ATLANTA (AP) — The slumping New York Mets have placed pitcher Jeurys Familia on the 10-day injured list and optioned pitcher Drew Gagnon to Triple-A Syracuse.Familia went on the IL Tuesday with a bone spur in his right shoulder, one day after giving up three runs while recording only one out in a 12-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves. Gagnon followed Familia to the mound and didn't fare much better, surrendering four runs on five hits and three walks in 1 1/3 innings.Gagnon departed for the minors with a 7.65 ERA in 15 games. Familia has a 7.81 ERA in 29 appearances out of New York's dismal bullpen.The Mets selected the contract of right-hander Stephen Nogosek from Triple-A and recalled lefty Daniel Zamora from Syracuse. The moves were announced before the second of three games against the first-place Braves.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ATLANTA (AP) — The slumping New York Mets have placed pitcher Jeurys Familia on the 10-day injured list and optioned pitcher Drew Gagnon to Triple-A Syracuse.Familia went on the IL Tuesday with a bone spur in his right shoulder, one day after giving up three runs while recording only one out in a 12-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves. Gagnon followed Familia to the mound and didn't fare much better, surrendering four runs on five hits and three walks in 1 1/3 innings.Gagnon departed for the minors with a 7.65 ERA in 15 games. Familia has a 7.81 ERA in 29 appearances out of New York's dismal bullpen.The Mets selected the contract of right-hander Stephen Nogosek from Triple-A and recalled lefty Daniel Zamora from Syracuse. The moves were announced before the second of three games against the first-place Braves.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — Desperate for help in a failing bullpen, the New York Mets acquired reliever Brooks Pounders from the Cleveland Indians for cash on Saturday.Pounders, who had been pitching at Triple-A Columbus, was immediately added to the major league roster. The Mets (33-36) also recalled right-hander Chris Flexen from Triple-A Syracuse and put him in the bullpen against St. Louis as well.Right-hander Tim Peterson was optioned to Syracuse, and veteran lefty Hector Santiago was designated for assignment.In other news, the Mets signed first-round draft pick Brett Baty, a 19-year-old third baseman out of Lake Travis High School in Texas. He received a $3.9 million bonus, below the slot value of $4,366,400 for being the 12th overall selection.New York began the night 16 for 32 in save chances, the most blown saves in the majors. The bullpen's 5.23 ERA ranked 25th out of 30 teams, and the struggling relief corps was 1-6 with a 9.28 ERA in 16 games since May 27.Dating to May 21, the Mets had... [More]

SAN DIEGO (AP) — With two starters ailing, the New York Mets made a flurry of moves Monday to replenish their banged-up pitching staff.First, the team obtained right-hander Wilmer Font from the Tampa Bay Rays for a player to be named or cash. Hours later, the Mets placed left-hander Jason Vargas on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring injury and recalled right-hander Corey Oswalt from Triple-A Syracuse.New York also activated lefty reliever Justin Wilson from the 10-day IL and optioned right-hander Tim Peterson to Syracuse. Two relievers remain on the injured list: Jeurys Familia with a sore shoulder, and Luis Avila?n with a tender elbow.The moves came before the Mets opened a three-game series against the Padres.In addition, manager Mickey Callaway said starter Steven Matz had an injection of cortisone and lidocaine after being sent back to New York to have a forearm nerve issue examined. Matz won't be able to throw for a few days and the left-hander will rejoin the club when... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Mets have obtained right-hander Wilmer Font from the Tampa Bay Rays for a player to be named or cash.The 28-year-old was 1-0 with a 5.79 ERA in 10 appearances, striking out 18 in 14 innings.New York has three relievers on the injured list: Jeurys Familia with shoulder soreness, and Luis Avila?n and Justin Wilson due to elbow soreness.Font is 3-3 with a 6.51 ERA in five starts and 32 relief appearances over five seasons for Texas, the Los Angeles Dodgers, Oakland and Tampa Bay.New York announced the trade Monday. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Mets transferred outfielder Yoenis Céspedes to the 60-day injured list.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — Jeurys Familia hasn't been very effective in his return to the New York Mets. Now he won't be available for a while, either.The struggling reliever was placed on the 10-day injured list Wednesday because of a sore right shoulder, one day after blowing a save chance against Cincinnati. Familia coughed up a two-run lead in the ninth inning Tuesday night and informed the Mets his shoulder was bothering him the following morning, manager Mickey Callaway said.The right-hander had an MRI that came back "fairly clean," according to Callaway, and was given a cortisone injection. Callaway said Familia does have a Bennett lesion, basically a bone spur, that he's dealt with for years and flares up on him occasionally."That's probably what he's feeling," Callaway said.General manager Brodie Van Wagenen said the injection "hopefully should take care of it.""I don't have real long-term concern. Every time you put a player on the IL, you have to hold your breath to a degree. But I think... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — CC Sabathia became the 17th player in major league history and third left-hander to reach 3,000 career strikeouts, but was outpitched by Arizona ace Zack Greinke in the Diamondbacks' 3-1 win over the New York Yankees Tuesday night.Sabathia (1-1) arrived in the desert needing three strikeouts to hit 3,000 and got them all in the third inning.The milestone whiff came when he got John Ryan Murphy swinging, sending the Yankees pouring out of the dugout.Sabathia became the first pitcher to reach 3,000 strikeouts since Atlanta's John Smoltz in 2008, and joined Randy Johnson and Steve Carlton as the only lefties to do it.Wilmer Flores hit a solo homer and a run-scoring single off Sabathia. He allowed two runs and five hits, and struck out five before being lifted with two on and one out in the sixth inning.Greinke (5-1) won his fifth straight game. He allowed one run in 7 2/3 innings.BREWERS 4, ROCKIES 3MILWAUKEE (AP) — Jesus Aguilar homered again and Milwaukee broke through late... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — CC Sabathia became the 17th player in major league history and third left-hander to reach 3,000 career strikeouts, but was outpitched by Arizona ace Zack Greinke in the Diamondbacks' 3-1 win over the New York Yankees Tuesday night.Sabathia (1-1) arrived in the desert needing three strikeouts to hit 3,000 and got them all in the third inning.The milestone whiff came when he got John Ryan Murphy swinging, sending the Yankees pouring out of the dugout.Sabathia became the first pitcher to reach 3,000 strikeouts since Atlanta's John Smoltz in 2008, and joined Randy Johnson and Steve Carlton as the only lefties to do it.Wilmer Flores hit a solo homer and a run-scoring single off Sabathia. He allowed two runs and five hits, and struck out five before being lifted with two on and one out in the sixth inning.Greinke (5-1) won his fifth straight game. He allowed one run on five hits in 7 2/3 innings.BREWERS 4, ROCKIES 3MILWAUKEE (AP) — Jesus Aguilar homered again and Milwaukee, held... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Jesus Aguilar homered again and the Milwaukee Brewers, held without a runner for five innings, broke through late and beat the Colorado Rockies 4-3 on Tuesday night.Jhoulys Chacin pitched six scoreless innings for the Brewers. Milwaukee has won 12 of its last 14 against Colorado, including a sweep in last season's NL Division Series.The Brewers again played without NL MVP Christian Yelich, who sat out with lower back soreness for the second straight game.German Marquez (3-2) took a perfect game into the sixth before surrendering a leadoff double to Ben Gamel that hit left fielder Raimel Tapia's glove. Gamel later scored.Chacin (3-3) allowed just two hits over six innings.Josh Hader got two outs for his seventh save in as many tries despite giving up a two-out, two-run homer to Ian Desmond in the ninth.ASTROS 11, TWINS 0MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Gerrit Cole allowed one hit in seven innings, and Houston backed him with three homers.Cole (2-4) gave up his only hit in the sixth inning... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — Carson Kelly drilled a single into the left field corner, scoring Nick Ahmed with two outs in the ninth inning to lift the Arizona Diamondbacks over the struggling Boston Red Sox 5-4 Saturday night.Boston has dropped three straight and fell to 2-8 overall, a lousy start to their World Series championship defense.Colten Brewer (0-1) allowed consecutive singles to Eduardo Escobar, Ahmed and Kelly in the ninth. Right fielder Mookie Betts threw out Escobar at home on Ahmed's hit, but Kelly's rip to left allowed Ahmed to score easily.Kelly had two hits and three RBIs. The walkoff knock was the first of his career.Greg Holland (1-0) pitched a scoreless top of the ninth.PADRES 6, CARDINALS 4ST. LOUIS (AP) — Austin Hedges and Manny Machado each hit a two-run homer off Andrew Miller in the eighth inning, helping San Diego beat St. Louis for its third consecutive win.Fernando Tatis Jr. opened the eighth with a walk and Hedges followed with a go-ahead drive over the wall on in left.... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Domingo German overcame control problems on a chilly night to win for the first time since last June, Gary Sanchez and Brett Gardner homered and the banged-up New York Yankees beat the punchless Detroit Tigers 3-1 Monday.Aaron Judge made a sprawling, backhand catch on Niko Goodrum's hard-hit liner after Adam Ottavino walked the first two batters in the eighth inning, a drive that would have tied the score if it had gotten by the right fielder.New York lost two more regulars to the 10-day injured list before the game after they got hurt a day earlier, outfielder Giancarlo Stanton with a strained left biceps and third baseman Miguel Andujar with a small labrum tear in his right shoulder.Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Andujar, runner-up for AL Rookie of the Year last season, will be treated conservatively with a rehab program and there is some optimism he will respond well. But if not, he could need season-surgery.They joined a group of sidelined Yankees that includes pitchers... [More]

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Forget about this bullpen obsession for a moment. Believe it or not, plenty of big league teams are still anchored by well-armed rotations.In this age of openers and closers, with relievers starting games and starters rarely finishing them, it might seem starting pitchers have been devalued by executives all over baseball.Dallas Keuchel, the 2015 AL Cy Young Award winner, is a 31-year-old free agent still looking for a job. Same for fellow lefty Gio Gonzalez, a two-time All-Star one season removed from going 15-9 with a 2.96 ERA in 201 innings.Meanwhile, short relievers like Zack Britton ($39 million), Jeurys Familia ($30 million), Kelvin Herrera ($18 million) and Joakim Soria ($15 million) had no trouble getting multiyear deals this winter.Doesn't anyone remember what Koufax and Drysdale did for the Dodgers?Maddux, Glavine and Smoltz with the Braves?"At the end of the day, your starting staff is the backbone of your team," Washington ace Max Scherzer said.... [More]

A team-by-team look at the American League West entering spring training, including key players each club acquired and lost, and dates of the first workout for pitchers and catchers, and the full squad:___Houston AstrosManager: AJ Hinch (fifth season).2018: 103-59, first place, lost to Boston in ALCS.Training Town: West Palm Beach, Florida.Park: Ballpark of the Palm Beaches.First Workout: Feb. 14/18.He's Here: OF Michael Brantley, C Robinson Chirinos, LHP Wade Miley, INF Aledmys Diaz.He's Outta Here: INF-OF Marwin Gonzalez, LHP Dallas Keuchel, RHP Charlie Morton, DH Evan Gattis, LHP Tony Sipp, C Brian McCann, C Martin Maldonado.Going campin': The Astros won a franchise-record 103 games last season and reached the ALCS. But mounting injuries and inconsistent play led to their elimination by Boston in five games and kept them from repeating as champions after winning their first World Series title in 2017. Houston returns aces Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole, who are both coming off great... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The timetable for Yoenis Cespedes' return to the New York Mets will remain an unanswered question until after opening day.The 33-year-old outfielder was limited to 38 games last year. Dr. Robert Anderson operated to remove bone calcification from Cespedes' right heel on Aug. 2 and from the left on Oct. 26.New Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen, Cespedes' former agent, has said it is too early to prognosticate when the All-Star slugger will be back in the lineup."I don't think we'll have an idea during spring training," Van Wagenen said on a sun-splashed, spring-like Monday while watching the team's equipment truck leave for spring training. "I think that our expectation is that he can make progress every day, that we build him up in a smart fashion, that we're not taxing him too soon, and we want to make sure that he's 100 percent healthy when he comes back, whenever that day is."Originally acquired from Detroit at the 2015 trade deadline, Cespedes hit .287 with 17... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press that left-hander Justin Wilson and the New York Mets have agreed to a $10 million, two-year contract.The person spoke on condition of anonymity Friday because the agreement was subject to a successful physical.Wilson will get $5 million annually and also can earn performance bonuses.A 31-year-old reliever, Wilson was 4-5 with a 3.46 ERA last season for the Chicago Cubs. He struck out 69 and walked 33 in 54 2/3 innings. Primarily a fastball pitcher who averages 95 mph, he also throws occasional sliders.New York has rebuilt its bullpen under new general manager Brodie Van Wagenen, acquiring All-Star closer Edwin Diaz from Seattle and signing former closer Jeurys Familia, traded by New York to Oakland last summer. The Mets also agreed to minor league contracts with left-handers Hector Santiago and Luis Avilan.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — Jed Lowrie would rather talk about wine than whine.The infielder visited Citi Field on Wednesday after finalizing a $20 million, two-year contract with the New York Mets, likely less money and a shorter term than he would have gotten before the free-agent market for solid-but-less-than-stellar veterans buckled a year ago."I think that argument could be made," he said. "But you deal in reality, and so I'm excited to be a Met."A switch-hitter who turns 35 in April, Lowrie and is coming off his first All-Star appearance. In his 11th major league season, Lowrie set career highs last year for Oakland with 23 homers, 99 RBIs, 78 walks and 128 strikeouts, hitting .267."He's a big wine connoisseur. He gets better with age like many of the wines that he collects," said new Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen, Lowrie's former agent.Lowrie, wife Milessa, daughter Saige and son Miles likely will live in New York City, possibly in Brooklyn. They have homes in Houston and his hometown... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Free agent infielder Jed Lowrie and the New York Mets have finalized a $20 million, two-year contract.A switch-hitter who turns 35 in April, Lowrie and is coming off his first All-Star season."We are really fortunate and thrilled that Jed bought what we were selling," new Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen said Wednesday.Lowrie played mostly second base for the Oakland Athletics during the past three seasons. Van Wagenen says he will play second, shortstop and third for the Mets, who acquired All-Star second baseman Robinson Cano from Seattle last month"He's going to be in our lineup virtually every day," Van Wagenen said.Lowrie is the fifth All-Star added by the Mets this offseason, following Cano, closer Edwin Diaz, catcher Wilson Ramos and reliever Jeurys Familia, traded to Oakland last summer and then re-signed by New York as a free agent.Like Cano, he used to be represented by Van Wagenen, co-head of CAA Baseball before he became New York's general manager in October.... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Free agent infielder Jed Lowie and the New York Mets have finalized a $20 million, two-year contract.A switch-hitter who turns 35 in April, Lowrie and is coming off his first All-Star season."We are really fortunate and thrilled that Jed bought what we were selling," new Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen said Wednesday.Lowrie played mostly second base for the Oakland Athletics during the past three seasons. Van Wagenen says he will play second, shortstop and third for the Mets, who acquired All-Star second baseman Robinson Cano from Seattle last month"He's going to be in our lineup virtually every day," Van Wagenen said.Lowrie is the fifth All-Star added by the Mets this offseason, following Cano, closer Edwin Diaz, catcher Wilson Ramos and reliever Jeurys Familia, traded to Oakland last summer and then re-signed by New York as a free agent.Like Cano, he used to be represented by Van Wagenen, co-head of CAA Baseball before he became New York's general manager in October.... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press that free agent infielder Jed Lowie and the New York Mets have agreed to a $20 million, two-year contract.The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Thursday because the agreement is subject to a successful physical.Lowrie is a switch-hitter who turns 35 in April and is coming off his first All-Star season.He set career highs with 23 homers and 99 RBIs last year for Oakland, hitting .267. While he played mostly second base for the Athletics during the past three seasons, he figures to see time at third and first with the Mets, who acquired second baseman Robinson Cano from Seattle.Lowrie is the fifth All-Star added by the Mets this offseason, following Cano, closer Edwin Diaz, catcher Wilson Ramos and reliever Jeurys Familia, traded to Oakland last summer and then re-signed by New York as a free agent.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Mets acquired outfielder Keon Broxton from the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday, giving them a center field option in addition to Juan Lagares.The Mets sent reliever Bobby Wahl to the Brewers along with a pair of minor leaguers, right-handed reliever Adam Hill and infielder Felix Valerio.Broxton had four home runs, 11 RBIs and a .179 batting average in 51 games for Milwaukee last season. While he stole 23 bases in 2016 and 21 the following year, he swiped just five last season. A right-handed batter, he hit 20 homers in 2017 but struck out 175 times.Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen called the 28-year-old Broxton a "dynamic athlete with the ability to impact the game in the outfield, on the bases and with his bat."Lagares had little depth behind him on the roster, with corner outfielders Michael Conforto and Brandon Nimmo his likely backups in center before the trade. Yoenis Cespedes is recovering from surgery on both heels and New York is not certain when... [More]