DUNEDIN, Fla. (AP) — Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit three home runs, including a grand slam and solo shot off Washington ace Max Scherzer, and had seven RBIs as the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Nationals 9-5 on Tuesday night. Guerrero’s slam in the third put the Blue Jays ahead 4-3 and ended Scherzer’s scoreless streak at 19 innings. Guerrero made it 7-3 with his drive in the fifth and added a two-run, seventh-inning shot off Kyle Finnegan to complete his first three-homer game. Scherzer (1-2) joined Ivan Nova as the only pitchers to have allowed a homer to both Guerrero Jr. and his father, Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero. Scherzer allowed seven runs — five earned — and eight hits over five innings. Tommy Milone (1-0) was the winner. RAYS 4, ATHLETICS 3 ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Brett Phillips hit a two-run homer in the sixth, helping send Oakland to its second loss in 16 games. Joey Wendle’s two-out single in the seventh tacked on another run for the Rays and ended Tampa Bay’s 0-for-26 stretch... [More]

DUNEDIN, Fla. (AP) — Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit three home runs, including a grand slam and solo shot off Washington ace Max Scherzer, and had seven RBIs as the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Nationals 9-5 on Tuesday night. Guerrero’s slam in the third put the Blue Jays ahead 4-3 and ended Scherzer’s scoreless streak at 19 innings. Guerrero made it 7-3 with his drive in the fifth and added a two-run, seventh-inning shot off Kyle Finnegan to complete his first three-homer game. Scherzer (1-2) joined Ivan Nova as the only pitchers to have allowed a homer to both Guerrero Jr. and his father, Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero. Scherzer allowed seven runs — five earned — and eight hits over five innings. Tommy Milone (1-0) was the winner. RAYS 4, ATHLETICS 3 ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Brett Phillips hit a two-run homer in the sixth, helping send Oakland to its second loss in 16 games. Joey Wendle’s two-out single in the seventh tacked on another run for the Rays and ended Tampa Bay’s 0-for-26 stretch... [More]

DUNEDIN, Fla. (AP) — Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit three home runs, including a grand slam and solo shot off Washington ace Max Scherzer, and had seven RBIs as the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Nationals 9-5 on Tuesday night. Guerrero’s slam in the third put the Blue Jays ahead 4-3 and ended Scherzer’s scoreless streak at 19 innings. Guerrero made it 7-3 with his drive in the fifth and added a two-run, seventh-inning shot off Kyle Finnegan to complete his first three-homer game. Scherzer (1-2) joined Ivan Nova as the only pitchers to have allowed a homer to both Guerrero Jr. and his father, Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero. Scherzer allowed seven runs — five earned — and eight hits over five innings. Tommy Milone (1-0) was the winner. RAYS 4, ATHLETICS 3 ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Brett Phillips hit a two-run homer in the sixth, helping send Oakland to its second loss in 16 games. Joey Wendle’s two-out single in the seventh tacked on another run for the Rays and ended Tampa Bay’s 0-for-26 stretch... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Carlos Rodón threw the second no-hitter of the young baseball season Wednesday night, losing his bid for a perfect game on a hit batter with one out in the ninth inning, and the Chicago White Sox cruised to an 8-0 victory over the Cleveland Indians. The left-hander retired his first 25 batters before he plunked Roberto Pérez on the back foot with an 0-2 slider. An incredulous Rodón looked on almost in bewilderment as Pérez made his way to first. Rodón (2-0) regained his composure in time to strike out Yu Chang looking and retire Jordan Luplow on a sharp grounder to third, starting a joyous celebration. It was the first no-hitter for the White Sox since Lucas Giolito pitched one Aug. 25 last year against Pittsburgh and No. 20 in franchise history, second-most among major league teams behind the Los Angeles Dodgers (23). Rodón’s gem came just five days after Joe Musgrove threw a no-hitter for his hometown Padres at Texas. Rodón threw 75 of his 114 pitches for strikes. He struck... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Carlos Rodón threw the second no-hitter of the young baseball season Wednesday night, losing his bid for a perfect game on a hit batter with one out in the ninth inning, and the Chicago White Sox cruised to an 8-0 victory over the Cleveland Indians. The left-hander retired his first 25 batters before he plunked Roberto Pérez on the back foot with an 0-2 slider. An incredulous Rodón looked on almost in bewilderment as Pérez made his way to first. Rodón (2-0) regained his composure in time to strike out Yu Chang looking and retire Jordan Luplow on a sharp grounder to third, starting a joyous celebration. It was the first no-hitter for the White Sox since Lucas Giolito pitched one Aug. 25 last year against Pittsburgh and No. 20 in franchise history, second-most among major league teams behind the Los Angeles Dodgers (23). Rodón’s gem came just five days after Joe Musgrove threw a no-hitter for his hometown Padres at Texas. Rodón threw 75 of his 114 pitches for strikes. He struck... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Rafael Devers homered for the fourth straight game and the streaking Boston Red Sox beat the Minnesota Twins 4-2 on a snowy Tuesday in a series opener moved back following the fatal police shooting of a Black man in a nearby suburb. Hunter Renfroe hit a solo homer and Bobby Dalbec added a pair of RBI doubles as Boston won its seventh in a row after losing its first three games of the season. Monday’s game was postponed due to safety and sensitivity concerns in the Twin Cities after the police shooting a day earlier of Daunte Wright during a traffic stop. The Twins held a moment of silence for Wright prior to Tuesday’s game. Snow flurries fell for most of the game and it was 33 degrees for the first pitch. That made for the third-coldest start at Target Field, the record being 27 degrees on April 7, 2018. Adam Ottavino (1-0) earned the win with a scoreless inning of relief. Matt Barnes pitched a perfect ninth for his first save of the season. Randy Dobnak (0-2) took the... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Rafael Devers homered for the fourth straight game and the streaking Boston Red Sox beat the Minnesota Twins 4-2 on a snowy Tuesday in a series opener moved back following the fatal police shooting of a Black man in a nearby suburb. Hunter Renfroe hit a solo homer and Bobby Dalbec added a pair of RBI doubles as Boston won its seventh in a row after losing its first three games of the season. Monday’s game was postponed due to safety and sensitivity concerns in the Twin Cities after the police shooting a day earlier of Daunte Wright during a traffic stop. The Twins held a moment of silence for Wright prior to Tuesday’s game. Snow flurries fell for most of the game and it was 33 degrees for the first pitch. That made for the third-coldest start at Target Field, the record being 27 degrees on April 7, 2018. Adam Ottavino (1-0) earned the win with a scoreless inning of relief. Matt Barnes pitched a perfect ninth for his first save of the season. Randy Dobnak (0-2) took the... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Marcus Stroman was unhappy that the New York Mets began Sunday's game against the Miami Marlins in a steady rain, which interrupted his outing after nine pitches. The game began at 1:10 p.m. and was stopped by plate umpire D.J. Reyburn after seven minutes. Home teams decide whether to start games. Once a game has begun, umpires decide whether to stop play because of bad weather. Stroman took to Twitter during the rain delay to express his displeasure. “This game should have never been started. Not smart at all,” Stroman tweeted. “Those conditions put everyone at risk. Beyond happy no players on either side were injured. Hate that I have to wait another 5 days to pitch again. That’s a miserable feeling.” While Mets manager Luis Rojas started Stroman, Miami manager Don Mattingly opted to use reliever John Curtiss as an opener. The Marlins were batting in the top of the first. “We don't know quite where we're going to end up with this weather. They've opened the gate, so they obviously are going to try to play,” Mattingly said about 1 hour, 20 minutes before the start. “But the weather is still kind of up in the air so, yeah, I just felt like it (using a reliever) was the safest way for us to go.” ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

MIAMI (AP) — Three months into the job, Kim Ng will finally get to see her team. Miami Marlins pitchers and catchers hold their first workout Thursday at the team's spring training complex in Jupiter, Florida. The first full-squad drills will be Tuesday. And Ng, hired in November as the first female general manager in Major League Baseball, will be watching. “I feel like a kid on Christmas,” Ng said Wednesday. “We've talked about these guys quite a bit every day for the last three months, and finally I get to see them live — how they react to situations, how they compete, their demeanor. You get to see them in their element. I'm incredibly excited to meet them all in person and see what they bring to the table live.” Ng joined a long-suffering franchise on the upswing under CEO Derek Jeter after the Marlins made the playoffs last year for the first time since 2003. The achievement came with an asterisk because the season was shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic, and Jeter has since stressed... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — Right-handed reliever John Curtiss was traded Wednesday by the Tampa Bay Rays to the Miami Marlins for minor league first baseman Evan Edwards. The Rays also dealt minor league catcher Ronaldo Hernández and minor league infielder Nick Sogard to the Boston Red Sox for right-handed pitcher Chris Mazza, left-handed pitcher Jeffrey Springs and cash. Boston placed catcher Kevin Plawecki on the COVID-19-related injured list. Curtiss went 3-0 with a 1.80 ERA in 17 games last year. He had a 6.30 ERA in 10 innings in the postseason for the American League champions. Curtiss also has pitched for the Angels and Twins, and he has a 3,83 career ERA. He further strengthens the bullpen for the Marlins, who earlier added left-hander Ross Detwiler and right-handers Dylan Floro, Anthony Bass and Adam Cimber. Mazza pitched nine games as a starter and reliever for Boston last year and went 1-2 with a 4.80 ERA. Springs went 0-2 with a 7.08 ERA in 16 games out of the bullpen. Edwards was a fourth-round... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — Right-handed reliever John Curtiss was traded Wednesday by the Tampa Bay Rays to the Miami Marlins for minor league first baseman Evan Edwards. The Rays also dealt minor league catcher Ronaldo Hernández and minor league infielder Nick Sogard to the Boston Red Sox for right-handed pitcher Chris Mazza, left-handed pitcher Jeffrey Springs and cash. Boston placed catcher Kevin Plawecki on the COVID-19-related injured list. Curtiss went 3-0 with a 1.80 ERA in 17 games last year. He had a 6.30 ERA in 10 innings in the postseason for the American League champions. Curtiss also has pitched for the Angels and Twins, and he has a 3,83 career ERA. He further strengthens the bullpen for the Marlins, who earlier added left-hander Ross Detwiler and right-handers Dylan Floro, Anthony Bass and Adam Cimber. Mazza pitched nine games as a starter and reliever for Boston last year and went 1-2 with a 4.80 ERA. Springs went 0-2 with a 7.08 ERA in 16 games out of the bullpen. Edwards was a fourth-round pick out of North Carolina State in 2019. He hit .281 with nine homers in 73 games in the low minors that year. Hernández is a career .293 hitter over five minor league seasons. Sogard batted .290 with 20 stolen bases in 63 games in Class A in 2019. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

MIAMI (AP) — Right-handed reliever John Curtiss was traded Wednesday by the Tampa Bay Rays to the Miami Marlins for minor league first baseman Evan Edwards. Curtiss went 3-0 with a 1.80 ERA in 17 games last year. He had a 6.30 ERA in 10 innings in the postseason for the American League champions. Curtiss also has pitched for the Angels and Twins, and he has a 3,83 career ERA. He further strengthens the bullpen for the Marlins, who earlier added left-hander Ross Detwiler and right-handers Dylan Floro, Anthony Bass and Adam Cimber. Edwards was a fourth-round pick out of North Carolina State in 2019. He hit .281 with nine homers in 73 games in the low minors that year. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — The Latest on Game 4 of the World Series (all times local): 11:20 p.m. The Tampa Bay Rays pulled off a stunning rally in the bottom of the ninth inning when Brett Phillips’ two-out single and a pair of Dodgers misplays resulted in two runs that beat Los Angeles 8-7 and tied the World Series at two games each. In a game full of late drama, the final turn came out of nowhere. The Dodgers, on the verge of a 3-1 lead in a push for their first title since 1988, took a 7-6 lead into the ninth. Kevin Kiermaier blooped a single with one out off Kenley Jansen and Randy Arozarena walked with two outs. Phillips, who batted a combined .196 for Kansas City and Tampa Bay this year, hit a soft single that Chris Taylor bobbled as the tying run scored. Arozarena appeared to be a sure out when he stumbled halfway home, but catcher Will Smith lost control of the ball as he spun around for a tag, allowing the winning run to score. Three-time NL Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — The Latest on Game 4 of the World Series (all times local): 10:55 p.m. Corey Seager scored Chris Taylor with his fourth hit of the game, a two-out single that put Los Angeles ahead 7-6 in the eighth inning of a topsy-turvey Game 4. The Dodgers and Rays combined to score in eight consecutive half-innings -- a span including the first two lead changes of this World Series -- before LA relievers Adam Kolarek and Brusdar Graterol shut out Tampa Bay in the bottom of the eighth. The Dodgers have scored 57 of their 94 runs this postseason with two outs, including all seven Saturday. Taylor led off the eighth with a long double off shaky bullpen ace Nick Anderson. Kiké Hernández popped up a bunt attempt and Mookie Betts grounded out before Seager blooped one into shallow left-center that dropped, bringing in Taylor with the go-ahead run. Justin Turner followed Seager with his fourth hit of the night, a single that pushed Seager to third, but Max Muncy grounded out against... [More]

The Tampa Bay Rays have crossed the desert on some no-name horses. Advancing from the AL playoffs in San Diego to the World Series in Arlington, Texas, manager Kevin Cash leaned hard on his bullpen — a group he described as “a whole damn stable of guys who throw 98 miles per hour” during a memorable spat with the Yankees in September. The tagline has come to define the small-market Rays. The relief corps has no thoroughbreds, no All-Stars, no big-money headliners — Aaron Loup is the highest-paid reliever on the roster after signing a $1.65 million, one-year deal. Yet the bullpen has dominated all year. Twelve different pitchers converted at least one save during the regular season, matching the major league record despite the compressed schedule, and the group had a 3.37 ERA, third in the majors. They've been just as overpowering in October. Cash has the utmost confidence in the crew, a fact that showed when he gave notably early hooks to starters Blake Snell and Charlie Morton in Games... [More]

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Houston Astros tapped rookie right-hander Luis Garcia to start Game 5 of the AL Championship Series while the Tampa Bay Rays chose to go with opener John Curtiss. Houston faced elimination for the second straight game. The Astros won 4-3 Wednesday night to cut Tampa Bay’s lead to 3-1 in the best-of-7 series. Garcia was making his first career postseason appearance. He was 0-1 with a 2.92 ERA in five appearances in the regular season, including one start. Curtiss is 0-0 with a 10.38 ERA in four appearances this postseason. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Giancarlo Stanton hit a grand slam in the ninth inning for New York’s fourth home run of the game, and the Yankees beat the Tampa Bay Rays 9-3 Monday night in the opener of their AL Division Series at Petco Park. Stanton homered to straightaway center field on a 2-2 pitch from John Curtiss with one out. The slugger took several steps with his bat still in his hands as he watched the ball sail through the warm San Diego night before beginning his trot. Kyle Higashioka and Aaron Judge hit the tying and go-ahead home runs off Blake Snell in the fifth inning. Clint Frazier hit an impressive shot into the second deck in left in the third. The Bronx Bombers became the first team in American League history to hit a grand slam in back-to-back playoff games. Gio Urshela did it in Game 2 of the first-round sweep of Cleveland. Two NL teams have done it, the 1977 Dodgers and 2011 Diamondbacks. The Yankees set a franchise record by hitting at least three home runs in three straight... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Rookie left-hander Shane McClanahan was a surprise addition to the 28-man roster the Tampa Bay Rays announced for the AL first-round series against the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday. McClanahan was a first-round pick in the amateur draft two years ago who pitched at Class A and Double-A in 2019. He joined first baseman Ji-Man Choi and infielder Yandy Diaz, who have been on the injured list, in being added to the active roster before Game 1 of the best-of-three series. To make room on the 40-man roster for McClanahan, lefty reliever Sean Gilmartin was designated for assignment. Gilmartin is the husband of White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany. Three players who were on the regular season-ending roster — catcher Kevan Smith, left-handed starter Josh Fleming and lefty reliever Ryan Sherriff — were not included on the roster against Toronto. They remain in the 60-man postseason eligible player pool and can be added in future rounds. Tampa Bay’s 28-man roster... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Joey Wendle had a go-ahead two-run single in the eighth inning and the AL East champion Tampa Bay Rays rallied to hurt Philadelphia’s playoff hopes, beating the Phillies 6-4 on Friday night. The Rays would clinch the top seed in the American League with an Oakland loss later Friday night; the A’s were hosting Seattle. Tampa Bay is looking to finish with the AL’s best record for the second time, after topping the league in 2010. Bryce Harper had a triple and drove in two runs for Philadelphia, which started the day one game behind second-place Miami in the NL East and also trailed in the wide-open wild-card race. Yoshi Tsutsdugo had one-out single in the eighth before Adam Morgan (0-1) loaded the bases on consecutive walks to Hunter Renfroe and Brett Phillips. Héctor Neris replaced Morgan and retired pinch-hitter Brandon Lowe on a pop fly. Wendle followed with a liner to right that gave Tampa Bay a 5-3 advantage. Nick Anderson (2-1) worked a scoreless eighth and... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jake Arrieta pitched effectively into the sixth inning before leaving with an injury, Didi Gregorius hit a two-run homer and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the New York Mets 4-1 Tuesday night.The scuffling Mets played their first game since billionaire hedge fund manager Steve Cohen agreed to buy the team from the Wilpon and Katz families. The agreement was announced Monday and the deal is subject to the approval of Major League Baseball owners. Arrieta (4-4) allowed one run on Brandon Nimmo’s homer and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings. But he walked off the mound, grabbing the back of his right leg, after hitting Andres Gimenez with a pitch to load the bases. JoJo Romero entered and retired Wilson Ramos on a double-play grounder.Romero tossed two innings, Tommy Hunter got two outs and Hector Neris finished for his fourth save in seven chances.Mets starter Rick Porcello (1-5) yielded four runs and six hits in six innings as New York (21-27) lost its third straight and fell... [More]