OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Gerrit Cole struck out nine to raise his major league-leading total to 86, and the Houston Astros beat the Oakland Athletics 4-1 Wednesday to complete a three-game sweep.Max Stassi and Derek Fisher hit consecutive home runs with two outs in the seventh off Daniel Mengden (2-4) for a 2-1 lead. Yuli Gurriel added a two-run double against Yusmiero Petit that extended his hitting streak to 11 games.Cole (4-1) allowed one run, four hits and three walks in six innings. His 1.43 ERA is second in the major leagues behind the 1.17 of teammate Justin Verlander.Ken Giles pitched a perfect ninth for his fifth save and second in two days. Before Tuesday, he had not pitched since allowing four runs in the ninth inning of a May 1 loss to the New York Yankees.REDS 2, METS 1, 10 INNINGSCINCINNATI (AP) — The New York Mets wasted a first-inning rally by batting out of turn, and Adam Duvall led off the 10th with a homer to win it for Cincinnati.Duvall connected for his first career game-ending... [More]

TORONTO (AP) — James Paxton of the Seattle Mariners became the first Canadian to pitch a no-hitter in his home country, shutting down the Toronto Blue Jays 5-0 Tuesday night.Paxton joined Dick Fowler of the 1945 Philadelphia Athletics as the only Canadians to throw a no-hitter.Paxton, who's from British Columbia, pointed to a giant tattoo on his right forearm of a maple leaf — a national symbol of Canada — as he celebrated to a standing ovation at Rogers Centre.The 29-year-old lefty nicknamed "The Big Maple" threw 99 pitches in tossing the third no-hitter in the majors this year — all three have come in different countries.Oakland's Sean Manaea pitched one against Boston on April 21 in California. Four Los Angeles Dodgers combined to no-hit San Diego in Mexico last Friday.Coming off a career-high 16 strikeouts in his last start, Paxton (2-1) was electric once again, hitting 100 mph with his fastball while retiring Josh Donaldson on a grounder to end it.Paxton struck out seven, walked three... [More]

TORONTO (AP) — James Paxton of the Seattle Mariners became the first Canadian to pitch a no-hitter in his home country, shutting down the Toronto Blue Jays 5-0 Tuesday night.Paxton joined Dick Fowler of the 1945 Philadelphia Athletics as the only Canadians to throw a no-hitter.Paxton, who's from British Columbia, pointed to a giant tattoo on his right forearm of a maple leaf — a national symbol of Canada — as he celebrated to a standing ovation at Rogers Centre.The 29-year-old lefty nicknamed "The Big Maple" threw 99 pitches in tossing the third no-hitter in the majors this year — all three have come in different countries.Oakland's Sean Manaea pitched one against Boston on April 21 in California. Four Los Angeles Dodgers combined to no-hit San Diego in Mexico last Friday.Coming off a career-high 16 strikeouts in his last start, Paxton (2-1) was electric once again, hitting 100 mph with his fastball while retiring Josh Donaldson on a grounder to end it.Paxton struck out seven, walked three... [More]

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Fernando Romero struck out nine in six innings in his second straight scoreless start to begin his major league career, leading the Minnesota Twins over the St. Louis Cardinals 6-0 on Monday night.The victory was a season-high fourth straight for the Twins, who have won 13 of their last 16 games against National League opponents dating to last year.St. Louis had its season-best five-game winning streak snapped, one night after finishing a weekend sweep of the rival Chicago Cubs at nearly 1 a.m.Romero (2-0) permitted just three hits while throwing 97 pitches. The 23-year-old right-hander tossed 5 2/3 scoreless innings in his debut last week, a win over Toronto.Romero got a lift from left fielder Eddie Rosario, who reached over the wall in the first inning to catch a possible two-run homer for St. Louis' Dexter Fowler.John Gant (1-1) gave up six hits and four runs in 5 1/3 innings for the Cardinals.METS 7, REDS 6CINCINNATI (AP) — Jay Bruce hit a two-run homer against his... [More]

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Fernando Romero struck out nine in six innings in his second straight scoreless start to begin his major league career, leading the Minnesota Twins over the St. Louis Cardinals 6-0 on Monday night.The victory was a season-high fourth straight for the Twins, who have won 13 of their last 16 games against National League opponents dating to last year.St. Louis had its season-best five-game winning streak snapped, one night after finishing a weekend sweep of the rival Chicago Cubs at nearly 1 a.m.Romero (2-0) permitted just three hits while throwing 97 pitches. The 23-year-old right-hander tossed 5 2/3 scoreless innings in his debut last week, a win over Toronto.Romero got a lift from left fielder Eddie Rosario, who reached over the wall in the first inning to catch a possible two-run homer for St. Louis' Dexter Fowler.John Gant (1-1) gave up six hits and four runs in 5 1/3 innings for the Cardinals.METS 7, REDS 6CINCINNATI (AP) — Jay Bruce hit a two-run homer against his... [More]

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Mike Matheny knows all too well the usual aches and pains associated with catching in the major leagues.That experience told the St. Louis Cardinals manager that the pain Yadier Molina was in after being hit in the groin by a foul tip on Saturday was anything but normal.Matheny's intuition proved correct later that night when Molina underwent surgery for what the team called a "pelvic injury with traumatic hematoma." The eight-time All-Star was placed on the 10-day disabled list on Sunday, and he's expected to miss at least four weeks with the injury."It's like nothing you've ever felt," said Matheny, also a catcher during his 13-year playing career. "You're always just hoping it's one of those that just takes a couple of minutes, then it's manageable. But you could see that was a different level."Molina left Saturday's game against the Chicago Cubs after being hit when Kris Bryant tipped a 102-mph pitch from reliever Jordan Hicks. Molina immediately fell to the ground... [More]

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The St. Louis Cardinals say catcher Yadier Molina has undergone surgery and is expected to miss a month after being hit in the groin by a foul tip.The Cardinals placed Molina on the 10-day disabled list Sunday. They said the eight-time All-Star is projected to miss at least four weeks with what the team called a "pelvic injury with traumatic hematoma."Molina left Saturday's game against the Chicago Cubs in the eighth inning after being hit in the groin when Kris Bryant a tipped 102-mph pitch from reliever Jordan Hicks. Molina immediately fell to the ground in pain and was replaced by Francisco Pena."That was a bad one, and those ones don't necessarily felt better (the next day)," St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said after the game. "It was hard to see."The 35-year-old Molina is hitting 272 with six home runs and 17 RBIs this season. He was replaced on the active roster by catcher Carson Kelly, who was called up from Triple-A Memphis.The Cardinals also placed reliever Dominic Leone on the 10-day DL and called up right-hander Mike Mayers. Leone left Friday's game with upper right arm nerve irritation.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

BOSTON (AP) — Mookie Betts belted three solo homers and J.D. Martinez also went deep, powering the Boston Red Sox to a 5-4 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday.It was the fourth three-homer game for the 25-year-old Betts, snapping a tie with Hall of Famer Ted Williams for most three-homer games in franchise history.AL East-leading Boston won for the third time in four games after losing 7-6 in 13 innings on Tuesday night.Cheslor Cuthbert homered for Kansas City, and Drew Butera had a two-run double. Danny Duffy (0-4) was tagged for five runs and 10 hits in 6 2/3 innings.Drew Pomeranz (1-1) worked six innings for the win and Craig Kimbrel struck out the side in the ninth for his eighth save.YANKEES 4, ASTROS 0HOUSTON (AP) — Luis Severino pitched a five-hitter and struck out 10 for his first career complete game while Giancarlo Stanton homered twice and drove in all four runs for New York.The Yankees have beaten Houston by the exact same 4-0 score for tow straight days.Severino... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Mookie Betts belted three solo homers and J.D. Martinez also went deep, powering the Boston Red Sox to a 5-4 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday.It was the fourth three-homer game for the 25-year-old Betts, snapping a tie with Hall of Famer Ted Williams for most three-homer games in franchise history.AL East-leading Boston won for the third time in four games after losing 7-6 in 13 innings on Tuesday night.Cheslor Cuthbert homered for Kansas City, and Drew Butera had a two-run double. Danny Duffy (0-4) was tagged for five runs and 10 hits in 6 2/3 innings.Drew Pomeranz (1-1) worked six innings for the win and Craig Kimbrel struck out the side in the ninth for his eighth save.INDIANS 12, RANGERS 4CLEVELAND (AP) — Edwin Encarnacion homered three times and drove in six runs, helping the Indians to the runaway win.Encarnacion hit a three-homer in the first, a two-run shot in the second and a solo drive in the eighth. The designated hitter leads the team with nine... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Mookie Betts belted three solo homers and J.D. Martinez also went deep, powering the Boston Red Sox to a 5-4 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday.It was the fourth three-homer game for the 25-year-old Betts, snapping a tie with Hall of Famer Ted Williams for most three-homer games in franchise history.AL East-leading Boston won for the third time in four games after losing 7-6 in 13 innings on Tuesday night.Cheslor Cuthbert homered for Kansas City, and Drew Butera had a two-run double. Danny Duffy (0-4) was tagged for five runs and 10 hits in 6 2/3 innings.Drew Pomeranz (1-1) worked six innings for the win and Craig Kimbrel struck out the side in the ninth for his eighth save.INDIANS 12, RANGERS 4CLEVELAND (AP) — Edwin Encarnacion homered three times and drove in six runs, helping the Indians to the runaway win.Encarnacion hit a three-homer in the first, a two-run shot in the second and a solo drive in the eighth. The designated hitter leads the team with nine... [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.ASTROS 11, ATHLETICS 0HOUSTON (AP) — Lance McCullers threw seven sharp innings, Jose Altuve had four hits and Houston beat Oakland.Altuve hit a towering home run that left the ballpark and doubled.... [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.ASTROS 11, ATHLETICS 0HOUSTON (AP) — Lance McCullers threw seven sharp innings, Jose Altuve had four hits and Houston beat Oakland.Altuve hit a towering home run that left the ballpark and doubled.... [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]

CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago Cubs slugger Kris Bryant will return to the lineup on Saturday, six days after being hit in the head by a pitch in a game at Colorado.Bryant will bat third in Chicago's game against the Milwaukee Brewers after missing four games. He'll wear a protective flap on his helmet."I feel good," Bryant said. "The last two days it was good doing full baseball stuff and everything felt great."The pitch from Rockies' German Marquez hit the brim of Bryant's batting helmet and then struck him in the forehead. Bryant, who wasn't diagnosed with a concussion, was medically cleared to play Saturday.Also, the Cubs activated Ben Zobrist (back tightness) from the 10-day disabled list and optioned David Bote to Triple-A Iowa.

ANAHEIM, California (AP) — Didi Gregorius hit a solo homer in the 10th inning and the New York Yankees won their seventh straight by beating the Los Angeles Angles 4-3 on Friday night after two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani left with an ankle injury.Gregorius hit a fastball from Blake Parker (0-1) out to right, delighting a big contingent of Yankees fans at Angel Stadium. It was Gregorius' 10th homer of the season but just his first on the road, although he still took a curtain call.Ohtani homered on an inside fastball in the second inning but left after trying to beat out a groundball in the fifth. He awkwardly avoided a possible collision with Yankees first baseman Neil Walker on the play. He's listed as day to day with a mild left ankle sprain.David Robertson (1-1) pitched the ninth and Aroldis Chapman closed out the 10th for his fifth save.ATHLETICS 8, ASTROS 1HOUSTON (AP) — Sean Manaea followed up his no-hitter with seven solid innings, three Athletics homered and Oakland beat the Houston... [More]

A look at what's happening all around the majors today:___SHOHEI OK?The Angels are hoping for good news on two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani after he left Friday's game against the Yankees with a mild left ankle sprain. The initial ruling was that Ohtani would be day to day. The Japanese star hit his fourth home run in the second inning, then left after trying to beat out a ground ball in the fifth.ROYAL PAINWhite Sox slugger Matt Davidson has already set a record for home runs in a season by a visiting player to Kauffman Stadium, socking homers No. 6 and 7 on Friday night. In four games against the Royals this season, Davidson is 8 for 15 with seven homers, including a trio on opening day. The Royals will try to slow Davidson during a doubleheader with Trevor Oaks in the pitcher's major league debut.RED HOTJoey Votto has homered in four straight games since shaking a sluggish start to the season. Votto batted .247 with just one extra-base hit in his first 21 games before starting this homer... [More]

A look at what's happening all around the majors Saturday:___SHOHEI OK?The Angels are hoping for good news on two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani after he left Friday's game against the Yankees with a mild left ankle sprain. The initial ruling was that Ohtani would be day to day. The Japanese star hit his fourth home run in the second inning, then left after trying to beat out a ground ball in the fifth.ROYAL PAINWhite Sox slugger Matt Davidson has already set a record for home runs in a season by a visiting player to Kauffman Stadium, socking homers No. 6 and 7 on Friday night. In four games against the Royals this season, Davidson is 8 for 15 with seven homers, including a trio on opening day. The Royals will try to slow Davidson during a doubleheader with Trevor Oaks in the pitcher's major league debut.RED HOTJoey Votto has homered in four straight games since shaking a sluggish start to the season. Votto batted .247 with just one extra-base hit in his first 21 games before starting this... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — Sean Manaea followed up his no-hitter with seven solid innings, three Athletics homered and Oakland beat the Houston Astros 8-1 on Friday night for its fifth win in six games.Manaea (4-2) no-hit Boston last Saturday and didn't allow a hit Friday until the fourth inning. He gave up one unearned run and four hits.Dallas Keuchel (1-4) retired his first 13 batters before Matt Chapman's one-out homer in the fifth. Chad Pinder added a two-run homer in the sixth off Keuchel, who allowed a season-high six runs and seven hits in seven innings.INDIANS 6, MARINERS 5CLEVELAND (AP) — Corey Kluber (4-1) struck out 10 in 8 2/3 innings and Cleveland hit hit five solo home runs, including three in the first inning.Kluber left with a 6-2 lead after Kyle Seager's two-out single in the ninth, the Mariners' fourth hit. Cody Allen gave up Mitch Haniger's single and Mike Zunino's three-run homer, then retired Ben Gamel on a lineout to shortstop Francisco Lindor.Lindor, Michael Brantley and Edwin... [More]