WASHINGTON (AP) — Juan Soto drove in the winning run with a single on a 3-0 pitch in the bottom of the ninth inning Tuesday, lifting the coronavirus-depleted Washington Nationals to a 6-5 comeback victory over the Atlanta Braves after waiting five days to start their season. Lefty reliever Will Smith (0-1) entered for the ninth and promptly gave up a single to new leadoff hitter Victor Robles, and then hit Trea Turner with a pitch. That brought up Soto, the 2020 NL batting champion, and he delivered a line drive to center field. Ronald Acuña Jr., Freddie Freeman and Dansby Swanson homered against Washington ace Max Scherzer. Acuña drove Scherzer's first pitch of the game deep to left-center, and led off the third with his second homer. Turner hit a two-run shot for the Nationals. Daniel Hudson (1-0) got the win. Because of a COVID-19 outbreak — four players tested positive; seven were forced into quarantine after potentially being exposed — Washington’s first four scheduled games were scrapped.... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Juan Soto drove in the winning run with a single on a 3-0 pitch in the bottom of the ninth inning Tuesday, lifting the coronavirus-depleted Washington Nationals to a 6-5 comeback victory over the Atlanta Braves after waiting five days to start their season. Lefty reliever Will Smith (0-1) entered for the ninth and promptly gave up a single to new leadoff hitter Victor Robles, and then hit Trea Turner with a pitch. That brought up Soto, the 2020 NL batting champion, and he delivered a line drive to center field. Ronald Acuña Jr., Freddie Freeman and Dansby Swanson homered against Washington ace Max Scherzer. Acuña drove Scherzer's first pitch of the game deep to left-center, and led off the third with his second homer. Turner hit a two-run shot for the Nationals. Daniel Hudson (1-0) got the win. Because of a COVID-19 outbreak — four players tested positive; seven were forced into quarantine after potentially being exposed — Washington’s first four scheduled games were scrapped.... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jean Segura hit an RBI single with two outs in the 10th inning to lift the Philadelphia Phillies over the Atlanta Braves 3-2 in their season opener Thursday. After Nate Jones (0-1) intentionally walked Did Gregorius, Segura hit a bouncer down the third-base line to score Bryce Harper, who began the inning as the automatic runner at second base and advanced to third on a grounder. In the top of the 10th, center fielder Roman Quinn made a perfect throw to the plate to retire Ozzie Albies, who was trying to score on Marcell Ozuna’s fly ball. Catcher J.T. Realmuto caught the ball and slid in front of the plate in one slick motion, successfully blocking Albies’ path. Phillies ace Aaron Nola was one strike away from tossing seven scoreless innings before pinch-hitter Pablo Sandoval ripped an 0-2 pitch into the second deck in right field to tie it at 2. The Phillies got 3 1/3 scoreless innings from four relievers, with Connor Brogdon (1-0) working the 10th. They had the worst... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jean Segura hit an RBI single with two outs in the 10th inning to lift the Philadelphia Phillies over the Atlanta Braves 3-2 in their season opener Thursday. After Nate Jones (0-1) intentionally walked Did Gregorius, Segura hit a bouncer down the third-base line to score Bryce Harper, who began the inning as the automatic runner at second base and advanced to third on a grounder. In the top of the 10th, center fielder Roman Quinn made a perfect throw to the plate to retire Ozzie Albies, who was trying to score on Marcell Ozuna’s fly ball. Catcher J.T. Realmuto caught the ball and slid in front of the plate in one slick motion, successfully blocking Albies’ path. Phillies ace Aaron Nola was one strike away from tossing seven scoreless innings before pinch-hitter Pablo Sandoval ripped an 0-2 pitch into the second deck in right field to tie it at 2. The Phillies got 3 1/3 scoreless innings from four relievers, with Connor Brogdon (1-0) working the 10th. They had the worst... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jean Segura hit an RBI single with two outs in the 10th inning to lift the Philadelphia Phillies over the Atlanta Braves 3-2 in their season opener Thursday. After Nate Jones (0-1) intentionally walked Did Gregorius, Segura hit a bouncer down the third-base line to score Bryce Harper, who began the inning as the automatic runner at second base and advanced to third on a grounder. In the top of the 10th, center fielder Roman Quinn made a perfect throw to the plate to retire Ozzie Albies, who was trying to score on Marcell Ozuna’s fly ball. Catcher J.T. Realmuto caught the ball and slid in front of the plate in one slick motion, successfully blocking Albies’ path. Phillies ace Aaron Nola was one strike away from tossing seven scoreless innings before pinch-hitter Pablo Sandoval ripped an 0-2 pitch into the second deck in right field to tie it at 2. The Phillies got 3 1/3 scoreless innings from four relievers, with Connor Brogdon (1-0) working the 10th. They had the worst... [More]

Travis Shaw’s second stint with the Milwaukee Brewers is off to an encouraging start. The Brewers announced Tuesday they have added Shaw to their 40-man roster, making him one of the leading candidates for playing time at third base. Shaw, who played for Milwaukee from 2017-19 and spent last season with Toronto, signed a minor league deal last month. The contract included terms stating he could request his release if the Brewers didn’t notify him by Monday whether they intended to put him on the 40-man roster. “It’s pretty much everything I expected, pretty much everything they told me going into the process so nothing changes,” Shaw said Tuesday from the Brewers’ spring training site in Phoenix. “Nothing is surprising. It’s all in a good spot.” Shaw, who turns 31 on April 16, has a one-year contract paying him $1.5 million while in the majors and $250,000 in the minors. He can earn up to $1.5 million in performance bonuses for plate appearances: $50,000 each for 250, 275 and 300, $75,000... [More]

Travis Shaw’s second stint with the Milwaukee Brewers is off to an encouraging start. The Brewers announced Tuesday they have added Shaw to their 40-man roster, making him one of the leading candidates for playing time at third base. Shaw, who played for Milwaukee from 2017-19 and spent last season with Toronto, signed a minor league deal last month. The contract included terms stating he could request his release if the Brewers didn’t notify him by Monday whether they intended to put him on the 40-man roster. “It’s pretty much everything I expected, pretty much everything they told me going into the process so nothing changes,” Shaw said Tuesday from the Brewers’ spring training site in Phoenix. “Nothing is surprising. It’s all in a good spot.” Shaw, who turns 31 on April 16, has a one-year contract paying him $1.5 million while in the majors and $250,000 in the minors. He also can earn up to $1.5 million in performance bonuses for reaching various benchmarks in plate appearances. The... [More]

With spring training in full swing, third baseman Travis Shaw returned to the Milwaukee Brewers while former All-Star third baseman Jake Lamb and pitchers Ian Kennedy and Julio Teheran found new teams. Shaw signed a minor league contract with the Brewers on Tuesday, giving them one more option for their unsettled situation at third base. Shaw was invited to spring training. “I think he fits into a need that we have,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “He has an opportunity to earn something. That’s how it was presented to Travis, and I think that’s what excited him about the opportunity.” Kennedy, 36, signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers, and will be in major league spring training with a chance to be compete for a spot in their bullpen. Lamb signed a $1 million, one-year contract with the Atlanta Braves that is not guaranteed. The signing adds another veteran bat to an already deep competition for bench spots in spring training. The 30-year-old Teheran got a minor league... [More]

Travis Shaw is back in Milwaukee to give the Brewers one more option for their unsettled situation at third base. The Brewers announced Tuesday that Shaw has signed a minor league contract that includes an invitation to major league camp. “I think he fits into a need that we have,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “He has an opportunity to earn something. That’s how it was presented to Travis, and I think that’s what excited him about the opportunity.” If added to the 40-man roster, Shaw would get a one-year contract paying $1.5 million while in the major leagues and $250,000 while in the minors. He could earn $1.5 million in performance bonuses for plate appearances: $50,000 each for 250, 275 and 300, $75,000 apiece for 325, 350 and 375, $125,000 for 400, $150,000 for 425, $250,000 for 450 and $300,000 each for 475 and 502. If not added to the roster by March 15, Shaw would be released unless put on within 72 hours of a formal request. Shaw, who turns 31 on April 16, last played for... [More]

Travis Shaw is back in Milwaukee to give the Brewers one more option for their unsettled situation at third base. The Brewers announced Tuesday that Shaw has signed a minor league contract that includes an invitation to major league camp. “I think he fits into a need that we have,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “He has an opportunity to earn something. That’s how it was presented to Travis, and I think that’s what excited him about the opportunity.” Shaw, who turns 31 on April 16, last played for the Brewers from 2017-19. That three-year stint included some notable highs and lows. He had 31 homers, 101 RBIs and an .862 OPS in 2017. Shaw followed that up with 32 homers, 86 RBIs and an .825 OPS in 2018. But he tailed off dramatically in 2019, hitting just .157 with a .281 on-base percentage, .270 slugging percentage, seven homers and 16 RBIs in 86 games. “The Brewers have seen me at my absolute best and they’ve also seen me in my absolute worst in 2019,” Shaw said Tuesday from the... [More]

A team-by-team look at the American League East entering spring training, including key players each club acquired and lost, and dates of the first workout for pitchers and catchers, and the full squad: ___ Tampa Bay Rays Manager: Kevin Cash (seventh season). 2020: 40-20, first place, AL champions, lost to Dodgers in World Series. Training Town: Port Charlotte, Florida. Park: Charlotte Sports Park. First Workout: Feb. 18/23. He’s Here: RHP Michael Wacha, RHP Chris Archer, C Francisco Mejia, RHP Luis Patiño. He’s Outta Here: LHP Blake Snell, RHP Charlie Morton, OF Hunter Renfroe, RHP Aaron Slegers, 1B Nate Lowe, LHP Aaron Loup, LHP Jose Alvarado, 1B Brian O’Grady, RHP Chaz Roe, RHP Oliver Drake, LHP Sean Gilmartin. Going campin’: The AL champions are coming off their first division title in a decade and first World Series appearance in 12 years, but they have to replace their top two starting pitchers after declining a $15 million option on Morton and trading Snell to San Diego. The Rays... [More]

The free agent market received a small boost this week, although it remains to be seen whether teams will be eager to take advantage. A record 59 players became free agents when their teams declined to offer them contracts by Wednesday night's tender deadline. That group included a few well-known names like Kyle Schwarber of the Chicago Cubs and Eddie Rosario of the Minnesota Twins — but these additions to the free agent class did little to change the sense the market could be slow this offseason. Teams may be looking to cut costs amid the coronavirus pandemic, and so far there have been only a few short deals, such as Charlie Morton going to Atlanta on a one-year, $15 million contract and Mike Minor signing with Kansas City for two years and $18 million. As we enter the heart of the offseason calendar, here’s a look at the top free agents still available, broken down by position. The biggest names on the market are players who were already free agents well before the new group of non-tenders... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — First baseman Rowdy Tellez is on the Toronto Blue Jays' roster for their first round playoff series against Tampa Bay after recovering from a strained right knee that had sidelined him since Sept. 8. Tellez could be a designated hitter option for the top-seeded Rays in the best-of-three series against the No. 8 Blue Jays. Right-hander Jordan Romano was not included on the 28-man roster Tuesday. He has not pitched in a game since Aug 28 because of a finger injury but threw batting practice Sunday in hopes of earning a spot. Toronto also left off right-hander Tanner Roark, who had a 6.80 ERA in 11 starts. Toronto’s roster features 13 pitchers, three catchers, eight infielders and four outfielders. The pitchers are Chase Anderson, Anthony Bass, Ryan Borucki, A.J. Cole, Rafael Dolis, Thomas Hatch, Anthony Kay, Nate Pearson, Robbie Ray, Hyun Jin Ryu, Matt Shoemaker, Ross Stripling and Taijuan Walker. Position players include catchers Danny Jansen, Alejandro Kirk and Reese McGuire, infielders Bo Bichette, Cavan Biggio, Santiago Espinal, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Joe Panik, Travis Shaw, Rowdy Tellez and Jonathan Villar, and outfielders Jonathan Davis, Randal Grichuk, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., and Teoscar Hernandez. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Joey Wendle had a go-ahead two-run single in the eighth inning and the AL East champion Tampa Bay Rays rallied to hurt Philadelphia’s playoff hopes, beating the Phillies 6-4 on Friday night. The Rays would clinch the top seed in the American League with an Oakland loss later Friday night; the A’s were hosting Seattle. Tampa Bay is looking to finish with the AL’s best record for the second time, after topping the league in 2010. Bryce Harper had a triple and drove in two runs for Philadelphia, which started the day one game behind second-place Miami in the NL East and also trailed in the wide-open wild-card race. Yoshi Tsutsdugo had one-out single in the eighth before Adam Morgan (0-1) loaded the bases on consecutive walks to Hunter Renfroe and Brett Phillips. Héctor Neris replaced Morgan and retired pinch-hitter Brandon Lowe on a pop fly. Wendle followed with a liner to right that gave Tampa Bay a 5-3 advantage. Nick Anderson (2-1) worked a scoreless eighth and... [More]

CINCINNATI (AP) — Tim Anderson hit two of Chicago’s five solo homers, and the White Sox — already guaranteed a playoff spot — took another step toward the AL Central title by overpowering the Cincinnati Reds 5-0 on Saturday night. Chicago has won eight of its last 10 games, securing at least a wild card and its first postseason appearance since 2008. José Abreu hit his fifth homer in eight games as the White Sox piled them up, including three in a row in the eighth off Robert Stephenson. Abreu has 18 homers overall. The Reds managed six hits as they had their season-high winning streak snapped at six games. Cincinnati (26-27) wasted a chance to move above .500 for the first time since its season-opening win over the Tigers. Nomar Mazara was in a 3-for-25 slump with 11 strikeouts when he connected off Trevor Bauer (4-4) in the fifth inning for his first homer. One out later, Anderson’s ninth homer made it 2-0. Bauer went seven innings and gave up five hits while throwing 107 pitches. Matt... [More]

Yankees first. DJ LeMahieu homers to right field. Aaron Judge strikes out swinging. Aaron Hicks grounds out to second base, Jonathan Villar to Vladimir Guerrero Jr.. Luke Voit flies out to deep center field to Randal Grichuk.1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 left on. Yankees 1, Blue jays 0.Yankees third. Tyler Wade singles to shallow right field. Kyle Higashioka homers to center field. Tyler Wade scores. DJ LeMahieu walks. Aaron Judge strikes out swinging. Aaron Hicks walks. DJ LeMahieu to second. Luke Voit strikes out swinging. Gio Urshela grounds out to shallow center field, Jonathan Villar to Vladimir Guerrero Jr..2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 left on. Yankees 3, Blue jays 0.Yankees fourth. Clint Frazier homers to left field. Gary Sanchez singles to right field. Tyler Wade flies out to left center field to Lourdes Gurriel Jr.. Kyle Higashioka lines out to deep left field to Lourdes Gurriel Jr.. DJ LeMahieu homers to right field. Gary Sanchez scores. Aaron Judge strikes out swinging.3 runs, 3 hits,... [More]

Blue jays second. Randal Grichuk flies out to right field to Clint Frazier. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. homers to center field. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. singles to left field. Joe Panik pops out to shallow infield to Gio Urshela. Alejandro Kirk grounds out to third base, Gio Urshela to Luke Voit.1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on. Blue jays 1, Yankees 0.Yankees second. Giancarlo Stanton grounds out to third base, Cavan Biggio to Travis Shaw. Gio Urshela doubles to left field. Clint Frazier reaches on error. Gio Urshela to third. Fielding error by Derek Fisher. Brett Gardner singles to deep right center field. Clint Frazier to second. Gio Urshela scores. Gary Sanchez called out on strikes. Tyler Wade singles to deep right field. Brett Gardner to second. Clint Frazier scores. DJ LeMahieu singles to shallow right field. Tyler Wade to third. Brett Gardner scores. Luke Voit homers to left field. DJ LeMahieu scores. Tyler Wade scores. Aaron Hicks homers to right field. Giancarlo Stanton strikes out swinging.7... [More]

Mets first. Jeff McNeil singles to shallow right field. J.D. Davis lines out to deep left center field to Lourdes Gurriel Jr.. Michael Conforto called out on strikes. Todd Frazier singles to shallow center field. Jeff McNeil to second. Dominic Smith singles to left center field. Todd Frazier out at home. Jeff McNeil scores.1 run, 3 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on. Mets 1, Blue jays 0.Blue jays second. Randal Grichuk singles to deep right field. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. homers to left field. Randal Grichuk scores. Jonathan Villar pops out to shallow infield to Todd Frazier. Jonathan Davis walks. Santiago Espinal pops out to shallow infield to David Peterson. Danny Jansen lines out to deep right field to Michael Conforto.2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on. Blue jays 2, Mets 1.Blue jays sixth. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. walks. Randal Grichuk walks. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to second. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. walks. Randal Grichuk to second. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to third. Jonathan Villar walks. Lourdes Gurriel Jr.... [More]

Mets fourth. Michael Conforto singles to right field, advances to 2nd. Fielding error by Cavan Biggio. Pete Alonso strikes out swinging. Dominic Smith grounds out to shortstop, Travis Shaw to Vladimir Guerrero Jr.. Robinson Cano walks. Jake Marisnick doubles to shallow infield. Robinson Cano to third. Michael Conforto scores. Wilson Ramos grounds out to shortstop, Travis Shaw to Vladimir Guerrero Jr..1 run, 2 hits, 1 error, 2 left on. Mets 1, Blue jays 0.Blue jays fourth. Bo Bichette singles to left field. Travis Shaw doubles to deep right center field. Bo Bichette to third. Randal Grichuk singles to shallow infield. Bo Bichette scores. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. reaches on a fielder's choice to shallow infield. Randal Grichuk to second. Travis Shaw out at third. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. lines out to center field to Jake Marisnick. Jonathan Villar called out on strikes.1 run, 3 hits, 0 errors, 2 left on. Mets 1, Blue jays 1.Blue jays fifth. Alejandro Kirk walks. Joe Panik singles to right field.... [More]

Yankees second. Gleyber Torres homers to center field. Miguel Andujar pops out to second base to Cavan Biggio. Brett Gardner grounds out to second base, Cavan Biggio to Travis Shaw. Gary Sanchez walks. Tyler Wade called out on strikes.1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 left on. Yankees 1, Blue jays 0.Blue jays second. Joe Panik lines out to shallow right field to Tyler Wade. Jonathan Villar singles to shortstop. Caleb Joseph reaches on a fielder's choice to shortstop. Jonathan Villar out at second. Derek Fisher homers to center field. Caleb Joseph scores. Jonathan Davis strikes out swinging.2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 0 left on. Blue jays 2, Yankees 1.Yankees third. DJ LeMahieu homers to right field. Luke Voit grounds out to shortstop, Jonathan Villar to Travis Shaw. Aaron Hicks called out on strikes. Clint Frazier walks. Gleyber Torres flies out to right field to Jonathan Davis.1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 left on. Yankees 2, Blue jays 2.Yankees fifth. Tyler Wade singles to center field. DJ LeMahieu... [More]