WASHINGTON (AP) — Jackie Bradley Jr. drove in two runs, Eduardo Rodriguez struck out six in six innings and the Boston Red Sox beat the Washington Nationals 3-0 on Wednesday to complete a three-game sweep.Rodriguez (10-3) allowed three hits and walked one. Craig Kimbrel worked the ninth for his 26th save in 28 chances, finishing a six-hitter.The Nationals (42-43) have lost five in a row to fall below .500 this late in the season for the first time since being 60-61 on Aug. 21, 2015. The preseason NL East favorites held a players-only meeting after the game.A throwing error by Adam Eaton on Bradley's sacrifice fly and a wild pitch by Ryan Madson (2-4) in the seventh inning contributed to Washington's 17th loss in 22 games.Nationals starter Erick Fedde left one batter into the second inning with right shoulder stiffness. Manager Davey Martinez said Fedde was scheduled to have an MRI.YANKEES 6, BRAVES 2NEW YORK (AP) — Giancarlo Stanton hit a three-run homer and CC Sabathia pitched six effective... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Xander Bogaerts hit a three-run homer during a six-run fifth inning, J.D. Martinez and Eduardo Nunez also went deep, and the Boston Red Sox beat the Washington Nationals 11-4 on Tuesday.Martinez drove in four and leads the majors with 26 homers and 71 RBIs. Boston has won 17 of its last 19 interleague games.Washington has lost four straight and 16 of 21 to fall to 42-42, its first time at .500 since it was 17-17.Red Sox starter Brian Johnson allowed two runs in 4 2/3 innings. Brandon Workman (1-0) pitched a perfect seventh.Nationals starter Tanner Roark (3-10) allowed a career-high nine runs in seven innings and is 1-8 with a 5.19 ERA in 12 appearances (11 starts) since May 5.YANKEES 8, BRAVES 5NEW YORK (AP) — Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Hicks and Kyle Higashioka each homered and New York went ahead early and hung on to beat Atlanta.Aaron Judge had two hits and a walk, and he stole two bases for the first time in his career. Hicks also walked twice as New York drew eight... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Xander Bogaerts hit a three-run homer during a six-run fifth inning, J.D. Martinez and Eduardo Nunez also went deep, and the Boston Red Sox beat the Washington Nationals 11-4 on Tuesday.Martinez drove in four and leads the majors with 26 homers and 71 RBIs. Boston has won 17 of its last 19 interleague games.Washington has lost four straight and 16 of 21 to fall to 42-42, its first time at .500 since it was 17-17.Red Sox starter Brian Johnson allowed two runs in 4 2/3 innings. Brandon Workman (1-0) pitched a perfect seventh.Nationals starter Tanner Roark (3-10) allowed a career-high nine runs in seven innings and is 1-8 with a 5.19 ERA in 12 appearances (11 starts) since May 5.YANKEES 8, BRAVES 5NEW YORK (AP) — Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Hicks and Kyle Higashioka each homered and New York went ahead early and hung on to beat Atlanta.Aaron Judge had two hits and a walk, and he stole two bases for the first time in his career. Hicks also walked twice as New York drew eight... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Hicks hit three home runs and the New York Yankees pummeled David Price again, connecting five times in the first four innings Sunday night on the way to an 11-1 rout of the Boston Red Sox.Luis Severino became the first 13-game winner in the majors, cruising through 6 2/3 shutout innings of two-hit ball after the Bronx Bombers quickly built him a big cushion. With the teams trading blowouts all weekend, the Yankees (54-27) took two of three from their longtime rivals to regain baseball's best record and first place in the AL East.Batting leadoff against a left-hander, Hicks homered twice from the right side of the plate and once from the left. He smacked a two-run shot to right field in the second inning and a solo drive to center in the fourth that chased Price (9-6) and made it 8-0.Hicks pulled his 14th of the season into the right-field stands in the eighth off Hector Velazquez. It was the first three-homer game by a Yankees player since Alex Rodriguez, part of... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Jon Lester hit a three-run homer in an eight-run second inning and wound up with his NL-leading 11th victory in the Chicago Cubs' 11-10 win over the Minnesota Twins on Sunday.Ian Happ also homered for the Cubs. They have scored at least 10 runs in four straight games for the first time since 1930. Chicago swept the three-game series and has won four in a row overall.Lester (11-2) allowed four runs, two of them earned, and nine hits in five-plus innings.Javier Baez, who doubled twice, Happ and Willson Contreras each had three hits.Mitch Garver hit a two-run homer off reliever Dillon Maples in the Twins' five-run eighth.Cubs closer Brandon Morrow got one out in the eighth and pitched a scoreless ninth for his 18th save in 19 chances. Lance Lynn (5-7) was the loser.Brian Dozier hit a two-run homer and Jake Cave also homered for the Twins.RAYS 3, ASTROS 2.ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Blake Snell struck out 10, reliever Diego Castillo fanned Jose Altuve in a key spot and Tampa... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Shin-Soo Choo didn't play Saturday night for the Texas Rangers because of a sore right quad, putting on hold his majors-best 41-game streak of reaching base.Choo said before the 13-4 win over the Chicago White Sox that he has been dealing with quad soreness for at least 10 days, and that it had really bothered him the last couple of days."I don't want to make it worse," Choo said. "I don't think it's serious."The outfielder/designated hitter said he had an MRI earlier Saturday to find out for sure what he was feeling in his upper leg.Choo had a leadoff walk in the first inning of an 11-3 win Friday night to extend his career-best on-base streak and match the longest in the majors this season. He later hit one of the Rangers' five home runs for a 12-game hitting streak that is the longest active streak in the majors."He's battled with a tight quad and I felt like it was just an opportunity to get him off his legs, give him a day," manager Jeff Banister said. "He's... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Shin-Soo Choo was out of the Texas Rangers' lineup because of a sore right quad Saturday, a night after reaching base in his 41st consecutive game to match the longest streak in the majors this season.Choo said before the game against the Chicago White Sox that he has been dealing with quad soreness for at least 10 days, and that it had really bothered him the last couple of days."I don't want to make it worse," Choo said. "I don't think it's serious."The outfield/designated hitter said he had an MRI earlier Saturday to find out for sure what he was feeling in his upper leg.Choo had a leadoff walk in the first inning of an 11-3 win Friday night to extend his career-best on-base streak. He later hit one of the Rangers' five home runs for a 12-game hitting streak that is the longest active streak in the majors."He's battled with a tight quad and I felt like it was just an opportunity to get him off his legs, give him a day," manager Jeff Banister said. "He's played... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Shin-Soo Choo is out of the Texas Rangers lineup a night after reaching base in his 41st consecutive game.Choo said before Saturday's game against the Chicago White Sox that he has been dealing with a sore right quad for at least 10 days. He said it has really bothered him the last couple of days.Manager Jeff Banister said it was a chance to get Choo off his legs with a day off. But the manager didn't rule out him being a pinch-hitter.Choo's on-base streak is the longest for the Rangers since Otis Nixon's 44-gamer in 1995, and five short of Julio Franco's team record set in 1993. Choo matched Philadelphia's Odubel Herrera for the longest in the majors this season.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

NEW YORK (AP) — CC Sabathia shut down the high-scoring Red Sox, Greg Bird hit two home runs and Aaron Judge connected off a college teammate as the New York Yankees bopped Boston 8-1 on Friday night to retake the top record in the majors.Not since the famed Bucky Dent playoff game in 1978 had the Yankees and Red Sox met so late in a season when they owned the two best marks in baseball. Home runs decided this matchup, too, with Miguel Andujar also going deep for New York.The biggest crowd of the year at Yankee Stadium was in the spirit as lines forming outside the gates more than 3 1/2 hours before the start. The pro-Yankees chants began prior to the first pitch, the anti-Boston shouts soon followed.Sabathia (5-3) helped end Boston's four-game winning streak, less than a month from his 38th birthday. He gave up one run and six hits in seven innings.Steve Pearce, acquired a day earlier from Toronto, batted cleanup in his debut for Boston and doubled and singled off Sabathia. No matter, the... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — CC Sabathia shut down the high-scoring Red Sox, Greg Bird hit two home runs and Aaron Judge connected off a college teammate as the New York Yankees bopped Boston 8-1 on Friday night to retake the top record in the majors.Not since the famed Bucky Dent playoff game in 1978 had the Yankees and Red Sox met so late in a season when they owned the two best marks in baseball. Home runs decided this matchup, too, with Miguel Andujar also going deep for New York.The biggest crowd of the year at Yankee Stadium was in the spirit as lines forming outside the gates more than 3 1/2 hours before the start. The pro-Yankees chants began prior to the first pitch, the anti-Boston shouts soon followed.Sabathia (5-3) helped end Boston's four-game winning streak, less than a month from his 38th birthday. He gave up one run and six hits in seven innings.Steve Pearce, acquired a day earlier from Toronto, batted cleanup in his debut for Boston and doubled and singled off Sabathia. No matter, the... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — CC Sabathia shut down the high-scoring Red Sox, Greg Bird hit two home runs and Aaron Judge connected off a college teammate as the New York Yankees bopped Boston 8-1 on Friday night to retake the top record in the majors.Not since the famed Bucky Dent playoff game in 1978 had the Yankees and Red Sox met so late in a season when they owned the two best marks in baseball. Home runs decided this matchup, too, with Miguel Andujar also going deep for New York.The biggest crowd of the year at Yankee Stadium was in the spirit as lines forming outside the gates more than 3 1/2 hours before the start. The pro-Yankees chants began prior to the first pitch, the anti-Boston shouts soon followed.Sabathia (5-3) helped end Boston's four-game winning streak, less than a month from his 38th birthday. He gave up one run and six hits in seven innings.Steve Pearce, acquired a day earlier from Toronto, batted cleanup in his debut for Boston and doubled and singled off Sabathia. No matter, the... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — CC Sabathia shut down the high-scoring Red Sox, Greg Bird hit two home runs and Aaron Judge connected off a college teammate as the New York Yankees bopped Boston 8-1 on Friday night to retake the top record in the majors.Not since the famed Bucky Dent playoff game in 1978 had the Yankees and Red Sox met so late in a season when they owned the two best marks in baseball. Home runs decided this matchup, too, with Miguel Andujar also going deep for New York.The biggest crowd of the year at Yankee Stadium was in the spirit as lines forming outside the gates more than 3 1/2 hours before the start. The pro-Yankees chants began prior to the first pitch, the anti-Boston shouts soon followed.Sabathia (5-3) helped end Boston's four-game winning streak, less than a month from his 38th birthday. He gave up one run and six hits in seven innings.Steve Pearce, acquired a day earlier from Toronto, batted cleanup in his debut for Boston and doubled and singled off Sabathia. No matter, the... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — J.D. Martinez hit his major league-leading 25th home run, Rafael Devers delivered a tiebreaking double and the Boston Red Sox beat the skidding Los Angeles Angels 9-6 on Wednesday night after squandering a six-run lead.Martinez's homer capped a six-run second for the Red Sox, who won for the fifth time in six games. Eduardo Nunez and Sandy Leon also went deep in the inning. Boston improved to 5-0 against the Angels this season and has outscored them 45-10.Martin Maldonado launched a three-run homer and Ian Kinsler had a solo shot for the Angels. They lost their fifth straight and 12th in 16 games.Los Angeles reliever Jake Jewell was carted off the field with what appeared to be a gruesome injury to his right ankle after covering the plate on a run-scoring wild pitch in the eighth.Angels star Mike Trout went 1 for 4 as a sprained right index finger kept him as the designated hitter for the eighth consecutive game.Devers doubled off reliever Jose Alvarez (3-3) in the seventh,... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — J.D. Martinez hit his major league-leading 25th home run, Rafael Devers delivered a tiebreaking double and the Boston Red Sox beat the skidding Los Angeles Angels 9-6 on Wednesday night after squandering a six-run lead.Martinez's homer capped a six-run second for the Red Sox, who won for the fifth time in six games. Eduardo Nunez and Sandy Leon also went deep in the inning. Boston improved to 5-0 against the Angels this season and has outscored them 45-10.Martin Maldonado launched a three-run homer and Ian Kinsler had a solo shot for the Angels. They lost their fifth straight and 12th in 16 games.Los Angeles reliever Jake Jewell was carted off the field with what appeared to be a gruesome injury to his right ankle after covering the plate on a run-scoring wild pitch in the eighth.Angels star Mike Trout went 1 for 4 as a sprained right index finger kept him as the designated hitter for the eighth consecutive game.Devers doubled off reliever Jose Alvarez (3-3) in the seventh,... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Luis Severino became the majors' first 12-game winner, Aaron Hicks and Didi Gregorius homered and the New York Yankees beat the Philadelphia Phillies 6-0 Tuesday night.Severino (12-2) struck out nine in seven dominant innings, lowering his ERA to 2.10. The ace has allowed three runs or less in 16 of 17 starts.Jake Arrieta (5-6) had another rough outing for Philadelphia, which had won four consecutive series before losing two straight to the Yankees. Arrieta gave up six runs — three earned — and nine hits in five innings.Arrieta was 0-4 with a 6.66 ERA in five starts in June after posting a 0.90 ERA in five starts last month.RAYS 1, NATIONALS 0ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - Nathan Eovaldi took a no-hitter into the sixth inning before an unusual combination of relievers in the ninth completed a three-hitter as the Rays beat Max Scherzer and the Nationals.Eovaldi (2-3) lost his no-hit bid when Bryce Harper hit an opposite-field double off the left-field wall with two outs... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Luis Severino became the majors' first 12-game winner, Aaron Hicks and Didi Gregorius homered and the New York Yankees beat the Philadelphia Phillies 6-0 Tuesday night.Severino (12-2) struck out nine in seven dominant innings, lowering his ERA to 2.10. The ace has allowed three runs or less in 16 of 17 starts.Jake Arrieta (5-6) had another rough outing for Philadelphia, which had won four consecutive series before losing two straight to the Yankees. Arrieta gave up six runs — three earned — and nine hits in five innings.Arrieta was 0-4 with a 6.66 ERA in five starts in June after posting a 0.90 ERA in five starts last month.RAYS 1, NATIONALS 0ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - Nathan Eovaldi took a no-hitter into the sixth inning before an unusual combination of relievers in the ninth completed a three-hitter as the Rays beat Max Scherzer and the Nationals.Eovaldi (2-3) lost his no-hit bid when Bryce Harper hit an opposite-field double off the left-field wall with two outs... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Shin-Soo Choo changed up his swing going into this season with a modified leg kick. Maybe more significant was a return to some of the mental focus he had lost along the way."Every pitch, each pitch, is the last pitch of my baseball career ... I think that way," Choo said.After a slow start to this season, Choo realized he had gotten away from what he refers to as the "sniper focus" he wants to have every time he goes to the plate for the Texas Rangers.Choo now has a 38-game on-base streak. It is the longest of his 14-year big league career, and the second-longest this season behind a 40-gamer by Philadelphia's Odubel Herrera."The physical side of it is a byproduct of him making a conscious effort to get back to who he is, what his foundation has been as a hitter, an on-base guy first," Rangers manager Jeff Banister said. "When he's doing that and he's seeing pitches, he's focused in more on driving the ball, that he gets to hit his pitch. He's really good at it."With... [More]

ST. PETRSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Blake Snell took a no-hitter into the seventh inning, Kevin Kiermaier hit a grand slam and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Washington Nationals 11-0 on Monday night.Wilson Ramos homered twice and rookie Jake Bauers had four hits in the Rays' fourth straight win.Snell (10-4) walked Trea Turner and Bryce Harper to open the game before retiring 18 straight, striking out five straight at one point. Anthony Rendon doubled leading off the seventh for the first of Washington's two hits.Kiermaier's first home run of the season came during a six-run second inning against Gio Gonzalez (6-5).It was the eighth loss in 11 games for the Nationals.YANKEES 4, PHILLIES 2PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jonathan Loaisiga took a no-hitter into the sixth inning, Aaron Judge ripped his 20th homer and the Yankees snapped a three-game losing streak.Loaisiga (2-0) didn't allow a hit until Jorge Alfaro lined a single to right leading off the sixth. He struck out eight in 5 1/3 innings in his third start... [More]

ST. PETRSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Blake Snell took a no-hitter into the seventh inning, Kevin Kiermaier hit a grand slam and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Washington Nationals 11-0 on Monday night.Wilson Ramos homered twice and rookie Jake Bauers had four hits in the Rays' fourth straight win.Snell (10-4) walked Trea Turner and Bryce Harper to open the game before retiring 18 straight, striking out five straight at one point. Anthony Rendon doubled leading off the seventh for the first of Washington's two hits.Kiermaier's first home run of the season came during a six-run second inning against Gio Gonzalez (6-5).It was the eighth loss in 11 games for the Nationals.YANKEES 4, PHILLIES 2PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jonathan Loaisiga took a no-hitter into the sixth inning, Aaron Judge ripped his 20th homer and the Yankees snapped a three-game losing streak.Loaisiga (2-0) didn't allow a hit until Jorge Alfaro lined a single to right leading off the sixth. He struck out eight in 5 1/3 innings in his third start... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Cody Bellinger hit a grand slam to break a scoreless tie in the sixth inning and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the sinking New York Mets 5-2 on Friday night behind Alex Wood's effective pitching.Yasiel Puig added a solo home run in the ninth, and the defending NL champions won their 10th straight against the Mets dating to May 2016. Los Angeles has outscored New York 75-20 in those games, winning each of the past eight by at least three runs — a first in Dodgers history against any opponent, according to STATS.Wood (3-5) outdueled Zack Wheeler (2-6), allowing two runs and six hits in six innings to win his second consecutive start. The left-hander with the funky delivery struck out seven and walked one.Kenley Jansen fanned two in a perfect ninth for his 19th save.New York wasted a dazzling catch by center fielder Michael Conforto that saved a run in the third. After starting the season 11-1, the Mets lost for the 21st time in 27 games to fall a season-worst 11 games under... [More]