PITTSBURGH (AP) — Starling Marte hit a two-run home run and Trevor Williams combined with four relievers on a five-hitter as the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Washington Nationals 2-0 on Wednesday.Williams (7-7) won for just the second time in his past 10 starts, giving up four hits with three strikeouts and three walks.Gio Gonzalez (6-6) remained winless since May 28 despite allowing just two runs, six hits and one walk while striking out four.Washington lost for the 11th time in 16 games and fell back to .500.Richard Rodriguez, Edgar Santana, Kyle Crick and Felipe Vazquez followed Williams with one scoreless inning each. Vazquez earned his 20th save in 24 opportunities.TWINS 8, ROYALS 5MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Brian Dozier hit a two-run home run, going deep for the second straight game to give Minnesota a boost on its way to a win over Kansas City.Lance Lynn (7-7) recovered from a three-run homer by Salvador Perez in the first inning to win his second straight start for the Twins, who used the... [More]

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Starling Marte hit a two-run home run and Trevor Williams combined with four relievers on a five-hitter as the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Washington Nationals 2-0 on Wednesday.Williams (7-7) won for just the second time in his past 10 starts, giving up four hits with three strikeouts and three walks.Gio Gonzalez (6-6) remained winless since May 28 despite allowing just two runs, six hits and one walk while striking out four.Washington lost for the 11th time in 16 games and fell back to .500.Richard Rodriguez, Edgar Santana, Kyle Crick and Felipe Vazquez followed Williams with one scoreless inning each. Vazquez earned his 20th save in 24 opportunities.TWINS 8, ROYALS 5MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Brian Dozier hit a two-run home run, going deep for the second straight game to give Minnesota a boost on its way to a win over Kansas City.Lance Lynn (7-7) recovered from a three-run homer by Salvador Perez in the first inning to win his second straight start for the Twins, who used the... [More]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Alcides Escobar was not in the Kansas City Royals' lineup on Sunday for the first time since 2015 as the struggling club made a plethora of moves.Escobar had started 421 consecutive games, the longest streak in the majors, before Royals manager Ned Yost benched him against the Boston Red Sox."I told him three weeks ago, 'look this is probably going to come to an end somewhere down the road,'" Yost said. "Today is the day I decided to do it. It's as simple as that. I've got other guys I need to play."Escobar, 31, was the starting AL shortstop in the 2015 All-Star Game and won a Gold Glove that year when the Royals won the World Series. This year he is hitting .194 with 16 extra-base hits in 309 at-bats."I was proud about this streak, 421 straight games, that's not easy," Escobar said. "I feel so happy I made that. I understand the situation right now. The team is looking for something different. Ned told me yesterday you have an off-day (Sunday). I said I don't have... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Wilson Ramos went deep again and scored on Denard Span's inside-the-park homer, helping the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Boston Red Sox 12-6 on Saturday for their eighth consecutive victory.It's the longest win streak for Tampa Bay since taking nine in a row in July 2014. The resurgent Rays have won nine of 10 overall to move within one game of .500 at 12-13.Johnny Field and Carlos Gomez also connected for Tampa Bay, and Matt Duffy finished with four hits. Field's three-run drive in the ninth was his first career homer.Ramos belted a two-run shot in the third against David Price (2-3), extending his homer streak to three games.Boston lost for the fifth time in seven games. It also had to replace star outfielder Mookie Betts after the fourth inning due to tightness in his right hamstring.DIAMONDBACKS 4, NATIONALS 3, 10 INNINGSWASHINGTON (AP) — David Peralta homered twice for Arizona, and Nick Ahmed scored the winning run on a bases-loaded walk in the 10th inning.The NL West-leading... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Wilson Ramos went deep again and scored on Denard Span's inside-the-park homer, helping the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Boston Red Sox 12-6 on Saturday for their eighth consecutive victory.It's the longest win streak for Tampa Bay since taking nine in a row in July 2014. The resurgent Rays have won nine of 10 overall to move within one game of .500 at 12-13.Johnny Field and Carlos Gomez also connected for Tampa Bay, and Matt Duffy finished with four hits. Field's three-run drive in the ninth was his first career homer.Ramos belted a two-run shot in the third against David Price (2-3), extending his homer streak to three games.Boston lost for the fifth time in seven games. It also had to replace star outfielder Mookie Betts after the fourth inning due to tightness in his right hamstring.DIAMONDBACKS 4, NATIONALS 3, 10 INNINGSWASHINGTON (AP) — David Peralta homered twice for Arizona, and Nick Ahmed scored the winning run on a bases-loaded walk in the 10th inning.The NL West-leading... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Jose Quintana pitched seven sharp innings to help the Chicago Cubs beat Milwaukee 3-0 on Saturday and continue his dominance of the Brewers.Quintana (3-1) has thrown 24 straight scoreless innings against Milwaukee dating to July 28. The left-hander tossed six innings of three-hit ball in a 3-0 win at Miller Park on April 8.Tommy La Stella drove in two runs with a pinch-hit single in the seventh, and Javier Baez had a run-scoring double in Chicago's third straight victory.With Kris Bryant back in the lineup, the Cubs improved to 6-1 against the Brewers this season, including four shutouts. Bryant went 0 for 3 with a walk in his first appearance since being hit in the helmet by a pitch last Sunday.Junior Guerra (2-1) pitched six innings of one-run ball, but Milwaukee finished with just two hits. The Brewers have just two runs and 12 hits through the first three games of the four-game set.TWINS 3, REDS 1MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Jake Odorizzi pitched into the seventh inning, Mitch... [More]

SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) — Danny Duffy is still scheduled to start on opening day for the Kansas City Royals — at this moment, anyway.A day after he exited his final spring training game because of a stiff left shoulder, Duffy said he was ready to pitch Thursday at home against the Chicago White Sox."As of now, I feel good," Duffy said Sunday. "I don't really have too many comments. I feel good to go."Duffy left in the third inning after throwing 32 pitches against an Arizona split squad. His first pitch bounced in front of the plate and his fastball velocity was 82 to 85 mph, about 10 miles less than his normal working velocity.Duffy threw only 15 innings in spring training and no more than 4 1/3 innings in any start. He was 1-1 with an 8.40 ERA, allowing 14 earned runs and 19 hits, including four home runs. He walked nine and struck out 12."I'm feeling just fine this morning," Duffy said. "I knew what it was. It's just something we didn't want to push through. Initially, I tried to get my... [More]

SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) — Burch Smith was so amped up that he plunked a teammate in batting practice for the Kansas City Royals.Manager Ned Yost was more worried about the follow-up pitch from the Rule 5 draft pick, and he liked what he saw."A young guy, first time in camp, it tends to be a little nerve-wracking," Yost said. "First time you're throwing BP and you've got the manager and coaches standing behind. Your natural tendency is try to be impressive. Here we go, you drill somebody."I've always been attuned to the next pitch. Does it send you off the edge and give you even more anxiety? Every time he's come close to somebody, the next pitch has been a strike. And that's a good sign."Kansas City will have to keep Smith, a hard-throwing 27-year-old right-hander, on the roster all season or offer him back to the Tampa Bay Rays."Different uniform, a new opportunity," Smith said.Smith was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in back-to-back years but did not sign. He signed instead with the San... [More]

SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) — The Kansas City Royals had the most feared bullpen in the majors in 2014 and '15 with Wade Davis, Greg Holland and Kelvin Herrera helping them advance to back-to-back World Series.That's no longer the case entering 2018. The back end of the bullpen remains unsettled as Royals opened spring training on Tuesday with pitchers and catchers reporting.Herrera is back and led the team with 26 saves last year, but he lost his closing job late in the season. Scott Alexander logged four saves. Mike Minor finished the year as the closer, collecting six saves.The Royals traded relievers Alexander, Joakim Soria and Ryan Butcher in January. Minor signed with the Texas Rangers as a free agent.Along with a plethora of new faces in the bullpen, the Royals have a new pitching coach in Cal Eldred and bullpen coach in Vance Wilson.Herrera, who had a career-worst 4.25 ERA in 64 appearances and battled forearm tightness last year, arrived in Arizona on January 13 to begin working out."I... [More]

Smith (elbow) was recalled and placed on the 60-day disabled list Wednesday, Roger Mooney of the Tampa Tribune reports.

Smith will undergo Tommy John surgery, ending his 2015 campaign. The Rays moved him to the 60-day DL to open up a 40-man roster spot for Allan Dykstra, who had his contract selected to replace James Loney on the 25-man roster.

Smith will have Tommy John surgery, the Tampa Bay Times reports

Smith was a candidate for the major league rotation early in the season with other starters hurt, but he obviously suffered a significant injury. Hopefully he'll be ready for the start of the 2016 season.

Smith is still believed to be in the Rays' early-season plans, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The 24-year-old right-hander was optioned to Triple-A Durham on Friday, seemingly narrowing the field for the Rays' open rotation spots, but Smith can return when the team puts a player on the DL. It seems the move was done primarily to get Smith more innings, and to open up more innings for the likes of Nate Karns, Matt Andriese, Mike Montgomery and Everett Teaford. Smith could still be a temporary rotation option with Drew Smyly (shoulder), Alex Cobb (forearm) and Alex Colome (illness) all out to start the year.

Smith was optioned to Triple-A Durham on Friday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Smith appeared to have a clear path to a temporary rotation spot after Drew Smyly, Alex Cobb and Alex Colome all suffered injuries in the initial weeks of spring training, but evidently his six-run implosion Friday against Toronto (3.2 innings) did him in. Thus, the competition for the available spots in the Opening Day rotation is now down to Nate Karns, Matt Andriese, Mike Montgomery and Everett Teaford.

Smith will likely open the season in the Rays' rotation due the absence of Drew Smyly, Alex Cobb, and Alex Colome, the Tampa Tribune reports.

While all three ailing pitchers may return in April, Smith is positioned to get at least a couple of turns as a temporary member of the Tampa Bay rotation. Smith will be joined by Nate Karns and Matt Andriese as the first options tasked with filling in, while a strong showing could prolong the opportunity for at least one of the replacements if Smyly, Cobb, or Colome suffer a setback.

Smith worked three innings in Tuesday's start versus the Pirates, allowing just one earned run on three hits and a walk while notching two strikeouts.

Smith threw 20 pitches in Tuesday's outing, finding the zone with 15 of them. With four solid frames under his belt so far this spring, the right-handed hurler has placed himself in the competition, along with Nate Karns and Alex Colome, for the fifth spot in the Rays' rotation heading into the regular season.

Smith (forearm) was traded to the Rays on Wednesday as part of a three-team deal, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports.

Smith's 2014 campaign was largely limited due to forearm issues, as he was only able to log 20 innings at the minor league level. He's expected to be ready to go by the start of the 2015 season, however, and will compete to earn a major league roster spot during spring training. If the right-hander is able to crack the Opening Day roster, he'll likely serve in long relief, though he came up through the farm system as a starting pitcher.

Padres optioned RHP Burch Smith to Triple-A Tucson; reassigned 2B Cory Spangenberg and 1B/C Cody Decker to minor league camp.

Manager Bud Black said earlier this spring that Smith could be a candidate for the bullpen, but they'll keep him as starter insurance at Triple-A. The 23-year-old struggled during his rookie season, compiling a 6.44 ERA, 1.65 WHIP and 46/21 K/BB ratio over 36 1/3 innings.

Padres manager Bud Black confirmed Sunday that Burch Smith could be a candidate to begin the season in the bullpen.

The 23-year-old hurler struggled during his rookie campaign in 2013, compiling a 6.44 ERA, 1.65 WHIP and 46/21 K/BB ratio over 36 1/3 innings with the Padres. While the strikeout numbers are intriguing, as is pitching half his games at Petco Park, unless he manages to earn a rotation spot his fantasy value will be minimal in 2014.

The Padres have decided not to have Burch Smith pitch in the Arizona Fall League this offseason.

Smith matched his 2012 output with 128 2/3 innings between the Padres and Triple-A Tuscon in 2012, but the organization wants to play it safe and not over-extend him. Dennis O'Grady will be taking Smith's spot on the roster.

Burch Smith surrendered six runs and three homers in 5 2/3 innings versus the Giants on Friday.

Despite striking out 46 in 36 1/3 innings, Smith went 1-3 with a 6.44 ERA in seven starts and two relief appearances for the Padres. He's more intriguing as a reliever than as a starter right now, but the Padres should continue to groom him for the rotation in Triple-A at the beginning of next year.