WASHINGTON (AP) — Huascar Ynoa (3-1) hit a grand slam and allowed an unearned run and four hits in seven innings, leading the Atlanta Braves to a 6-1 victory over the Washington Nationals on Tuesday night. Ynoa drove a fastball from Tanner Rainey 427 feet to center field in the sixth inning for the first grand slam by a major league pitcher since Cincinnati’s Anthony DeSclafani on June 23, 2018. Ronald Acuña Jr. also homered for the Braves, breaking a scoreless tie in the fifth against Joe Ross (2-2). Atlanta stopped a four-game skid while ending Washington’s four-game winning streak. YANKEES 7, ASTROS 3 NEW YORK (AP) — Boos and bad words streamed loudly from the seats in Houston’s return to Yankee Stadium, and New York got a homer and four hits from Giancarlo Stanton to sate those spiteful fans. In Houston’s first visit to the Bronx since its sign-stealing scam was exposed, an error by Astros third baseman Alex Bregman in the sixth inning let New York blow the game open. A pandemic-limited,... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Jordan Luplow hit a two-run homer in the 10th inning off Alex Colomé, giving the Cleveland Indians a 5-3 victory over the Minnesota Twins in their series opener Monday night. Luplow’s second career game-ending homer was a leadoff shot that easily cleared the wall in left field, scoring free runner César Hernández from second base. Minnesota fell to 0-5 in extra-inning games. Emmanuel Clase (2-1) worked a perfect inning, helping Cleveland to its second straight win. Luplow was the only batter faced by Colomé (1-3). It was the first of 19 meetings this season between teams that have combined to win the last five AL Central titles. Minnesota is the two-time defending champion. Luis Arraez gave the Twins a 3-2 lead in the eighth when he singled home Jake Cave with two outs, but José Ramírez answered in the bottom half with a homer off Tyler Duffey. ANGELS 9, RANGERS 4 ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Shohei Ohtani struck out nine after a shaky first inning on the mound, and also scored... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Jordan Luplow hit a two-run homer in the 10th inning off Alex Colomé, giving the Cleveland Indians a 5-3 victory over the Minnesota Twins in their series opener Monday night. Luplow’s second career game-ending homer was a leadoff shot that easily cleared the wall in left field, scoring free runner César Hernández from second base. Minnesota fell to 0-5 in extra-inning games. Emmanuel Clase (2-1) worked a perfect inning, helping Cleveland to its second straight win. Luplow was the only batter faced by Colomé (1-3). It was the first of 19 meetings this season between teams that have combined to win the last five AL Central titles. Minnesota is the two-time defending champion. Luis Arraez gave the Twins a 3-2 lead in the eighth when he singled home Jake Cave with two outs, but José Ramírez answered in the bottom half with a homer off Tyler Duffey. ANGELS 9, RANGERS 4 ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Shohei Ohtani struck out nine after a shaky first inning on the mound, and also scored... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Jordan Luplow hit a two-run homer in the 10th inning off Alex Colomé, giving the Cleveland Indians a 5-3 victory over the Minnesota Twins in their series opener Monday night. Luplow’s second career game-ending homer was a leadoff shot that easily cleared the wall in left field, scoring free runner César Hernández from second base. Minnesota fell to 0-5 in extra-inning games. Emmanuel Clase (2-1) worked a perfect inning, helping Cleveland to its second straight win. Luplow was the only batter faced by Colomé (1-3). It was the first of 19 meetings this season between teams that have combined to win the last five AL Central titles. Minnesota is the two-time defending champion. Luis Arraez gave the Twins a 3-2 lead in the eighth when he singled home Jake Cave with two outs, but José Ramírez answered in the bottom half with a homer off Tyler Duffey. ANGELS 9, RANGERS 4 ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Shohei Ohtani struck out nine after a shaky first inning on the mound, and also scored... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — When Jimmy Rollins made his first All-Star team as a rookie with the Philadelphia Phillies 20 years ago, the percentage of Black players in the majors was 13. It’s down to 7.6% this year. As the Phillies celebrated Jackie Robinson Day along with the rest of baseball on Thursday and Friday, Rollins reflected on the decline. “It’s more than just one thing,” Rollins told The Associated Press. “Marketing. The NBA and the NFL, those guys’ faces are plastered all over the screen. Baseball, there isn’t really a great deal of marketing. Obviously, everyone knows about Mike Trout and rightfully so, but there are some young Black players that deserves some light, too.” Rollins pointed to Ken Griffey Jr. and Barry Bonds as popular players who were marketed well when he was growing up. “But when you start going outside of that select few, the sport itself isn’t marketing anyone else in a major way where kids from the inner cities are attracted to it," he said. Rollins and teammate... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — When Jimmy Rollins made his first All-Star team as a rookie with the Philadelphia Phillies 20 years ago, the percentage of Black players in the majors was 13. It’s down to 7.6% this year. As the Phillies celebrated Jackie Robinson Day along with the rest of baseball on Thursday and Friday, Rollins reflected on the decline. “It’s more than just one thing,” Rollins told The Associated Press. “Marketing. The NBA and the NFL, those guys’ faces are plastered all over the screen. Baseball, there isn’t really a great deal of marketing. Obviously, everyone knows about Mike Trout and rightfully so, but there are some young Black players that deserves some light, too.” Rollins pointed to Ken Griffey Jr. and Barry Bonds as popular players who were marketed well when he was growing up. “But when you start going outside of that select few, the sport itself isn’t marketing anyone else in a major way where kids from the inner cities are attracted to it," he said. Rollins and teammate... [More]

SEATTLE (AP) — The Seattle Mariners placed center fielder Kyle Lewis on the 10-day injured list Wednesday due to a bone bruise in his right knee, sidelining the reigning American League Rookie of the Year for opening day. Seattle manager Scott Servais hinted last week that Lewis’ injury was not responding as the training staff had hoped and was uncertain whether Lewis would be available for the opener Thursday against San Francisco. Servais said there was a chance Lewis could play but the team is exercising caution with one of its young stars. “Could he go? Possibly,” Servais said. “This is a training staff, myself call. We are in for the long haul here, and playing the long game and what this season is going to take just having everybody moving forward for the big chunk of the season." Lewis missed the final week of spring training after crashing into the wall during an exhibition game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on March 22. The bruise didn’t seem significant at first but didn’t respond... [More]

PEORIA, Ariz. (AP) — Seattle Mariners center fielder Kyle Lewis is questionable for opening day because of a bone bruise in his right knee. Lewis hit .262 with 11 homers and 28 RBIs last season, winning the AL Rookie of the Year award. He has been out of Seattle's lineup for most of this week after crashing into the wall during a spring training game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday. Manager Scott Servais said Saturday that the injury has not responded as athletic trainers had hoped. “Based on where we’re at, we’re going to try to get that calmed down as quick as we can hoping it’s nothing more than that,” Servais said. “But being this close to opening day, and again I just got this news a little while ago, we have to wait and see how it goes. Is he going to be available opening day? I’m not sure.” If Lewis isn’t ready for the start of the season, the Mariners likely would shift prospect Taylor Trammell over to center field. Trammell seems likely to be the team's everyday left fielder to begin the season. Servais also said general manager Jerry Dipoto may look outside the organization as players are released this week. “If Kyle isn’t able to be there when we open up we may look to add from outside,” Servais said. “I’m not quite sure where we head yet.” ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

During a normal offseason, Kyle Lewis would have enjoyed traveling around and being celebrated after becoming just the third Seattle Mariners player to be named the American League rookie of the year. Instead, some of Lewis’ most cherished moments of the offseason came when he spent time hanging around his old high school in Georgia. “I went over there just to continue to show my face and show the high schoolers that there are people who were in the same positions and have been able to accomplish great things,” Lewis said. “That to me was definitely a point I made to go back home and be around, be accessible to some extent as much as I could.” As the Mariners enter the next stage of their rebuilding plan, Lewis is one of Seattle’s foundational players. He showed enough in last year’s 60-game truncated season for the Mariners to believe they have a burgeoning superstar on their hands and for the rest of the American League to take notice. Lewis wasn’t great for the entire 60-game season,... [More]

The hype arrived before Luis Robert made it to the major leagues, and he showed why during an impressive debut with the Chicago White Sox. Looking for an even better encore, Robert is working on pitch recognition at the plate, and he wants to put everything he learned last summer to good use. That will work quite nicely for a White Sox team with championship aspirations. “Humble guy who just likes to let his play speak for him,” manager Tony La Russa said. “But he's exciting.” The 23-year-old Robert was back in center Wednesday, a day after he missed his second straight spring training game because of a lower abdominal strain. He played six innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers and went 0 for 3 with two strikeouts. The Cuban slugger said before the game that he felt good, brushing off the injury like a routine fly ball. “I just started feeling it like four or five days ago,” he said through a translator. “I don't know how it happened.” La Russa said Robert passed all the team's tests... [More]