NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge and Miguel Andujar hit two-run homers off James Paxton in the first inning that sent the New York Yankees over the Seattle Mariners 4-3 on Thursday for a three-game sweep.Luis Severino and the Yankees boosted the best record in the majors to 50-22. They've won four in a row and 17 of 21. Seattle has lost a season-high four straight.Severino (11-2) wasn't at his best. He gave up Kyle Seager's two-run homer in the second and permitted eight hits overall, matching a season most. He was pulled with two outs in the sixth after Ben Gamel's RBI single cut Seattle's deficit to one run.David Robertson and Dellin Betances protected the lead, and Aroldis Chapman struck out Dee Gordon on three pitches with a runner on second for his 22nd save in 23 chances.Paxton (6-2) had been 5-0 in 10 starts since April, including a no-hitter at Toronto. He went five innings and threw 107 pitches, the same total as Severino.GIANTS 3, PADRES 0SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Madison Bumgarner pitched... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge and Miguel Andujar hit two-run homers off James Paxton in the first inning that sent the New York Yankees over the Seattle Mariners 4-3 on Thursday for a three-game sweep.Luis Severino and the Yankees boosted the best record in the majors to 50-22. They've won four in a row and 17 of 21. Seattle has lost a season-high four straight.Severino (11-2) wasn't at his best. He gave up Kyle Seager's two-run homer in the second and permitted eight hits overall, matching a season most. He was pulled with two outs in the sixth after Ben Gamel's RBI single cut Seattle's deficit to one run.David Robertson and Dellin Betances protected the lead, and Aroldis Chapman struck out Dee Gordon on three pitches with a runner on second for his 22nd save in 23 chances.Paxton (6-2) had been 5-0 in 10 starts since April, including a no-hitter at Toronto. He went five innings and threw 107 pitches, the same total as Severino.RED SOX 9, TWINS 2MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Rick Porcello allowed one... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors today:BIG ARMS IN THE BRONXWith slugger Giancarlo Stanton heating up at the plate, the major league-leading Yankees (49-22) go for a three-game sweep of visiting Seattle. Luis Severino (10-2, 2.09 ERA) pitches for New York against lefty James Paxton (6-1, 3.44), who is 5-0 with a 2.55 ERA since the beginning of May — a nine-start span that includes a no-hitter in Toronto. The Mariners have lost three straight for the first time since April 17-19 against the World Series champion Astros.STRANGE TO SEEThree-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (10-3, 2.06 ERA) tries to avoid his first three-game losing streak since August 2015 when the Nationals host lowly Baltimore. He'll hope to get some help on offense from slumping slugger Bryce Harper, who went 0 for 4 in a rain-delayed 3-0 loss Wednesday night, dropping his batting average to .209. Washington manager Dave Martinez said Harper has been working hard with batting coach Kevin Long. "He's going... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Jon Lester won his fifth straight start, Javier Baez backed him with three hits and two runs, and the Chicago Cubs beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-0 on Wednesday.Lester (9-2) gave up five hits over seven innings. Baez had two doubles, a triple and a steal. He also made some solid plays at shortstop and second base.Kyle Schwarber hit his 14th homer, and Kris Bryant added two hits and an RBI. And the Cubs handed Ross Stripling his first loss since April 30, taking two of three in a rematch of the past two NL Championship Series.Lester walked three and struck out one batter. Anthony Bass worked the final two innings to finish the six-hitter.Stripling (6-2) had won six straight starts. The right-hander went six innings, allowing three runs and eight hits while striking out seven without a walk.YANKEES 7, MARINERS 5NEW YORK (AP) — Giancarlo Stanton lined a two-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, and New York erased a five-run deficit to beat Seattle.Gary... [More]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Houston Astros won their 10th straight game, with Dallas Keuchel getting three-run homers from Max Stassi and Alex Bregman to rout the Kansas City Royals 10-2 on Saturday.Jose Altuve hit a two-run double in the first inning to send the World Series champions on their way. The Astros had an 11-game win streak last season that ended in Kansas City.The Royals have lost five in a row and are just 2-12 in June.Keuchel (4-8) began to emerge from a monthlong funk, allowing two unearned runs and six hits in six innings. The 2015 Cy Young winner had surrendered a combined 17 runs over his last three outings, and had not won since tossing seven scoreless innings against Texas on May 13.Danny Duffy (3-7) had been pitching well of late, but the Royals left-hander allowed seven runs on seven hits and three walks in six innings.YANKEES 4, RAYS 1NEW YORK (AP) — Luis Severino pitched eight sharp innings and also jumped to steal away a popup from catcher Gary Sanchez as New York... [More]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Houston Astros won their 10th straight game, with Dallas Keuchel getting three-run homers from Max Stassi and Alex Bregman to rout the Kansas City Royals 10-2 on Saturday.Jose Altuve hit a two-run double in the first inning to send the World Series champions on their way. The Astros had an 11-game win streak last season that ended in Kansas City.The Royals have lost five in a row and are just 2-12 in June.Keuchel (4-8) began to emerge from a monthlong funk, allowing two unearned runs and six hits in six innings. The 2015 Cy Young winner had surrendered a combined 17 runs over his last three outings, and had not won since tossing seven scoreless innings against Texas on May 13.Danny Duffy (3-7) had been pitching well of late, but the Royals left-hander allowed seven runs on seven hits and three walks in six innings.YANKEES 4, RAYS 1NEW YORK (AP) — Luis Severino pitched eight sharp innings and also jumped to steal away a popup from catcher Gary Sanchez as New York... [More]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Houston Astros won their 10th straight game, with Dallas Keuchel getting three-run homers from Max Stassi and Alex Bregman to rout the Kansas City Royals 10-2 on Saturday.Jose Altuve hit a two-run double in the first inning to send the World Series champions on their way. The Astros had an 11-game win streak last season that ended in Kansas City.The Royals have lost five in a row and are just 2-12 in June.Keuchel (4-8) began to emerge from a monthlong funk, allowing two unearned runs and six hits in six innings. The 2015 Cy Young winner had surrendered a combined 17 runs over his last three outings, and had not won since tossing seven scoreless innings against Texas on May 13.Danny Duffy (3-7) had been pitching well of late, but the Royals left-hander allowed seven runs on seven hits and three walks in six innings.YANKEES 4, RAYS 1NEW YORK (AP) — Luis Severino pitched eight sharp innings and also jumped to steal away a popup from catcher Gary Sanchez as New York... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Brandon Crawford went 4 for 4 with a two-run homer, and the San Francisco Giants dealt Max Scherzer his first loss in more than two months, defeating the Washington Nationals 2-0 on Sunday.After Pablo Sandoval walked leading off the fourth, Crawford homered into the second deck in right for his eighth of the season. He singled in the first and doubled in the sixth and eighth innings. Since May 1, Crawford is hitting an MLB-best .439 (58-for-132) and has raised his average to .338.Scherzer (10-2) had won nine straight decisions since his last loss on April 4. He allowed two runs and four hits while striking out nine over seven innings.Derek Holland (4-6), a 10-year veteran facing Washington for the first time, allowed three hits and two walks in five innings as five pitchers combined for the three-hitter. Hunter Strickland pitched the ninth for his 13th save.PADRES 3, MARLINS 1MIAMI (AP) — Clayton Richard became the latest pitcher to flirt with the first no-hitter in San... [More]

Yes, the baseball draft can feel like a bit of a crapshoot, but it does help to be picking near the top.This year's draft took place Monday night, with the Detroit Tigers selecting Auburn right-hander Casey Mize with the top pick . San Francisco followed by picking Georgia Tech catcher Joey Bart. It could be a while before either of those players makes an impact in the majors, but if the past two decades are any indication, the top two picks are as likely as anybody to provide major value.From 1998-2017, the 20 players picked No. 1 overall have been worth a total of 313.5 wins above replacement, according to Baseball-Reference.com. That's more value than any other slot in the first round. The 20 players drafted at No. 2 have been worth 261.3 WAR, which is the second-most value.After the top two picks, the draft has been more hit-or-miss. For example, the No. 7 pick (222.4 WAR) has yielded significantly more value than the No. 4 pick (82.1). That's not to say that a team should rather pick... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Brandon Crawford went 4 for 4 with a two-run homer, and the San Francisco Giants dealt Max Scherzer his first loss in more than two months, defeating the Washington Nationals 2-0 on Sunday.After Pablo Sandoval walked leading off the fourth, Crawford homered into the second deck in right for his eighth of the season. He singled in the first and doubled in the sixth and eighth innings. Since May 1, Crawford is hitting an MLB-best .439 (58-for-132) and has raised his average to .338.Scherzer (10-2) had won nine straight decisions since his last loss on April 4. He allowed two runs and four hits while striking out nine over seven innings.Derek Holland (4-6), a 10-year veteran facing Washington for the first time, allowed three hits and two walks in five innings as five pitchers combined for the three-hitter. Hunter Strickland pitched the ninth for his 13th save.METS 2, YANKEES 0NEW YORK (AP) — Seth Lugo (2-1) pitched six dominant innings in a stellar spot start, Todd Frazier... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Brandon Crawford went 4 for 4 with a two-run homer, and the San Francisco Giants dealt Max Scherzer his first loss in more than two months, defeating the Washington Nationals 2-0 on Sunday.After Pablo Sandoval walked leading off the fourth, Crawford homered into the second deck in right for his eighth of the season. He singled in the first and doubled in the sixth and eighth innings. Since May 1, Crawford is hitting an MLB-best .439 (58-for-132) and has raised his average to .338.Scherzer (10-2) had won nine straight decisions since his last loss on April 4. He allowed two runs and four hits while striking out nine over seven innings.Derek Holland (4-6), a 10-year veteran facing Washington for the first time, allowed three hits and two walks in five innings as five pitchers combined for the three-hitter. Hunter Strickland pitched the ninth for his 13th save.PADRES 3, MARLINS 1MIAMI (AP) — Clayton Richard became the latest pitcher to flirt with the first no-hitter in San... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Max Scherzer pitched eight strong innings to become the first 10-game winner in the majors this season, striking out 13 in the Washington Nationals' 4-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday night.Scherzer (10-1) won his ninth consecutive decision while scattering five hits and did not allow a runner past second base until pinch hitter Brad Miller's two-out double in the eighth.Sean Doolittle pitched the ninth for his 15th save in 16 opportunities.Scherzer struck out Johnny Field, Christian Arroyo and Daniel Robertson on a combined nine pitches in the sixth inning. It was the third nine pitch/three strikeout inning in Nationals history and the first since Scherzer did it against Philadelphia on May 14, 2017.Tampa Bay starter Nathan Eovaldi (1-1) gave up four runs in five innings in his second start back from Tommy John surgery.DIAMONDBACKS 3, GIANTS 2SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Madison Bumgarner tossed six solid innings in his long-awaited season debut but was outpitched... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Max Scherzer pitched eight strong innings to become the first 10-game winner in the majors this season, striking out 13 in the Washington Nationals' 4-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday night.Scherzer (10-1) won his ninth consecutive decision while scattering five hits and did not allow a runner past second base until pinch hitter Brad Miller's two-out double in the eighth.Sean Doolittle pitched the ninth for his 15th save in 16 opportunities.Scherzer struck out Johnny Field, Christian Arroyo and Daniel Robertson on a combined nine pitches in the sixth inning. It was the third nine pitch/three strikeout inning in Nationals history and the first since Scherzer did it against Philadelphia on May 14, 2017.Tampa Bay starter Nathan Eovaldi (1-1) gave up four runs in five innings in his second start back from Tommy John surgery.RED SOX 6, TIGERS 0BOSTON (AP) — J.D. Martinez hit his 20th home run, Steven Wright pitched seven sharp innings in his first start of the season... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Max Scherzer pitched eight strong innings to become the first 10-game winner in the majors this season, striking out 13 in the Washington Nationals' 4-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday night.Scherzer (10-1) won his ninth consecutive decision while scattering five hits and did not allow a runner past second base until pinch hitter Brad Miller's two-out double in the eighth.Sean Doolittle pitched the ninth for his 15th save in 16 opportunities.Scherzer struck out Johnny Field, Christian Arroyo and Daniel Robertson on a combined nine pitches in the sixth inning. It was the third nine pitch/three strikeout inning in Nationals history and the first since Scherzer did it against Philadelphia on May 14, 2017.Tampa Bay starter Nathan Eovaldi (1-1) gave up four runs in five innings in his second start back from Tommy John surgery.RED SOX 6, TIGERS 0BOSTON (AP) — J.D. Martinez hit his 20th home run, Steven Wright pitched seven sharp innings in his first start of the season... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Starter Jeremy Hellickson will have an MRI after straining his right hamstring, forcing him to leave with one out in the first inning of the Washington Nationals' 4-2 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Sunday.As Hellickson ran to cover Ozzie Albies' grounder, a throwing error by first baseman Mark Reynolds caused him to drop the ball as he came down on the bag. Hellickson immediately clutched the back top of his leg and walked slowly off the field.Hellickson is likely to go on the disabled list, another setback for the injury-riddled Nationals."I tried to walk, and it just kept grabbing on me," he said. "It's really frustrating. It's exactly what I didn't want to happen. The bullpen threw seven shutout innings yesterday and now they have to get 26 more outs. I tried to walk it off, but I couldn't."Jefry Rodriguez, recalled earlier in the day from Double-A Harrisburg, immediately warmed up to make his major league debut. He allowed six base runners in 4 2-3 scoreless innings.Washington... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Nationals ace Max Scherzer singled as a pinch hitter in the 14th inning and scored the tiebreaking run on Wilmer Difo's triple, sparking Washington to a 5-3 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Saturday.In his third big league pinch-hit appearance, Scherzer singled up the middle against Miguel Socolovich (0-1) and sped home from first base on Difo's hit to right-center field. Spencer Kieboom added an RBI single. Scherzer, a three-time Cy Young Award winner, touched off a dugout celebration after he scored.Justin Miller (2-0) struck out five in three innings, facing the minimum, and Sean Doolittle got three straight outs for his 14th save.Juan Soto and Michael Taylor homered for Washington. Johan Camargo hit his third home run this week for Atlanta.YANKEES 8, ORIOLES 5BALTIMORE (AP) — Giancarlo Stanton and Miguel Andujar homered to help Masahiro Tanaka win his fifth straight decision, and the New York Yankees extended the Orioles' losing streak to seven games.Tanaka (7-2) allowed... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Nationals ace Max Scherzer singled as a pinch hitter in the 14th inning and scored the tiebreaking run on Wilmer Difo's triple, sparking Washington to a 5-3 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Saturday.In his third big league pinch-hit appearance, Scherzer singled up the middle against Miguel Socolovich (0-1) and sped home from first base on Difo's hit to right-center field. Spencer Kieboom added an RBI single. Scherzer, a three-time Cy Young Award winner, touched off a dugout celebration after he scored.Justin Miller (2-0) struck out five in three innings, facing the minimum, and Sean Doolittle got three straight outs for his 14th save.Juan Soto and Michael Taylor homered for Washington. Johan Camargo hit his third home run this week for Atlanta.YANKEES 8, ORIOLES 5BALTIMORE (AP) — Giancarlo Stanton and Miguel Andujar homered to help Masahiro Tanaka win his fifth straight decision, and the New York Yankees extended the Orioles' losing streak to seven games.Tanaka (7-2) allowed... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Nationals ace Max Scherzer singled as a pinch hitter in the 14th inning and scored the tiebreaking run on Wilmer Difo's triple, sparking Washington to a 5-3 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Saturday.In his third big league pinch-hit appearance, Scherzer singled up the middle against Miguel Socolovich (0-1) and sped home from first base on Difo's hit to right-center field. Spencer Kieboom added an RBI single. Scherzer, a three-time Cy Young Award winner, touched off a dugout celebration after he scored.Justin Miller (2-0) struck out five in three innings, facing the minimum, and Sean Doolittle got three straight outs for his 14th save.Juan Soto and Michael Taylor homered for Washington. Johan Camargo hit his third home run this week for Atlanta.YANKEES 8, ORIOLES 5BALTIMORE (AP) — Giancarlo Stanton and Miguel Andujar homered to help Masahiro Tanaka win his fifth straight decision, and the New York Yankees extended the Orioles' losing streak to seven games.Tanaka (7-2) allowed... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Nationals ace Max Scherzer singled as a pinch hitter in the 14th inning and scored the tiebreaking run on Wilmer Difo's triple, sparking Washington to a 5-3 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Saturday.In his third big league pinch-hit appearance, Scherzer singled up the middle against Miguel Socolovich (0-1) and sped home from first base on Difo's hit to right-center field. Spencer Kieboom added an RBI single. Scherzer, a three-time Cy Young Award winner, touched off a dugout celebration after he scored.Justin Miller (2-0) struck out five in three innings, facing the minimum, and Sean Doolittle got three straight outs for his 14th save.Juan Soto and Michael Taylor homered for Washington. Johan Camargo hit his third home run this week for Atlanta.YANKEES 8, ORIOLES 5BALTIMORE (AP) — Giancarlo Stanton and Miguel Andujar homered to help Masahiro Tanaka win his fifth straight decision, and the New York Yankees extended the Orioles' losing streak to seven games.Tanaka (7-2) allowed... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Nathan Eovaldi pitched six innings of no-hit ball in his return to the majors following a second Tommy John surgery, leading the Tampa Bay Rays to a 6-0 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday night.Eovaldi (1-0) faced one over the minimum through six innings in his Tampa Bay debut. He threw 70 pitches and had four strikeouts. The only runner to reach base against him was Matt Chapman, who drew a one-out walk in the first.Wilmer Font, acquired by the Rays from the A's last Friday, gave up Jed Lowrie's one-out single in the seventh for Oakland's only hit of the game. Vidal Nuno got the last three outs to finish the one-hitter.Rob Refsnyder hit a three-run home run off A's starter Sean Manaea (5-6), and Johnny Field also homered for the Rays.The game drew an announced crowd of 6,295, the smallest at the Coliseum since April 3, 2003.Eovaldi last pitched in the majors on Aug. 10, 2016, for the Yankees. Nine days later, he underwent a second elbow surgery. Eovaldi... [More]