BOSTON (AP) — Dustin Pedroia, the undersized and over-achieving second baseman who spurred the Boston Red Sox to a pair of World Series victories with his grit and a third, after a knee injury effectively ended his career, with his mouth, has retired. Pedroia, 37, was the AL Rookie of the Year in 2007 and the MVP in his second season but has played in only nine games in three seasons since since a spikes-high slide by then-Orioles shortstop Manny Machado took out his knee in 2017. He was the longest-tenured player on the Red Sox roster and the only holdover from the 2007 championship team. “I never took one play off, from Little League on,” Pedroia said on a videoconference with reporters on Monday after acknowledging he would not be able to return, despite six surgeries that included a pandemic-delayed partial knee replacement in December. "At some point, you can’t play anymore. And this is the time.” A four-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glove winner, Pedroia batted .299 with 140 homers... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Dustin Pedroia, the undersized and over-achieving second baseman who spurred the Boston Red Sox to a pair of World Series victories with his grit and a third, after a knee injury effectively ended his career, with his mouth, has retired. “I never took one play off, from Little League on,” Pedroia said on a videoconference with reporters on Monday. “I hope I did enough and set the right example in the city of Boston.” Pedroia, 37, was the AL Rookie of the Year in 2007 and the MVP in his second season but played in a total of nine games in the last three years because of the 2017 injury from a spikes-high slide by then-Orioles shortstop Manny Machado. He was the longest-tenured player on the Red Sox roster and the only holdover from the 2007 championship team. “He was the ultimate team player,” said Terry Francona, the current Cleveland manager and Pedroia’s manager and cribbage opponent for six seasons. “He always seemed to save his very best plays for the most important time... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Dustin Pedroia, the undersized and over-achieving second baseman who spurred the Boston Red Sox to a pair of World Series victories with his grit and another, after a knee injury effective ended his career, with his mouth, has retired. Pedroia, 37, was the AL Rookie of the Year in 2007 and the MVP in his second season but played in a total of nine games in the last three years because of the 2017 injury from a spikes-high slide by then-Orioles shortstop Manny Machado. He was the longest-tenured player on the Red Sox roster and the only holdover from the 2007 championship team. “He was the ultimate team player,” said Terry Francona, the current Cleveland manager and Pedroia’s manager and cribbage opponent for six seasons. “He always seemed to save his very best plays for the most important time of the game. He seemed to will himself at times to lead us to victory. It is impossible to spend any amount of time with him and not become close to him. He just has that type of personality.”... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia, who was the AL Rookie of the Year in 2007 and the MVP in his second season but played in a total of nine games in the last three years because of a knee injury, retired on Monday. A four-time All-Star who was the longest-tenured player on the Red Sox roster, Pedroia played in two World Series over 17 seasons and collected a third ring in 2018, when he was injured. In his career, he batted .299 with 140 homers and 725 RBIs. “Dustin came to represent the kind of grit, passion, and competitive drive that resonates with baseball fans everywhere and especially with Red Sox fans,” Red Sox owner John Henry said. “We are forever grateful to him for what he brought to our club and to our region as an important role model showing all of us how much one can accomplish with determination and hard work.” Pedroia, 37, is the only player ever to earn Rookie of the Year, Gold Glove and MVP awards along with a World Series championship in his first two... [More]

Braves first. Ronald Acuna Jr. singles to left field. Freddie Freeman pops out to left field to Trea Turner. Marcell Ozuna singles to center field. Ronald Acuna Jr. scores. Travis d'Arnaud singles to right field. Marcell Ozuna to second. Dansby Swanson lines out to deep right field to Yadiel Hernandez. Marcell Ozuna to third. Austin Riley strikes out swinging.1 run, 3 hits, 0 errors, 2 left on. Braves 1, Nationals 0.Braves fourth. Austin Riley pops out to Yan Gomes. Adam Duvall doubles to deep right field. Tyler Flowers strikes out swinging. Ozzie Albies singles to shallow center field. Adam Duvall scores. Ronald Acuna Jr. called out on strikes.1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on. Braves 2, Nationals 0.Nationals eighth. Adam Eaton pinch-hitting for Michael A. Taylor. Adam Eaton singles to right field. Yadiel Hernandez strikes out swinging. Brock Holt strikes out swinging. Trea Turner doubles to deep right field. Adam Eaton scores. Juan Soto grounds out to second base, Ozzie Albies to Freddie Freeman.1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on. Braves 2, Nationals 1.

Nationals first. Adam Eaton doubles. Trea Turner walks. Juan Soto doubles to deep right field. Trea Turner scores. Adam Eaton scores. Eric Thames singles to right field. Juan Soto scores. Brock Holt grounds out to shallow infield. Eric Thames out at second. Yan Gomes doubles to deep left field. Luis Garcia pops out to shortstop to Dansby Swanson.3 runs, 4 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on. Nationals 3, Braves 0.Nationals third. Trea Turner doubles to left field. Juan Soto singles to left field. Trea Turner scores. Eric Thames strikes out swinging. Brock Holt grounds out to shallow infield, Ozzie Albies to Freddie Freeman. Juan Soto to third. Yan Gomes singles to shallow center field. Juan Soto scores. Luis Garcia grounds out to shallow right field, Ozzie Albies to Freddie Freeman.2 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on. Nationals 5, Braves 0.Braves fourth. Adam Duvall strikes out swinging. Nick Markakis doubles to deep right field. Ozzie Albies walks. Ender Inciarte flies out to deep right field to... [More]

Nationals second. Asdrubal Cabrera strikes out swinging. Brock Holt singles to center field. Yan Gomes pops out to shallow center field to Dansby Swanson. Eric Thames singles to deep right field. Brock Holt scores. Carter Kieboom grounds out to shallow infield to Freddie Freeman.1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on. Nationals 1, Braves 0.Braves fourth. Travis d'Arnaud called out on strikes. Austin Riley singles to shallow left field. Adam Duvall doubles. Austin Riley to third. Tyler Flowers doubles. Adam Duvall scores. Austin Riley scores. Adeiny Hechavarria grounds out to third base, Carter Kieboom to Eric Thames. Ronald Acuna Jr. is intentionally walked. Dansby Swanson singles to shortstop. Ronald Acuna Jr. to second. Tyler Flowers to third. Freddie Freeman flies out to left field to Brock Holt.2 runs, 4 hits, 0 errors, 3 left on. Braves 2, Nationals 1.Braves fifth. Marcell Ozuna homers to left field. Travis d'Arnaud grounds out to third base, Carter Kieboom to Eric Thames. Austin Riley... [More]

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Anthony Rendon hit a three-run homer in the seventh inning, Albert Pujols drove in three runs and the Los Angeles Angels rallied for a 7-6 victory over the Houston Astros to sweep Saturday’s doubleheader.It was not a walk-off win for the Angels, though. They were the visiting team in the nightcap because it was a makeup of the Aug. 26 game in Houston that was postponed due to Tropical Storm Laura.Mike Trout became the Angels’ home run leader in the first game with No. 300 of his career and Jo Adell celebrated with a game-winning, two-run single in the seventh to give Los Angeles a 10-9 win.Rendon hitting homers to sink the Astros is nothing new. He had a three-run shot for Washington in Game 6 of last year’s World Series and then a solo drive in the deciding game to start the Nationals’ comeback.Noe Ramirez (1-0) worked a scoreless sixth and Ty Buttrey earned his fifth save.Los Angeles trailed 6-4 in the seventh. Justin Upton singled and Trout walked before Rendon... [More]

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Mike Trout became the Angels’ career home run leader and Jo Adell celebrated with a game-ending, two-run single in the seventh, lifting Los Angeles to a 10-9 victory over the Houston Astros in the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday.The Angels trailed by two going into the seventh. Trout and Shohei Ohtani drew walks before Justin Upton doubled to drive in Trout. One out later, Adell lined a two-run single to right off Enoli Paredes (1-2) for his first game-ending hit.Trout hit career homer No. 300 in the third inning to pass Tim Salmon as the franchise leader. He also had a pair of doubles.Adell and Upton also homered, and Felix Peña (3-0) got the win.Kyle Tucker homered and drove in three runs for the Astros, who lost in walk-off fashion for the second straight game.INDIANS 4, BREWERS 3CLEVELAND (AP) — Milwaukee closer Josh Hader allowed his first hit of the season, and then gave up César Hernández’s game-winning single in the ninth inning.Oscar Mercado, who... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Milwaukee Brewers claimed first baseman/designated hitter Daniel Vogelbach off waivers and designated Justin Smoak for assignment as they attempt to boost their struggling lineup and make another September surge.Smoak, 33, had been hitting .186 with five homers, 15 RBIs and 40 strikeouts in 113 at-bats. Smoak went 1 of 21 over his last eight games, though he did walk twice and score two runs Wednesday in an 8-5 victory over the Detroit Tigers.“Determining whether and the likelihood of a player snapping out of a slump is always a really tough judgment call,” Brewers general manager David Stearns said. “In this case, with the volume of playing time that Justin had to try to get this going and where we are in the season, we felt like it was the right time.”The Brewers are taking a leap of faith in regard to Vogelbach, who made the All-Star Game last year but has struggled ever since. Vogelbach, 27, has batted .088 (5 of 57) in a combined 20 games this season with Seattle... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Milwaukee Brewers claimed first baseman/designated hitter Daniel Vogelbach off waivers and designated Justin Smoak for assignment as they attempt to boost their struggling lineup and make another September surge.Smoak, 33, had been hitting .186 with five homers, 15 RBIs and 40 strikeouts in 113 at-bats. Smoak went 1 of 21 over his last eight games, though he did walk twice and score two runs Wednesday in an 8-5 victory over the Detroit Tigers.“Determining whether and the likelihood of a player snapping out of a slump is always a really tough judgment call,” Brewers general manager David Stearns said. “In this case, with the volume of playing time that Justin had to try to get this going and where we are in the season, we felt like it was the right time.”The Brewers are taking a leap of faith in regard to Vogelbach, who made the All-Star Game last year but has struggled ever since. Vogelbach, 27, has batted .088 (5 of 57) in a combined 20 games this season with Seattle... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Milwaukee Brewers claimed first baseman/designated hitter Daniel Vogelbach off waivers and designated Justin Smoak for assignment as they attempt to boost their struggling lineup and make another September surge.Smoak, 33, had been hitting .186 with five homers, 15 RBIs and 40 strikeouts in 113 at-bats. Smoak went 1 of 21 over his last eight games, though he did walk twice and score two runs Wednesday in an 8-5 victory over the Detroit Tigers.“Determining whether and the likelihood of a player snapping out of a slump is always a really tough judgment call,” Brewers general manager David Stearns said. “In this case, with the volume of playing time that Justin had to try to get this going and where we are in the season, we felt like it was the right time.”The Brewers are taking a leap of faith in regard to Vogelbach, who made the All-Star Game last year but has struggled ever since. Vogelbach, 27, has batted .088 (5 of 57) in a combined 20 games this season with Seattle... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — The Washington Nationals have signed former longtime Red Sox utility player Brock Holt, adding him for the final month of the season.The 32-year-old Holt played for the Red Sox for seven years before signing a $3.25-million, one-year deal with Milwaukee as a free agent in February.Holt was released by the Brewers this week after hitting just .100 with nine strikeouts in 30 at-bats over 16 games.Holt, a popular player with Boston, was a member of its 2018 World Series championship team.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

A look at what's happening on Sunday in the majors:WINDY CITY WINDUPYu Darvish tries for his career-high fifth straight win when he starts for the Cubs against the White Sox in the series finale at Wrigley Field.Darvish (4-1, 1.80 ERA) has dominated since losing his first outing of the season. The 34-year-old Japanese star traces some of his success to taking a more deliberate approach on the mound.Dylan Cease (4-1, 3.16 ERA) has won four straight starts for the White Sox, allowing just five earned runs in that span. The 24-year-old righty was drafted by the Cubs in 2014, and then traded across town with outfielder Eloy Jim�nez in a package for pitcher Jos� Quintana in July 2017. Cease has never faced the Cubs.GREINKE VS. PADRESEven at 36 years old, right-hander Zack Greinke keeps chugging along as one of the best pitchers in the big leagues. The six-time All-Star and 2009 Cy Young Award winner has a 1.84 ERA through five starts, helping the Astros maintain a winning record despite a rash... [More]

Twins third. Ehire Adrianza pops out to shallow left field to Eric Sogard. Ildemaro Vargas triples to deep center field. Ryan Jeffers singles to shallow left field. Ildemaro Vargas scores. Max Kepler flies out to left field to Brock Holt. Jorge Polanco grounds out to shortstop, Eric Sogard to Justin Smoak.1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on. Twins 1, Brewers 0.Twins sixth. Eddie Rosario singles to shortstop. Miguel Sano walks. Eddie Rosario to second. Jake Cave singles to shortstop. Miguel Sano to second. Eddie Rosario to third. Ehire Adrianza strikes out swinging. Ildemaro Vargas out on a sacrifice fly to deep left field to Brock Holt. Eddie Rosario scores. Ryan Jeffers pops out to shallow right field to Justin Smoak.1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 left on. Twins 2, Brewers 0.Brewers seventh. Keston Hiura lines out to left field to Eddie Rosario. Justin Smoak homers to left field. Ryan Braun grounds out to shortstop, Jorge Polanco to Miguel Sano. Eric Sogard grounds out to shallow infield, Ildemaro... [More]

Brewers fifth. Avisail Garcia walks. Justin Smoak singles to shallow right field. Avisail Garcia to third. Ben Gamel grounds out to second base. Justin Smoak out at second. Avisail Garcia scores. Manny Pina singles to shallow center field. Brock Holt singles to shallow infield. Manny Pina to second. Luis Urias reaches on a fielder's choice to shallow infield. Brock Holt out at second.1 run, 3 hits, 0 errors, 3 left on. Brewers 1, Cubs 0.Cubs fifth. Willson Contreras grounds out to shortstop, Luis Urias to Justin Smoak. Jason Heyward singles to deep center field. David Bote singles to shallow center field. Jason Heyward to third. Jason Kipnis singles to center field. David Bote to second. Jason Heyward scores. Nico Hoerner walks. Jason Kipnis to second. David Bote to third. Ian Happ walks. Nico Hoerner to second. Jason Kipnis to third. David Bote scores. Anthony Rizzo singles to right center field. Ian Happ to second. Nico Hoerner to third. Jason Kipnis scores. Javier Baez strikes out swinging.... [More]

Cubs first. Nico Hoerner doubles to left field. Anthony Rizzo grounds out to second base, Orlando Arcia to Justin Smoak. Nico Hoerner to third. Javier Baez grounds out to third base, Brock Holt to Justin Smoak. Nico Hoerner scores. Willson Contreras called out on strikes.1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 left on. Cubs 1, Brewers 0.Cubs second. Kyle Schwarber homers to center field. Ian Happ singles to left center field. David Bote grounds out to shortstop. Ian Happ out at second. Steven Souza Jr. singles to shallow infield. Victor Caratini singles to center field. Steven Souza Jr. to second. Nico Hoerner grounds out to second base, Eric Sogard to Justin Smoak.1 run, 4 hits, 0 errors, 2 left on. Cubs 2, Brewers 0.Cubs sixth. Willson Contreras walks. Kyle Schwarber lines out to deep right field to Ben Gamel. Ian Happ doubles to deep center field, advances to 3rd. Willson Contreras scores. David Bote singles to left field. Ian Happ scores. Jason Heyward pinch-hitting for Steven Souza Jr.. Jason Heyward... [More]

Twins second. Marwin Gonzalez grounds out to second base, Keston Hiura to Justin Smoak. Miguel Sano walks. Jake Cave doubles to deep left field. Miguel Sano scores. Byron Buxton grounds out to shortstop, Keston Hiura to Justin Smoak. Jake Cave to third. Luis Arraez singles to left field. Jake Cave scores. Mitch Garver singles to center field. Luis Arraez to third. Jorge Polanco singles to center field. Mitch Garver to second. Luis Arraez scores. Nelson Cruz singles to center field. Jorge Polanco to third. Mitch Garver scores. Eddie Rosario grounds out to shallow infield, Eric Sogard to Justin Smoak.5 runs, 5 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on. Twins 5, Brewers 0.Twins third. Marwin Gonzalez strikes out on a foul tip. Miguel Sano homers to left field. Jake Cave grounds out to second base, Eric Sogard to Justin Smoak. Byron Buxton singles to shallow right field. Luis Arraez walks. Byron Buxton to second. Mitch Garver flies out to deep left field to Christian Yelich.1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 left... [More]

Reds first. Shogo Akiyama strikes out swinging. Nick Castellanos walks. Joey Votto flies out to left center field to Christian Yelich. Eugenio Suarez walks. Nick Castellanos to second. Jesse Winker singles to left center field. Eugenio Suarez to third. Nick Castellanos scores. Christian Colon reaches on a fielder's choice to shortstop. Jesse Winker out at second.1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 3 left on. Reds 1, Brewers 0.Brewers third. Manny Pina lines out to shallow left field to Eugenio Suarez. Eric Sogard grounds out to second base, Freddy Galvis to Joey Votto. Keston Hiura singles to center field. Christian Yelich triples to deep right field. Keston Hiura scores. Logan Morrison called out on strikes.1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on. Reds 1, Brewers 1.Reds fourth. Jesse Winker homers to center field. Christian Colon pops out to shallow left field to Eric Sogard. Tucker Barnhart called out on strikes. Freddy Galvis grounds out to shallow right field to Justin Smoak.1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors,... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Marcus Semien homered in the first after hitting a walkoff single to end a 13-inning win a night earlier and the Oakland Athletics beat the Houston Astros 3-1 on Saturday for their eighth straight victory.Frankie Montas (2-1) pitched seven shutout innings, allowing two hits without walking a batter and striking out five for the AL West-leading A’s.The three-time reigning division champion Astros lost their fourth in a row. The last three defeats had been by a total of four runs.Semien became the first player in A’s franchise history with a game-ending hit and a leadoff homer on back-to-back days. Matt Chapman homered in the eighth and added an RBI groundout in the sixth as Oakland (11-4) matched the 2014 club for the best record through 15 games over the last 30 years. Houston starter Framber Valdéz (0-2) gave up two runs and seven hits, striking out nine with one walk over seven innings.GIANTS 5, DODGERS 4LOS ANGELES (AP) — Austin Slater had his first multi-homer... [More]