CLEVELAND -- Corey Kluber pitched a five-hitter, and Francisco Lindor hit his 30th home run as the Cleveland Indians tied the American League record with their 20th straight victory, a 2-0 decision over the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday night.Cleveland matched the record set by the 2002 Oakland Athletics. The only longer streaks are 21 games by the 1935 Chicago Cubs and 26 by the 1916 New York Giants, although there was a tie game during New York's streak. The Indians have outscored their opponents 134-32 during their run.Kluber (16-4) struck out eight and did not walk a batter. The shutout was the Indians' seventh during their winning streak and their major-league-leading 19th for the season overall.Detroit starter Matthew Boyd (5-10) threw 116 pitches in five innings but managed to hold the Indians to one run and six hits with five strikeouts and one walk.Astros 1, Angels 0ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Justin Verlander allowed one hit in eight shutout innings, and Houston lowered its magic number to... [More]

CLEVELAND -- Edwin Encarnacion hit a three-run homer as the Cleveland Indians ran their team-record winning streak to 16 games with a 5-0 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night.Encarnacion hit his 34th homer in the first inning off Wade Miley. Carlos Santana added an RBI double while Francisco Lindor scored on a wild pitch in the seventh.Mike Clevinger (9-5) allowed three hits in six innings for Cleveland, which posted its 17th shutout of the season.Miley (8-12) allowed four runs and six hits in 5 2/3 innings.Nationals 11, Phillies 10WASHINGTON -- Michael Taylor drove in a career-high five runs as Washington held on to beat Philadelphia.Taylor hit an inside-the-park grand slam in the third inning and Trea Turner hit a two-run homer as Washington reduced its magic number for winning the Nationals League East to three.Maikel Franco hit a three-run homer off Shawn Kelly in the ninth for the Phillies. Odubel Herrera extended his hitting streak to 21 games with an RBI infield single.Washington... [More]

CLEVELAND -- Edwin Encarnacion hit a three-run homer as the Cleveland Indians ran their team-record winning streak to 16 games with a 5-0 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night.Encarnacion hit his 34th homer in the first inning off Wade Miley. Carlos Santana added an RBI double while Francisco Lindor scored on a wild pitch in the seventh.Mike Clevinger (9-5) allowed three hits in six innings for Cleveland, which posted its 17th shutout of the season.Miley (8-12) allowed four runs and six hits in 5 2/3 innings.Nationals 11, Phillies 10WASHINGTON -- Michael Taylor drove in a career-high five runs as Washington held on to beat Philadelphia.Taylor hit an inside-the-park grand slam in the third inning and Trea Turner hit a two-run homer as Washington reduced its magic number for winning the Nationals League East to three.Maikel Franco hit a three-run homer off Shawn Kelly in the ninth for the Phillies. Odubel Herrera extended his hitting streak to 21 games with an RBI infield single.Washington... [More]

RF Mookie Betts swiped his 23rd base in 26 tries this season. Since 2015, he leads the American League with an 84.3 percent rate (minimum 50 attempts) and is fifth with 70 stolen bases.

RF Mookie Betts hit an RBI double in going 1-for-5 in the 7-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays. He has reached base in 15 consecutive games during which he has a .329 on-base percentage. He batted .368 (14-for-38) with seven stolen bases, three homes and 14 RBIs at Rogers Centre this season.

RF Mookie Betts, who suffered a right knee contusion in Thursday night's loss in Cleveland, was in the lineup Friday night. He came in 5-for-5 lifetime against Jeremy Hellickson.

OF Mookie Betts was removed from the game in the eighth inning with a bruised right knee. "He banged it against the wall and hurt it again diving for a ball," said Manager John Farrell. "There's a little swelling. We'll see how he is tomorrow. He's day-to-day."

RF Mookie Betts is hitting .269 on the season, down from the .318 he batted in 2016. But he is hitting .390 with runners in scoring position, .382 with RISP and two out after his two-out, two-run double won Wednesday night's game over the St. Louis Cardinals. "I think it's his focus in those moments and none bigger than here tonight," manager John Farrell said.

NEW YORK -- A little less than a month ago, the Boston Red Sox were having a third baseman issue. They were getting less offensive production than any other American League team from that spot.It was clear they could upgrade from the tandem of Pablo Sandoval and Deven Marrero before the non-waiver trade deadline, and a pursuit began for Todd Frazier of the Chicago White Sox.But Boston didn't get Frazier. The New York Yankees did, along with major bullpen upgrades David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle in a move that felt more than a little familiar. Gamesmanship between the Yanks and Sox was once a regular thing.It has been years since baseball's greatest rivalry felt big, but it certainly does this year. Both teams were active in the days leading up to the trade deadline, each making acquisitions for a run at the World Series. They set themselves on a course heading right at each other, which brings us to this weekend and next.The clubs begin a three-game series Friday at Yankee Stadium, the... [More]

RF Mookie Betts drove in three runs in Monday's win over the Indians. It was his eighth game of the season with at least that many. He has hit .407 (35-for-86) with runners in scoring position this season and leads the American League since the start of last season with a .408 average (40-for-98) with two outs and runners in scoring position. In his last five games against Cleveland he is 10-for-22 (.455) with two homers, eight RBIs and seven runs scored.

RF Mookie Betts, an All-Star batting .273 with 17 home runs and 61 RBIs, got his first day off since April 8. "He's been a highly dependable and durable player for us," Red Sox manager John Farrell told reporters. "Felt like with the day off (Thursday), this is a chance for him to maybe recharge a little bit more before we start a 10-game homestand. He's played every inning over this post-All-Star break stretch, and that's been taxing. ... This is day well deserved for him."

RF Mookie Betts continued tormenting the Blue Jays, going 1-for-3 with a stolen base and two runs on Wednesday. In nine games against Toronto this season, he is 16-for-40 (.400) with 13 RBIs and 12 runs.

RF Mookie Betts re-tied the game with a two-out RBI single in the 11th inning -- his 15th RBI against the Blue Jays this season, batting .405 against them in eight games. He has recorded four two-out RBIs in the last three games.

RF Mookie Betts drove in a run on Monday night in the three-run seventh inning -- his 14th RBI against the Blue Jays this season. He also ran through a stop sign and was thrown out at the plate with the potential go-ahead run. "It's an easy question or second guess, but off the bat that ball is clearly going to be off the wall," manager John Farrell said. "In Mookie's mind, he was dead set on trying to score. It's a carom that ends up right, pretty much stomach height, to Pillar. He makes a good relay throw and then (shortstop Troy) Tulowitzki throws a strike from 140 feet. It was an aggressive play and I thought a very good play. As good a baserunner as Mookie is and as fast as he is, we forced them to execute a flawless play, which they did." Betts was fanned twice by Marcus Stroman, who has struck him out seven times, more than any other pitcher.

RF Mookie Betts clubbed a two-run homer in the second game of Sunday's doubleheader vs. the Yankees, his team-leading 17th. Betts' two-out shot in the third inning snapped a stretch of 24 consecutive scoreless innings for the Red Sox and came on a 1-1 slider from Yankees starter Masahiro Tanaka, sailing an estimated 410 feet over the Green Monster in left field. Betts finished the game 3-for-4.

RF Mookie Betts, who went 1-for-4 with a double and two runs on Monday -- including the last of two in the Red Sox's 11th-inning rally at Texas -- will start for the American League in the All-Star Game in place of injured Angels CF Mike Trout. Betts, who received the fourth-most votes among AL outfielders, was selected AL Player of the Week after his eight-RBI day on Sunday. Betts has a major-league-leading 28 doubles along with 15 homers and 51 RBIs. "He might be the best defensive right fielder in the game," Boston manager John Farrell said.

RF Mookie Betts, who will be going to the All-Star Game as a reserve, matched his career high Sunday with eight RBIs in the 15-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays. He had two-run and three-run homers and an RBI single and a two-run single in going 4-for-6. He also had eight RBIs on Aug. 14 against the Arizona Diamondbacks. "Today I felt pretty good," Betts said. "I got some good pitches to hit and just tried to put a good swing on it and hope for the best. When you get to the plate, you're just expecting a good pitch to hit and you're ready for it. Today I was just more ready than other days." He has hit 13 of his 15 homers on the road. Betts has reached base in seven straight games, going 14-for-29 (.483). He became the first leadoff hitter in Red Sox history with eight RBIs in a game and the first since INF Ronnie Belliard did so for the Colorado Rockies in 2003. He is one of five players to have eight RBIs as a leadoff hitter.

The Houston Astros and Washington Nationals hold sizable leads in their division races, and each team had three players voted to the starting lineup of the All-Star Game on July 11 in Miami.The All-Star starters, reserves and pitchers were all announced Sunday. Starters were selected by a fan vote, and the pitchers and reserves were chosen by a combination of player vote and selections made by the commissioner's office.The three Astros voted as starters for the American League were second baseman Jose Altuve, shortstop Carlos Correa and outfielder George Springer.Washington's representatives in the National League starting lineup will be first baseman Ryan Zimmerman, second baseman Daniel Murphy and outfielder Bryce Harper, who was the leading vote-getter in the NL.San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey, Colorado Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado, Cincinnati Reds shortstop Zack Cozart and outfielders Charlie Blackmon of the Colorado Rockies and Marcell Ozuna of the host Miami Marlins... [More]

TORONTO -- Drew Pomeranz pitched six effective innings, and the Boston Red Sox trounced the Toronto Blue Jays 15-1 to complete a three-game sweep.Betts had three-run and two-run homers and an RBI single and a two-run single as the Red Sox won their fourth game in a row.Hanley Ramirez added three hits, including a two-run homer, and three RBIs for the Red Sox, who outhit the Blue Jays 21-5.Pomeranz (8-4) allowed five hits, two walks and one run in six innings to win his second consecutive start. Fernando Abad replaced Pomeranz in the seventh and allowed one walk in three innings to pick up his first save of the season.Braves 4, Athletics 3 (12 innings)OAKLAND, Calif. -- Kurt Suzuki hit two home runs, including a tiebreaking solo shot in the top of the 12th inning, powering Atlanta to a victory against Oakland and a three-game series sweep.Leading off the 12th, the former Oakland catcher launched John Axford's 3-1, 96 mph fastball into the left-center-field seats for his sixth home run of... [More]

RF Mookie Betts walked three times and stole two bases Saturday in the 7-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. It is the second time this season that he has walked three times in a game and the second time this season in which he has stolen two bases in a game, both against Toronto. He was 0-for-2 in the game to end his hit streak at five games. He was 9-for-21 with two doubles, a home run and three RBIs in that span.