CINCINNATI (AP) — Ronald Acuna Jr. and Ozzie Albies, the two youngest players in the major leagues, both homered and combined for five RBIs to lead Atlanta over the Cincinnati Reds 7-4 Thursday and give the Braves a split of the four-game series.A day after the 20-year-old Acuna made his big league debut, he homered into the left-field upper deck leading off the second inning, singled in the sixth and hit a tiebreaking double off Wandy Peralta (1-1) in the eighth following Freddie Freeman's third double.Albies, a 21-year-old who made his debut last August, hit a two-run homer in the fifth for a 4-0 lead and added an RBI double in the ninth.Sam Freeman (1-1) retired all four batters he faced, and Arodys Vizcaino pitched a one-hit ninth for his second save. Cincinnati dropped to 5-20 for the first time in franchise history.YANKEES 4, TWINS 3NEW YORK (AP) — Gary Sanchez hit a three-run homer in the ninth off Fernando Rodney (1-2), extending New York's winning streak to six and completing an... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors Friday:BOGAERTS IS BACKBoston shortstop Xander Bogaerts was expected to return to the Red Sox lineup on Friday for a homestand opener against Tampa Bay. Bogarts broke the talus bone in his left ankle on April 8 while sliding into the Rays dugout to grab an errant ball. He went 2 for 3 with a home run and a double while playing six innings at shortstop Tuesday night in a rehab appearance Triple-A Pawtucket.MILLER OUTCleveland reliever Andrew Miller has been placed on the 10-day disabled list because of his strained left hamstring but hopes it's a very short road back.Miller grabbed the back of his leg after throwing a pitch to the Chicago Cubs' Anthony Rizzo in the seventh inning Wednesday night and was removed from the game. Miller struck out 17 and walked four over 10 scoreless innings in 11 games this year.BRYANT STILL OUTChicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant was out of the starting lineup for the third straight game after he was beaned during... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The Oakland Athletics have optioned opening day starter Kendall Graveman and fellow right-hander Chris Bassitt to Triple-A Nashville.The A's also announced Thursday that right-hander Wilmer Font will be added to the 25-man roster a day after being acquired in a trade from the Los Angeles Dodgers.Graveman was 0-5 with an 8.89 ERA in six starts. He has the most losses, runs allowed (28) and hits allowed (41) in the majors. Graveman was last optioned to the minors in 2015 after starting the year 1-2 with an 8.27 ERA in four starts. He came back a month later to go 5-2 with a 1.78 ERA over his first nine starts following his return.Bassitt was called up from Nashville last Friday but didn't get into a game before being sent back down.Font was 0-2 with an 11.32 ERA in six relief appearances with the Dodgers before he was designated for assignment on Monday. He was traded to the A's for minor league left-handed pitcher Logan Salow on Wednesday.___More AP baseball: apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

CINCINNATI (AP) — Ronald Acuna Jr. and Ozzie Albies, the two youngest players in the major leagues, both homered and combined for five RBIs to lead Atlanta over the Cincinnati Reds 7-4 Thursday and give the Braves a split of the four-game series.A day after the 20-year-old Acuna made his big league debut, he homered into the left-field upper deck leading off the second inning, singled in the sixth and hit a tiebreaking double off Wandy Peralta (1-1) in the eighth following Freddie Freeman's third double.Albies, a 21-year-old who made his debut last August, hit a two-run homer in the fifth for a 4-0 lead and added an RBI double in the ninth.Sam Freeman (1-1) retired all four batters he faced, and Arodys Vizcaino pitched a one-hit ninth for his second save. Cincinnati dropped to 5-20 for the first time in franchise history.YANKEES 4, TWINS 3NEW YORK (AP) — Gary Sanchez hit a three-run homer in the ninth off Fernando Rodney (1-2), extending New York's winning streak to six and completing an... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant was out of the starting lineup for the third straight game after he was beaned during a victory at Colorado last weekend.Bryant visited with a team doctor on Thursday, and the Cubs said Bryant hasn't been diagnosed with a concussion. Manager Joe Maddon said the 2016 NL MVP might be available off the bench for Chicago's series opener against Milwaukee."I don't anticipate anything awful or bad. We're just waiting for everybody to be on board and once we do that he'll be back out there playing," Maddon said. "That's it. Really nothing complicated. I'm not concealing anything."Bryant popped into the clubhouse before the Cubs' matchup with the Brewers, but he was not made available to the media."He seems good," Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo said. "It's scary. It's a scary thing."Bryant was hit on the head by a 96 mph fastball from Colorado's German Marquez in the first inning of Chicago's 9-7 win Sunday. He stayed on his feet, but was helped off the field by a pair of trainers.The 26-year-old Bryant is batting .319 with two homers and 11 RBIs in 19 games.Maddon also said utlityman Ben Zobrist ran the bases before the game. Zobrist has been sidelined by back tightness, but could come off the disabled list when he is eligible to return on Saturday.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

TORONTO (AP) — Joe Kelly's appeal of a six-game suspension was denied by John McHale Jr., a special assistant to baseball commissioner Rob Manfred, and the Boston pitcher started serving the penalty on Thursday night against Toronto."It's disappointing," Kelly said. "Suspensions are always not fun. Went in there and went through the appeal process. Obviously it didn't work out too well."Following the decision, Kelly posted a message on Twitter that read "At least take me to dinner first..."Kelly was disciplined for twice throwing at the New York Yankees' Tyler Austin on April 11. Austin charged the mound and was suspended five games, a penalty cut to four Thursday by McHale.Despite the outcome, Kelly said he didn't regret appealing."I always like sticking up for myself," he said. "It kind of helps me sleep at night going in fighting for what I believe in."Red Sox manager Alex Cora said he had expected a reduction in Kelly's suspension."If I was a gambling man, I would have bet a dollar... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Tyler Austin's suspension was cut from five games to four by John McHale Jr., a special assistant to baseball commissioner Rob Manfred, and the New York first baseman will start serving the penalty on Friday when the Yankees open a series at the Los Angeles Angels.Austin was disciplined for his role in a brawl with AL East rival Boston on April 11 at Fenway Park. Red Sox reliever Joe Kelly threw at Austin twice in the seventh inning of that night's game, missing with the first attempt but hitting Austin on the side with the second. Austin charged the mound."I obviously don't want to be suspended at any point in time, but it's happened, we've got to deal with it and move forward," Austin said after Thursday's 4-3 win over Minnesota. "I'm happy they knocked one game down. I'm thankful for that."Kelly's appeal of a six-game suspension was denied Thursday by McHale.New York has won six straight, and Austin is batting .350 with three homers and nine RBIs in his last five games,... [More]

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Jung Ho Kang is back in the United States and on his way to rejoining the Pittsburgh Pirates.The club announced Thursday that the South Korean third baseman has been granted a work visa by the U.S. government and will report to the team's training complex in Bradenton, Florida.The 31-year-old Kang last played for the Pirates in 2016. He was arrested in South Korea on DUI charges for a third time in December 2016 and received an eight-month suspended prison sentence that led to visa issues.Pittsburgh, which signed Kang to an $11 million, four-year contract in January 2015, placed Kang on the restricted list last March after Kang failed to secure a visa. The club said Kang will remain on the restricted list while he works out in Florida.Pirates president Frank Coonelly said the team is pleased have to Kang back but added Kang must fulfill obligations under a treatment program he agreed to as a condition of his return."We are encouraged by the steps that Jung Ho has taken... [More]

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Jung Ho Kang is back in the United States and on his way to rejoining the Pittsburgh Pirates.The club announced Thursday that the South Korean third baseman has been granted a work visa by the U.S. government and will report to the team's training complex in Bradenton, Florida.The 31-year-old Kang last played for the Pirates in 2016. He was arrested in South Korea on DUI charges for a third time in December 2016 and received an eight-month suspended prison sentence that led to visa issues.Pittsburgh, which signed Kang to an $11 million, four-year contract in January 2015, placed Kang on the restricted list last March after Kang failed to secure a visa. The club said Kang will remain on the restricted list while he works out in Florida.Pirates president Frank Coonelly said the team is pleased have to Kang back but added Kang must fulfill obligations under a treatment program he agreed to as a condition of his return."We are encouraged by the steps that Jung Ho has taken... [More]

CINCINNATI (AP) — Third baseman Eugenio Suarez was activated from the 10-day disabled list by the Cincinnati Reds and went 0 for 4 with a pair of strikeouts in Thursday's 7-4 loss to Atlanta.Suarez broke his right thumb April 8 when he was hit by a pitch from Pittsburgh's Jameson Taillon.Cincinnati promoted infielder-outfielder Rosell Herrera from Triple-A Louisville and optioned outfielder Phillip Ervin and infielder Cliff Pennington to the International League farm team.Ervin and Pennington each played in 16 games for the Reds. Ervin hit .211 and Pennington .138.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Jung Ho Kang is back in the United States and on his way to rejoining the Pittsburgh Pirates.The club announced Thursday that the South Korean third baseman has been granted a work visa by the U.S. government and will report to the team's training complex in Bradenton, Florida.The 31-year-old Kang last played for the Pirates in 2016. He was arrested in South Korea on DUI charges for a third time in December 2016 and received an eight-month suspended prison sentence that led to visa issues.Pittsburgh, which signed Kang to an $11 million, four-year contract in January 2015, placed Kang on the restricted list last March after Kang failed to secure a visa.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

CLEVELAND (AP) — Reliever Andrew Miller has been placed on the 10-day disabled list by the Cleveland Indians because of a strained left hamstring.Miller grabbed the back of his leg after throwing a pitch to the Chicago Cubs' Anthony Rizzo in the seventh inning Wednesday night and was removed from the game. Miller had an MRI on Thursday."The weather was warming up and I feel like I was kind of making the adjustments I had been looking to make," he said. "It's just unfortunate this kind of stalled what I thought was going to be a really nice run."Miller struck out 17 and walked four over 10 scoreless innings in 11 games this year."We lean on him so hard," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "Then there's the temptation to bring him back early. Even though he doesn't want to go on the DL, it's the right think to do. It's just hard to do it. But it's the right thing to do."Miller doesn't think he'll be out longer than the 10 days."I think I won't have to shut it down for too long," he said.... [More]

TORONTO (AP) — Joe Kelly's appeal of a six-game suspension was denied by John McHale Jr., a special assistant to baseball commissioner Rob Manfred, and the Boston pitcher started serving the penalty on Thursday night against Toronto.Kelly was disciplined for twice throwing at the New York Yankees' Tyler Austin on April 11. Austin charged the mound and was suspended five games, a penalty still under appeal.Kelly has a 3.09 ERA in 11 games this season. After allowing four runs in one-third of an inning in an opening-day loss to Tampa Bay, Kelly has not allowed a run in 11 1/3 innings. Boston will have to play with 24 active players during the suspension.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

CLEVELAND (AP) — Reliever Andrew Miller has been placed on the 10-day disabled list by the Cleveland Indians because of a strained left hamstring.Miller grabbed the back of his leg after throwing a pitch to the Chicago Cubs' Anthony Rizzo in the seventh inning Wednesday night and was removed from the game. Miller had an MRI on Thursday.Miller was on the disabled list with a left hamstring strain while with Boston from March 26 to May 5, 2012, and missed four games with a left hamstring strain while with Baltimore in September 2014.A two-time All-Star, the 32-year-old left-hander was on the DL twice last season with patella tendinitis in his right knee. He has struck out 17 and walked four over 10 scoreless innings in 11 games this year.AL Central-leading Cleveland selected the contract of left-hander Jeff Beliveau from Triple-A and designated left-hander lefty Jack Leathersich for assignment.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

CINCINNATI (AP) — The Reds activated third baseman Eugenio Suarez from the 10-day disabled list and promoted infielder-outfielder Rosell Herrera from Triple-A Louisville before Thursday's game against the Braves.Outfielder Phillip Ervin and infielder Cliff Pennington were optioned to Triple-A Louisville.The Reds placed Suarez on the disabled list April 9 after he was hit by a pitch and broke his right thumb in Pittsburgh on April 8. He played two games for the Bats on a rehab assignment.Ervin and Pennington each played in 16 games for the Reds. Ervin hit .211, Pennington .138.

A look at what's happening around the majors today:AILINGCleveland reliever Andrew Miller could miss a few days because of a hamstring injury. The left-hander grabbed the back of his leg after throwing two pitches to the Cubs' Anthony Rizzo on Wednesday night. The Indians said he had tightness in the hamstring and would have an MRI."He's had it before," manager Terry Francona said. "The hope is, I think last time he said it was 3-4 days. That would really be the hope. We'll know a lot more tomorrow. And hopefully, that's all it is."BRYANT RECOVERSCubs third baseman Kris Bryant has been out of the lineup two straight games, the result of being hit in the helmet by a pitch over the weekend in Colorado. Manager Joe Maddon said the 2016 NL MVP has been checked by doctors and could return for the opener of a four-game series against Milwaukee at Wrigley Field."He's fine," Maddon said. "I'd be surprised if it took a turn in the other direction."WELCOME BACKJonny Venters did well in his return... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — Justin Verlander pitched seven sharp innings, AL MVP Jose Altuve hit his first home run of the season and the Houston Astros beat the Angels 5-2 on Wednesday, ending Los Angeles' road winning streak at a team record-tying 11.Albert Pujols connected off Verlander for his 619th career homer. Pujols has 2,994 hits.Alex Bregman hit a three-run double and Jake Marisnick homered as Houston avoided a three-game sweep. The Angels also won 11 straight road games in 1988.Verlander (4-0) held the Angels hitless into the fifth inning. He gave up two runs and four hits, striking out nine without a walk. Verlander won his 11th regular-season decision in a row.Ken Giles pitched a scoreless ninth for his second save. Nick Tropeano (1-2) retired the first 11 batters he faced, striking out six.INDIANS 4, CUBS 1CLEVELAND (AP) — Indians reliever Andrew Miller exited with tightness in his hamstring in the win over Chicago and could miss a few days.Miller grabbed the back of his leg after throwing... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors Thursday:AILINGCleveland reliever Andrew Miller could miss a few days because of a hamstring injury. The left-hander grabbed the back of his leg after throwing two pitches to the Cubs' Anthony Rizzo on Wednesday night. The Indians said he had tightness in the hamstring and would have an MRI."He's had it before," manager Terry Francona said. "The hope is, I think last time he said it was 3-4 days. That would really be the hope. We'll know a lot more tomorrow. And hopefully, that's all it is."BRYANT RECOVERSCubs third baseman Kris Bryant has been out of the lineup two straight games, the result of being hit in the helmet by a pitch over the weekend in Colorado. Manager Joe Maddon said the 2016 NL MVP has been checked by doctors and could return for the opener of a four-game series against Milwaukee at Wrigley Field."He's fine," Maddon said. "I'd be surprised if it took a turn in the other direction."WELCOME BACKJonny Venters did well in his return... [More]

BALTIMORE (AP) — Jonny Venters has made a successful return to the majors after enduring three Tommy John surgeries and a six-year absence.Pitching for the Tampa Bay Rays in his first big league appearance since the 2012 NL wild-card game, Venters entered in the sixth inning against the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday night. He retired Chris Davis on a grounder , the only batter he faced."Oh man, it was an amazing experience, just to get out there on a big league mound in a big league game," Venters said. "To be able to get an out and help this team win, it was a special thing that I'll never forget the rest of my life."It was lefty vs. lefty, and Venters got the better of Baltimore's slugger."We're going to view Jonny in that role, to come in and get a lefty out," manager Kevin Cash said after an 8-4 win. "I thought it was perfect. It worked out. He came in got a big out with a two-run lead for us."Venters received high fives and fist bumps in the Tampa Bay dugout because, after all, it... [More]

BALTIMORE (AP) — Jonny Venters has made a successful return to the majors after enduring three Tommy John surgeries and a six-year absence.Pitching for the Tampa Bay Rays in his first big league appearance since the 2012 NL wild-card game, Venters entered in the sixth inning against the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday night. He retired Chris Davis on a grounder — the only batter he faced.He received high fives and fist bumps in the Tampa Bay dugout because, after all, it was a comeback that everyone could appreciate.Hours before the 8-4 win over Baltimorer, Venters was sitting out a rain delay in the minors during a morning game when he got word the Rays were recalling him from Triple-A Durham.So the 33-year-old lefty hopped into his truck, grabbed a flight to Baltimore and was in the clubhouse when Tampa Bay formally announced the move."It's hard to put into words how I'm feeling. It's been an emotional day," Venters said. "I'm excited to be here. Grateful for the opportunity. Hopefully... [More]