HOUSTON (AP) — Charlie Morton pitched two-hit ball into the eighth inning and struck out 10 as the Houston Astros snapped the New York Yankees' nine-game winning streak with a 2-1 victory Monday night.Carlos Correa had two hits and an RBI for Houston in the first meeting between the teams since Game 7 of last year's AL Championship Series, when Morton allowed two hits over five innings for the win in a 4-0 victory that sent the Astros to the World Series.Houston has won seven straight at home against the Yankees including the postseason, holding them to no more than one run in their past six games here.Morton (4-0) had allowed just one hit when Gleyber Torres chased him with a two-out double in the eighth. Brad Peacock walked pinch-hitter Aaron Judge, who didn't start for the first time this season, and Torres stole third base.Chris Devenski was greeted with an RBI single by Brett Gardner that cut the lead to 2-1. Devenski then fanned AL player of the week Didi Gregorius on three pitches... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — Charlie Morton pitched two-hit ball into the eighth inning and struck out 10 as the Houston Astros snapped the New York Yankees' nine-game winning streak with a 2-1 victory Monday night.Carlos Correa had two hits and an RBI for Houston in the first meeting between the teams since Game 7 of last year's AL Championship Series, when Morton allowed two hits over five innings for the win in a 4-0 victory that sent the defending champion Astros to the World Series.Houston has won seven straight at home against the Yankees including the postseason, and the Astros have held them to no more than one run in their past six games here.Morton (4-0) had allowed just one hit when Gleyber Torres chased him with a two-out double in the eighth. Brad Peacock took over and walked pinch-hitter Aaron Judge, who didn't start for the first time this season, and Torres stole third base.Chris Devenski replaced Peacock and was greeted with an RBI single by Brett Gardner that cut the lead to 2-1. Devenski... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — Charlie Morton pitched two-hit ball into the eighth inning and struck out 10 as the Houston Astros snapped the New York Yankees' nine-game winning streak with a 2-1 victory Monday night.Carlos Correa had two hits and an RBI for Houston in the first meeting between the teams since Game 7 of last year's AL Championship Series, when Morton allowed two hits over five innings for the win in a 4-0 victory that sent the defending champion Astros to the World Series.Houston has won seven straight at home against the Yankees including the postseason, and the Astros have held them to no more than one run in their past six games here.Morton (4-0) had allowed just one hit when Gleyber Torres chased him with a two-out double in the eighth. Brad Peacock took over and walked pinch-hitter Aaron Judge, who didn't start for the first time this season, and Torres stole third base.Chris Devenski replaced Peacock and was greeted with an RBI single by Brett Gardner that cut the lead to 2-1. Devenski... [More]

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]

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]

NEW YORK (AP) — Todd Frazier hit his first two home runs with the Mets, and New York extended its winning streak to nine with a 6-5 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday night.Steven Matz ended an 11-start winless streak dating to June 28 as New York improved to 11-1 under new manager Mickey Callaway, the best start in team history. The Mets are on their longest winning streak since 11 consecutive victories from April 12-23, 2015.Frazier homered leading off the second and fourth innings against Zach Davies (0-2). He also singled and walked.Matz (1-1), who had lost seven straight decisions, gave up four runs — three earned — and three hits in 5 1/3 innings. Jeurys Familia got three outs for his seventh save.Ryan Braun, Travis Shaw and Hernan Perez homered for Milwaukee. Davies, a 17-game winner last year, gave up five runs and seven hits in 4 1/3 innings.RED SOX 7, ORIOLES 3BOSTON (AP) — Eduardo Nunez hit a three-run homer, Eduardo Rodriguez struck out eight over six stingy innings... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Todd Frazier hit his first two home runs with the Mets, and New York extended its winning streak to nine with a 6-5 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday night.Steven Matz ended an 11-start winless streak dating to June 28 as New York improved to 11-1 under new manager Mickey Callaway, the best start in team history. The Mets are on their longest winning streak since 11 consecutive victories from April 12-23, 2015.Frazier homered leading off the second and fourth innings against Zach Davies (0-2). He also singled and walked.Matz (1-1), who had lost seven straight decisions, gave up four runs — three earned — and three hits in 5 1/3 innings. Jeurys Familia got three outs for his seventh save.Ryan Braun, Travis Shaw and Hernan Perez homered for Milwaukee. Davies, a 17-game winner last year, gave up five runs and seven hits in 4 1/3 innings.RED SOX 7, ORIOLES 3BOSTON (AP) — Eduardo Nunez hit a three-run homer, Eduardo Rodriguez struck out eight over six stingy innings... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Xander Bogaerts hit the first grand slam for Boston since the end of the 2016 season and drove in a career-best six runs to carry the Red Sox to a 10-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday for their seventh straight victory.J.D. Martinez and Rafael Devers homered for Boston, and Rick Porcello (2-0) pitched into the eighth inning.This is just the second time in franchise history that the Red Sox have lost their season opener and won the next seven. The other came in 1904 when Boston captured the AL pennant.The Rays have lost seven straight and are off to their worst start ever after rallying for a win at home over the Red Sox on opening day.Bogaerts hit a two-run double in Boston's four-run first. In the second, his second career slam completely left Fenway Park over the Green Monster and came after Jake Faria (0-1) walked the bases full.PHILLIES 20, MARLINS 1PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Maikel Franco and Aaron Altherr each hit a grand slam and Carlos Santana and Jorge Alfaro also... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Xander Bogaerts hit the first grand slam for Boston since the end of the 2016 season and drove in a career-best six runs to carry the Red Sox to a 10-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday for their seventh straight victory.J.D. Martinez and Rafael Devers homered for Boston, and Rick Porcello (2-0) pitched into the eighth inning.This is just the second time in franchise history that the Red Sox have lost their season opener and won the next seven. The other came in 1904 when Boston captured the AL pennant.The Rays have lost seven straight and are off to their worst start ever after rallying for a win at home over the Red Sox on opening day.Bogaerts hit a two-run double in Boston's four-run first. In the second, his second career slam completely left Fenway Park over the Green Monster and came after Jake Faria (0-1) walked the bases full.PHILLIES 20, MARLINS 1PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Maikel Franco and Aaron Altherr each hit a grand slam and Carlos Santana and Jorge Alfaro also... [More]

Projecting how top prospects will perform in their rookie campaign is difficult. In 2017, Matt Olson and Rhys Hoskins did a lot of producing with little opportunity, while Yuli Gurriel hit only 18 home runs in 139 games as a first baseman.Sometimes limited opportunities don't kill a player's value, while full-time opportunities won't necessarily guarantee that a rookie will be fantasy relevant, either. Trying to balance potential impact and possible opportunities is the key to projecting who will be the best rookies to own in fantasy.Ronald Acuna, OF, Atlanta BravesCurrent Player Comparison: Justin UptonAcuna hits for both power and batting average, he gets on base and he has enough speed to contribute a few stolen bases as well. With an ADP of 126, according to FantasyPros, he is a better selection with more upside than players like Adam Jones, Ian Desmond and Ender Inciarte.Shohei Ohtani, SP/DH, Los Angeles AngelsComp: Yu DarvishOhtani's 95-plus mph fastball, multiple breaking balls and... [More]

Capsules of National League East teams, listed in order of finish last year:___Washington Nationals2017: 97-65, first place, lost to Cubs in NLDS.Manager: Dave Martinez (first season).He's Here: 1B-OF Matt Adams, C Miguel Montero, RHP Jeremy Hellickson, RHP Joaquin Benoit, INF Matt Reynolds.He's Outta Here: Manager Dusty Baker, LF Jayson Werth, 1B-LF Adam Lind, C Jose Lobaton, RHP Matt Albers.Projected Lineup: SS Trea Turner (.284, 11 HRs, 45 RBIs, 46 SBs in 98 games), LF Adam Eaton (.297, 2, 13 in 23 games), RF Bryce Harper (.319, 29, 87), 3B Anthony Rendon (.301, 25, 100, 41 2Bs), 2B Daniel Murphy (.322, 23, 93, 43 2Bs; expected to begin season on DL recovering from knee surgery), 1B Ryan Zimmerman (.303, 36, 108, 33 2Bs), CF Michael A. Taylor (.271, 19, 53), C Matt Wieters (.225, 10, 52).Rotation: RH Max Scherzer (16-6, 2.51 ERA, NL-high 268 Ks, 200 2/3 IP, 3rd Cy Young Award), RH Stephen Strasburg (15-4, 2.52, 204 Ks), LH Gio Gonzalez (15-9, 2.96, 79 walks), RH Tanner Roark (13-11,... [More]

Capsules of National League East teams, listed in order of finish last year:___Washington Nationals2017: 97-65, first place, lost to Cubs in NLDS.Manager: Dave Martinez (first season).He's Here: 1B-OF Matt Adams, C Miguel Montero, RHP Jeremy Hellickson, RHP Joaquin Benoit, INF Matt Reynolds.He's Outta Here: Manager Dusty Baker, LF Jayson Werth, 1B-LF Adam Lind, C Jose Lobaton, RHP Matt Albers.Projected Lineup: SS Trea Turner (.284, 11 HRs, 45 RBIs, 46 SBs in 98 games), LF Adam Eaton (.297, 2, 13 in 23 games), RF Bryce Harper (.319, 29, 87), 3B Anthony Rendon (.301, 25, 100, 41 2Bs), 2B Daniel Murphy (.322, 23, 93, 43 2Bs; expected to begin season on DL recovering from knee surgery), 1B Ryan Zimmerman (.303, 36, 108, 33 2Bs), CF Michael A. Taylor (.271, 19, 53), C Matt Wieters (.225, 10, 52).Rotation: RH Max Scherzer (16-6, 2.51 ERA, NL-high 268 Ks, 200 2/3 IP, 3rd Cy Young Award), RH Stephen Strasburg (15-4, 2.52, 204 Ks), LH Gio Gonzalez (15-9, 2.96, 79 walks), RH Tanner Roark (13-11,... [More]

The catcher position may be the most frustrating and challenging to deal with, and it has long been that way throughout fantasy baseball history. The position is top-heavy with the best players and then full of risks and guys to settle for. It was seemingly the same in the days when Mike Piazza and Ivan Rodriguez were superior to anyone else at catcher.Gary Sanchez seems to be the modern-day fantasy equivalent of Piazza, as he is clearly unrivaled as the best pick at the position. He has hit 53 home runs in 672 major league at-bats in his first two years and has a National Fantasy Baseball Championship average draft position of 19.3. Considering he delivers a solid average and above-average power comparable with many top players at other positions, he is worth the early round pick because of the depth scarcity at catcher. This is especially true in two-catcher leagues.Willson Contreras is the No. 2 catcher off the board at about pick No. 51, but that number indicates the gap between Sanchez... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Rebuilding time is over for the Philadelphia Phillies.When free-agent ace Jake Arrieta arrived at spring training on co-owner John Middleton's private plane, it signaled the start of a new era for this franchise.Stocked with young talent on the major-league roster and prospects in the minors, management sent a clear message that it will do whatever it takes to start winning after five straight losing seasons and 96 losses last year."I intend to come in here and win right away," Arrieta said.Even before the 2015 NL Cy Young award winner joined the Phillies, players were confident this team could contend this season."We're ready to win right now," third baseman Maikel Franco said. "We have a lot of talent here. We're on the same page."The Phillies signed veteran slugger Carlos Santana away from Cleveland in December and bolstered the bullpen by adding right-handers Pat Neshek and Tommy Hunter. They waited on Arrieta and got him at their price — $75 million over three years... [More]

Capsules of National League East teams, listed in order of finish last year:___Washington Nationals2017: 97-65, first place, lost to Cubs in NLDS.Manager: Dave Martinez (first season).He's Here: 1B-OF Matt Adams, C Miguel Montero, RHP Jeremy Hellickson, RHP Joaquin Benoit, INF Matt Reynolds.He's Outta Here: Manager Dusty Baker, LF Jayson Werth, 1B-LF Adam Lind, C Jose Lobaton, RHP Matt Albers.Projected Lineup: SS Trea Turner (.284, 11 HRs, 45 RBIs, 46 SBs in 98 games), LF Adam Eaton (.297, 2, 13 in 23 games), RF Bryce Harper (.319, 29, 87), 3B Anthony Rendon (.301, 25, 100, 41 2Bs), 2B Daniel Murphy (.322, 23, 93, 43 2Bs, expected to begin season on DL recovering from knee surgery), 1B Ryan Zimmerman (.303, 36, 108, 33 2Bs), CF Michael A. Taylor (.271, 19, 53), C Matt Wieters (.225, 10, 52).Rotation: RH Max Scherzer (16-6, 2.51 ERA, NL-high 268 Ks, 200 2/3 IP, 3rd Cy Young Award), RH Stephen Strasburg (15-4, 2.52, 204 Ks), LH Gio Gonzalez (15-9, 2.96, 79 walks), RH Tanner Roark (13-11,... [More]

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Arizona ace Zack Greinke's start against Cincinnati was cut short Wednesday after one inning because of right groin tightness.Greinke had been scheduled to throw five innings. The 2009 AL Cy Young Award winner retired Ben Revere on a groundout, allowed Jesse Winkler's single, then struck out Joey Votto and Scooter Gennett.Albert Suarez relieved to start the second.Greinke was making his just second big league exhibition appearance this year. The 34-year-old right-hander pitched 1 2/3 innings against Milwaukee on Feb. 25, then made a pair of appearances in "B'' games.RED SOX 2, TWINS 1Chris Sale pitched five shutout innings of two-hit ball and struck out seven, lowering his ERA to 1.00. Mitch Moreland homered in the third off Tyler Duffey, who gave up two runs — one earned — and four hits in three innings. Mookie Betts, batting .130, singled and drove in a run. Miguel Sano doubled.CARDINALS 3, ASTROS 1Adam Wainwright allowed one run and four hits in five innings... [More]

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Arizona ace Zack Greinke's start against Cincinnati was cut short Wednesday after one inning because of right groin tightness.Greinke had been scheduled to throw five innings. The 2009 AL Cy Young Award winner retired Ben Revere on a groundout, allowed Jesse Winkler's single, then struck out Joey Votto and Scooter Gennett.Albert Suarez relieved to start the second.Greinke was making his just second big league exhibition appearance this year. The 34-year-old right-hander pitched 1 2/3 innings against Milwaukee on Feb. 25, then made a pair of appearances in "B'' games.RED SOX 2, TWINS 1Chris Sale pitched five shutout innings of two-hit ball and struck out seven, lowering his ERA to 1.00. Mitch Moreland homered in the third off Tyler Duffey, who gave up two runs — one earned — and four hits in three innings. Mookie Betts, batting .130, singled and drove in a run. Miguel Sano doubled.CARDINALS 3, ASTROS 1Adam Wainwright allowed one run and four hits in five innings... [More]

KISSIMMEE, Fla. (AP) — Julio Teheran is lined up to make his fifth straight opening-day start for the Atlanta Braves."I've been there the last four years, and that's a spot I want to be my whole career," the 27-year-old right-hander said Wednesday after pitching five innings in a 5-3 exhibition win over Philadelphia. "To be there, you've got to gain that spot. I'm working to show them I can be that guy and that I can represent."Teheran is 3-0 with a 1.29 ERA in 14 innings during spring training. He was 11-13 with a 4.49 ERA last season, almost a run above his 3.59 career ERA.Mike Foltynewicz, Brandon McCarthy and left-hander Sean Newcomb are the other pitchers projected to be in the rotation.Teheran is 1-1 with two no-decisions on opening day. He pitched six shutout innings last year in a 6-0 loss to the New York Mets."I don't know if I'm going to be that guy again, but it would be a great honor again," he said after giving up his first two runs of the exhibition season. "I'll just concentrate... [More]

CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) — Loud music blares inside the clubhouse and several players gather to watch an intense battle during another round of the team's pingpong tournament.There's a different vibe surrounding the Philadelphia Phillies this spring.New manager Gabe Kapler has brought a new-school philosophy, a ton of energy and plenty of positivity to an organization that needed revitalization after five straight losing seasons."He's the man," shortstop J.P. Crawford said. "He's the reason why this clubhouse is like this. He makes everyone feel comfortable and everyone wants to fight for him. He cares so much about us and that translates to us wanting to play for him and win for him and it's great to have a manager like that."Kapler's only previous managerial experience came in 2007 when he took a season off from playing in the majors to lead Boston's Class A affiliate. He also coached Team Israel during the 2013 World Baseball Classic qualifying period. But his progressive thinking was an... [More]

A team-by-team look at the National 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:___Washington NationalsManager: Dave Martinez (first season).2017: 97-65, first place, lost to Chicago Cubs in NLDS.Training Town: West Palm Beach, Florida.Park: The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches.First Workout: Feb. 16/21.He's Here: 1B-OF Matt Adams, C Miguel Montero.He's Outta Here: Manager Dusty Baker, LF Jayson Werth, C Jose Lobaton, 1B-LF Adam Lind, RHP Matt Albers.Going campin': It's become an all-too-familiar story for the Nationals and their fans: terrific regular season, followed by quick playoff exit, followed by a managerial change. Martinez will be the latest skipper to try to lead the club to postseason success — and GM Mike Rizzo has made it clear that ownership expects nothing less than a World Series championship. Martinez has been Joe Maddon's right-hand man with the Chicago... [More]