The Oakland Athletics have played their way into contention by beating up on teams that are far from it.Oakland enters the All-Star break having won 21 of its last 27, and the A's are only three games behind the second wild card. At 55-42, manager Bob Melvin's Athletics would have the second-best record in the National League if they were in it. Instead, they play in the AL West, where their impressive mark still leaves them eight games behind division-leading Houston.Nevertheless, there have been some encouraging signs for an Oakland team that hasn't finished above .500 since 2014. The A's are 31-21 on the road and during one stretch homered in 27 straight games away from home. Oakland has seven players with at least 10 homers, led by Khris Davis with 21 and Matt Olson with 19.On the mound, Sean Manaea has rebounded from a poor May, and Blake Treinen and Lou Trivino have been excellent out of the bullpen.The question for the A's is whether they can win enough games against the other playoff... [More]

DENVER (AP) — Colorado right-hander German Marquez homered against Arizona infielder Daniel Descalso, helping the Rockies pound the Diamondbacks 19-2 on Wednesday night.Marquez (8-8) pitched six innings of two-run ball. He connected for his first career homer in the fifth.Marquez's drive to center was the first homer by a pitcher off a position player since Mike LaCoss went deep for the Giants against San Diego's Dane Iorg on June 23, 1986, according to STATS.Carlos Gonzalez homered twice for the Rockies and drove in six runs. Charlie Blackmon and Ian Desmond also went deep.Arizona right-hander Shelby Miller (0-4) allowed five runs in one inning before departing with right elbow tightness.MARLINS 5, BREWERS 4, 12 INNINGSMIAMI (AP) — Milwaukee slugger Jesus Aguilar was added to the NL All-Star team and then validated the selection with three hits and three RBIs, but the Brewers went 3 for 16 with runners in scoring position.Starlin Castro singled home the winning run for Miami with one out... [More]

DENVER (AP) — Colorado right-hander German Marquez homered against Arizona infielder Daniel Descalso, helping the Rockies pound the Diamondbacks 19-2 on Wednesday night.Marquez (8-8) pitched six innings of two-run ball. He connected for his first career homer in the fifth.Marquez's drive to center was the first homer by a pitcher off a position player since Mike LaCoss went deep for the Giants against San Diego's Dane Iorg on June 23, 1986, according to STATS.Carlos Gonzalez homered twice for the Rockies and drove in six runs. Charlie Blackmon and Ian Desmond also went deep.Arizona right-hander Shelby Miller (0-4) allowed five runs in one inning before departing with right elbow tightness.MARLINS 5, BREWERS 4, 12 INNINGSMIAMI (AP) — Milwaukee slugger Jesus Aguilar was added to the NL All-Star team and then validated the selection with three hits and three RBIs, but the Brewers went 3 for 16 with runners in scoring position.Starlin Castro singled home the winning run for Miami with one out... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Washington Nationals slugger Bryce Harper will take on Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman in an all-NL East matchup in the first round of the Home Run Derby on Monday night.The 25-year-old Harper is the second seed at his home ballpark by virtue of his 22 homers through Tuesday's games. Freeman, the top NL vote-getter for Tuesday night's All-Star Game at Nationals Park, is the seventh seed with 16 homers."It should be fun. I'm hoping the fans are excited for him and he gets nervous and gets a zero," Freeman said. "But we'll see what happens."The field was revealed Wednesday night.Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Jesus Aguilar faces Philadelphia Phillies slugger Rhys Hoskins in the opening round. Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Max Muncy meets Chicago Cubs infielder Javier Baez, and Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman faces Cubs outfielder Kyle Schwarber.It's the second Home Run Derby for Harper, and the first for the rest of the field. Harper lost to Yoenis... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Washington Nationals slugger Bryce Harper will take on Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman in an all-NL East matchup in the first round of the Home Run Derby on Monday night.The 25-year-old Harper is the second seed at his home ballpark by virtue of his 22 homers through Tuesday's games. Freeman, the top NL vote-getter for Tuesday night's All-Star Game at Nationals Park, is the seventh seed with 16 homers."It should be fun. I'm hoping the fans are excited for him and he gets nervous and gets a zero," Freeman said. "But we'll see what happens."The field was revealed Wednesday night.Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Jesus Aguilar faces Philadelphia Phillies slugger Rhys Hoskins in the opening round. Los Angeles Dodgers rookie Max Muncy meets Chicago Cubs infielder Javier Baez, and Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman faces Cubs outfielder Kyle Schwarber.It's the second Home Run Derby for Harper, and the first for the rest of the field. Harper lost to Yoenis Cespedes... [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]

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]

A look at what's happening around the majors on Wednesday:BRYANT BACK WITH CUBBIESKris Bryant flew to the Bay Area on Tuesday night and is hoping to play in the Cubs' series finale against the Giants. Bryant has been out since June 23 with inflammation in his left shoulder. He played rehab games for Double-A Tennessee on Monday and Tuesday before making his way to AT&T Park. The 2016 NL MVP is hitting .280 with nine homers and 36 RBIs in 66 games this season. Johnny Cueto will try to bounce back for San Francisco after allowing 10 hits and five runs in his return from the DL last week.POORLY 'PENNEDThe Indians return to the park following an excruciating loss Tuesday, when relievers Cody Allen and Dan Otero combined to allow seven two-out runs in the ninth inning of a 7-4 loss to Cincinnati. Trevor Bauer opened the game with eight scoreless innings for Cleveland, but Allen allowed six runs in the ninth and Otero allowed another before the Reds finally made the last out on the basepaths.... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors on Wednesday:BRYANT BACK WITH CUBBIESKris Bryant flew to the Bay Area on Tuesday night and is hoping to play in the Cubs' series finale against the Giants. Bryant has been out since June 23 with inflammation in his left shoulder. He played rehab games for Double-A Tennessee on Monday and Tuesday before making his way to AT&T Park. The 2016 NL MVP is hitting .280 with nine homers and 36 RBIs in 66 games this season. Johnny Cueto will try to bounce back for San Francisco after allowing 10 hits and five runs in his return from the DL last week.POORLY 'PENNEDThe Indians return to the park following an excruciating loss Tuesday, when relievers Cody Allen and Dan Otero combined to allow seven two-out runs in the ninth inning of a 7-4 loss to Cincinnati. Trevor Bauer opened the game with eight scoreless innings for Cleveland, but Allen allowed six runs in the ninth and Otero allowed another before the Reds finally made the last out on the basepaths.... [More]

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant is headed to the Bay Area hoping he will be ready to come off the disabled list and play in Wednesday afternoon's series finale against the San Francisco Giants.Bryant, out since June 23 with inflammation in his left shoulder, played rehab games for Double-A Tennessee on Monday and Tuesday. He had hoped to rejoin the Cubs during their series at AT&T Park.In the two rehab games, Bryant went 2 for 6 with a two-run homer and three RBIs. He left Tuesday's game in the third inning to travel after going 0 for 2 with a pair of strikeouts.Manager Joe Maddon says, "We had hoped it would work out this way and it looks like it's going to."Bryant is batting .280 with nine home runs and 36 RBIs in 66 games this season.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

CHICAGO (AP) — Theo Epstein says Yu Darvish is feeling better and he is optimistic the Japanese right-hander will make a "solid contribution" this season.But the Chicago Cubs president of baseball operations stopped short of providing a schedule for the injured starter's return.Darvish signed a $126 million, six-year deal with the Cubs in February. He is 1-3 with a 4.95 ERA in eight starts and didn't earn his first win until May 20 in Cincinnati. He went on the disabled list on May 26 with tendinitis in his right triceps.Darvish suffered pain during a June 28 bullpen session in Los Angeles, which prevented him from throwing naturally. The 31-year-old traveled to the Dallas-Ft. Worth area the following day to get an opinion from Dr. Keith Meister, an orthopedic surgeon who is one of the Texas Rangers' team physicians.Darvish got a new diagnosis — right elbow impingement and inflammation — as well as a cortisone shot. The Cubs said it would take several days for the injection to "settle in.""I... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Theo Epstein says Yu Darvish is feeling better and he is optimistic the Japanese right-hander will make a "solid contribution" this season.But the Chicago Cubs president of baseball operations stopped short of providing a schedule for the injured starter's return.Darvish went on the disabled list on May 26 with tendinitis in his right triceps.He later got a new diagnosis — right elbow impingement and inflammation — as well as a cortisone shot after feeling pain during a bullpen session.Epstein said Friday that Darvish was still in strengthening mode and the team wouldn't rush his return.He also said injured slugger Kris Bryant batted on Friday and "had a really good day in the cage."Bryant has been out since with June 22 with left shoulder inflammation.The 2016 National League MVP could return to the Cubs any day or go on a brief rehab assignment.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Chicago Cubs have placed Kris Bryant on the 10-day disabled list with left shoulder inflammation, marking the first time the fourth-year player has gone on the DL.Chicago announced the move Tuesday. It's retroactive to June 23, making Bryant eligible to return in a week.Cubs manager Joe Maddon says the injury is not considered serious and he expects Bryant to be activated next Tuesday. Maddon says the team wants to "make sure that he is well" and "cool down and just have him be well afterward."The 2016 NL MVP is batting .280 this season with nine home runs, 36 RBIs and an .864 OPS. He had a home run among his six hits in a series last week against the Dodgers, but was just 1 for 8 in the Cubs' previous series at Cincinnati.The Cubs recalled infielder David Bote from Triple-A Iowa to take Bryant's spot on the active roster.Chicago right-hander Justin Hancock was also placed on the DL with shoulder inflammation, and right-hander Duane Underwood Jr. was optioned to Iowa a day after making his major league debut. The Cubs recalled right-handers Luke Farrell and Dillon Maples.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

A look at what's happening around baseball today:THIRTEEN AND COUNTINGEdwin Jackson is set to play for his 13th team in the majors, matching the most by any big leaguer. The injury-depleted Athletics are promoting him from Triple-A to start at Detroit. The 34-year-old righty will tie the clubs mark held by former reliever Octavio Dotel. Jackson made his debut in 2003 with the Los Angeles Dodgers and later pitched for Tampa Bay, Detroit, Arizona, the Chicago White Sox, St. Louis, Washington, the Chicago Cubs, Atlanta, Miami, San Diego and Baltimore.Jackson and Dotel, who finished up in 2013, were teammates just once in their overlapping careers. They were part of the same three-team trade in July 2011 that sent them to St. Louis, and pitched in the World Series for the champion Cardinals.AILINGYankees catcher Gary Sanchez is likely headed to the disabled after pulling up while running out a double-play grounder Sunday at Tampa Bay. Manager Aaron Boone said Sanchez hurt his right groin/hip... [More]

A look at what's happening around baseball Monday:THIRTEEN AND COUNTINGEdwin Jackson is set to play for his 13th team in the majors, matching the most by any big leaguer. The injury-depleted Athletics are promoting him from Triple-A to start at Detroit. The 34-year-old righty will tie the clubs mark held by former reliever Octavio Dotel. Jackson made his debut in 2003 with the Los Angeles Dodgers and later pitched for Tampa Bay, Detroit, Arizona, the Chicago White Sox, St. Louis, Washington, the Chicago Cubs, Atlanta, Miami, San Diego and Baltimore.Jackson and Dotel, who finished up in 2013, were teammates just once in their overlapping careers. They were part of the same three-team trade in July 2011 that sent them to St. Louis, and pitched in the World Series for the champion Cardinals.AILINGYankees catcher Gary Sanchez is likely headed to the disabled after pulling up while running out a double-play grounder Sunday at Tampa Bay. Manager Aaron Boone said Sanchez hurt his right groin/hip... [More]

CINCINNATI (AP) — Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant is day to day with a sore left shoulder.Bryant was out of Chicago's starting lineup for Sunday's series finale against the Reds, the second straight start he missed, but didn't expect to be out much longer."It'll be no longer than a day or two," said Bryant, who is hitting .280 with nine home runs and 36 RBIs in 66 games.Bryant wasn't the only missing Cub. Right-hander Tyler Chatwood, the scheduled starter, left the club Sunday morning when his wife went into labor. Left-hander Mike Montgomery was starting in his place.The Cubs optioned righty Luke Farrell to Triple-A Iowa and placed lefty Rob Zastryzny on the 10-day disabled list. Zastryzny left Saturday's game with tightness in his left side. Righties Cory Mazzoni and Justin Hancock were recalled from Iowa.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

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]

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]

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.PHILLIES 4, CARDINALS 3PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Odubel Herrera hit a tiebreaking solo homer in the seventh inning, Cesar Hernandez had a two-run shot and Philadelphia beat St. Louis.Herrera ripped... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — C.J. Cron homered early and Wilson Ramos hit a tiebreaking RBI single in the eighth inning to lift the Tampa Bay Rays to a 2-1 win on Tuesday night to snap a 12-game winning streak by the Houston Astros.Blake Snell (9-4) allowed just three hits and one run in seven innings, but had to pitch around a career-high seven walks for his fifth straight win. Sergio Romo pitched for the third straight game, taking over with one out in the ninth and allowing one hit for his third save a night after blowing the save in Houston's 5-4 win.The Astros went 1 for 6 with runners in scoring position to come up one victory shy of setting the franchise record for longest winning streak in franchise history.Hector Rondon (1-2) took the loss by allowing two hits and one run in one inning.YANKEES 7, MARINERS 2NEW YORK (AP) — Domingo German pitched two-hit ball over a career-high seven innings and Giancarlo Stanton hit one of New York's four home runs in the Yankees' victory against the Mariners.Miguel... [More]