HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Astros share a division with the American League's most intentionally walked player in Angels star Mike Trout.But despite Trout facing the Astros as much as any team in the league, none of his 14 intentional walks this season came against Houston.That's because manager A.J. Hinch didn't intentionally walk anyone this season, making the Astros the first team in MLB history to finish a year with zero intentional walks.Hinch said many factors played into Houston setting this record."Some of it is comfort with what I've learned on adding runners on base for free," he said. "Some of it has been pure luck on not having situations that have come up to where I play a National League game and I want to walk the eight-hole hitter to get to the pitcher or call it (Christian) Yelich, Trout and MVP-caliber players being up at the wrong time with a base where I should walk them. But most of it has just been out of the pure education of what that does to run-scoring and run-prevention."Intentional... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Mike Trout has been chosen major league player of the year by Baseball Digest and eBay.The star outfielder from the Los Angeles Angels edged Dodgers slugger Cody Bellinger by two points in voting by a 17-member panel of baseball writers, broadcasters, former players and executives.Houston Astros ace Justin Verlander was selected pitcher of the year and San Diego Padres closer Kirby Yates got picked as the top reliever.The awards were announced Thursday. Trout also won in 2014.Trout set a career high with 45 home runs even the two-time AL MVP didn’t play after Sept. 7 because of a foot injury. He batted .291 with 104 RBIs and ranked second in the majors with a 1.083 OPS.Verlander, also a two-time winner, led the big leagues with 21 wins and 223 innings pitched. He was second in the American League with 300 strikeouts and a 2.58 ERA. The right-hander tossed his third career no-hitter and became the 18th pitcher to reach 3,000 strikeouts.Astros teammate Gerrit Cole finished a distant second.Yates had the most saves in the majors, converting 41 of 44 chances and compiling a 1.19 ERA that was the lowest among all relievers.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Manager Brad Ausmus has been fired by the Los Angeles Angels after just one difficult season in charge.Angels general manager Billy Eppler announced the decision to move on swiftly from Ausmus on Monday, a day after they finished 72-90 for the franchise's worst record since 1999.The dismissal of Ausmus immediately sparked speculation that former Angels bench coach Joe Maddon, who parted ways with the Chicago Cubs one day earlier, will return to the franchise where he spent three decades of his career.A candidate of Maddon's magnitude would be an obvious reason for such an abrupt change of plan by the Angels, who have had four consecutive losing seasons for the first time since 1993-96. Maddon was with the Angels when Arte Moreno bought the ballclub in 2003, and the two have a cordial relationship.Ausmus got a three-year contract last October as the Angels' hand-picked replacement for Mike Scioscia, who spent 19 years on the Angels' bench and won their only World Series... [More]

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Manager Brad Ausmus has been fired by the Los Angeles Angels after just one season in charge.Angels general manager Billy Eppler announced the decision to move on swiftly from Ausmus on Monday, a day after they finished 72-90 for the franchise's worst record since 1999.The dismissal of Ausmus has sparked speculation that former bench coach Joe Maddon, who was let go by the Cubs this weekend, will take over as the Angels' manager.Ausmus was the Angels' hand-picked replacement last October for Mike Scioscia, who spent 19 years on the Angels' bench and won their only World Series title in 2002.After Ausmus was let go by the Detroit Tigers in late 2017 following four seasons as their manager, he spent the 2018 season as a special adviser to Eppler, gaining comprehensive insight into every level of the organization.But that knowledge didn't translate to wins as the 17th manager in the franchise history of the Angels, who regressed in his sole season with a poor pitching... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Major league batters finished with 6,776 home runs, shattering the previous record of 6,105 set two years ago.Dominic Smith hit the final long ball of the season, a three-run drive in the 11th inning Sunday off Atlanta's Grant Dayton that lifted the New York Mets over the NL East champion Braves 7-6.Oakland's Steven Piscotty started the barrage on March 20 in Tokyo against Seattle's Marco Gonzales, the sixth batter of the season.This year's total was 11% above the old record and 21% higher than last year's 5,585.Minnesota hit three home runs Sunday to establish the big league team record with 307, one more than the Yankees. The previous mark of 267 was set last year by New York. This year's Yankees became the first team with 14 players reaching double-digits in home runs."I don't think anybody will ever forget the 'Bomba Squad,'" first-year Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said.Major League Baseball has asked for more scientific tests on baseballs, and Commissioner Rob Manfred... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Major league batters finished with 6,776 home runs, shattering the previous record of 6,105 set two years ago.Dominic Smith hit the final long ball of the season, a three-run drive in the 11th inning Sunday off Atlanta's Grant Dayton that lifted the New York Mets over the NL East champion Braves 7-6.Oakland's Steven Piscotty started the barrage on March 20 in Tokyo against Seattle's Marco Gonzales, the sixth batter of the season.This year's total was 11% above the old record and 21% higher than last year's 5,585.Minnesota hit three home runs Sunday to establish the big league team record with 307, one more than the Yankees. The previous mark of 267 was set last year by New York. This year's Yankees became the first team with 14 players reaching double-digits in home runs."I don't think anybody will ever forget the 'Bomba Squad,'" first-year Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said.Major League Baseball has asked for more scientific tests on baseballs, and Commissioner Rob Manfred... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Major league batters finished with 6,776 home runs, shattering the previous record of 6,105 set two years ago.Dominic Smith hit the final long ball of the season, a three-run drive in the 11th inning Sunday off Atlanta's Grant Dayton that lifted the New York Mets over the NL East champion Braves 7-6.Oakland's Steven Piscotty started the barrage on March 20 in Tokyo against Seattle's Marco Gonzales, the sixth batter of the season.This year's total was 11% above the old record and 21% higher than last year's total of 5,585.Minnesota hit three home runs Sunday to set the big league team record with 307, one more than the Yankees. The previous mark of 267 was set last year by New York. This year's Yankees became the first team with 14 players reaching double-digits in home runs.Strikeouts set a record for the 12th consecutive season at 42,823, up 4% from 41,207 last year and 33% from 32,189 in 2007. A year after strikeouts exceeded hits for the time, the gap was ever greater.Tim... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Tim Anderson became only the third Chicago White Sox player to win an American League batting title and injured Milwaukee star Christian Yelich wound up as the National League's first repeat champion in two decades.Anderson went 0 for 2 Sunday and finished at .335, eight points ahead of the New York Yankees' DJ LeMahieu. Anderson joined Luke Appling (1936, '43) and Frank Thomas ('97) as White Sox batting champions.Yelich wound up at .3292, just ahead of Arizona's Ketel Marte's .3286, as neither made it to the season's final weekend. Yelich's season ended when he broke his right kneecap by fouling a pitch of it on Sept. 10. Marte has not played since Sept. 17 due to lower back inflammation.Yelich won at .326 last year and became the NL's first back-to-back batting leader since Colorado's Larry Walker in 1998 and '99, which started a run of three titles in four years. The closest NL race was in 2003, when Albert Pujols of St. Louis beat Todd Helton of Colorado .35871 to .35849.The... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge had the top-selling jersey in Major League Baseball for the third consecutive season.The New York Yankees slugger beat out Bryce Harper, according to results released Friday by MLB.Judge maintained the top spot despite missing more than a third of the season. The 2017 AL Rookie of the Year entered Friday batting .272 with 26 home runs for the AL East champions.Harper set a uniform sales record for any athlete in a 24-hour window after signing a $330 million, 13-year deal with the Philadelphia Phillies in February. Since opening day, he's ranked second in sales behind Judge, followed by NL MVP contender Cody Bellinger of the Los Angeles Dodgers.Reigning NL MVP Christian Yelich of the Milwaukee Brewers had the fifth-most popular jersey. He didn't crack the top 20 last season.Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels ranked ninth, a two-spot improvement from 2018.Chicago Cubs infielder Javier Báez finished fourth and was joined in the top 20 by teammates Anthony Rizzo (10) and Kris Bryant (16). The Houston Astros also placed three players that high: Jose Altuve (8), Alex Bregman (13) and George Springer (20).NL Rookie of the Year front-runner Pete Alonso of the New York Mets ranked 14th, and teammate Jacob deGrom was 19th.Manny Machado, who signed a $300 million, 10-year deal with the San Diego Padres in February, did not crack the top 20.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

The Milwaukee Brewers are charging toward a playoff spot without Christian Yelich.And even while injured, Yelich is inching closer to a nice individual honor.Yelich is currently the National League's batting leader, although he's out with a fractured kneecap and can only watch as his team chases a postseason berth. The batting race may not be foremost on his mind, but that's coming down to the wire too — with Yelich's .329 average holding the lead.Ketel Marte is also batting .329, but he's been shut down for the season with back problems. With an additional decimal place, his average of .3286 trails Yelich's .3292. Washington's Anthony Rendon went 1 for 3 on Monday night and is at .325.It would be the second straight batting title for Yelich, who also won NL MVP honors last year. The last player to win back-to-back NL batting titles was Larry Walker in 1998 and 1999.Yelich winning twice in a row would be particularly impressive given that he has to compete against Colorado players hitting... [More]

The Milwaukee Brewers are charging toward a playoff spot without Christian Yelich.And even while injured, Yelich is inching closer to a nice individual honor.Yelich is currently the National League's batting leader, although Arizona's Ketel Marte and Washington's Anthony Rendon are close on his heels. Out with a fractured kneecap, Yelich can only watch as his team chases a postseason berth. The batting race may not be foremost on his mind, but that's coming down to the wire too — with Yelich's .329 average holding the lead.Marte is also batting .329, with Rendon at .325.It would be the second straight batting title for Yelich, who also won NL MVP honors last year. The last player to win back-to-back NL batting titles was Larry Walker in 1998 and 1999.Yelich winning twice in a row would be particularly impressive given that he has to compete against Colorado players hitting at altitude. Since their first season in 1993, the Rockies have won 11 of the NL's 26 batting titles. (Trivia question:... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Star first baseman Anthony Rizzo was pulled from a game Sunday with a sprained right ankle, putting a damper on the Chicago Cubs' 16-6 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates that completed a three-game sweep.Rizzo was injured fielding a bunt at first base, had to be helped off the field and could not put pressure on the leg. X-rays taken at Wrigley Field showed no fractures. He'll get an MRI on Monday.Chicago's postseason pursuit has already been hindered by an injury to shortstop Javier Báez, who is out for the rest of the regular season with a hairline fracture of his left thumb.The Cubs maintained their one-game lead over Milwaukee for the second NL wild card.Kris Bryant homered twice, and Ian Happ, Kyle Schwarber and Jonathan Lucroy also connected for the Cubs, who outscored the Pirates 47-15 in the series.Brad Wieck (1-1) struck out both batters he faced. Trevor Williams (7-7) allowed seven runs in 2 1/3 innings.DODGERS 3, METS 2NEW YORK (AP) — Jedd Gyorko came off the... [More]

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Mike Trout's season is over.The Los Angeles Angels say the eight-time All-Star will have surgery on his right foot this week because of Morton's neuroma, a thickening of tissue around a nerve leading to toes that causes pain."I kind of knew when I first got my MRI a few weeks ago that I would probably need surgery at the end of the year to get it removed," Trout said Sunday. "Just got worse. We tried everything. The training staff has been awesome. Some days it would feel good. Some days, once the thing cleared up, it was tough to walk."Trout was scheduled to fly with the team to New York on Sunday evening for a series with the Yankees that starts Tuesday. He is to return to Los Angeles on Thursday and have surgery later in the week."It just didn't get better," Trout said. "It's been that way for a couple weeks. We tried injections, tried the cryoablation (cold fluid) — thought that would help. As soon as I went out there and started running, it flares up. After it... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Star first baseman Anthony Rizzo was pulled from a game Sunday with a sprained right ankle, putting a damper on the Chicago Cubs' 16-6 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates that completed a three-game sweep.Rizzo was injured fielding a bunt at first base, had to be helped off the field and could not put pressure on the leg. X-rays taken at Wrigley Field showed no fractures. He'll get an MRI on Monday.Chicago's postseason pursuit has already been hindered by an injury to shortstop Javier Báez, who is out for the rest of the regular season with a hairline fracture of his left thumb.The Cubs maintained their one-game lead over Milwaukee for the second NL wild card.Kris Bryant homered twice, and Ian Happ, Kyle Schwarber and Jonathan Lucroy also connected for the Cubs, who outscored the Pirates 47-15 in the series.Brad Wieck (1-1) struck out both batters he faced. Trevor Williams (7-7) allowed seven runs in 2 1/3 innings.BREWERS 7, CARDINALS 6ST. LOUIS (AP) — Ryan Braun overcame... [More]

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Mike Trout's season is over.The Los Angeles Angels say the eight-time All-Star will have surgery on his right foot this week because of Morton's neuroma, a thickening of tissue around a nerve leading to toes that causes pain."It wasn't getting any better," Angels manager Brad Ausmus said Sunday. We've kind of exhausted all non-surgical possibilities. Some point later in the week he'll be scheduled for surgery to have the neuroma removed."Trout finished with a career-high 45 home runs, 104 RBIs and a .291 batting average, putting him in contention to win his third AL MVP award along with four second-place finishes. The 28-year-old outfielder had 110 walks, a .438 on-base percentage and 1.083 OPS in his first season after agreeing to a $426.5 million, 12-year contract, baseball's largest deal by total and average salary.Trout last played on Sept. 7. He said Saturday he hoped to play in Sunday's series finale against Tampa Bay as a designated hitter. He felt pain when running the bases Sunday morning."He realized it was not a pain he could deal with to perform at a high level," Ausmus said. "He understands forcing himself to play on the field wouldn't be productive."Los Angeles already has been eliminated from postseason contention.Trout has a .305 average in nine major league seasons with 285 homers, 752 RBIs and 200 stolen bases.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

WASHINGTON (AP) — Ronald Acuña Jr. ignited a four-run rally with the go-ahead, two-run double, and the NL East-leading Atlanta Braves clinched a playoff berth with a 10-1 victory over the Washington Nationals on Saturday.Acuña's double down the left-field line off reliever Fernando Rodney added fuel to a dramatic seventh inning for the Braves (93-57), who reduced their magic number to four to clinch their 19th division title.Earlier in the seventh, Charlie Culberson was struck directly on the right cheekbone by a 91-mph fastball on Rodney's first pitch of the game.Culberson remained on his back for several minutes as trainers pressed a towel to his face. He was eventually helped to his feet and onto the back of a cart.The Braves have won the last 11 games started by Mike Foltynewicz (7-5), who pitched six solid innings.Wander Suero (5-8) was charged with the loss as the Washington bullpen gave up nine runs over the final four innings. The Nationals saw their lead in the NL wild card race... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Anthony Rizzo hit a grand slam, Willson Contreras had two long solo homers and the Chicago Cubs kept pace in the NL wild-card race with a 17-8 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday.Rookie Nico Hoerner hit a two-run shot for his first major league homer and had four RBIs for the Cubs. Chicago moved a game ahead of Milwaukee for the second NL wild card.Contreras, Hoerner and Nicholas Castellanos homered in the first with the wind blowing out as Chicago scored five times after Pittsburgh jumped on Jon Lester (13-10) for a 4-0 lead.Hoerner elevated a low pitch to the center field batter's eye in his first plate appearance at Wrigley Field. He drove in two more runs with a single in Chicago's seven-run fifth. The 22-year-old infielder made his debut with the Cubs on Monday at San Diego after the team announced All-Star shortstop Javier Báez would be out of the season with a hairline fracture in his left thumb.Alec Mills pitched the final three innings for his first save.... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors today:HOUSTON HAMMERSRookie Yordan Alvarez and the Houston Astros have set a franchise record by totaling 36 runs in their last two games, helped by exceptionally fast starts.On Sunday, the AL West leaders built a whopping 13-0 cushion in the first three innings on their way to a 21-1 rout of Seattle — Alvarez had three doubles and a single and drove in six runs.On Monday night, Alvarez homered in each of the first two innings as Houston rushed to an 11-0 lead. The Astros hit seven homers overall and pounded Oakland 15-0.The Astros have won five in a row and next take on A's righty Tanner Roark (9-8, 3.86 ERA). Wade Miley (13-4, 3.35) starts for host Houston.TROUT OUTAngels star Mike Trout has undergone a cryoablation procedure to alleviate pain in his right foot. Manager Brad Ausmus described the procedure as relatively minor and said the slugging outfielder could return later this series against Cleveland.Trout has been bothered by nerve pain... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors Tuesday:HOUSTON HAMMERSRookie Yordan Alvarez and the Houston Astros have set a franchise record by totaling 36 runs in their last two games, helped by exceptionally fast starts.On Sunday, the AL West leaders built a whopping 13-0 cushion in the first three innings on their way to a 21-1 rout of Seattle — Alvarez had three doubles and a single and drove in six runs.On Monday night, Alvarez homered in each of the first two innings as Houston rushed to an 11-0 lead. The Astros hit seven homers overall and pounded Oakland 15-0.The Astros have won five in a row and next take on A's righty Tanner Roark (9-8, 3.86 ERA). Wade Miley (13-4, 3.35) starts for host Houston.TROUT OUTAngels star Mike Trout has undergone a cryoablation procedure to alleviate pain in his right foot. Manager Brad Ausmus described the procedure as relatively minor and said the slugging outfielder could return later this series against Cleveland.Trout has been bothered by nerve... [More]

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Los Angeles Angels slugger Mike Trout has undergone a cryoablation procedure to alleviate pain in his right foot.Angels manager Brad Ausmus described the procedure as relatively minor Monday night.Trout wasn't in the Angels' lineup for the second straight game when they opened a homestand against Cleveland. Ausmus says he could return later in the series.Trout has been bothered by nerve pain in his foot for several weeks, but has largely played through it. The cryoablation procedure uses extreme cold to essentially deaden the tissue around the irritated nerve.Trout is batting .291 with an AL-leading 45 homers and 104 RBIs. His .438 on-base percentage leads the majors.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports