TORONTO (AP) — The Houston Astros clinched another AL West title and reached 100 wins for the second straight season, beating the Toronto Blue Jays 4-1 Tuesday night behind Alex Bregman's two-run homer.Houston improved to 100-57 and was assured of first place hours later when second-place Oakland (95-63) lost at Seattle. The Astros will open the Division Series at home against Cleveland on Oct. 5.The Astros need three wins in their final five games to break the franchise record for victories in a season, set in 1998.Houston is 18-4 in September and 54-22 on the road, both best in the major leagues.Roberto Osuna needed just six pitches in the ninth for his 20th save in 21 chances. Earlier Tuesday, assault charges against Osuna were dropped because the complainant, who lives in Mexico, made clear she would not travel to Toronto to testify.Josh James (2-0) allowed one run and four hits in five innings in his third big league start.Bregman went 2 for 5 and extended his club-record streak of... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Mookie Betts homered on the second pitch in the bottom of the 10th inning to give the Boston Red Sox a 4-3 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Friday night.Betts' first career game-ending homer capped a wild last few innings. The Twins rallied from a 2-1 deficit to take a one-run lead in the top of the ninth. Rafael Devers hit a leadoff homer in the bottom of the inning to force extras. Betts drove Matt Belisle's first pitch of the night over the Green Monster setting off a celebration to end a hot, muggy night at Fenway Park.Betts' teammates cooled him off by dousing him with a cooler full of ice water when the All-Start right fielder stepped out of the dugout for a curtain call.Belisle (1-1) faced only Betts, who ended it with his 25th homer of the season. Tyler Thornburg (1-0) held the Twins scoreless in the 10th after Craig Kimbrel blew a shot at his 33rd save in the ninth.Eddie Rosario hit a two-run double with two outs in the ninth to give Minnesota its first lead.Jackie... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Trea Turner hit two homers, including his first career grand slam, and drove in eight runs to help the Washington Nationals rally from a nine-run deficit and defeat the Miami Marlins 14-12 in a wild slugfest Thursday night to end a five-game losing streak.The Nationals, who dropped 17 of their previous 22, have won 12 consecutive games against Miami dating to last season — their longest winning streak against any team since the franchise moved to Washington in 2005.The victory came a day after the Nationals called a players-only meeting Wednesday after Washington was swept by Boston and slipped under .500 for the first time since May 2. Turner's eight RBIs tied for the most ever by a leadoff hitter, according to STATS LLC.Shawn Kelley (1-0) pitched a scoreless sixth for the win. Sean Doolittle earned his 22nd save in 23 opportunities.Adam Conley (2-1) allowed five runs in 2/3 of an inning and took the loss.RANGERS 7, TIGERS 5DETROIT — Joey Gallo and Ronald Guzman homered... [More]

SEATTLE (AP) — The Mariners placed starting catcher Mike Zunino on the 10-day disabled list Thursday due to a bruised left ankle.Manager Scott Servais said Zunino rolled his ankle running the bases late in Seattle's 7-4 loss Wednesday to the Los Angeles Angels.Zunino was immediately sent in for X-rays on Thursday, and had his foot immobilized in a boot in the clubhouse before the series finale."It's not good news," Servais said.Chris Herrmann takes over as the starting catcher, and David Freitas was recalled from Triple-A Tacoma to serve as the backup.Zunino is batting .189 with 12 home runs and 29 RBIs this season. He is just 2 for 13 during the Mariners' current homestand, but came on as a pinch hitter Wednesday, and got a hit and walked.Zunino spent three weeks on the DL earlier in the season with a strained left oblique.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

SEATTLE (AP) — The Mariners have activated right-handed reliever Juan Nicasio from the 10-day disabled list as they continue to add options in their bullpen.Nicasio and catcher Chris Herrmann were added to the 25-man roster on Monday ahead of a road trip against the New York Yankees and Boston that begins on Tuesday. Seattle optioned right-hander Rob Whalen and catcher David Freitas to Triple-A Tacoma.Nicasio was one of Seattle's big offseason additions to the bullpen. He was placed on the DL on June 8 with a right knee injury. His results to that point had been mixed, with an eight-game stretch of not allowing a run in late May and early June, followed by giving up four runs without retiring a batter in his previous outing on June 6 against Houston. Nicasio has appeared in 30 games and has a 5.34 ERA.Herrmann was returned from a rehab assignment at Tacoma after suffering a strained oblique in late May. He appeared in one game with Seattle before getting hurt.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Saying he's not disappointed about being passed over as Arizona's opening day starter, Robbie Ray dominated a minor league game in his final spring training appearance on Sunday. And with that, he pronounced himself ready to build on his breakout 15-win season of a year ago.Ray struck out 12 with no walks in 6 1-3 innings against Colorado players from the high Class A ranks. He allowed two runs on five hits, including a two-run homer. He threw 86 pitches.Ray said his command was "really good.""Obviously it's tough when you go and play guys (on the back field) to get the adrenalin going, the same atmosphere that you're going to encounter in a big league game," he said, "but it went really well."When manager Torey Lovullo announced last week that Zack Greinke would not be ready to start on opening day, the obvious choice to replace him would've seemed to be Ray. Greinke was 17-7 with a 3.20 ERA and 215 strikeouts in 32 starts last season — Ray was 15-5 with a 2.89... [More]

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — An even quieter than usual Zack Greinke declared his return to the mound Wednesday as simply "all right."The Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander threw 60 pitches in an intrasquad game on a back field at the team's spring training facility.It was the first time Greinke had thrown in a game situation since he left a spring training game a week earlier after feeling tightness in his right groin. He recorded eight outs, allowing one run and three hits with three walks and three strikeouts. Greinke threw 34 strikes. The only major league batter he faced was Chris Herrmann, who walked twice.Generally a man of few words, Greinke was especially short when he met with reporters after."My groin's pretty good at the moment," he said of his health issue.Manager Torey Lovullo said the team got what it needed from Greinke in his return."He threw all his pitches. They weren't perfect. We know that," Lovullo said. "And Zack is exceptional with all pitches. So was it a typical Zack... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — There isn't a lot new to the Arizona Diamondbacks this spring, with a couple of notable exceptions.J.D. Martinez won't be in the outfield and the Diamondbacks need a closer.Still, there should be plenty of optimism when the team reports to the Scottsdale, Arizona, training facility, with the entire rotation and pretty much every position player returning from the team that won 93 games, earned the top NL Wild Card spot and beat Colorado in the Wild Card game before being swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS.The glaring omission from last year's team is Martinez, who probably slugged his way well out of the Diamondbacks' price range with his half-season in Arizona following a trade with Detroit. Martinez is among the many free agents yet to sign a deal.Torey Lovullo, named National League manager of the year for his work in his first season in Arizona, has to determine who his team's closer will be. Fernando Rodney is gone, and an intriguing possibility is for the... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — There isn't a lot new to the Arizona Diamondbacks this spring, with a couple of notable exceptions.J.D. Martinez won't be in the outfield and the Diamondbacks need a closer.Still, there should be plenty of optimism when the team reports to the Scottsdale, Arizona, training facility, with the entire rotation and pretty much every position player returning from the team that won 93 games, earned the top NL Wild Card spot and beat Colorado in the Wild Card game before being swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS.The glaring omission from last year's team is Martinez, who probably slugged his way well out of the Diamondbacks' price range with his half-season in Arizona following a trade with Detroit. Martinez is among the many free agents yet to sign a deal.Lovullo, named National League manager of the year for his work in his first season in Arizona, has to determine who his team's closer will be. Fernando Rodney is gone, and an intriguing possibility is for the team's... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — The Arizona Diamondbacks have finalized an $8.25 million, two-year contract with free agent catcher Alex Avila.Avila fills a roster spot vacated by Chris Iannetta, who shared the catching duties last year and left for an $8.5 million, two-year deal with Colorado.The 31-year-old Avila, a son of Detroit general manager Al Avila, hit .264 with 14 homers and 49 RBIs last year for the Tigers and Chicago Cubs, who acquired him at the July 31 trade deadline. He is a .243 hitter in nine major league seasons.Avila gets $4 million this year and $4.25 million in 2019. He can earn an additional $250,000 annually in performance bonuses based on plate appearances: $25,000 each for 350 and 400, $50,000 apiece for 450 and 500 and $100,000 for 550Avila said the deal came together over the last two weeks."Essentially the first thing that popped into mind was how talented of a team they had," Avila said.Avila joins Jeff Mathis and Chris Herrmann as the Diamondbacks' catchers.Arizona opened... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — The Arizona Diamondbacks have finalized an $8.25 million, two-year contract with free agent catcher Alex Avila.Avila fills a roster spot vacated by Chris Iannetta, who shared the catching duties last year and left for an $8.5 million, two-year deal with Colorado.The 31-year-old Avila, a son of Detroit general manager Al Avila, hit .264 with 14 homers and 49 RBIs last year for the Tigers and Chicago Cubs, who acquired him at the July 31 trade deadline. He is a .243 hitter in nine major league seasons.Avila, speaking in a conference call Wednesday evening, said the deal came together over the last two weeks, and he likes the makeup of the team he is joining."Essentially the first thing that popped into mind was how talented of a team they had," Avila said.Avila joins Jeff Mathis and Chris Herrmann as the Diamondbacks' catchers.Arizona opened a roster spot by designating outfielder Rey Fuentes for assignment Wednesday.Avila said he has no problem sharing the catching duties."It... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — The Arizona Diamondbacks have finalized an $8.25 million, two-year contract with free agent catcher Alex Avila.Avila fills a roster spot vacated by Chris Iannetta, who shared the catching duties last year and left for an $8.5 million, two-year deal with Colorado.The 31-year-old Avila, a son of Detroit general manager Al Avila, hit .264 with 14 homers and 49 RBIs last year for the Tigers and Chicago Cubs, who acquired him at the July 31 trade deadline. He is a .243 hitter in nine major league seasons.Avila joins Jeff Mathis and Chris Herrmann as the Diamondbacks' catchers.Arizona opened a roster spot by designating outfielder Rey Fuentes for assignment on Wednesday.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

PHOENIX (AP) — A person with knowledge of the agreement says catcher Alex Avila has signed a two-year, $8.25 million contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks.The person asked to remain anonymous because the signing has not been officially announced by the team.The 31-year-old Avila fills a roster spot vacated by catcher Chris Iannetta, who signed with Colorado after spending last season sharing the Arizona catching duties.Last season, Avila hit .264 with 14 home runs and 49 RBIs with the Detroit Tigers and Chicago Cubs. He is a career .243 hitter in nine major league seasons and is the son of Tigers general manager Al Avila.Avila joins Jeff Mathis and Chris Herrmann as the team's catchers going into spring training.

PHOENIX (AP) — The Arizona Diamondbacks have reached one-year deals with center fielder A.J. Pollock, third baseman Jake Lamb and starters Robbie Ray and Taijuan Walker, avoiding salary arbitration with them and several other players.Right-hander Shelby Miller was the only Arizona player left in salary arbitration, asking for $4.9 million and being offered $4.7 million as the sides exchanged figures Friday. He lost in arbitration last year, getting $4.7 million instead of the $5.1 million he sought.The 30-year-old Pollock will get $7.75 million, up from the $6.75 million he made last season while hitting .266 with 14 home runs and 49 RBIs. An All-Star in 2015, he missed nearly the entire 2016 season after breaking his elbow in a headfirst slide at home plate near the end of spring training.Lamb received a $4,275,000 contract, Ray got $3.95 million and Walker received $4,825,000.Also reaching deals were left-handed reliever Andrew Chafin for $1,195,000; right-hander Brian Boxberger at $1.85... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — Left-hander Patrick Corbin and the Arizona Diamondbacks avoided salary arbitration by agreeing to a $7.5 million, one-year contract.The 28-year-old was 14-13 with a 4.03 ERA last season and made $3.95 million.He has a 45-47 record with a 4.13 ERA in five seasons with the Diamondbacks. After going 14-8 with a 3.41 ERA and making the All-Star Game in 2013, he missed 2014 and part of 2015 after Tommy John surgery.Corbin was among 12 Diamondbacks eligible for arbitration entering Thursday, joined by pitchers Shelby Miller, Brad Boxberger, Andrew Chafin, Robbie Ray and Taijuan Walker; outfielders A.J. Pollock and David Peralta; shortstops Chris Owings and Nick Ahmed; catcher Chris Herrmann; and third baseman Jake Lamb.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

C Chris Herrmann became the 10th Arizona player with at least 10 homers this season when he hit a bases-empty homer in the fifth inning Sunday. He had 12 career homers in all or parts of five previous seasons, with a previous career high of six in 2016.

C/OF Chris Herrmann is in a 6-for-62 skid after striking out as a pinch-hitter Sunday. "It gets frustrating," he said. "You start trying to do too much. I know it's there. It's always been there. You just sit on it. I have to remind myself to stay positive because it's been frustrating, it really has. I'm still hitting the ball hard. It's just right at people. I'll just stay positive and keep hitting the ball hard. That's all I can do."

C Chris Herrmann was 1-for-3 with a homer in the first inning and two walks while making his first career start in the leadoff position leading. He hit the sixth pitch he saw for his career-high seventh homer. "To hit a home run my first leadoff appearance, that's pretty sweet," said reserve Herrmann, who has played left field and catcher this season. "I know you are supposed to see a lot of pitches, so I did that part. I got a good pitch to hit. It was pretty cool. Probably one of my favorite home runs I've ever hit, because I'm not a leadoff hitter." CF Gregor Blanco was given a day off. Herrmann, who entered the game hitting .180 in his last six starts, three at catcher and three at left field.

C Chris Herrmann is becoming Robbie Ray's personal catcher, and the results are evident: The Diamondbacks have won each of Ray's last seven starts. Herrmann helped out during the 9-2 win over Philadelphia on Saturday night with a pair of hits, three RBIs and a run-saving defensive play at the plate. And it's obvious that he and Ray have a strong relationship on and off the field. "(We) feel like we're on the same page, we communicate well between innings, before the game, even if he's not starting that day -- and it's showing out on the field," Herrmann said.

C-OF Chris Herrmann got his first action since Tuesday when he entered the game at catcher in the seventh inning. Herrmann has been dealing with a a sore right hand, and manager Torey Lovullo said it was bruised. But Herrmann ended up with two at-bats in the game. Lovullo's plan is to start Herrmann at catcher on Sunday with Robbie Ray on the mound.