading off the third. The Giants remained... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Kyle Hendricks convinced new manager David Ross to let him finish a three-hitter, Anthony Rizzo homered and dished out hand sanitizer, and the Chicago Cubs started the season by beating the Milwaukee Brewers 3-0 on Friday night.Ian Happ also had a two-run drive and Ross got his first victory as a big league manager as the Cubs opened this pandemic-shortened 60-game season without fans at Wrigley Field. Hendricks struck out nine and walked none in his first career opening-day start and fourth career shutout.Orlando Arcia had each of Milwaukee’s hits off Hendricks (1-0). After he singled with two out in the third for the Brewers’ first baserunner, he accepted a splash of sanitizer from a smiling Rizzo at first and cleaned off his hands.Ross came out to check on Hendricks with two out and a runner on first in the ninth. He decided to leave him in, and Keston Hiura bounced into a game-ending fielder’s choice on Hendricks’ 103rd pitch.Milwaukee right-hander Brandon Woodruff allowed... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Max Muncy homered twice and doubled, Ross Stripling pitched seven neat innings and the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the San Francisco Giants 9-1 on Friday night.A day after beating the Giants 8-1 on opening day, the NL West champion Dodgers scored in every inning except the third and outhit the Giants 13-4.NL MVP Cody Bellinger raised his arms as if encouraging the fake crowd cheers when the game ended.Mookie Betts notched his first RBI for Los Angeles in going 1 for 6. He went 1 for 5 in the opener, having signed a 12-year, $365 million contract the previous day.Muncy hit solo shots in the first off Tyler Anderson and in the sixth off Kevin Gausman. He and Justin Turner doubled back-to-back in the fourth.Corey Seager added three hits for the Dodgers.on Thursday.Jaylin Davis, who knelt during the national anthem, homered leading off the third. The Giants remained winless under new manager Gabe Kapler.Stripling (1-0) allowed four hits, walked none and struck out seven.At... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Mookie Betts singled in the seventh inning for his first hit as a Los Angeles Dodger, then signaled for the ball. That, along with the lineup card, is headed for a display in his house. “This is something I’ll always remember,” he said Thursday night after scoring the go-ahead run in an 8-1 opening victory over the San Francisco Giants in a fan-less stadium. “It's just a new chapter in life.”Betts went 1 for 5 with two strikeouts, a day after signing a $365 million contract covering 2021-32.Betts spoke without his bat when he kneeled during the national anthem. Teammates Cody Bellinger and Max Muncy stood resting a hand on each of his shoulders. Giants manager Gabe Kapler, in his first game as Bruce Bochy's successor, kneeled, too.“It was just unity,” Betts said. “We’re all on the same team, we’re all here for change, even the Giants.”Betts' perspective on kneeling has changed since 2016, when he said he wouldn't take such action. His father, Willie, served in Vietnam... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kiké Hernández homered and drove in five runs as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the rival San Francisco Giants 8-1 in a fan-less ballpark as baseball’s shortened season opened on Thursday night.Mookie Betts, who took a knee during the national anthem, went 1 for 5 in his Dodgers debut. Betts struck out swinging in his first at-bat a day after signing a $365 million deal over 12 years. Justin Turner grounded into a fielder's choice and Betts beat a throw to the plate to give the Dodgers a 2-1 lead in the seventh. The Giants lost their appeal of the call after Betts slid head-first.Betts struck out with the bases loaded to end a five-run inning that made it 6-1.Adam Kolarek (1-0) got the victory with 1 2/3 innings of relief.Dustin May became the first Dodgers rookie to start on opening day since Fernando Valenzuela in 1981 when Clayton Kershaw couldn’t go because of a back issue. It was similar to when Valenzuela was a late replacement for the injured Jerry Reuss back then.May... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — With three days to go before the 2020 opener, Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw already was reveling in the first victory of the season.How he performs Thursday night against the San Francisco Giants in his ninth opening day assignment remains up in the air. But just the opportunity to begin preparations for the Dodgers’ biggest rival has Kershaw feeling positive.“Really, the fact that we’re even here, a few days away from having a season, I think is a win for baseball in and of itself,” Kershaw said Monday, remarking on the low percentage of positive COVID-19 tests around the majors.Of course, the biggest challenges posed by the coronavirus await. Teams are only now starting to hit the road for exhibition games. Los Angeles hosted the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium on Monday for the second consecutive night.Simply breaking even in road games has always been a solid recipe for success in baseball. Except now, Kershaw believes that being away from home is... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Clayton Kershaw will make his franchise-record ninth opening day start for the Los Angeles Dodgers.Manager Dave Roberts confirmed his choice Tuesday in a video conference call. The Dodgers open the 60-game season on July 23 at home against the rival San Francisco Giants. Kershaw was tabbed to start opening day against the Giants on March 26 before the season was delayed by the coronavirus pandemic.The 32-year-old left-hander tossed four innings in the Dodgers' second intrasquad game Monday night. He struck out new teammate Mookie Betts on a called third strike by umpire Bob Geren, the team's bench coach who was working the plate. Kershaw threw another inning in the bullpen.Kershaw's streak of opening day starts ended last year when he began the season on the injured list with left shoulder inflammation. He was replaced by Hyun-Jin Ryu, who signed with Toronto in December.Kershaw is 5-1 with a 1.05 ERA on opening day.The team's rotation was upended when new Dodger David Price said he would sit out the season. He was expected to be the No. 3 starter behind Kershaw and Walker Buehler. Julio Urias and Alex Wood were expected to fill out the back end.Ross Stripling, Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin are among the leading contenders to fill Price's spot.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — Grant Dayton will notice one glaring absence this season after he reports to the Atlanta Braves: his twice-a-month salary.He is among 11 major leaguers whose prorated pay for the abbreviated 60-game season amounts to less than the $286,500 advance already received by the 32-year-old left-hander.“It’s going to be weird not getting a paycheck,” he said Friday, “but we already got paid.”Dayton gave up the 6,776th and final home run of of last season's record total, to the New York Mets' Dominic Smith. To resume preparation for the new season he will drive Monday from his home in Winter Haven, Florida, to Atlanta with wife Cori, 2 1/2-year-old son Decker and nearly 6-month-old Nolan for Braves' workouts at Truist Park.After opening day was postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic, Major League Baseball and the players’ association agreed March 26 to a deal that called for teams to advance $170 million in salaries over the first 60 days of the season.Others who won’t get... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Grant Dayton will notice one glaring absence this season after he reports to the Atlanta Braves: his twice-a-month salary.He is among 11 major leaguers whose prorated pay for the abbreviated 60-game season amounts to less than the $286,500 advance already received by the 32-year-old left-hander.“It’s going to be weird not getting a paycheck,” he said Friday, “but we already got paid.”Dayton will drive Monday from his home in Winter Haven, Florida, to Atlanta with wife Cori, 2 1/2-year-old son Decker and nearly 6-month-old Nolan for the resumption of workouts when the Braves gather at renamed Truist Park.After opening day was postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic, Major League Baseball and the players’ association agreed March 26 to a deal that called for teams to advance $170 million in salaries over the first 60 days of the season.Others who won’t get paychecks because of lower prorated salaries are Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Jimmy Nelson and New York Yankees reliever... [More]

Randy Dobnak had finished making his morning omelette one day last week when his wife, Aerial, asked the Minnesota Twins pitcher to keep the eggs out so she could make a sandwich.For the base she used a hot dog bun, an ingredient so bewildering to her husband that he took it as the latest sign that baseball's pandemic-induced hiatus had dragged on too long amid strained negotiations between owners and players over adjusted pay.“It's time to get back to work,” Dobnak tweeted. “Tell us when and where!”Finally, major leaguers have their answer. Teams can start training together again next week, with the truncated 60-game season slated to open on July 23 or 24.“We’re all ready to get back, because baseball’s literally been our lives for our whole entire lives,” Dobnak said in an interview from Hedgesville, West Virginia, where he and his wife have been living with her parents. “To have the last three months now not playing baseball, it’s definitely weird.”Twins teammate Taylor Rogers, after... [More]

Ross Stripling has spent much of the last two months working on an island —- the one in the kitchen of his Houston home.With baseball halted by the coronavirus pandemic, the Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander returned to his offseason job. When not throwing fastballs, he pitches clients as a financial adviser for B. Riley Wealth Management.The All-Star has retired George Springer in the World Series on a bases-loaded fly that Stripling was sure would be a grand slam. And he’s logged on in the morning, seen a stock drop 30% and felt his heart sink into the pit of his stomach.Stress compounded.“When I have someone else’s money in my hands and that’s their future, their nest egg, there’s a lot of pressure there,” Stripling said. “There’s a lot of anxiety to perform well for their sake.”Interest rates approaching 0 have been on his mind more these days than spin rates of 2,650. No need to look up ERA, but a daily dissection is essential of an elevated VIX, the “fear index” of market volatility.Analytic... [More]

Ross Stripling has spent much of the last two months working on an island —- the one in the kitchen of his Houston home.With baseball halted by the coronavirus pandemic, the Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander returned to his offseason job. When not throwing fastballs, he pitches clients as a financial adviser for B. Riley Wealth Management.The All-Star has retired George Springer in the World Series on a bases-loaded fly that Stripling was sure would be a grand slam. And he’s logged on in the morning, seen a stock drop 30% and felt his heart sink into the pit of his stomach.Stress compounded.“When I have someone else’s money in my hands and that’s their future, their nest egg, there’s a lot of pressure there,” Stripling said. “There’s a lot of anxiety to perform well for their sake.”Interest rates approaching 0 have been on his mind more these days than spin rates of 2,650. No need to look up ERA, but a daily dissection is essential of an elevated VIX, the “fear index” of market volatility.Analytic... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Mike Trout and Gerrit Cole aren’t the only major leaguers with a big financial incentive to get back on the field.While they head a starry quartet that would take in more than $200,000 per game, 65 players would earn at least $100,000 each time their team wins or loses if the pandemic-delayed major league season get under way, according to an analysis of their contracts by The Associated Press.Most rookies and those making the minimum would get nearly $3,500 each. Every game added to the big league schedule earns players about $24 million in aggregate.Clubs would benefit, too, with huge revenue streams flowing from regional sports networks and national broadcast contracts. A contentious negotiation is likely if Major League Baseball asks the players’ association to accept salary cuts to compensate for competing in empty ballparks.“I would need to be fully informed about revenue and things like that before I would decide if I think it’s fair for us to do that,” Washington... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Mike Trout and Gerrit Cole aren’t the only major leaguers with a big financial incentive to get back on the field.While they head a starry quartet that would take in more than $200,000 per game, 65 players would earn at least $100,000 each time their team wins or loses if the pandemic-delayed major league season get under way, according to an analysis of their contracts by The Associated Press.Most rookies and those making the minimum would get nearly $3,500 each. Every game added to the big league schedule earns players about $24 million in aggregate.Clubs would benefit, too, with huge revenue streams flowing from regional sports networks and national broadcast contracts. A contentious negotiation is likely if Major League Baseball asks the players’ association to accept salary cuts to compensate for competing in empty ballparks.“I would need to be fully informed about revenue and things like that before I would decide if I think it’s fair for us to do that,” Washington... [More]

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Commissioner Rob Manfred’s stern warning covering the intentional beaning of Houston players in the wake of the Astros' sign-stealing scandal hasn’t stopped an offshore sports book from publishing odds on a variety of bets related to possible plunkings.The player who’s the favorite to get hit the most according to these odds? Third baseman Alex Bregman, whose news conference apology last week was not well received.The possibility of Houston’s hitters being intentionally hit this season has become a topic of discussion after pitchers around the league have either said or implied they would throw at them. Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Ross Stripling, who was on the team that lost to the Astros in the 2017 World Series, said he would “lean toward yes” when asked if he would consider throwing at Houston batters this season. Cleveland right-hander Mike Clevinger, who has been outspoken against the Astros since the cheating scandal emerged, said he doesn’t think “it’s... [More]

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Commissioner Rob Manfred’s stern warning that the intentional beaning of the Houston Astros in the wake of their sign-stealing scandal hasn’t stopped an offshore sports book from publishing odds on a variety bets related to their possible plunking.The player who’s the favorite to get hit the most according to these odds? Third baseman Alex Bregman, whose news conference apology last week was not well received.The possibility of Houston’s hitters being intentionally hit this season has become a topic of discussion after pitchers around the league have either said or implied that they’d throw at them this season. Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Ross Stripling, whose was on the team that lost to the Astros in the 2017 World Series, said he would “lean toward yes” when asked if he would consider throwing at Houston batters this season. Cleveland right-hander Mike Clevinger, who has been outspoken against the Astros since the cheating scandal emerged, said he doesn’t... [More]

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno acknowledges he scrapped the proposed trade that would have landed Joc Pederson and Ross Stripling from the Dodgers.Moreno also says the Angels can make an even bigger trade for an elite starting pitcher if they get a chance this season.Moreno covered many topics in his annual informal conversation with reporters on the training fields outside Tempe Diablo Stadium. He is excited about the potential impact of $245 million third baseman Anthony Rendon and optimistic about his pitching staff's ability to improve after a poor season.Moreno also is eager to move on from the scuttled trade that would have sent infielder Luis Rengifo and a prospect to the Dodgers for Pederson and Stripling earlier in the month.Both veterans likely would have played immediately for the Angels, but Moreno called off the talks around the deal while the Dodgers' blockbuster deal with Boston was delayed for several days.“It wasn't all impatience,” Moreno said.... [More]

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Mike Trout thinks the Houston Astros should pay more dearly for their cheating ways.The Los Angeles Angels' three-time AL MVP ripped the Astros and questioned the discipline handed out by Major League Baseball on Monday after he reported to spring training. Trout joined the chorus of prominent big leaguers angry about Houston's rampant sign stealing on its way to the 2017 World Series title and beyond.“It’s sad for baseball,” he said. "It’s tough. They cheated. I don’t agree with the punishments, the players not getting anything. It was a player-driven thing. It sucks, too, because guys' careers have been affected. A lot of people lost jobs. It was tough.“Me going up to the plate knowing what was coming? It would be fun up there. A lot of guys lost respect for some of the guys.”Trout said a few members of the Astros reached out to him during the offseason to explain their side, but Trout didn't sound impressed.“You don’t know what helped them or what not,” he said. “But... [More]

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Mike Trout thinks the Houston Astros should pay more dearly for their cheating ways.The Los Angeles Angels' three-time AL MVP ripped the Astros and questioned the discipline handed out by Major League Baseball on Monday after he reported to spring training. Trout joined the chorus of prominent big leaguers angry about Houston's rampant sign stealing on its way to the 2017 World Series title and beyond.“It’s sad for baseball,” he said. "It’s tough. They cheated. I don’t agree with the punishments, the players not getting anything. It was a player-driven thing. It sucks, too, because guys' careers have been affected. A lot of people lost jobs. It was tough.“Me going up to the plate knowing what was coming? It would be fun up there. A lot of guys lost respect for some of the guys.”Trout said a few members of the Astros reached out to him during the offseason to explain their side, but Trout didn't sound impressed.“You don’t know what helped them or what not,” he said. “But... [More]