At the All-Star break last year, Chris Sale looked as if he might pull away in the American League Cy Young race. He already had 178 strikeouts with only 22 walks.By the end of the season, of course, Sale had to settle for second place — and not a particularly close second — after Corey Kluber took the award away with a torrid second half.That's all just a roundabout way of saying that the following midseason awards aren't meant as predictions of who will actually win these in 2018. It's just a quick attempt to honor the players who have stood out so far.___AL MVPTop Contenders: Mookie Betts, Red Sox; Aaron Judge, Yankees; Francisco Lindor, Indians; Jose Ramirez, Indians; Mike Trout, AngelsThe Pick: TroutTrout leads the AL in on-base percentage, and although he's second to Betts in OPS, he's played in 19 more games than the Boston outfielder. Trout also has the lead in wins above replacement — both the Baseball-Reference and FanGraphs versions. You could put together an entire 10-man MVP... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Corey Kluber's stellar first half ended with a sudden stop.Cleveland's ace received an injection in his right knee that will force him to miss the All-Star Game. But more importantly, the Indians are hoping it will allow the right-hander to continue leading their rotation after the break — and beyond.Kluber got the shot in his knee on Friday, a day after the two-time Cy Young Award winner gave up two runs in the eighth inning and was beaten by the New York Yankees. The AL Central-leading Indians said the right-hander will need at least one week to recover and he's not expected to make his next start until July 23 against Pittsburgh.Kluber has been replaced on the AL All-Star roster by Tampa Bay's Blake Snell.While Kluber's knee issue doesn't appear to be serious, the Indians aren't taking any chances.The 32-year-old pitcher took his fifth loss of the season Thursday night, but never mentioned any issues with his knee. Kluber has given up 19 runs over his last 34 innings,... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Corey Kluber's stellar first half ended with a sudden stop.Cleveland's ace received an injection in his right knee that will force him to miss the All-Star Game. But more importantly, the Indians are hoping it will allow the right-hander to continue leading their rotation after the break — and beyond.Kluber got the shot in his knee on Friday, a day after the two-time Cy Young winner gave up two runs in the eighth inning and was beaten by the New York Yankees. The AL Central-leading Indians said the right-hander will need at least one week to recover and he's not expected to make his next start until July 23 against Pittsburgh.Kluber has been replaced on the AL All-Star roster by Tampa Bay's Blake Snell.While Kluber's knee issue doesn't appear to be serious, the Indians aren't taking any chances.The 32-year-old pitcher took his fifth loss of the season Thursday night, but never mentioned anything about having any issues with his knee. Kluber has given up 19 runs over his... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Mookie Betts fouled off seven pitches before hitting a grand slam that helped the Boston Red Sox beat the Toronto Blue Jays 6-4 on Thursday night, extending their winning streak to 10 games.Boston has the longest current winning streak in the big leagues and hasn't lost since getting routed 11-1 at Yankee Stadium on July 1. At 66-29, the Red Sox are 37 games over .500 for the first time since 1949.David Price (10-6) struck out eight over 6 2/3 innings, and Craig Kimbrel earned his 29th save.All-Star lefty J.A. Happ (10-6) started strong for Toronto, striking out six and holding Boston to two hits before running into trouble and some misfortune in the fourth.ANGELS 11, MARINERS 2ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Albert Pujols hit two home runs to tie Ken Griffey Jr. for sixth place on the career list with 630, and Los Angeles romped over Seattle.Tyler Skaggs pitched six strong innings in his return from the disabled list. Pujols hit a two-run shot in the first and a solo drive in the... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Mookie Betts fouled off seven pitches before hitting a grand slam that helped the Boston Red Sox beat the Toronto Blue Jays 6-4 on Thursday night, extending their winning streak to 10 games.Boston has the longest current winning streak in the big leagues and hasn't lost since getting routed 11-1 at Yankee Stadium on July 1. At 66-29, the Red Sox are 37 games over .500 for the first time since 1949.David Price (10-6) struck out eight over 6 2/3 innings, and Craig Kimbrel earned his 29th save.All-Star lefty J.A. Happ (10-6) started strong for Toronto, striking out six and holding Boston to two hits before running into trouble and some misfortune in the fourth.YANKEES 7, INDIANS 4CLEVELAND (AP) — Aaron Hicks drove home Didi Gregorius from first base with a one-out double in the eighth inning off Cleveland ace Corey Kluber, sending New York to a win over the Indians.Hicks drove a 3-2 pitch from Kluber (12-5) to deep center field, and Gregorius scored easily when the ball one-hopped... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors today:PAIR OF ACESTwo of the top pitchers in the American League square off when the New York Yankees begin a series in Cleveland. Two-time Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber (12-4, 2.49 ERA) starts for the Indians, while the AL leader in wins, Luis Severino (14-2, 2.12) takes the mound for New York in a matchup of All-Stars. The appearance will be Severino's first against Cleveland since last season's playoffs when he allowed three runs in seven innings and helped the Yankees win Game 4 in the AL Division Series to force a decisive Game 5.PERFECT 10Andrew Benintendi and the major league-leading Red Sox (65-29) seek their 10th straight victory when David Price (9-6) pitches against All-Star lefty J.A. Happ (10-5) and the Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park. Benintendi has six consecutive multihit games and has scored in all of them. Working on its second nine-game winning streak of the season, Boston has won 14 of 16 overall and is 36 games above... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors Thursday:PAIR OF ACESTwo of the top pitchers in the American League square off when the New York Yankees begin a series in Cleveland. Two-time Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber (12-4, 2.49 ERA) starts for the Indians, while the AL leader in wins, Luis Severino (14-2, 2.12) takes the mound for New York in a matchup of 2018 All-Stars. The appearance will be Severino's first against Cleveland since last season's playoffs when he allowed three runs in seven innings of work and helped the Yankees force a decisive Game 5 in the AL Division Series with a 7-3 victory in Game 4.SNELL'S SNUBTampa Bay Rays pitcher Blake Snell (12-4) is second in the AL in ERA (2.09) and has 132 strikeouts in 116 innings this season. The 25-year-old lefty will make his first start since being left off the All-Star team Sunday when he takes the mound at Minnesota.MAX TO THE RESCUEThe Nationals fell back to .500 with a 2-0 loss to Pittsburgh on Wednesday, the 11th loss in their last 16 games. Washington will try to reclaim a winning record when it begins a four-game series in New York against the Mets. Fortunately for the struggling Nationals, they'll open with three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (11-5, 2.33 ERA) on the mound, while the Mets counter with left-hander Steven Matz (4-6, 3.31).___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

WASHINGTON (AP) — Mark Reynolds homered twice and drove in a career-high 10 runs, Max Scherzer won for the first time since June 5, and the Washington Nationals beat the Miami Marlins 18-4 on Saturday night.Washington has won three straight and scored a combined 35 runs since calling a players-only meeting on Wednesday after falling under .500 for the first time since May 2.Reynolds (5 for 5) tied his career high for hits and equaled the Nationals' RBI record.Scherzer (11-5), who was 0-4 in his previous five starts, pitched seven innings, allowing four runs on four hits — three of which were home runs. The Nationals had been shut out in three of Scherzer's previous five starts.Miami starter Wei-Yin Chen (2-6) lasted 4 1/3 innings, allowing seven runs on seven hits.DIAMONDBACKS 20, PADRES 5PHOENIX (AP) — David Peralta drove in three runs and matched his career best with five hits, five Arizona players homered and the Diamondbacks set a single-game franchise scoring record with a rout of... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Mark Reynolds homered twice and drove in a career-high 10 runs, Max Scherzer won for the first time since June 5, and the Washington Nationals beat the Miami Marlins 18-4 on Saturday night.Washington has won three straight and scored a combined 35 runs since calling a players-only meeting on Wednesday after falling under .500 for the first time since May 2.Reynolds (5 for 5) tied his career high for hits and equaled the Nationals' RBI record.Scherzer (11-5), who was 0-4 in his previous five starts, pitched seven innings, allowing four runs on four hits — three of which were home runs. The Nationals had been shut out in three of Scherzer's previous five starts.Miami starter Wei-Yin Chen (2-6) lasted 4 1/3 innings, allowing seven runs on seven hits.DODGERS 3, ANGELS 1ANAHEIM, Calif. — Ross Stripling pitched another gem and Justin Turner drove in two runs to lead the Los Angeles Dodgers to a win over the Angels.Stripling (7-2) is making a strong case to make the NL All-Star... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Kyle Gibson recovered from a rough start to throw seven innings, and Max Kepler homered in his second straight game to lead Minnesota past Baltimore 5-4 on Saturday.Bobby Wilson went 2-for-3 with three RBIs for the Twins, who won their third in a row.Gibson (3-6) allowed three runs in the first inning — including a two-run homer by Chris Davis — but only gave up two hits after that while striking out nine. It was Gibson's highest strikeout total since fanning 10 batters on April 26 against the New York Yankees.Kepler's solo shot off Kevin Gausman sparked a three-run fifth that tied it. Wilson's two-run double off Miguel Castro (2-5) in the sixth gave Minnesota the lead for good.The team with baseball's worst record, meanwhile, lost its fifth in the row.Trevor Hildenberger worked a scoreless eighth for the Twins. Jace Peterson's RBI double off Fernando Rodney pulled the Orioles to 5-4, but Rodney got Tim Beckham on a grounder to short to convert his 19th save in 24 chances.CUBS... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Now that fan voting is finished, it's a good time to take a hard look at All-Star Game selections.Which players are worthy of participating July 17 in Washington, and who gets left out?Let's touch on this topic first: Shohei Ohtani is incredibly talented and fascinating to watch, but the Los Angeles Angels' two-way Japanese star simply hasn't been on the field enough to earn a spot. Not at pitcher OR designated hitter.Ohtani just returned to the lineup from an elbow injury that's knocked him off the mound for now. He's only made nine major league pitching starts, and the Angels have limited his at-bats all season due to concerns about the rookie's workload.So while it would definitely be fun to see him in baseball's summer showcase, there are several more deserving American League sluggers at DH. It wouldn't be fair to deny one of them in favor of Ohtani. And he's unavailable to pitch at this point.Let him win his invitation next season with a fully healthy and productive... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Rick Porcello hit a three-run double off former teammate Max Scherzer and pitched six effective innings, leading the Boston Red Sox to a 4-3 victory over the Washington Nationals on Monday night.Porcello got his first career extra-base hit came in the second inning on a 0-2 pitch after the Nationals intentionally walked Jackie Bradley Jr. Porcello drove Scherzer's 96-mph fastball over the head of Juan Soto in left center for his first RBIs since 2009.Scherzer and Porcello were teammates for five seasons with the Detroit Tigers.Porcello (10-3) allowed two runs and seven hits. Craig Kimbrel got four outs for his 25th save.Bryce Harper, Anthony Rendon and Daniel Murphy homered for the Nationals. Scherzer (10-5) struck out nine in six innings.BRAVES 5, YANKEES 3, 11 INNINGSNEW YORK (AP) — Ronald Acuna Jr. hit a two-run homer in the 11th inning that nicked the glove of a leaping Aaron Judge in right field, and the Braves beat the Yankees in a matchup of two of baseball's best... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Rick Porcello hit a three-run double off former teammate Max Scherzer and pitched six effective innings, leading the Boston Red Sox to a 4-3 victory over the Washington Nationals on Monday night.Porcello got his first career extra-base hit came in the second inning on a 0-2 pitch after the Nationals intentionally walked Jackie Bradley Jr. Porcello drove Scherzer's 96-mph fastball over the head of Juan Soto in left center for his first RBIs since 2009.Scherzer and Porcello were teammates for five seasons with the Detroit Tigers.Porcello (10-3) allowed two runs and seven hits. Craig Kimbrel got four outs for his 25th save.Bryce Harper, Anthony Rendon and Daniel Murphy homered for the Nationals. Scherzer (10-5) struck out nine in six innings.BRAVES 5, YANKEES 3, 11 INNINGSNEW YORK (AP) — Ronald Acuna Jr. hit a two-run homer in the 11th inning that nicked the glove of a leaping Aaron Judge in right field, and the Braves beat the Yankees in a matchup of two of baseball's best... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Rick Porcello hit a three-run double off former teammate Max Scherzer and pitched six effective innings, leading the Boston Red Sox to a 4-3 victory over the Washington Nationals on Monday night.Porcello got his first career extra-base hit came in the second inning on a 0-2 pitch after the Nationals intentionally walked Jackie Bradley Jr. Porcello drove Scherzer's 96-mph fastball over the head of Juan Soto in left center for his first RBIs since 2009.Scherzer and Porcello were teammates for five seasons with the Detroit Tigers.Porcello (10-3) allowed two runs and seven hits. Craig Kimbrel got four outs for his 25th save.Bryce Harper, Anthony Rendon and Daniel Murphy homered for the Nationals. Scherzer (10-5) struck out nine in six innings.BRAVES 5, YANKEES 3, 11 INNINGSNEW YORK (AP) — Ronald Acuna Jr. hit a two-run homer in the 11th inning that nicked the glove of a leaping Aaron Judge in right field, and the Braves beat the Yankees in a matchup between the top teams in... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Rick Porcello hit a three-run double off former teammate Max Scherzer and pitched six effective innings, leading the Boston Red Sox to a 4-3 victory over the Washington Nationals on Monday night.Porcello got his first career extra-base hit came in the second inning on a 0-2 pitch after the Nationals intentionally walked Jackie Bradley Jr. Porcello drove Scherzer's 96-mph fastball over the head of Juan Soto in left center for his first RBIs since 2009.Scherzer and Porcello were teammates for five seasons with the Detroit Tigers.Porcello (10-3) allowed two runs and seven hits. Craig Kimbrel got four outs for his 25th save.Bryce Harper, Anthony Rendon and Daniel Murphy homered for the Nationals. Scherzer (10-5) struck out nine in six innings.BRAVES 5, YANKEES 3, 11 INNINGSNEW YORK (AP) — Ronald Acuna Jr. hit a two-run homer in the 11th inning that nicked the glove of a leaping Aaron Judge in right field, and the Braves beat the Yankees in a matchup between the top teams in... [More]

A look at what's happening around baseball today:CHECK HIMThe Chicago Cubs might have further word on Yu Darvish after the Japanese ace said he felt soreness in his troubled triceps tendon following a minor league rehab start. Darvish hasn't pitched in the majors since May 20 because of right triceps tendinitis. He threw five sharp innings for Class A South Bend on Monday, and was set to rejoin the Cubs during their series at Dodger Stadium."In the triceps there's likeliness to get more fatigue there, especially if there's a long gap between innings," he said through a translator. "That's when I feel fatigue there. Not necessarily pain, but I can't for sure say there is nothing going on in the tricep zone."NIMMO NEEDEDThe Mets take a seven-game skid into their game against Pittsburgh, but at least they may get their most productive hitter back. Brandon Nimmo has a sore right pinkie after getting hit by a pitch Sunday, but an MRI showed no broken bones and he is day to day. He didn't start... [More]

A look at what's happening around baseball Tuesday:CHECK HIMThe Chicago Cubs might have further word on Yu Darvish after the Japanese ace said he felt soreness in his troubled triceps tendon following a minor league rehab start. Darvish hasn't pitched in the majors since May 20 because of right triceps tendinitis. He threw five sharp innings for Class A South Bend on Monday, and was set to rejoin the Cubs during their series at Dodger Stadium."In the triceps there's likeliness to get more fatigue there, especially if there's a long gap between innings," he said through a translator. "That's when I feel fatigue there. Not necessarily pain, but I can't for sure say there is nothing going on in the tricep zone."NIMMO NEEDEDThe Mets take a seven-game skid into their game against Pittsburgh, but at least they may get their most productive hitter back. Brandon Nimmo has a sore right pinkie after getting hit by a pitch Sunday, but an MRI showed no broken bones and he is day to day. He didn't start... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Jon Lester won his fifth straight start, Javier Baez backed him with three hits and two runs, and the Chicago Cubs beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-0 on Wednesday.Lester (9-2) gave up five hits over seven innings. Baez had two doubles, a triple and a steal. He also made some solid plays at shortstop and second base.Kyle Schwarber hit his 14th homer, and Kris Bryant added two hits and an RBI. And the Cubs handed Ross Stripling his first loss since April 30, taking two of three in a rematch of the past two NL Championship Series.Lester walked three and struck out one batter. Anthony Bass worked the final two innings to finish the six-hitter.Stripling (6-2) had won six straight starts. The right-hander went six innings, allowing three runs and eight hits while striking out seven without a walk.YANKEES 7, MARINERS 5NEW YORK (AP) — Giancarlo Stanton lined a two-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, and New York erased a five-run deficit to beat Seattle.Gary... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Jon Lester won his fifth straight start, Javier Baez backed him with three hits and two runs, and the Chicago Cubs beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-0 on Wednesday.Lester (9-2) gave up five hits over seven innings. Baez had two doubles, a triple and a steal. He also made some solid plays at shortstop and second base.Kyle Schwarber hit his 14th homer, and Kris Bryant added two hits and an RBI. And the Cubs handed Ross Stripling his first loss since April 30, taking two of three in a rematch of the past two NL Championship Series.Lester walked three and struck out one batter. Anthony Bass worked the final two innings to finish the six-hitter.Stripling (6-2) had won six straight starts. The right-hander went six innings, allowing three runs and eight hits while striking out seven without a walk.YANKEES 7, MARINERS 5NEW YORK (AP) — Giancarlo Stanton lined a two-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, and New York erased a five-run deficit to beat Seattle.Gary... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Jon Lester won his fifth straight start, Javier Baez backed him with three hits and two runs, and the Chicago Cubs beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-0 on Wednesday.Lester (9-2) gave up five hits over seven innings. Baez had two doubles, a triple and a steal. He also made some solid plays at shortstop and second base.Kyle Schwarber hit his 14th homer, and Kris Bryant added two hits and an RBI. And the Cubs handed Ross Stripling his first loss since April 30, taking two of three in a rematch of the past two NL Championship Series.Lester walked three and struck out one batter. Anthony Bass worked the final two innings to finish the six-hitter.Stripling (6-2) had won six straight starts. The right-hander went six innings, allowing three runs and eight hits while striking out seven without a walk.PHILLIES 4, CARDINALS 3PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Odubel Herrera hit a tiebreaking solo homer in the seventh inning, Cesar Hernandez had a two-run shot and Philadelphia beat St. Louis.Herrera ripped... [More]