The Latest on opening day (all times EDT):___3:25 p.m.Score it 3U on No. 3.Bryce Harper grounded out to first base in his first at-bat in a Phillies uniform.Harper was already a smash hit before he walked to the plate to a standing ovation. Phillies fans were wild all day in anticipation of Harper's debut.Harper, who wore green Phanatic cleats, bowed to the fans when he took his spot in right field in the first inning and chucked a ball into the third deck.Harper had owned Braves starter Julio Teheran, hitting eight career home runs off the righty. Harper also is tied among active players with five career homers on opening day.Oh yeah, Harper wasn't the only MVP added to the lineup. Andrew McCutchen, the 2013 NL MVP with the Pirates, led off the game with a homer that sent an already pumped crowd into a tizzy. McCutchen signed a $50 million, three-year deal in the offseason.___3:15 p.m.At 20 years, 85 days, Fernando Tatis Jr. is the youngest San Diego Padres player to play on opening day... [More]

The Latest on opening day (all times EDT):3:10 p.m.Bryce Harper wore green Phanatic cleats as he jogged out of the dugout to a standing ovation when he was introduced for the first time as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies.Harper signed a $330 million, 13-year contract with the Phillies and hit third and played right field in the opener against the Atlanta Braves.Harper walked into the ballpark wearing a black T-shirt that read "Phan Fiction" made by South Fellini that featured Philly mascots the Phanatic and Gritty in a "Pulp Fiction" homage. Fans slammed the website and caused it to temporarily crash, and by the time it was up, the shirt was sold out.Harper fist-bumped fans as the Phillies walked through the outfield stands and onto the red carpet on the field for opening day festivities.Fans brought signs that read "The Year of Bryce" and thousands more wore his No. 3 jersey.___3:07 p.m.Look who's back.Christian Yelich hit a three-run homer to center off Miles Mikolas in the third... [More]

The Latest on opening day (all times EDT):2:47 p.m.Astros shortstop Carlos Correa is not in the lineup for Houston against the Tampa Bay Rays because of neck stiffness.Correa said before the game that the injury is "nothing major" and that he hopes to be ready to play sometime before the end of the four-game, season-opening series that runs through Sunday at Tropicana Field.Correa hit .239 with 15 homers and 65 RBIs in 110 games last season.Aledmys Diaz is replacing him at shortstop and batting eighth in the opener.— Fred Goodall reporting from St. Petersburg___1:20 p.m.Welcome to the Mets, Robinson Cano.Making quite an introduction to his new team, Cano homered in his debut at-bat, taking Washington Nationals starter Max Scherzer deep to center field on a 1-1 changeup in the first inning.The two-out shot made it 1-0 for the visiting Mets.Scherzer, a three-time Cy Young Award winner, struck out the other three batters he faced in the opening inning of 2019 — including Pete Alonso, the first... [More]

MONTREAL (AP) — With opening day fast approaching, the Toronto Blue Jays filled a hole in their rotation.The team added Trent Thornton to the group, giving the 25-year-old right-hander a chance to make his major league debut while the Blue Jays await the return of injured pitchers Ryan Borucki and Clay Buchholz.Thornton will start Sunday against the Detroit Tigers, going fourth in the rotation in front of veteran left-hander Clayton Richard. Marcus Stroman, Aaron Sanchez and Matt Shoemaker are the top three."It killed me yesterday, I couldn't tell Trent," new Toronto manager Charlie Montoyo said Tuesday. "He was in Florida, so somebody else did."Montoyo made the announcement before his team's spring training finale against the Milwaukee Brewers, a 2-0 win for Toronto at Olympic Stadium in Montreal. His decision to start Thornton before Richard was based purely on matchups against upcoming opponents. The Blue Jays play Baltimore after their opening series with the Tigers."Detroit is more... [More]

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Marwin Gonzalez was Houston's do-everything utility player for the last few years.Replacing him is probably going to be a team effort.Gonzalez signed a $21 million, two-year deal with Minnesota on Monday, making official what the Astros seemed to know all offseason: they're going to need new depth around the diamond. Gonzalez played every position except pitcher and catcher during his seven seasons with Houston.The player most likely to mimic Gonzalez is 2016 All-Star Aledmys Diaz, who was acquired from Toronto in November. Houston is also hoping first baseman Yuli Gurriel can bounce around the infield a bit more."I want to see Diaz play all four infield positions and potentially two outfield positions on the corner," manager AJ Hinch said. "We may not have enough time to do that as much as we want. As fun as it sounds, that's lot to ask out of one guy, but I would like to move him around a little bit."Diaz has experience at most of those positions. The 28-year-old... [More]

A team-by-team look at the American League West entering spring training, including key players each club acquired and lost, and dates of the first workout for pitchers and catchers, and the full squad:___Houston AstrosManager: AJ Hinch (fifth season).2018: 103-59, first place, lost to Boston in ALCS.Training Town: West Palm Beach, Florida.Park: Ballpark of the Palm Beaches.First Workout: Feb. 14/18.He's Here: OF Michael Brantley, C Robinson Chirinos, LHP Wade Miley, INF Aledmys Diaz.He's Outta Here: INF-OF Marwin Gonzalez, LHP Dallas Keuchel, RHP Charlie Morton, DH Evan Gattis, LHP Tony Sipp, C Brian McCann, C Martin Maldonado.Going campin': The Astros won a franchise-record 103 games last season and reached the ALCS. But mounting injuries and inconsistent play led to their elimination by Boston in five games and kept them from repeating as champions after winning their first World Series title in 2017. Houston returns aces Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole, who are both coming off great... [More]

A team-by-team look at the American League East entering spring training, including key players each club acquired and lost, and dates of the first workout for pitchers and catchers, and the full squad:___Boston Red SoxManager: Alex Cora (second season).2018: 108-54, first place, World Series champions.Training Town: Fort Myers, Florida.Park: JetBlue Park at Fenway South.First Workout: Feb. 13/18.He's Here: OF Gorkys Hernandez, RHP Jenrry Mejia.He's Outta Here: RHP Craig Kimbrel, RHP Joe Kelly, 2B Ian Kinsler.Going campin': The Red Sox are largely standing pat as they attempt to win back-to-back World Series for the first time in more than a century. The team that won a franchise-record 108 games in the regular season last year is largely intact, with All-Star closer Kimbrel the biggest loss. Second baseman Dustin Pedroia is hoping to return from a knee injury that limited him to three games last season. Christian Vazquez, Blake Swihart and Sandy Leon will compete for two spots at catcher.... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Astros have acquired infielder Aledmys Diaz from the Toronto Blue Jays for minor league pitcher Trent Thornton.The trade was announced by both teams Saturday.The 28-year-old Diaz hit .263 with 26 doubles and a career-high 18 home runs in 130 games with the Blue Jays.Thornton is a 25-year-old right-hander who went 9-8 with a 4.42 ERA in 24 games at Triple-A Fresno last season.

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Shohei Ohtani homered twice during a huge night at the plate after getting bad news about his pitching arm, and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Texas Rangers 9-3 on Wednesday.Perhaps headed for Tommy John surgery, the two-way rookie sensation went 4 for 4 with three RBIs, four runs and a stolen base to power the Angels. About two hours before the game, the team announced Ohtani has new damage in his right elbow and ligament-replacement surgery has been recommended.The club said the Japanese star had an MRI earlier in the day that revealed the problem in his ulnar collateral ligament.Ohtani's homers were towering drives into the right-field seats. With his second two-homer game, the designated hitter tied Kenji Johjima's 2006 major league record of 18 homers by a Japanese rookie.Andrelton Simmons also homered for the Angels and drove in three runs.Adrian Beltre hit a two-run shot for Texas, the 472nd homer of his career, in the sixth inning against Jim Johnson. Three... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Shohei Ohtani homered twice during a huge night at the plate after getting bad news about his pitching arm, and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Texas Rangers 9-3 on Wednesday.Perhaps headed for Tommy John surgery, the two-way rookie sensation went 4 for 4 with three RBIs, four runs and a stolen base to power the Angels. About two hours before the game, the team announced Ohtani has new damage in his right elbow and ligament-replacement surgery has been recommended.The club said the Japanese star had an MRI earlier in the day that revealed the problem in his ulnar collateral ligament.Ohtani's homers were towering drives into the right-field seats. With his second two-homer game, the designated hitter tied Kenji Johjima's 2006 major league record of 18 homers by a Japanese rookie.Andrelton Simmons also homered for the Angels and drove in three runs.Adrian Beltre hit a two-run shot for Texas, the 472nd homer of his career, in the sixth inning against Jim Johnson. Three... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Shohei Ohtani homered twice on a huge night at the plate after getting bad news about his pitching arm, and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Texas Rangers 9-3 on Wednesday.Perhaps headed for Tommy John surgery, the two-way rookie sensation went 4 for 4 with three RBIs, four runs and a stolen base to power the Angels. About two hours before the game, the team announced Ohtani has new damage in his right elbow and ligament-replacement surgery has been recommended.The club said the Japanese star had an MRI earlier in the day that revealed the problem in his ulnar collateral ligament.Ohtani's homers were towering drives into the right-field seats. With his second two-homer game, the designated hitter tied Kenji Johjima's 2006 major league record of 18 homers by a Japanese rookie.Andrelton Simmons also homered for the Angels and drove in three runs.Adrian Beltre hit a two-run shot for Texas, the 472nd homer of his career, in the sixth inning against Jim Johnson. Three... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Shohei Ohtani homered twice on a huge night at the plate after getting bad news about his pitching arm, and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Texas Rangers 9-3 on Wednesday.Perhaps headed for Tommy John surgery, the two-way rookie sensation went 4 for 4 with three RBIs, four runs and a stolen base to power the Angels. About two hours before the game, the team announced Ohtani has new damage in his right elbow and ligament-replacement surgery has been recommended.The club said the Japanese star had an MRI earlier in the day that revealed the problem in his ulnar collateral ligament.Ohtani's homers were towering drives into the right-field seats. With his second two-homer game, the designated hitter tied Kenji Johjima's 2006 major league record of 18 homers by a Japanese rookie.Andrelton Simmons also homered for the Angels and drove in three runs.Adrian Beltre hit a two-run shot for Texas, the 472nd homer of his career, in the sixth inning against Jim Johnson. Three... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Brandon Phillips hit a two-out, two-run homer in the ninth inning, highlighting his long-awaited season debut and capping the Boston Red Sox's biggest comeback of the season in a 9-8 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday.The Red Sox overcame a late six-run deficit to sweep the three-game series between division leaders.Majors-leading Boston scored six times in the eighth to make it 7-all. After Freddie Freeman hit a solo homer with two outs in the Braves eighth, the Red Sox bounced back for their 97th win.The 37-year-old Phillips sat out the first half of this year, signed a minor league contract with Boston in late June and was called up from Triple-A Pawtucket on Tuesday. He didn't play that night, but started at second base in the final game of the interleague set.After becoming the first player in Red Sox history to wear No. 0, in one swing the guy with the zero became a gameday hero. Andrew Benintendi singled with one out off A.J. Minter (4-3) and Steve Pearce... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Brandon Phillips hit a two-out, two-run homer in the ninth inning, highlighting his long-awaited season debut and capping the Boston Red Sox's biggest comeback of the season in a 9-8 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday.The Red Sox overcame a late six-run deficit to sweep the three-game series between division leaders.Majors-leading Boston scored six times in the eighth to make it 7-all. After Freddie Freeman hit a solo homer with two outs in the Braves eighth, the Red Sox bounced back for their 97th win.The 37-year-old Phillips sat out the first half of this year, signed a minor league contract with Boston in late June and was called up from Triple-A Pawtucket on Tuesday. He didn't play that night, but started at second base in the final game of the interleague set.After becoming the first player in Red Sox history to wear No. 0, in one swing the guy with the zero became a gameday hero. Andrew Benintendi singled with one out off A.J. Minter (4-3) and Steve Pearce... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Justin Turner homered on Zack Greinke's first pitch of the eighth inning, and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 3-2 on Friday night.Los Angeles began the day two games behind Arizona in the NL West and 2 1/2 games back in the wild-card race.The Dodgers also announced they had acquired third baseman David Freese from the Pirates in exchange for minor league infielder Jesus Manuel Valdez.Kenley Jansen worked the ninth for his 33rd save. Paul Goldschmidt doubled with one out, but Jansen struck out David Peralta and retired Eduardo Escobar on a grounder to shortstop.Enrique Hernandez also homered for Los Angeles, and Dylan Floro (5-3) got the win.Goldschmidt hit his 31st homer for Arizona, and Greinke (13-9) gave up six hits in 7 1/3 innings.WHITE SOX 6, RED SOX 1CHICAGO (AP) — Yoan Moncada and Matt Davidson homered for Chicago, and prized prospect Michael Kopech combined with three relievers on a five-hitter.Major league-leading Boston had won three in... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Gleyber Torres drove in the go-ahead run one batter after a contested check swing loaded the bases for New York in the eighth inning, and the Yankees beat the Detroit Tigers 7-5 on Friday night as they await the arrival of 2013 NL MVP Andrew McCutchen.Brett Gardner, Aaron Hicks and Miguel Andujar homered in the sixth to end Jordan Zimmermann's bid for a second career no-hitter. Zimmermann carried a 3-0 lead and a no-hitter into the inning behind a solo homer from Niko Goodrum and a two-run triple by Jim Adduci.New York trailed 5-4 when it loaded the bases against Joe Jimenez (4-4) on a double by Gardner and walks by Hicks and Luke Voit. Voit was ruled to have checked his swing on a 3-2, two-out pitch. Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire was ejected for arguing that Voit went around.Torres then lined an 0-1 pitch from Alex Wilson to left field for a single, and the ball ricocheted off the head of diving left fielder Mikie Mahtook, allowing two runs to score for a 6-5 Yankees lead.... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Gleyber Torres drove in the go-ahead run one batter after a contested check swing loaded the bases for New York in the eighth inning, and the Yankees beat the Detroit Tigers 7-5 on Friday night as they await the arrival of 2013 NL MVP Andrew McCutchen.Brett Gardner, Aaron Hicks and Miguel Andujar homered in the sixth to end Jordan Zimmermann's bid for a second career no-hitter. Zimmermann carried a 3-0 lead and a no-hitter into the inning behind a solo homer from Niko Goodrum and a two-run triple by Jim Adduci.New York trailed 5-4 when it loaded the bases against Joe Jimenez (4-4) on a double by Gardner and walks by Hicks and Luke Voit. Voit was ruled to have checked his swing on a 3-2, two-out pitch. Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire was ejected for arguing that Voit went around.Torres then lined an 0-1 pitch from Alex Wilson to left field for a single, and the ball ricocheted off the head of diving left fielder Mikie Mahtook, allowing two runs to score for a 6-5 Yankees lead.... [More]

TORONTO (AP) — Troy Tulowitzki insists he wants to regain his job as everyday shortstop for the Toronto Blue Jays next season, even though the five-time All-Star has not played in more than a year.Tulowitzki, who had surgery to remove bone spurs from both heels in early April, was ruled out for the season Saturday. He expects to be healthy in time for spring training."It's been a tough year to say the least," Tulowitzki said. "I went out to Florida, was out there on those back fields almost every day trying to go and it just didn't respond the way I needed to come back and play every day."The Blue Jays have used eight players at shortstop in Tulowitzki's absence, with Aledmys Diaz getting the bulk of the playing time. A defiant Tulowitzki, a two-time Gold Glove Award winner, said he has no interest in shifting positions when he returns and is happy to compete for his job."I welcome anything," Tulowitzki said. "If someone's better than me, I'll pack my bags and go home."Tulowitzki is owed... [More]

BALTIMORE (AP) — Sonny Gray made the most of a foray into the starting rotation by taking a three-hitter into the seventh inning, and the New York Yankees beat the Baltimore Orioles 5-1 Saturday night for a doubleheader sweep.In the opener, rookie Miguel Andujar homered and had four RBIs, J.A. Happ (15-6) won his fifth straight start and New York rolled to a 10-3 victory.Gray (10-8) gave up three hits, a walk and struck out seven in 6 1/3 innings. The right-hander had been exiled to the bullpen after yielding seven runs in a loss to Baltimore on Aug. 1.Gray allowed only one runner past second base in helping the Yankees notch their seventh win in eight games to pull seven games behind first-place Boston in the AL East.Austin Romine homered, had three hits and scored three runs for the Yankees, who led 4-0 after four innings against Andrew Cashner (4-12).Andujar had two hits in each game to raise his batting average to .300. He leads AL rookies in batting, multihit games (43) and RBIs (70).RAYS... [More]

BALTIMORE (AP) — Sonny Gray made the most of a foray into the starting rotation by taking a three-hitter into the seventh inning, and the New York Yankees beat the Baltimore Orioles 5-1 Saturday night for a doubleheader sweep.In the opener, rookie Miguel Andujar homered and had four RBIs, J.A. Happ (15-6) won his fifth straight start and New York rolled to a 10-3 victory.Gray (10-8) gave up three hits, a walk and struck out seven in 6 1/3 innings. The right-hander had been exiled to the bullpen after yielding seven runs in a loss to Baltimore on Aug. 1.Gray allowed only one runner past second base in helping the Yankees notch their seventh win in eight games to pull seven games behind first-place Boston in the AL East.Austin Romine homered, had three hits and scored three runs for the Yankees, who led 4-0 after four innings against Andrew Cashner (4-12).Andujar had two hits in each game to raise his batting average to .300. He leads AL rookies in batting, multihit games (43) and RBIs (70).RAYS... [More]