A look at what's happening around the majors today:KEEP COOLThe Reds and Pirates renew what erupted into one of baseball’s most bitter rivalries last season, with one major change at the top. Long-simmering tensions between the Ohio River rivals over batters getting plunked escalated into a benches-clearing brawl at Great American Ball Park last summer and resulted in Pirates manager Clint Hurdle, Reds manager David Bell and six players suspended. Hurdle was fired after the season and replaced by Derek Shelton. The teams are now set to meet again in Cincinnati.AILING ATLANTANBraves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. will miss the weekend series in Miami because of a sore left wrist.The 2018 NL Rookie of the Year was a late scratch prior to Tuesday’s series opener at Yankee Stadium and was evaluated further Wednesday, revealing inflammation in his wrist.JUDGING BY THE LOOKThe Yankees will see how star Aaron Judge is progressing, a day after he was out of the lineup because of tightness in his lower... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors on Thursday:KEEP COOLThe Reds and Pirates renew what erupted into one of baseball’s most bitter rivalries last season, with one major change at the top. Long-simmering tensions between the Ohio River rivals over batters getting plunked escalated into a benches-clearing brawl at Great American Ball Park last summer and resulted in Pirates manager Clint Hurdle, Reds manager David Bell and six players suspended. Hurdle was fired after the season and replaced by Derek Shelton. The teams are now set to meet again in Cincinnati.AILING ATLANTANBraves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. will miss the weekend series in Miami because of a sore left wrist.The 2018 NL Rookie of the Year was a late scratch prior to Tuesday’s series opener at Yankee Stadium and was evaluated further Wednesday, revealing inflammation in his wrist.JUDGING BY THE LOOKThe Yankees will see how star Aaron Judge is progressing, a day after he was out of the lineup because of tightness in... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors on Thursday:KEEP COOLThe Reds and Pirates renew what erupted into one of baseball’s most bitter rivalries last season, with one major change at the top. Long-simmering tensions between the Ohio River rivals over batters getting plunked escalated into a benches-clearing brawl at Great American Ball Park last summer 31 and resulted in Pirates manager Clint Hurdle, Reds manager David Bell and six players suspended. Hurdle was fired after the season and replaced by Derek Shelton. The teams are now set to meet again in Cincinnati.JUDGING BY THE LOOKThe Yankees will see how star Aaron Judge is progressing, a day after he was out of the lineup because of tightness in his lower body. It’s uncertain whether the oft-injured slugger will be back Friday night for the start of a weekend series against Boston.“Hopefully this is something we’re out ahead of and will only be a couple of days,” manager Aaron Boone said.Judge was leading the majors with nine home... [More]

PITTSBURGH (AP) — A surprising positive COVID-19 test when he arrived at summer camp forced Pittsburgh Pirates closer Keone Kela to get creative to find ways to say in shape. Really creative.With PNC Park off limits while he followed Major League Baseball's health protocols, Kela started riding around the city with a stash of balls, a net and time to kill. He long tossed into a net in the parking lot at the Pittsburgh Zoo. He played “Wall Ball” off the pillars of the Fort Duquesne Bridge. He rolled through the South Side bar district in search of open space to let it rip.“I’ve seen Pittsburgh now during this quarantine,” Kela said with a laugh on Wednesday.The view will change considerably on Thursday for Kela when he joins the injury-ravaged Pirates for a four-game series in Cincinnati. Six Pittsburgh pitchers currently find themselves on the injured list, including relievers Kyle Crick, Clay Holmes and Nick Burdi. The strain on those left has been obvious. The last-place Pirates are 27th... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors today:BLISTERING BLACKMONCharlie Blackmon raised his batting average to an amazing .500 with three more hits in Colorado's 8-7 win over Arizona.After starting out the year 0 for 9, Blackmon has hit in 15 straight games. He’s 34 for 68 through 17 games in the coronavirus-shortened 60-game season.C YOU LATERCleveland is minus two of its top starting pitchers after putting Mike Clevinger and Zach Plesac on the restricted list. The Indians made the moves after the right-handers broke team rules and Major League Baseball protocols by leaving their hotel in Chicago last weekend and risking exposure to the COVID-19 virus.The Indians had implemented a code of conduct for players to follow on road trips, forbidding them from socializing outside of the team’s players and staff.MLB permits teams to use the restricted list for players who are unavailable to play for non-baseball reasons. The players will be paid during their leave and be given service times.... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors Wednesday:BLISTERING BLACKMONCharlie Blackmon raised his batting average to an amazing .500 with three more hits in Colorado's 8-7 win over Arizona.After starting out the year 0 for 9, Blackmon has hit in 15 straight games. He’s 34 for 68 through 17 games in the coronavirus-shortened 60-game season.C YOU LATERCleveland is minus two of its top starting pitchers after putting Mike Clevinger and Zach Plesac on the restricted list. The Indians made the moves after the right-handers broke team rules and Major League Baseball protocols by leaving their hotel in Chicago last weekend and risking exposure to the COVID-19 virus.The Indians had implemented a code of conduct for players to follow on road trips, forbidding them from socializing outside of the team’s players and staff.MLB permits teams to use the restricted list for players who are unavailable to play for non-baseball reasons. The players will be paid during their leave and be given service... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors Wednesday:C YOU LATERCleveland is minus two of its top starting pitchers after putting Mike Clevinger and Zach Plesac on the restricted list. The Indians made the moves after the right-handers broke team rules and Major League Baseball protocols by leaving their hotel in Chicago last weekend and risking exposure to the COVID-19 virus.The Indians had implemented a code of conduct for players to follow on road trips, forbidding them from socializing outside of the team’s players and staff.MLB permits teams to use the restricted list for players who are unavailable to play for non-baseball reasons. The players will be paid during their leave and be given service times. They can come off the list at any time.SIDELINED SLUGGERYankees designated hitter/outfielder Giancarlo Stanton is expected to miss three to four weeks after being diagnosed with a grade 1 left hamstring strain.Manager Aaron Boone says the team is still evaluating the 2017 NL MVP and... [More]

PITTSBURGH (AP) — An unexpected break didn't stop the steady stream of pitchers to the injured list for the Pittsburgh Pirates.The team placed opening day starter Joe Musgrove on the 10-day IL Tuesday with what manager Derek Shelton called a right triceps issue. The Pirates scratched Musgrove (0-3, 6.75 ERA) before Sunday's start against Detroit with what Shelton called an ankle injury.Musgrove is the sixth Pittsburgh pitcher to be placed on the injured list this season. The list includes starter Mitch Keller and relievers Nick Burdi, Clay Holmes, Michael Feliz and Kyle Crick. It doesn't include closer Keone Kela, who has yet to pitch this season after testing positive for COVID-19. The Pirates began the truncated season with starters Jameson Taillon and Chris Archer already out due to injury.Travis Williams will start when Pittsburgh travels to Cincinnati for a four-game series beginning on Thursday. The Pirates were supposed to be in St. Louis on Tuesday, but their three-game set with... [More]

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Joe Musgrove is ready for opening day. Gregory Polanco and Keone Kela are decidedly not.Pittsburgh Pirates first-year manager Derek Shelton announced Friday that Musgrove will be the starter when the Pirates begin the truncated 2020 season in St. Louis on July 24 while Kela and Polanco will likely not be available due to health issues.Kela, slated to be the team's closer, was placed on the injured list on Friday for an undisclosed reason while Polanco is out indefinitely after testing positive for COVID-19. Polanco, the starting right field who hasn't practiced since Monday, gave the team permission to release his name. Shelton said the 28-year-old, who is the longest-tenured player on the roster, is doing well.“He protected his teammates because he put himself in a conversation where he let us know through the protocols and the testing,” Shelton said. “He was not around anybody else. And because of that, with getting a test and finding out that that he was positive, I... [More]

As Major League Baseball cautiously tiptoes closer toward beginning its delayed 2020 season, several teams welcomed back players who might have been exposed to the coronavirus, and the San Francisco Giants resumed workouts Wednesday after finally receiving the results of COVID-19 tests administered over the weekend.The San Diego Padres, however, revealed that newly acquired infielder Jorge Mateo’s intake test for coronavirus came back positive and he’s experienced symptoms. Mateo was obtained last week from Oakland for a player to be named or cash in the first trade since the transaction freeze was lifted.Padres manager Jayce Tingler said Mateo has not been to the ballpark and is self-isolating.San Diego announced last week that outfielder Tommy Pham tested positive for coronavirus and was asymptomatic. He has not yet rejoined the team.In Boston, third baseman Rafael Devers practiced at Fenway Park for the first time since the Red Sox opened summer camp. Devers and an unspecified number... [More]

BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — Keone Kela spent most of 2019 angry. At losing. At his role in the Pittsburgh Pirates bullpen. At the team's coaching and support staffs for what he felt was preferential treatment they gave to some players but not others.While Kela insists that anger did not affect him when he stepped onto the mound, it ate at him nearly everywhere else. He'd been “raised” to be a closer by the Texas Rangers. Yet when arrived in Pittsburgh at the trade deadline in 2018, he found himself “shuffled” to the setup role. The competitor in him found it difficult to handle.“It definitely had me take a step back,” Kela said. “It was kind of a reality check like, 'Don't get it twisted, dude, this is a business.' That was something that definitely struck a chord and that was a big reason, last year, selfishly I didn't come in with the proper mindset."While Kela pitched well — going 2-0 with a 2.12 ERA in 32 appearances — it was hardly a smooth ride. Right shoulder inflammation cost him two... [More]

BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — The smile never seemed to leave Derek Shelton’s face as he walked from one practice field to another while watching the Pittsburgh Pirates’ pitchers and catchers go through their first spring training workout.Shelton was hired as general manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates on Nov. 27. However, it didn’t feel quite real until Wednesday.“It was cool,” said Shelton, with a smile. “I’ve been waiting a long time to be out here. It was a little bit emotional.”Shelton spent the previous 15 seasons as a coach with the Cleveland Indians, Tampa Bay Rays and Minnesota Twins. He was Rocco Baldelli’s bench coach last year when Minnesota won the AL Central. Shelton replaces Clint Hurdle, who was fired on the final day of last season after a nine-year tenure. The Pirates had a 69-93 record and finished last in the NL Central for the first time since 2010.The first day was even more special for Shelton with father Ron watching the workout from along one of the foul lines. Ron Shelton... [More]

A team-by-team look at the National League Central 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:___St. Louis CardinalsManager: Mike Shildt (third season). 2019: 91-71, first place, lost to Nationals in NLCS.Training Town: Jupiter, Florida.Park: Roger Dean Stadium.First Workout: Feb. 12/17. He's Here: LHP Matthew Liberatore, C Matt Wieters, LHP Kwang-Hyun Kim.He's Outta Here: OF Marcell Ozuna, RF Jose Martinez, LF Randy Arozarena, RHP Dominic Leone.Going campin': The Cardinals return largely intact after getting swept in the NLCS by World Series champion Washington. The biggest competition throughout the spring will be in the outfield, where only Dexter Fowler has a position locked up — mostly because of his contract. Center fielder Harrison Bader probably has another spot under control, and that leaves Tyler O'Neill, Lane Thomas and top prospect Dylan Carlson competing for the last... [More]

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pirates’ leadership overhaul is complete.Pittsburgh hired longtime major league coach Derek Shelton as manager on Wednesday, the final piece of a new-look leadership following a last-place finish in the NL Central. Shelton replaces Clint Hurdle, who was fired on the final day of the regular season.“We are confident Derek will help lead an elite playing and coaching environment at the major league level and be a true partner to all of baseball operations as we challenge each other to get better every day,” Pittsburgh general manager Ben Cherington said in a statement.Shelton was the third high-profile hire by the Pirates since the end of a 69-93 season marred by issues both on and off the field. Travis Williams replaced Frank Coonelly as president in October. The team brought in Cherington this month after Neal Huntington was let go after 12 years on the job.Shelton filled the eighth and final manager vacancy, joining Joe Maddon (Los Angeles Angels), Joe Girardi (Philadelphia),... [More]

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pirates’ leadership overhaul is complete.Pittsburgh hired longtime major league coach Derek Shelton as manager on Wednesday, the final piece of a new-look leadership following a last-place finish in the NL Central. Shelton replaces Clint Hurdle, who was fired on the final day of the regular season.“We are confident Derek will help lead an elite playing and coaching environment at the major league level and be a true partner to all of baseball operations as we challenge each other to get better every day,” Pittsburgh general manager Ben Cherington said in a statement.Shelton was the third high-profile hire by the Pirates since the end of a 69-93 season marred by issues both on and off the field. Travis Williams replaced Frank Coonelly as president in October. The team brought in Cherington this month after Neal Huntington was let go after 12 years on the job.Shelton filled the eighth and final manager vacancy, joining Joe Maddon (Los Angeles Angels), Joe Girardi (Philadelphia),... [More]

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Ben Cherington earned three World Series rings with the Boston Red Sox, the last as general manager of the 2013 club that raced from worst to first.The challenge that lies ahead for Cherington with the Pittsburgh Pirates will be different.The market is smaller. So are the resources Cherington can draw from. The chance to supplement the major league roster with expensive free agents — as Cherington did in Boston — likely will not exist. Yet the 45-year-old does not appear to be intimidated by the financial realities his new job presents. Two decades in the business have taught him that while budgets may vary, the tenets of successful teams do not.“Obviously the bigger the payroll, it gives you more margin for error on certain types of decisions,” Cherington said Monday, when the Pirates announced he had been hired to succeed Neal Huntington. “But if you peel back in Boston and what really drove winning, I think, in most of the best years was really good work in scouting... [More]

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Frank Coonelly's 12-year run as president of the Pittsburgh Pirates is over after another losing season.The club announced Wednesday that it is parting ways with Coonelly effective immediately. The team said Coonelly's replacement will be introduced on Monday.He helped oversee a brief renaissance that resulted in three straight playoff berths from 2013-15.Coonelly said he understood that "change was necessary" following a stunning second-half collapse in which the Pirates went 25-48 and plummeted to last in the NL Central. The team dismissed manager Clint Hurdle on the final day of the regular season."Frank and I both agreed that it was clear a change in the day-to-day leadership of the club is needed," Pirates chairman Bob Nutting said in a statement. "This leadership transition gives us the opportunity to refresh our entire operations."The Pirates have fallen off the pace in recent years, finishing below .500 in three of the last four seasons.The freefall included a number of off-the-field incidents this season, including the arrest of All-Star closer Felipe Vázquez on felony charges relating to an improper sexual relationship with an underage girl.Relievers Keone Kela and Kyle Crick were suspended after heated arguments with staff members.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Jameson Taillon didn't throw a pitch after May 1. Felipe Vázquez headed to his second All-Star Game in July. By September, he was in jail . Clint Hurdle, who spearheaded a renaissance earlier in the decade, went into the last day of a lost season talking enthusiastically about the future. Two hours later, he was out of a job .Maybe it was a fitting way for the Pittsburgh Pirates to end a 69-93 campaign, one final bout of turbulence in a year when the sailing was rarely smooth. While general manager Neal Huntington talked about the need for a "new voice" heading into 2020, the club the new manager will inherit believes the worst is over."If we can get through all the stuff that's happened this year, all the losses, all the troubles, all the crazy stuff that happened, this is what we call the storm," pitcher Steven Brault said. "So if we can weather the storm and still be as together as we are, I think we're all looking forward to next year."Hard to blame them. Trevor Williams... [More]

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Clint Hurdle's booming voice and unrelenting optimism helped shake the Pittsburgh Pirates out of two decades of misery. His charisma gave the moribund franchise an identity, one that reconnected the franchise with a fan base worn down by years of losing.Yet over the years, as the core that led the team to three straight playoff berths from 2013-15 vanished with trades, retirement and the pursuit of financial riches elsewhere, that optimism started to fly in the face of reality. Pittsburgh fell off the pace after winning 98 games in 2015, and as players shuffled in and out, the giddiness of those three intoxicating years of contention faded.When Hurdle arrived for work on Sunday for Pittsburgh's regular season finale against Cincinnati, the Pirates were assured of their worst record since 2011, his first season on the job. By the time Trevor Williams threw the first pitch to José Peraza, Hurdle already was headed home, his nine seasons in Pittsburgh over following a stunning... [More]

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pirates fired manager Clint Hurdle before Sunday's regular season finale against Cincinnati following a stunning second-half collapse that dropped Pittsburgh to the bottom of the National League Central and included a series of off-the-field issues.Pittsburgh entered Sunday 69-92, including 25-47 since the All-Star break.Hurdle went 735-720 in nine seasons with Pittsburgh, helping the franchise emerge from 20 years of losing to reach the playoffs three straight years from 2013-15. The Pirates never advanced past the Division Series and are assured of a third losing season in their last four years. Hurdle had two years left on an extension he signed in 2017.Pittsburgh general manager Neal Huntington called it "an extremely difficult decision" for the organization."We've all fallen short," Huntington said. "We all haven't done what we needed to do to not have this day. Clint's tenure here should be celebrated. He was the absolute right man at the right time. He walked... [More]