SAN DIEGO (AP) — Joc Pederson and Sergio Alcantara homered, and Jake Arrieta threw five strong innings for the Chicago Cubs, who beat former teammate Yu Darvish and the San Diego Padres 3-1 Wednesday to take two of three. The Cubs beat the Padres five times in six games in a 10-day stretch, including a three-game sweep at Wrigley Field last week. Darvish (6-2) retired the first nine Cubs batters before Pederson hit a towering home run to right-center field leading off the fourth to tie it at 1. Darvish pitched well but took the hard-luck loss when the Cubs scored the go-ahead run in the seventh on Anthony Rizzo’s double-play ball. Arrieta allowed one run and four hits in five innings, struck out six and walked one. He allowed Manny Machado’s RBI single in the third. Rex Brothers (2-0) pitched a perfect sixth for the win. Craig Kimbrel pitched a perfect ninth for his 15th save in 17 chances. ATHLETICS 4, DIAMONDBACKS 0 OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Sean Manaea pitched six innings of two-hit ball,... [More]

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Joc Pederson and Sergio Alcantara homered, and Jake Arrieta threw five strong innings for the Chicago Cubs, who beat former teammate Yu Darvish and the San Diego Padres 3-1 Wednesday to take two of three. The Cubs beat the Padres five times in six games in a 10-day stretch, including a three-game sweep at Wrigley Field last week. Darvish (6-2) retired the first nine Cubs batters before Pederson hit a towering home run to right-center field leading off the fourth to tie it at 1. Darvish pitched well but took the hard-luck loss when the Cubs scored the go-ahead run in the seventh on Anthony Rizzo’s double-play ball. Arrieta allowed one run and four hits in five innings, struck out six and walked one. He allowed Manny Machado’s RBI single in the third. Rex Brothers (2-0) pitched a perfect sixth for the win. Craig Kimbrel pitched a perfect ninth for his 15th save in 17 chances. ATHLETICS 4, DIAMONDBACKS 0 OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Sean Manaea pitched six innings of two-hit ball,... [More]

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Joc Pederson and Sergio Alcantara homered, and Jake Arrieta threw five strong innings for the Chicago Cubs, who beat former teammate Yu Darvish and the San Diego Padres 3-1 Wednesday to take two of three. The Cubs beat the Padres five times in six games in a 10-day stretch, including a three-game sweep at Wrigley Field last week. Darvish (6-2) retired the first nine Cubs batters before Pederson hit a towering home run to right-center field leading off the fourth to tie it at 1. Darvish pitched well but took the hard-luck loss when the Cubs scored the go-ahead run in the seventh on Anthony Rizzo’s double-play ball. Arrieta allowed one run and four hits in five innings, struck out six and walked one. He allowed Manny Machado’s RBI single in the third. Rex Brothers (2-0) pitched a perfect sixth for the win. Craig Kimbrel pitched a perfect ninth for his 15th save in 17 chances. ATHLETICS 4, DIAMONDBACKS 0 OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Sean Manaea pitched six innings of two-hit ball,... [More]

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Ke’Bryan Hayes hastily missed first base and was called out after hitting a first-inning homer, sending Walker Buehler on his way to seven scoreless innings as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-3 Tuesday night. The Pirates star rookie stung an opposite-field line drive in the first inning against Buehler that narrowly cleared the right-field wall, just inside the foul pole. Running hard and with his eyes on the ball, Hayes missed touching first base with his left foot by two or three inches and kept on going. Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts challenged, and umpires overturned the call after a short video review. Buehler (5-0) retired his last 13 batters and had two hits to raise his career batting average to .124. He allowed two hits, struck out two and walked one while throwing 93 pitches. Pirates rookie JT Brubaker (4-5) shut out the Dodgers through four innings but did not make it out of the fifth, when Los Angeles scored three times. Kenley Jansen... [More]

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Ke’Bryan Hayes hastily missed first base and was called out after hitting a first-inning homer, sending Walker Buehler on his way to seven scoreless innings as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-3 Tuesday night. The Pirates star rookie stung an opposite-field line drive in the first inning against Buehler that narrowly cleared the right-field wall, just inside the foul pole. Running hard and with his eyes on the ball, Hayes missed touching first base with his left foot by two or three inches and kept on going. Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts challenged, and umpires overturned the call after a short video review. Buehler (5-0) retired his last 13 batters and had two hits to raise his career batting average to .124. He allowed two hits, struck out two and walked one while throwing 93 pitches. Pirates rookie JT Brubaker (4-5) shut out the Dodgers through four innings but did not make it out of the fifth, when Los Angeles scored three times. Kenley Jansen... [More]

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Ke’Bryan Hayes hastily missed first base and was called out after hitting a first-inning homer, sending Walker Buehler on his way to seven scoreless innings as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-3 Tuesday night. The Pirates star rookie stung an opposite-field line drive in the first inning against Buehler that narrowly cleared the right-field wall, just inside the foul pole. Running hard and with his eyes on the ball, Hayes missed touching first base with his left foot by two or three inches and kept on going. Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts challenged, and umpires overturned the call after a short video review. Buehler (5-0) retired his last 13 batters and had two hits to raise his career batting average to .124. He allowed two hits, struck out two and walked one while throwing 93 pitches. Pirates rookie JT Brubaker (4-5) shut out the Dodgers through four innings but did not make it out of the fifth, when Los Angeles scored three times. Kenley Jansen... [More]

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Ke’Bryan Hayes hastily missed first base and was called out after hitting a first-inning homer, sending Walker Buehler on his way to seven scoreless innings as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-3 Tuesday night. The Pirates star rookie stung an opposite-field line drive in the first inning against Buehler that narrowly cleared the right-field wall, just inside the foul pole. Running hard and with his eyes on the ball, Hayes missed touching first base with his left foot by two or three inches and kept on going. Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts challenged, and umpires overturned the call after a short video review. Buehler (5-0) retired his last 13 batters and had two hits to raise his career batting average to .124. He allowed two hits, struck out two and walked one while throwing 93 pitches. Pirates rookie JT Brubaker (4-5) shut out the Dodgers through four innings but did not make it out of the fifth, when Los Angeles scored three times. Kenley Jansen... [More]

DETROIT (AP) — Detroit Tigers rookie catcher Eric Haase has seemingly come out of nowhere, hitting six home runs already this month. Matthew Boyd, though, insisted he saw it coming after pitching to Haase during the offseason. Haase extended his power surgery by hitting a hit a two-run homer in the first inning to help Detroit beat the Seattle Mariners 5-3 Tuesday night. “I think everyone around our team knew what Eric could do," Boyd said. “Once he got the opportunity, he made the most of it. He’s a great catcher and he can really hit the ball." Boyd (3-6) allowed an unearned run, six hits and a walk over six innings. Daniel Norris inherited the bases loaded with no outs in the eighth and limited Seattle to two runs. Jose Cisnero pitched the ninth, striking out two and walking one for his second save in three chances. Marco Gonzales (1-4) gave up four runs and five hits over four innings in his second start since coming back from a strained left forearm. “Marco was not quite as sharp as... [More]

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Ke’Bryan Hayes hastily missed first base and was called out after hitting a first-inning homer, sending Walker Buehler on his way to seven scoreless innings as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-3 Tuesday night. The Pirates star rookie stung an opposite-field line drive in the first inning against Buehler that narrowly cleared the right-field wall, just inside the foul pole. Running hard and with his eyes on the ball, Hayes missed touching first base with his left foot by two or three inches and kept on going. Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts challenged, and umpires overturned the call after a short video review. Buehler (5-0) retired his last 13 batters and had two hits to raise his career batting average to .124. He allowed two hits, struck out two and walked one while throwing 93 pitches. Pirates rookie JT Brubaker (4-5) shut out the Dodgers through four innings but did not make it out of the fifth, when Los Angeles scored three times. Kenley Jansen... [More]

DETROIT (AP) — Eric Haase hit a two-run homer in the first inning and the Detroit Tigers beat the Seattle Mariners 5-3 Tuesday night. Matthew Boyd (3-6) allowed an unearned run, six hits and a walk over six innings. Daniel Norris inherited the bases loaded with no outs in the eighth and limited Seattle to two runs. Jose Cisnero pitched the ninth, striking out two and walking one for his second save in three chances. Marco Gonzales (1-4) gave up four runs and five hits over four innings in his second start since coming back from a strained left forearm. The Tigers took advantage of Gonzales early, scoring four runs in two innings. Robbie Grossman led off the game with a double and scored on Miguel Cabrera's single. Haase's eighth homer this season gave Detroit a 3-0 lead. Seattle got a break in the second when Tigers second baseman Jonathan Schoop failed to field a bouncing ball hit to his backhand, allowing Donovan Walton to score. Derek Hill's single — his first career RBI — gave Detroit... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Corey Kluber threw the the major leagues’ sixth no-hitter this season and second in two nights, leading the New York Yankees over the Texas Rangers 2-0 on Wednesday. The 35-year-old right-hander, a two-time American League Cy Young Award winner, came within a four-pitch walk to Charlie Culberson in the third inning of twirling a perfect game. Kluber pitched his gem a night after Detroit's Spencer Turnbull threw one against Seattle, marking the first no-hitters on consecutive days since 1969. Kluber (4-2) struck out nine and and threw 71 of 101 pitches for strikes in his ninth start for the Yankees. Kluber was pitching on the mound when he was hurt after one inning last season for the Rangers, when he tore a muscle in his right shoulder on July 26 in his Texas debut. It was the 12th no-hitter in Yankees history, the 11th in the regular season and the first since David Cone’s perfect game against Montreal on July 18, 1999. It was the fifth against the Rangers, who... [More]

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Shohei Ohtani hit a 451-foot homer and pitched two-hit ball into the fifth inning in a historic two-way performance, and Jared Walsh hit a walkoff homer in the Los Angeles Angels’ 7-4 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Sunday night. Walsh hit two homers, including a big three-run shot off Matt Foster to end the Angels’ third win over Chicago in their four-game, season-opening series. Ohtani reached another milestone in his unique career when he took the mound and occupied the No. 2 slot in the batting order for the Angels. He was just the third pitcher in 45 seasons to hit for himself in a game with the designated hitter available, and the first to bat second since Jack Dunleavy did it for the Cardinals in 1903. In the first inning alone, Ohtani both threw the hardest pitch by any starting pitcher in baseball this season and produced the hardest hit by any batter this season. Ohtani touched 101 mph with a fastball, and his first-pitch homer off Chicago’s Dylan... [More]

Alec Bohm hit a tiebreaking single in the eighth inning, Zach Eflin gave Philadelphia another strong start and the Phillies completed a three-game sweep of the defending NL East champion Atlanta Braves with a 2-1 win Sunday. Philadelphia’s starting trio of Aaron Nola, Zack Wheeler and Eflin (1-0) surrendered three runs, 11 hits and one walk in 20 2/3 innings against an Atlanta lineup that led the majors in 2020 with 556 hits. The Phillies bullpen, which posted a 7.06 ERA in 2020, didn’t yield a run in 7 1/3 innings in the set. Philadelphia regained the lead in the eighth as Rhys Hoskins, Bryce Harper and Bohm hit consecutive singles off Chris Martin (0-1). Hector Neris got his first save. REDS 12, CARDINALS 1 Nick Castellanos came out swinging with his bat a day after being ejected for inciting a bench-clearing melee, hitting a three-run homer off Carlos Martinez (0-1) and triple to finish the series 6 for 11 with five RBIs. Tyler Naquin also a three-run shot for the Reds, who won two in... [More]

Alec Bohm hit a tiebreaking single in the eighth inning, Zach Eflin gave Philadelphia another strong start and the Phillies completed a three-game sweep of the defending NL East champion Atlanta Braves with a 2-1 win Sunday. Philadelphia’s starting trio of Aaron Nola, Zack Wheeler and Eflin (1-0) surrendered three runs, 11 hits and one walk in 20 2/3 innings against an Atlanta lineup that led the majors in 2020 with 556 hits. The Phillies bullpen, which posted a 7.06 ERA in 2020, didn’t yield a run in 7 1/3 innings in the set. Philadelphia regained the lead in the eighth as Rhys Hoskins, Bryce Harper and Bohm hit consecutive singles off Chris Martin (0-1). Hector Neris got his first save. REDS 12, CARDINALS 1 Nick Castellanos came out swinging with his bat a day after being ejected for inciting a bench-clearing melee, hitting a three-run homer off Carlos Martinez (0-1) and triple to finish the series 6 for 11 with five RBIs. Tyler Naquin also a three-run shot for the Reds, who won two in... [More]

DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Tigers are considering using a six-man rotation for at least some of this season as they return to a normal schedule with a pitching staff that will likely include some of the team's top prospects. General manager Al Avila spoke with reporters Tuesday, the day before Detroit's first workout for pitchers and catchers. “In our meeting today, we did discuss a six-man rotation, and then really, getting through the season and having relievers mixed in," Avila said. ”You might see more players being brought up and optioned throughout the season, as you need fresh arms from week to week.” Last year's abbreviated schedule lightened the workload for pitchers throughout baseball. Matthew Boyd led the Tigers in innings with 60 1/3. It remains to be seen how easily pitchers can re-adjust to a 162-game schedule, and Detroit has several young options who are still trying to establish themselves as big leaguers — and whose arms may need to be handled carefully. A six-man rotation... [More]

DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Tigers agreed to a $6.5 million contract with Matthew Boyd, avoiding arbitration with the left-hander Friday after he struggled during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. Boyd made a prorated $1,962,963 of his $5.3 million salary last season. He came in with high expectations after striking out a career-best 238 hitters in 2019, but went 3-7 with a 6.71 ERA in 12 starts last year. The Tigers also agreed to deals with left-hander Daniel Norris ($3,475,000), infielder Jeimer Candelario ($2.85 million), outfielder JaCoby Jones ($2.65 million), utilityman Niko Goodrum ($2.1 million), right-hander Buck Farmer ($1.85 million), right-hander Joe Jimenez ($1.5 million) and right-hander Jose Cisnero ($970,000). Norris made a prorated $1,097,222 of his $2,962,500 salary last year, when he went 3-1 with a 3.25 ERA. Candelario hit .297 with seven home runs and 29 RBIs while making a prorated $216,037 of his $583,300 salary. Jones hit .268 with five homers and 14 RBIs while... [More]

DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Tigers agreed to a $6.5 million contract with Matthew Boyd, avoiding arbitration with the left-hander Friday after he struggled during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. Boyd made a prorated $1,962,963 of his $5.3 million salary last season. He came in with high expectations after striking out a career-best 238 hitters in 2019, but went 3-7 with a 6.71 ERA in 12 starts last year. The Tigers also agreed to deals with left-hander Daniel Norris ($3,475,000), infielder Jeimer Candelario ($2.85 million), outfielder JaCoby Jones ($2.65 million), utilityman Niko Goodrum, right-hander Buck Farmer, right-hander Joe Jimenez and right-hander Jose Cisnero ($970,000). Norris made a prorated $1,097,222 of his $2,962,500 salary last year, when he went 3-1 with a 3.25 ERA. Candelario hit .297 with seven home runs and 29 RBIs while making a prorated $216,037 of his $583,300 salary. Jones hit .268 with five homers and 14 RBIs while making a prorated $583,333 of his $1,575,000.... [More]

DETROIT (AP) — Right-hander Michael Fulmer and the Detroit Tigers agreed Tuesday to a $3.1 million, one-year contract that avoided arbitration. The 2016 AL Rookie of the Year went 0-2 with an 8.78 ERA in 10 starts last season after missing all of 2019 because of Tommy John surgery. He earned $1,037,037 in prorated pay from a $2.8 million salary. Eight Tigers remain eligible to swap proposed salaries Friday: right-handers José Cisnero, Buck Farmer and Joe Jiménez, left-handers Matt Boyd and Daniel Norris, shortstop Niko Goodrum, third baseman Jeimer Candelario and outfielder JaCoby Jones. Detroit also announced that Steve Chase has been promoted to major league strength and conditioning coach after 16 seasons working in the organization’s player development system. He spent the last six seasons as minor league strength and conditioning coordinator. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

DETROIT (AP) — Shortly after his final start of the season, Casey Mize sounded ready to get right back to work. “I’m going to be really motivated to get a lot better,” the Detroit right-hander said. Mize’s arrival — along with that of fellow pitching prospect Tarik Skubal — was a significant moment for the Tigers during this shortened season, but if Detroit fans expected an immediate impact, they may have been disappointed. Mize went 0-3 with a 6.99 ERA, and Skubal was 1-4 with a 5.63 ERA. After 114 losses in 2019, the Tigers improved enough to move into contention for a spot in this year’s expanded postseason, but then a late collapse left them at 23-35. Only two major league teams finished behind Detroit. Mize, the No. 1 pick in the 2018 draft, showed some of his potential in a September start when he took a no-hitter into the sixth inning against the Chicago White Sox, but he mostly struggled through his seven starts. Neither Mize nor Skubal had pitched above Double-A before this year,... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman threw a 101 mph fastball near the head of pinch-hitter Michael Brosseau while closing out his first save of the season, prompting the benches to empty after New York ended a six-game losing streak against the Tampa Bay Rays with a 5-3 victory Tuesday night.Chapman’s first pitch to Brosseau with two outs in the ninth inning whizzed past Brosseau’s head, and umpires met before issuing warnings to both benches amid a budding rivalry that’s been dominated this season by Tampa Bay. Chapman struck out Brosseau to end it, and Brosseau began walking toward the visiting dugout before turning back to exchange words with someone on the Yankees. The dugouts and benches emptied and players gathered near home plate, but they mostly kept their distance before dispersing to their respective clubhouses.DJ LeMahieu homered twice, and Gio Urshela hit a tiebreaking, three-run Little League homer in the sixth inning as New York beat the Rays at Yankee Stadium for... [More]