Of course Erik Kratz kept hoping for a moment like this. That's why he stuck around, through a dozen big league organizations, a couple of cruel demotions in the minors, a bunch of near-misses in the World Series.And the time he accidentally shot himself in the hand with a nail gun."I really feel like I've played my last game for the last 12 years because the game doesn't owe anybody anything," the Milwaukee catcher said. "When you understand that, you appreciate these times more than anything else."Luke Voit certainly never expected to hear crowds at Yankee Stadium chanting his name in October, especially when he was stuck at Triple-A for St. Louis in late July. Yet there he was, batting third as New York hosted Boston on Monday night.Ryan Brasier's path to these playoffs was unusual, too. The Red Sox reliever is a rookie — even though he made his major league debut in 2013.This postseason is full of stars, including Christian Yelich, Jose Altuve and Mookie Betts. Ronald Acuna Jr., Miguel... [More]

Of course Erik Kratz kept hoping for a moment like this. That's why he stuck around, through a dozen big league organizations, a couple of cruel demotions in the minors, a bunch of near-misses in October.And the time he accidentally shot himself in the hand with a nail gun."I really feel like I've played my last game for the last 12 years because the game doesn't owe anybody anything," the Milwaukee catcher said. "When you understand that, you appreciate these times more than anything else."Luke Voit certainly never expected to hear crowds at Yankee Stadium chanting his name in October, especially when he was stuck at Triple-A for St. Louis in late July.Ryan Brasier's path to these playoffs was unusual, too. The Red Sox reliever is a rookie — even though he made his major league debut in 2013.This postseason is full of stars, including Christian Yelich, Jose Altuve and Mookie Betts. Ronald Acuna Jr., Miguel Andujar and Walker Buehler are among the many talented newcomers.To see them here,... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Shortly after their playoff spot was assured, the Chicago Cubs beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-6 on Albert Almora Jr.'s single with two outs in the 10th inning Wednesday night.The NL Central-leading Cubs clinched their fourth straight postseason appearance when Milwaukee beat St. Louis. The Brewers, who sealed a playoff slot with their win, are a half-game behind Chicago. One of them will win the NL Central, the other will play in the NL wild-card game.After Pittsburgh tied it in the ninth on a two-out, two-run double by Starling Marte, the Cubs bounced back to win. Ian Happ led off the 10th with a walk and was replaced by pinch-runner Terrance Gore. Mike Freeman's sacrifice moved up Gore, and he took third on a groundout. Almora singled to left on an 0-2 pitch from Richard Rodriguez (4-3).Jason Heyward homered and drove in three runs for the Cubs. Javier Baez singled for his NL-leading 111th RBI as the Cubs won after blowing a five-run lead. Star third baseman Kris Bryant... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Shortly after their playoff spot was assured, the Chicago Cubs beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-6 on Albert Almora Jr.'s single with two outs in the 10th inning Wednesday night.The NL Central-leading Cubs clinched their fourth straight postseason appearance when Milwaukee beat St. Louis. The Brewers, who sealed a playoff slot with their win, are a half-game behind Chicago. One of them will win the NL Central, the other will play in the NL wild-card game.After Pittsburgh tied it in the ninth on a two-out, two-run double by Starling Marte, the Cubs bounced back to win. Ian Happ led off the 10th with a walk and was replaced by pinch-runner Terrance Gore. Mike Freeman's sacrifice moved up Gore, and he took third on a groundout. Almora singled to left on an 0-2 pitch from Richard Rodriguez (4-3).Jason Heyward homered and drove in three runs for the Cubs. Javier Baez singled for his NL-leading 111th RBI as the Cubs won after blowing a five-run lead. Star third baseman Kris Bryant... [More]

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The Milwaukee Brewers clinched their first playoff spot since 2011 by ensuring at least a spot in the NL wild-card game, helped Wednesday night when a rookie St. Louis pinch-runner fell on his way to the plate in a 2-1 victory over the contending Cardinals.The Chicago Cubs also sealed a postseason berth because of the Cardinals' loss.Jhoulys Chacin pitched five shutout innings and Travis Shaw hit a pair of RBI singles as the Brewers completed a three-game sweep.The Cardinals missed a big chance to tie it in the eighth inning. Matt Carpenter walked and was lifted for pinch-runner Adolis Garcia. Jose Martinez then hit a slow roller to third baseman Mike Moustakas, who threw wildly to first. Garcia was waved home but fell halfway to the plate, allowing second baseman Hernan Perez to easily throw him out to end the inning.Chacin (15-8), who had lost his last three decisions, gave up one run on just one hit over five innings. Xavier Cedeno, Corbin Burnes, Josh Hader and Jeremy... [More]

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The Milwaukee Brewers clinched their first playoff spot since 2011 by ensuring at least a spot in the NL wild-card game, helped Wednesday night when a rookie St. Louis pinch-runner fell on his way to the plate in a 2-1 victory over the contending Cardinals.The Chicago Cubs also sealed a postseason berth because of the Cardinals' loss.Jhoulys Chacin pitched five shutout innings and Travis Shaw hit a pair of RBI singles as the Brewers completed a three-game sweep.The Cardinals missed a big chance to tie it in the eighth inning. Matt Carpenter walked and was lifted for pinch-runner Adolis Garcia. Jose Martinez then hit a slow roller to third baseman Mike Moustakas, who threw wildly to first. Garcia was waved home but fell halfway to the plate, allowing second baseman Hernan Perez to easily throw him out to end the inning.Chacin (15-8), who had lost his last three decisions, gave up one run on just one hit over five innings. Xavier Cedeno, Corbin Burnes, Josh Hader and Jeremy... [More]

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The Milwaukee Brewers clinched their first playoff spot since 2011 by ensuring at least a spot in the NL wild-card game, helped Wednesday night when a rookie St. Louis pinch-runner fell on his way to the plate in a 2-1 victory over the contending Cardinals.Jhoulys Chacin pitched five shutout innings and Travis Shaw hit a pair of RBI singles as the Brewers completed a three-game sweep.The Brewers began the night a half-game behind the Chicago Cubs for first place in the NL Central and 3 1/2 games ahead of Colorado for the top wild-card slot. St. Louis entered a half-game behind the Rockies for the final wild-card berth.The Cardinals missed a big chance to tie it in the eighth inning. Matt Carpenter walked and was lifted for pinch-runner Adolis Garcia. Jose Martinez then hit a slow roller to third baseman Mike Moustakas, who threw wildly to first. Garcia was waved home but fell halfway to the plate, allowing second baseman Hernan Perez to easily throw him out to end the inning.Chacin... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Christian Yelich drove in the winning run with the bases loaded in the ninth after beating a throw from third to avoid a double play, and the Milwaukee Brewers opened an important three-game series with the Chicago Cubs with a 4-3 win Monday.The .316 hitter hit a 1-2 fastball from Jesse Chavez right at third baseman Kris Bryant, who touched third for the second out of the ninth before firing to first. The speedy Yelich reached safely just before the throw landed in the glove of the outstretched Anthony Rizzo, allowing Keon Broxton to score the game-winner from third.Cubs reliever Steve Cishek (4-3) loaded the bases in the ninth with a walk, passed ball and two hit batters.The second-place Brewers pulled within four games of the NL Central-leading Cubs.Milwaukee tied the score 3-3 after pinch-hitter Mike Moustakas drew a four-pitch walk with two outs in the eighth from Carl Edwards Jr.Anthony Rizzo hit a two-out, two-run homer off tough left-hander Josh Hader in the eighth.Jeremy... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Steve Pearce homered three times, the second a three-run drive in an eight-run fourth inning as the Boston Red Sox rallied from an early deficit to beat the New York Yankees 15-7 on Thursday night and take a season-high 6½-game lead in the AL East.In the opener of a four-game series that gave New York the potential to erase most of its division deficit, the Red Sox instead opened a bigger gap, taking advantage of manager Aaron Boone's decision to pull starter CC Sabathia after three innings with a 4-2 lead. Jonathan Holder (1-2) faced seven batters and did not record an out.Mookie Betts had four hits and two walks, reaching safely all six times he came to the plate. Pearce, J.D. Martinez, Ian Kinsler and Andrew Benintendi had three hits apiece for Boston.Didi Grigorius homered twice, Aaron Hicks hit one and Giancarlo Stanton got his 25th of the season for the Yankees, who have lost just twice in the past week but dropped two games in the division.Brian Johnson (2-3), making... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Steve Pearce homered three times, the second a three-run drive in an eight-run fourth inning as the Boston Red Sox rallied from an early deficit to beat the New York Yankees 15-7 on Thursday night and take a season-high 6½-game lead in the AL East.In the opener of a four-game series that gave New York the potential to erase most of its division deficit, the Red Sox instead opened a bigger gap, taking advantage of manager Aaron Boone's decision to pull starter CC Sabathia after three innings with a 4-2 lead. Jonathan Holder (1-2) faced seven batters and did not record an out.Mookie Betts had four hits and two walks, reaching safely all six times he came to the plate. Pearce, J.D. Martinez, Ian Kinsler and Andrew Benintendi had three hits apiece for Boston.Didi Grigorius homered twice, Aaron Hicks hit one and Giancarlo Stanton got his 25th of the season for the Yankees, who have lost just twice in the past week but dropped two games in the division.Brian Johnson (2-3), making... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — In the highest-scoring game in franchise history, Daniel Murphy hit two early home runs and the Washington Nationals kept pouring it on against emergency reliever Jose Reyes and the New York Mets in a 25-4 rout Tuesday night.Trea Turner, who apologized before the game to his teammates for homophobic and racially insensitive tweets he sent several years ago, had four of Washington's 26 hits. Pitcher Tanner Roark (5-12) hit a three-run double during a seven-run first inning.The Nationals set the team scoring mark dating to their days as the Montreal Expos in 1969. It was the Mets' most-lopsided loss in their 57-season history, worse than a 26-7 pounding by Philadelphia in 1985.Reyes made the first pitching appearance of his career, and the 35-year-old infielder got tagged for home runs by Matt Adams and Mark Reynolds in a six-run eighth. Throwing a fastball in the mid-80s mph and a curve in the upper 40s, Reyes gave up five hits and walked two.Reyes also plunked Ryan Zimmerman... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — In the highest-scoring game in franchise history, Daniel Murphy hit two early home runs and the Washington Nationals kept pouring it on against emergency reliever Jose Reyes and the New York Mets in a 25-4 rout Tuesday night.Trea Turner, who apologized before the game to his teammates for homophobic and racially insensitive tweets he sent several years ago, had four of Washington's 26 hits. Pitcher Tanner Roark (5-12) hit a three-run double during a seven-run first inning.The Nationals set the team scoring mark dating to their days as the Montreal Expos in 1969. It was the Mets' most-lopsided loss in their 57-season history, worse than a 26-7 pounding by Philadelphia in 1985.Reyes made the first pitching appearance of his career, and the 35-year-old infielder got tagged for home runs by Matt Adams and Mark Reynolds in a six-run eighth. Throwing a fastball in the mid-80s mph and a curve in the upper 40s, Reyes gave up five hits and walked two.Reyes also plunked Ryan Zimmerman... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Reshaping their pitching staff for the stretch run, the Yankees acquired right-hander Lance Lynn from Minnesota on Monday while dealing Adam Warren to Seattle.Ahead of Tuesday's deadline for trades without waivers, the Yankees sent first baseman/outfielder Tyler Austin and right-handed pitching prospect Luis Rijo to the Twins for Lynn. Minnesota will give $2 million to the Yankees to cover half of the $4 million remaining in Lynn's $12 million salary.Already, Lynn was looking forward to returning to Fenway Park, where he got a no-decision Friday in his second career appearance at Boston."I've never been to Fenway as Yankee. I think they dislike you even more, so that should be exciting," he said. "I'm guessing they say a little bit nastier things to Yankees players than they do anybody else."Lynn becomes the long reliever in place of Warren, who was dealt to the Mariners for $1.25 million in international signing bonus pool allotment. He joins Luis Cessa as insurance for... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Reshaping their pitching staff for the stretch run, the Yankees acquired right-hander Lance Lynn from Minnesota on Monday while dealing Adam Warren to Seattle.Ahead of Tuesday's deadline for trades without waivers, the Yankees sent first baseman/outfielder Tyler Austin and right-handed pitching prospect Luis Rijo to the Twins for Lynn. Minnesota will give $2 million to the Yankees to cover half of the $4 million remaining in Lynn's $12 million salary.Already, Lynn was looking forward to returning to Fenway Park, where he got a no-decision Friday in his second career appearance at Boston."I've never been to Fenway as Yankee. I think they dislike you even more, so that should be exciting," he said. "I'm guessing they say a little bit nastier things to Yankees players than they do anybody else."Lynn becomes the long reliever in place of Warren, who was dealt to the Mariners for $1.25 million in international signing bonus pool allotment. He joins Luis Cessa as insurance for... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The Yankees made another move to reshape their pitching staff, trading right-hander Adam Warren to the Seattle Mariners for $1.25 million in international signing bonus pool allotment.Ahead of Tuesday's deadline for trades without waivers, the Yankees recently acquired reliever Zach Britton from Baltimore and starter J.A. Happ from Toronto, and dealt left-hander Chasen Shreve and right-hander Giovanny Gallegos to St. Louis.New York has raised its bonus pool to $8,752,600 from an original $5,002,600 and lowered its 40-man roster to 38 — plus Jacoby Ellsbury and Ben Heller on the 60-day disabled list.The 30-year-old Warren, often used as a long reliever, was 0-1 with a 2.70 ERA in 24 appearances this season, interrupted by a stint on the disabled list from April 21 through June 3 caused by a strained back. He has a $3,315,000 salary and is eligible for free agency after the World Series.Warren was traded to the Cubs in December 2015 in the deal that brought second baseman Starlin Castro to New York, then reacquired the following July along with second baseman Gleyber Torres and outfielders Billy McKinney and Rashad Crawford in the deal that sent closer Aroldis Chapman to Chicago.After helping the Cubs win their first World Series since 1908, Chapman re-signed with the Yankees.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

A look at what's happening around the majors Sunday:HAPPENINGJ.A. Happ makes his Yankees debut, three days after New York got him from Toronto in a trade for Brandon Drury and minor league outfielder Billy McKinney. The 35-year-old lefty starts out at home against Kansas City.Happ has enjoyed success over Boston in his career. With the Yankees chasing the AL East-leading Red Sox, Happ is set to pitch again next weekend at Fenway Park.ALTUVE OUTThe AL West-leading Astros will have to do without star second baseman Jose Altuve for a while. The AL MVP has been put on the disabled list for the first time in his career, sidelined by soreness in his right knee.The three-time batting champion is hitting .329 with nine home runs and 46 RBIs this season. Altuve didn't play Friday or Saturday, with versatile Marwin Gonzalez filling in at second.MORE DEALSAs Tuesday's trade deadline approaches, more and more players are on the go. In the latest swap, the busy Yankees sent relievers Chasen Shreve and... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The busy New York Yankees have traded relievers Chasen Shreve and Giovanny Gallegos to the St. Louis Cardinals for first baseman Luke Voit.The Yankees also got international signing bonus pool money from St. Louis in the deal announced Saturday night.This was New York's third trade in five days. They got reliever Zach Britton from Baltimore on Tuesday and acquired starter J.A. Happ from Toronto on Thursday.The Yankees, chasing AL East-leading Boston, needed to clear a roster spot to make room for Happ."I knew we had to make the move. I just didn't know what it was going to be. I prepared myself for it," Shreve said."I love it here. These are my friends. I've been here four years," he said. "I'll have a good opportunity over there. I'm going to miss these guys, a great group of guys."The 28-year-old Shreve pitched 40 times in relief this season, going 2-2 with one save and a 4.26 ERA. The lefty gave up a run in the Yankees' 10-5 loss to Kansas City in the opener of a day-night doubleheader Saturday.The 26-year-old Gallegos pitched four times for the Yankees this year, earning one save, and spent of the season at Triple-A. He will be assigned to Triple-A Memphis.Voit was 2 for 11 with one home run and three RBIs in eight games for St. Louis. The 27-year-old had mostly been in Triple-A this year.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — New York manager Aaron Boone said newly acquired reliever Zach Britton will fill a variety of roles at the back end of the Yankees bullpen but emphasized that Aroldis Chapman's role remains the same."Chappy is our closer," Boone said before Wednesday's 3-2 loss at Tampa Bay. "I'm sure there will be opportunities on a day when maybe we need to stay away from Chappy or it's three in a row for Chappy, those kind of things. Having so many quality guys, that allows us to really preserve and protect them."The Yankees acquired Britton from the rebuilding Baltimore Orioles for three prospects late Tuesday, a trade expected to bolster New York's bullpen for the stretch run.Chapman left a July 7 outing against Toronto with left knee discomfort."He's been dealing with the issue," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said during a conference call. "He's been successful despite the issue and feels it's a nonissue other than the fact that we just have to deal with it and... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — New York manager Aaron Boone said newly acquired reliever Zach Britton will fill a variety of roles at the back end of the Yankees bullpen but emphasized that Aroldis Chapman's role remains the same."Chappy is our closer," Boone said before Wednesday's game at Tampa Bay. "I'm sure there will be opportunities on a day when maybe we need to stay away from Chappy or it's three in a row for Chappy, those kind of things. Having so many quality guys, that allows us to really preserve and protect them."The Yankees acquired Britton from the rebuilding Baltimore Orioles for three prospects late Tuesday, a trade expected to bolster New York's bullpen for the stretch run.Chapman left a July 7 outing against Toronto with left knee discomfort."He's been dealing with the issue," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said on a conference call. "He's been successful despite the issue and feels it's a nonissue other than the fact that we just have to deal with it and it's a maintenance... [More]

BALTIMORE (AP) — The Yankees have acquired left-hander Zach Britton from the rebuilding Baltimore Orioles for three prospects, a trade that will bolster New York's bullpen for the stretch run.Right-hander Dillon Tate is going to the Orioles along with left-hander Josh Rogers and right-hander Cody Carroll. The teams announced the deal Tuesday night.The 30-year-old Britton will serve as a setup man for closer Aroldis Chapman, joining David Robertson, Dellin Betances, Chasen Shreve, Chad Green, Jonathan Holder and Adam Warren in an already strong bullpen."You've got to go into a new team and earn your role, especially with the guys they have over there," Britton said. "They've got some guys who are doing really well. I'm just going to try to fit in. Right now, I'm just excited to get on a winning team and hopefully do some good things."As word leaked out about the deal, the Yankees expressed excitement over the new addition."I think he's one of the best relievers in the game," Chapman said... [More]