ATLANTA (AP) — Slugging rookie Ronald Acuna Jr. was hit by a pitch before he could take the Marlins deep again, but Dansby Swanson filled the power void for Atlanta, hitting a two-run homer that led the Braves to a 5-2 win over Miami on Wednesday night.Acuna, who had hit leadoff homers in the last three games and homered in five straight overall, didn't get a chance to extend the streak. Jose Urena plunked him on the left elbow with a fastball on his first pitch of the day, triggering a melee. Benches and bullpens for both teams emptied onto the field twice after the pitch. No punches were thrown. Urena and Braves manager Brian Snitker were ejected.Acuna instead became the 11th batter to be hit by a pitch from Urena this season, tied for the most in the National League. Trainer George Poulis hovered over Acuna, who sat on the ground near the batter's box while players swarmed near the mound. Acuna left the game in the second inning. He took his position in left field and then walked off... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Slugging rookie Ronald Acuna Jr. was hit by a pitch before he could take the Marlins deep again, but Dansby Swanson filled the power void for Atlanta, hitting a two-run homer that led the Braves to a 5-2 win over Miami on Wednesday night.Acuna, who had hit leadoff homers in the last three games and homered in five straight overall, didn't get a chance to extend the streak. Jose Urena plunked him on the left elbow with a fastball on his first pitch of the day, triggering a melee. Benches and bullpens for both teams emptied onto the field twice after the pitch. No punches were thrown. Urena and Braves manager Brian Snitker were ejected.Acuna instead became the 11th batter to be hit by a pitch from Urena this season, tied for the most in the National League. Trainer George Poulis hovered over Acuna, who sat on the ground near the batter's box while players swarmed near the mound. Acuna left the game in the second inning. He took his position in left field and then walked off... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Slugging rookie Ronald Acuna Jr. was hit by a pitch before he could take the Marlins deep again, but Dansby Swanson filled the power void for Atlanta, hitting a two-run homer that led the Braves to a 5-2 win over Miami on Wednesday night.Acuna, who had hit leadoff homers in the last three games and homered in five straight overall, didn't get a chance to extend the streak. Jose Urena plunked him on the left elbow with a fastball on his first pitch of the day, triggering a melee. Benches and bullpens for both teams emptied onto the field twice after the pitch. No punches were thrown. Urena and Braves manager Brian Snitker were ejected.Acuna instead became the 11th batter to be hit by a pitch from Urena this season, tied for the most in the National League. Trainer George Poulis hovered over Acuna, who sat on the ground near the batter's box while players swarmed near the mound. Acuna left the game in the second inning. He took his position in left field and then walked off... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Slugging rookie Ronald Acuna Jr. was hit by a pitch before he could take the Marlins deep again, but Dansby Swanson filled the power void for Atlanta, hitting a two-run homer that led the Braves to a 5-2 win over Miami on Wednesday night.Acuna, who had hit leadoff homers in the last three games and homered in five straight overall, didn't get a chance to extend the streak. Jose Urena plunked him on the left elbow with a fastball on his first pitch of the day, triggering a melee. Benches and bullpens for both teams emptied onto the field twice after the pitch. No punches were thrown. Urena and Braves manager Brian Snitker were ejected.Acuna instead became the 11th batter to be hit by a pitch from Urena this season, tied for the most in the National League. Trainer George Poulis hovered over Acuna, who sat on the ground near the batter's box while players swarmed near the mound. Acuna left the game in the second inning. He took his position in left field and then walked off... [More]

ST. LOUIS (AP) — St. Louis infielder Matt Carpenter left the Cardinals' game Wednesday night against the Washington Nationals after being hit on the hand by a pitch from Matt Grace in the bottom of the seventh inning.Carpenter was removed as a precaution and X-rays were negative.Carpenter was replaced by Patrick Wisdom.Before leaving, Carpenter extended his on-base streak to 33 games. He has 17 homers and 30 RBIs during the run.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Washington Nationals right-hander Jeremy Hellickson was removed from Wednesday night's game in St. Louis in the fifth inning after colliding with Cardinals outfielder Harrison Bader at the plate.Hellickson was covering home after a wild pitch. He stumbled over Bader as Bader slid home safely.Hellickson was charged with three runs, two earned, on three hits in his 4 1/3 innings. He struck out two and walked two.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CHICAGO (AP) — The Milwaukee Brewers are casting doubt on Jimmy Nelson's chances of returning this season.Nelson had shoulder surgery last September after he got hurt diving back to first after rounding the base on a single. It was a tough conclusion to a breakout year for the right-hander, who went 12-6 with a 3.49 ERA in 29 starts.The 29-year-old Nelson has been working out, but he is running out of time."Jimmy pitching for us this year is unlikely," manager Craig Counsell said before Wednesday's 8-4 loss to the Chicago Cubs. "And that's not due to a setback of any nature. That's just due to the pace of his rehab right now. So we're not ruling it 100 percent out, probably best goal is to just get him into a competitive situation before he shuts it down for the offseason. But I think at this point, pitching for us, the timetable to get there just doesn't seem likely."Even with Nelson out and a couple more pitching injuries, Milwaukee is in the thick of the playoff hunt in the National... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Light-hitting Dee Gordon homered off Yusmeiro Petit in the 12th inning to break a scoreless tie and the Seattle Mariners beat the Oakland Athletics 2-0 on Wednesday to avoid a three-game sweep.Jean Segura had four hits to help the Mariners closed within 2 1/2 games of the A's for the second AL wild-card spot.Seattle's Mike Leake pitched eight innings of two-hit ball with six strikeouts and one walk. Oakland's Brett Anderson went 7 2/3 without allowing a run in his longest outing since June 16, 2015.Nick Martini had three hits for the A's and Matt Olson added two. Oakland entered the day one game behind first-place Houston.Both teams squandered numerous scoring opportunities before Seattle scraped together two runs on one hit. After Petit (5-3) got leadoff man Denard Span to ground out, Mike Zunino walked. Gordon hit the next pitch over the right-field wall. Gordon's only other home run was a solo shot against Cleveland on April 1 in Seattle's third game of the season.James... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun has left their game against the Chicago Cubs with tightness on the right side of his rib cage.Braun was removed for a pinch hitter in the fifth inning Wednesday at Wrigley Field. He went 0 for 2 a day after he homered twice in Milwaukee's 7-0 victory.Hernan Perez batted for Braun and bounced into an inning-ending double play. Perez then stayed in the game in right field, and Christian Yelich moved from right to left to replace Braun.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CHICAGO (AP) — The Milwaukee Brewers are casting doubt on Jimmy Nelson's chances of returning this season.Nelson had shoulder surgery in September after he got hurt diving back to first after rounding the base on a single. It was a tough conclusion to a breakout year for the right-hander, who went 12-6 with a 3.49 ERA in 29 starts.The 29-year-old Nelson has been working out, but he is running out of time."Jimmy pitching for us this year is unlikely," manager Craig Counsell said before Wednesday's game against the Chicago Cubs. "And that's not due to a setback of any nature. That's just due to the pace of his rehab right now. So we're not ruling it 100 percent out, probably best goal is to just get him into a competitive situation before he shuts it down for the offseason. But I think at this point, pitching for us, the timetable to get there just doesn't seem likely."Even with Nelson out and a couple more pitching injuries, Milwaukee is in the thick of the playoff hunt in the National League.... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The Seattle Mariners have placed ace James Paxton on the disabled list with a forearm bruise, one day after the left-hander was struck by a line drive.Paxton was facing the third batter in the first inning Tuesday night when Jed Lowrie lined a ball back up the middle, hitting the pitcher hard. Paxton walked toward second base in obvious pain as a team trainer and manager Scott Servais rushed onto the field.Paxton was replaced by Felix Hernandez.After the game, Paxton told reporters he felt tightness in his arm and could not grip a baseball. X-rays were negative.Paxton is 10-5, including a no-hitter against Toronto, and a 3.68 ERA. Hernandez, who allowed two runs over 5 2/3 innings, is likely to take Paxton's turn in the rotation.Right-hander Christian Bergman was recalled from Triple-A Tacoma to fill Paxton's roster spot.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Aaron Cox, a former Los Angeles Angels pitching prospect and the brother-in-law of Mike Trout, has died. He was 24.The Angels disclosed no further details Wednesday in a statement issued on behalf of Trout and his wife, Jessica Cox."Aaron Cox was a tremendous son, brother, and brother-in-law," the Cox and Trout families said in a statement. "He had a deep love for his family, and a passionate dedication and commitment to his friends. As our families grieve together, we will also celebrate the memories, the laughter, and the love we each shared with Aaron in the short time we had him."Cox was a 19th-round draft pick by the Angels in 2015. He attended Millville High School in New Jersey and Gannon University.Cox spent parts of three seasons in the Angels' system, including 11 games this season with Class-A Inland Empire. He retired from baseball earlier this summer.Trout had been away from the Angels this week due to a personal family matter. The two-time AL MVP is on the disabled list with an injured right wrist.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Aaron Cox, a former Los Angeles Angels pitching prospect and the brother-in-law of Mike Trout, has died. He was 24.The Angels disclosed no further details Wednesday in a statement issued on behalf of Trout and his wife, Jessica Cox.Cox was a 19th-round draft pick by the Angels in 2015. He attended Millville High School in New Jersey and Gannon University.Cox spent parts of three seasons in the Angels' system, including 11 games this season with Class-A Inland Empire. He retired from baseball earlier this summer.Trout had been away from the Angels this week due to a personal family matter. The two-time AL MVP is on the disabled list with an injured right wrist.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Robinson Cano is back in the major leagues with the Seattle Mariners after serving an 80-game drug suspension.The eight-time All-Star has a new position — first base, for the first time — and a new spot in the batting order, too."It feels great to be back, especially the way the team is playing," Cano said before the game. "I'm excited. I was waiting for this moment."Cano's first game was fairly nondescript. He went 1 for 4 with a single in the Mariners' 3-2 loss to the Oakland Athletics and played error-free in his new position.Cano arrived in Oakland late Monday, woke up early Tuesday and was at the Coliseum taking batting practice underneath the outfield stands three hours before the scheduled first pitch."It was really hard, I'm not going to lie," Cano said. "It was so hard watching the game from home knowing that (I) should be in there. My daughter was the thing that kept me positive. That was the biggest thing, being around my family."The 35-year-old Cano rejoins... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig took a swing at San Francisco Giants catcher Nick Hundley and both players were ejected during a benches-clearing scrap in the seventh inning Tuesday night.Puig swatted his bat in frustration after fouling off a pitch from Tony Watson, and Hundley said something to the mercurial slugger while still in his crouch. Puig turned around and walked toward Hundley, the catcher stood up, and they stood face to face and argued for a moment before Puig shoved Hundley twice.That brought players out of the benches and bullpens. Puig and Hundley were momentarily separated, but Puig ducked around teammates, coaches and manager Dave Roberts before reaching back to hit Hundley. He smacked Hundley with an open hand across the front of his catcher's mask.The players were then separated again for good. After discussing with both managers, the umpires ejected both Puig and Hundley.It was the fourth career ejection for Puig, who had also got into a skirmish with Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner in 2014.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Seattle Mariners ace James Paxton was replaced by Felix Hernandez in the first inning Tuesday night after being hit by a line drive on his pitching arm.X-rays on Paxton's left arm were negative, and he was diagnosed with a forearm contusion.Paxton allowed a leadoff home run to Oakland's Marcus Semien and struck out Matt Chapman before Jed Lowrie lined a 2-1 pitch back up the middle. Manager Scott Servais and a team trainer rushed from the dugout to check on Paxton, who seemed hesitant to move his left arm.Paxton is 10-5 with a 3.68 ERA this season. He entered the day 11th among qualified starters with 3.6 wins above replacement, per Fangraphs.Hernandez quickly began warming up to make his first career relief appearance following 398 starts. The 32-year-old was removed from the rotation last week amid a season full of struggles.Hernandez walked Khris Davis before getting a double-play grounder from Matt Olson.Seattle began the day 2 1/2 games behind Oakland for the second AL wild card.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Seattle Mariners ace James Paxton was pulled in the first inning Tuesday night after being hit by a line drive and replaced by Felix Hernandez.Paxton allowed a leadoff home run to Oakland's Marcus Semien and struck out Matt Chapman before Jed Lowrie lined a 2-1 pitch back up the middle. The ball appeared to hit Paxton on or near his pitching arm.Manager Scott Servais and a team trainer rushed from the dugout to check on Paxton, who seemed hesitant to move his left arm.Paxton is 10-5 with a 3.68 ERA this season. He entered the day 11th among qualified starters with 3.6 wins above replacement, per Fangraphs.Hernandez quickly began warming up to make his first career relief appearance following 398 starts. The 32-year-old was removed from the rotation last week amid a season full of struggles.Hernandez walked Khris Davis before getting a double-play grounder from Matt Olson.Seattle began the day 2 1/2 games behind Oakland for the second AL wild card.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Robinson Cano is back in the major leagues with the Seattle Mariners after serving an 80-game drug suspension.The eight-time All-Star has a new position — first base, for the first time — and a new spot in the batting order, too."It feels great to be back, especially the way the team is playing," Cano said before Tuesday night's game against the Oakland Athletics. "I'm excited. I was waiting for this moment."Cano arrived in Oakland late Monday, woke up early Tuesday and was at the Coliseum taking batting practice underneath the outfield stands three hours before the scheduled first pitch."It was really hard, I'm not going to lie," Cano said. "It was so hard watching the game from home knowing that (I) should be in there. My daughter was the thing that kept me positive. That was the biggest thing, being around my family."The 35-year-old Cano rejoins a Seattle team that is in the middle of a playoff race. The Mariners entered the day 1 ½ games behind the Athletics for... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Ben Zobrist figured plate umpire Phil Cuzzi was going to give him the boot regardless, so the Chicago Cubs veteran didn't hold back during his first career ejection.Zobrist told Cuzzi he would prefer an "electronic strike zone" before being ejected in the eighth inning of Chicago's 7-0 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday night. That came two innings after Cubs manager Joe Maddon was tossed for the second time in four games after Cuzzi called Zobrist out on strikes.Zobrist was waiting on deck in the eighth when Javier Baez struck out to end the inning. Zobrist approached Cuzzi to say he didn't appreciate being told to "be quiet" after getting called out in the sixth on a pitch he thought was a ball. He wanted assurances that the umpire would look over the play and "make an adjustment.""He didn't want me to tell him that," Zobrist said. "I just basically said, 'Well, that's why we want an electronic strike zone.' And that's what obviously got me tossed."The slider that Zobrist took for strike three from starter Jhoulys Chacin has been called a strike 44.7 percent of the time, according to ESPN Stats & Info.Maddon's ejection was his third this season. He also was thrown out Friday against Washington for arguing an interference call against Willson Contreras running out a ground ball.___For more AP baseball coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

NEW YORK (AP) — With the final piece now in place, the Tampa Bay Rays feel really good about the package of prospects they received for Chris Archer.Tampa Bay acquired touted minor league pitcher Shane Baz from Pittsburgh on Tuesday as the player to be named in the July 31 trade that sent Archer to the Pirates.The 19-year-old Baz, selected 12th overall in the 2017 amateur draft, was 4-3 with a 3.97 ERA for Bristol in the rookie-level Appalachian League this season. The right-hander had 54 strikeouts in 10 starts covering 45 1/3 innings."I know we're excited to get him. He's a really high-end prospect," Rays manager Kevin Cash said before his team played the New York Yankees. "Very powerful right-handed kid. Probably going to be some time before we see him, but to put a pitcher like that in our system — I know he was a guy that during the draft that we talked a lot about. We were happy with who we picked at (No. 4), but were disappointed that we didn't get the opportunity and now with that... [More]