LOS ANGELES (AP) — Injured shortstop Dansby Swanson didn't make the Atlanta Braves' roster for the National League Division Series. His replacement is Charlie Culberson, someone familiar to the Los Angeles Dodgers.The Braves announced their roster Thursday, hours before the start of Game 1.The Dodgers left All-Star pitcher Ross Stripling off their roster. The right-hander sparkled when added to the rotation because of injuries, going 8-3 with a 2.92 ERA before getting hurt and shifting back to the bullpen in August.Also not on the Dodgers' roster is 39-year-old infielder Chase Utley, who had announced he'll retire at the end of the season although it's likely he has already played in his last game.The Dodgers are carrying 12 pitchers and 13 position players. Ambidextrous reliever Pat Venditte and reliever John Axford, who came over from Toronto at the trade deadline in August, didn't make the roster.Swanson tore a ligament in his left hand against the New York Mets in the next-to-last series... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball is opening October by blasting the game's so-called "unwritten rules."MLB released an advertisement ahead of Tuesday's postseason opener denouncing the anti-bat flip attitudes of many baseball traditionalists."Don't stop and stare. Don't flip your bat. Respect the jersey," says a narrator at the start. Meanwhile, the commercial shows Giancarlo Stanton admiring a lengthy home run, Carlos Correa tossing his bat, Mookie Betts flexing and Yasiel Puig wagging his tongue after a daring headfirst slide.It also includes Atlanta rookie Ronald Acuna Jr. celebrating a home run against the Marlins. Acuna was plunked by Miami's Jose Urena during his impressive five-game homer streak this season, an incident that put baseball's unwritten rules back under the microscope.After Acuna, the ad cuts to Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. Griffey sports a backward baseball cap, just like he did as the fresh face of baseball in the early 1990s."No more talk," Griffey says. "Let... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball is opening October by blasting the game's so-called "unwritten rules."MLB released an advertisement ahead of Tuesday's postseason opener denouncing the anti-bat flip attitudes of many baseball traditionalists."Don't stop and stare. Don't flip your bat. Respect the jersey," says a narrator at the start. Meanwhile, the commercial shows Giancarlo Stanton admiring a lengthy home run, Carlos Correa tossing his bat, Mookie Betts flexing and Yasiel Puig wagging his tongue after a daring headfirst slide.It also includes Atlanta rookie Ronald Acuna Jr. celebrating a home run against the Marlins. Acuna was plunked by Miami's Jose Urena during his impressive five-game homer streak this season, an incident that put baseball's unwritten rules back under the microscope.After Acuna, the ad cuts to Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. Griffey sports a backward baseball cap, just like he did as the fresh face of baseball in the early 1990s."No more talk," Griffey says. "Let... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Last year's World Series between the Astros and Dodgers was a thriller, ending in Houston's Game 7 victory for its first championship.Might they have an encore in store? Perhaps one with a Hollywood ending this time?Time to find out. After two tight NL division races stretched the regular season to a pair of Game 163s, the Rockies and Cubs are set to begin the playoffs Tuesday night with the NL wild-card game at Wrigley Field.Before they do, a look at the 2018 postseason, from A to Z:A: ACES OUT — Good news for NL hitters: Many of the league's top starting pitchers have already begun their offseasons. Cy Young Award favorites Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer and Aaron Nola won't throw a postseason pitch. Same for Patrick Corbin and 18-game winner Miles Mikolas. Of course, longtime rotation leaders like Clayton Kershaw and Jon Lester are still in play.B: BETTS IN SHOW — Mookie Betts enters his third postseason as the AL MVP favorite, though Boston's dynamic leadoff hitter has a... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Billie Jean King has gone back to her roots in becoming part of the Los Angeles Dodgers' ownership group.The tennis champion first became enamored with the team when it arrived from Brooklyn in 1958. King says she and younger brother Randy Moffitt "grew up bleeding Dodger blue" in Long Beach. Moffitt later pitched in the majors for teams that included the rival San Francisco Giants, or as King puts it "the wrong team."King and her partner Ilana Kloss have taken an undisclosed stake in the Dodgers at the invitation of owner Mark Walter."It's a great thing for the Dodgers," manager Dave Roberts said.Pending approval by the WNBA, King and Kloss are also expected to have an ownership interest along with Walter in the Los Angeles Sparks."We're not allowed to talk about it," King said, referring to her percentage of the Dodgers. "We're all in this together."King said she hopes they "can make a difference that's meaningful and be impactful."She and Kloss met Walter and his wife... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A surprising first half and a surge in early August had the Philadelphia Phillies in prime position to reach the postseason.Then they fell apart.Since completing a four-game sweep over the Miami Marlins on Aug. 5, the Phillies (74-71) are 11-23 and 0-10-1 in those series. They went from 1 1/2 games ahead of Atlanta in the NL East to 7 1/2 games behind with only 17 games to play.Philadelphia was only one game behind the Cubs for best record in the National League before the tailspin began. Now, finishing with a winning mark will be a challenge.Manager Gabe Kapler's positive approach hasn't wavered, but even he can't find a way to sugarcoat this collapse."There's no question that we can play better baseball," Kapler said. "We are more talented and more prepared than the outcomes that we're getting, the losses we've racked up recently."So, what happened?"It's not one thing," Kapler said. "It's a collection of many, many things. And to try to boil it down to one thing doesn't... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A surprising first half and a surge in early August had the Philadelphia Phillies in prime position to reach the postseason.Then they fell apart.Since completing a four-game sweep over the Miami Marlins on Aug. 5, the Phillies (74-71) are 11-23 and 0-10-1 in those series. They went from 1½ games ahead of Atlanta in the NL East to 7½ games behind with only 17 games to play.Philadelphia was only one game behind the Cubs for best record in the National League before the tailspin began. Now, finishing with a winning mark will be a challenge.Manager Gabe Kapler's positive approach hasn't wavered, but even he can't find a way to sugarcoat this collapse."There's no question that we can play better baseball," Kapler said. "We are more talented and more prepared than the outcomes that we're getting, the losses we've racked up recently."So, what happened?"It's not one thing," Kapler said. "It's a collection of many, many things. And to try to boil it down to one thing doesn't... [More]

DENVER (AP) — To summon a recent reliever, Cubs manager Joe Maddon didn't even need to signal his bullpen. He just pointed toward his first baseman.Now pitching: Anthony Rizzo .That's no sort of curveball, either.In an increasing trend this season, position players are making more appearances on the mound to save wear and tear on the bullpen in games that have spiraled out of hand or as a last resort.Through Thursday, there have been 49 appearances by 39 non-pitchers (not counting two-way player Shohei Ohtani ). Both figures are major-league highs for the expansion era starting in 1961, according to the Elias Sports Bureau."It's just cool to be up there and get to do something that you don't get to do," said Pirates shortstop Jordy Mercer, who was a closer and infielder at Oklahoma State but has never pitched in the majors despite his best lobbying efforts. "You have the ball in your hands nonstop."Rizzo pleaded for a while to get into a game. His chance arrived on July 23 with the Cubs... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Third baseman Justin Turner has been activated from the 10-day disabled list by the Los Angeles Dodgers, who put second baseman Chase Utley on the disabled list with left wrist inflammation.Manny Machado, who played third base while Turner sidelined, moved back to shortstop for Thursday's series finale against Milwaukee.Turner broke a wrist when hit by a pitch during spring training and didn't make his season debut until May 15. He was disabled again July 23 due to a strained right groin. Turner is hitting .259 with five homers, 20 RBIs and a .354 on-base percentage in 50 games.Utley is hitting .240 with one triple, one home run and 14 RBIs. The 39-year-old has said he will retire after this season.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/MLBbaseball

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers made another addition to their infield, acquiring power-hitting second baseman Brian Dozier from the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday for infielder Logan Forsythe and two minor leaguers shortly before the trade deadline.Dozier departed Target Field soon after the deal was done in the afternoon, aiming to take advantage of the two-hour time zone difference and was on the Dodgers' bench by the eighth inning of a quick 2-hour, 17-minute game.Dozier was available to play but did not see action in the Dodgers' 1-0 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers."It came down to the last minute and I knew something was probably brewing up from just hearsay, obviously," Dozier said. "But when I found out it was the Dodgers, it was very exciting."The Dodgers, who went all in by acquiring Baltimore shortstop Manny Machado during the All-Star break for five prospects, had a need for an established right-handed hitter. Their lineup has been in flux, with Arizona... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers made another addition to their infield, acquiring power-hitting second baseman Brian Dozier from the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday for infielder Logan Forsythe and two minor leaguers shortly before the trade deadline.Dozier departed Target Field soon after the deal was done in the afternoon, aiming to take advantage of the two-hour time zone difference and arrive at Dodger Stadium in time to be available to play for Los Angeles sometime during the game against Milwaukee.The Dodgers, who went all in by acquiring Baltimore shortstop Manny Machado during the All-Star break for five prospects, had a need for an established right-handed hitter. Their lineup has been in flux, with Arizona and Colorado right on their heels."Knowing as you get later in the season, and particularly in September when teams can start game planning and stacking their rotation a certain way, they think you have a weakness against a certain side," Dodgers general... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors today:LOOKING FOR No. 15Yankees ace Luis Severino (14-2, 2.31 ERA) tries goes for his major league-leading 15th win in the opener of a series at Tampa Bay. Severino is 6-0 with a 2.41 ERA over his last six starts, including three scoreless outings of at least 6 2/3 innings each. New York, 5-5 in its last 10 games, begins the day five games behind first-place Boston in the American League East.FAREWELL TOURFormer Phillies second baseman Chase Utley starts his final regular-season series at Philadelphia, where he helped the Phillies win the 2008 World Series, when the Los Angeles Dodgers come to town to open a three-game series. Utley announced July 13 he will retire from baseball at the end of this season, capping a 16-year career, to spend more time with his wife and two young sons. The 39-year-old made his name with the Phillies, earning five All-Star berths and winning four Silver Slugger awards before a trade to the Dodgers in August 2015... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors Monday:LOOKING FOR No. 15Yankees ace Luis Severino (14-2, 2.31 ERA) tries goes for his major league-leading 15th win in the opener of a series at Tampa Bay. Severino is 6-0 with a 2.41 ERA over his last six starts, including three scoreless outings of at least 6 2/3 innings each. New York, 5-5 in its last 10 games, begins the day five games behind first-place Boston in the American League East.FAREWELL TOURFormer Phillies second baseman Chase Utley starts his final regular-season series at Philadelphia, where he helped the Phillies win the 2008 World Series, when the Los Angeles Dodgers come to town to open a three-game series. Utley announced July 13 he will retire from baseball at the end of this season, capping a 16-year career, to spend more time with his wife and two young sons. The 39-year-old made his name with the Phillies, earning five All-Star berths and winning four Silver Slugger awards before a trade to the Dodgers in August 2015... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Stephen Strasburg was batted around by the Atlanta Braves, then engaged in a heated spat with Nationals ace Max Scherzer in the dugout during Washington's 8-5 loss Friday night.It was unclear what prompted the exchange between the star pitchers in their first game after the All-Star break.The dispute occurred after Strasburg (6-7), activated from the 10-day disabled list earlier in the day and throwing on his 30th birthday, gave up six runs and eight hits in 4 2/3 innings. He walked into the dugout, got a pat on the back from Scherzer and sat down on the bench. They began barking at each other, then both quickly went off-camera by leaving the dugout.The Braves lost All-Star second baseman Ozzie Albies in the third inning, and the team said he was lifted as a precaution because of right hamstring tightness. He had an RBI double and stole a base in a two-run first inning.Anibal Sanchez (5-2) allowed three runs over six innings for the Braves, who started the second half... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Xander Bogaerts hit a game-ending grand slam with one out in the 10th inning, and J.D. Martinez hit his major league-leading 29th homer to carry the Boston Red Sox to a 6-2 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday.Martinez increased his major league-leading RBI total to 80 with a solo shot and red-hot Mookie Betts extended his hitting streak to 12 games with three singles to raise his majors' best average to .362 for Boston.The AL East-leading Red Sox had their 10-game winning streak halted Friday. They haven't lost two straight since June 19 and 20.Betts reached on error against Chris Rowley (0-1) when shortstop Gurriel, who moved there in the top of the inning, had his grounder go right through his legs. Brock Holt had a hit-and-run single and Martinez was intentionally walked before Bogaerts hit his shot to left-center.Craig Kimbrel (2-1) pitched a hitless 10th for the victory.ANGELS 5, DODGERS 4, 10 INNINGSLOS ANGELES (AP) — Kole Calhoun homered on his first pitch... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Xander Bogaerts hit a game-ending grand slam with one out in the 10th inning, and J.D. Martinez hit his major league-leading 29th homer to carry the Boston Red Sox to a 6-2 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday.Martinez increased his major league-leading RBI total to 80 with a solo shot and red-hot Mookie Betts extended his hitting streak to 12 games with three singles to raise his majors' best average to .362 for Boston.The AL East-leading Red Sox had their 10-game winning streak halted Friday. They haven't lost two straight since June 19 and 20.Betts reached on error against Chris Rowley (0-1) when shortstop Gurriel, who moved there in the top of the inning, had his grounder go right through his legs. Brock Holt had a hit-and-run single and Martinez was intentionally walked before Bogaerts hit his shot to left-center.Craig Kimbrel (2-1) pitched a hitless 10th for the victory.ANGELS 5, DODGERS 4, 10 INNINGSLOS ANGELES (AP) — Kole Calhoun homered on his first pitch... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors today:STEPPING AWAYThe Chase Utley retirement tour is underway. Utley announced Friday that he will retire at the end of the season, capping a 16-year career that included a World Series championship with Philadelphia and an elder statesman role with the Dodgers. The six-time All-Star said he's leaving to spend more time with his wife and two young sons. Utley announced his decision at a jammed news conference at Dodger Stadium, with several of his teammates surprising him by crowding into the small room. Utley has 259 career homers with a .276 average and 1,880 hits, though he'll likely get some Hall of Fame support from voters inclined toward advanced analytics.WELCOME BACKJon Gray is set to return from Triple-A and start for Colorado against Seattle. Gray was expected to be the Rockies' ace, but he's been hit hard this season, going 7-7 with a 5.77 ERA before being demoted to work on mechanics and clear his head at Albuquerque. Gray will face... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors Saturday:STEPPING AWAYThe Chase Utley retirement tour is underway. Utley announced Friday that he will retire at the end of the season, capping a 16-year career that included a World Series championship with Philadelphia and an elder statesman role with the Dodgers. The six-time All-Star said he's leaving to spend more time with his wife and two young sons. Utley announced his decision at a jammed news conference at Dodger Stadium, with several of his teammates surprising him by crowding into the small room. Utley has 259 career homers with a .276 average and 1,880 hits, though he'll likely get some Hall of Fame support from voters inclined toward advanced analytics.WELCOME BACKJon Gray is set to return from Triple-A and start for Colorado against Seattle. Gray was expected to be the Rockies' ace, but he's been hit hard this season, going 7-7 with a 5.77 ERA before being demoted to work on mechanics and clear his head at Albuquerque. Gray will... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Chase Utley will retire from baseball at the end of this season, capping a 16-year career that included a World Series championship with Philadelphia and an elder-statesman role with the Los Angeles Dodgers.The six-time All-Star said he's leaving to spend more time with his wife and two young sons.Utley announced his decision at a jammed news conference in the basement of Dodger Stadium on Friday, with several of his teammates surprising him by crowding into the small, steamy room."I just want you guys to know that I've signed a five-year extension," Utley deadpanned, drawing laughter from manager Dave Roberts, Kenley Jansen, Justin Turner, Alex Wood, Andrew Toles, Joc Pederson, Logan Forsythe and Ross Stripling.Three-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw sat on the floor in a corner, with Matt Kemp, Rich Hill, Corey Seager, Austin Barnes and Kenta Maeda joining him.Pitching coach Rick Honeycutt looked on, while hitting coach Turner Ward used his phone to capture... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors Saturday:STEPPING AWAYThe Chase Utley retirement tour is underway. Utley announced Friday that he will retire at the end of the season, capping a 16-year career that included a World Series championship with Philadelphia and an elder statesman role with the Dodgers. The six-time All-Star said he's leaving to spend more time with his wife and two young sons. Utley announced his decision at a jammed news conference at Dodger Stadium, with several of his teammates surprising him by crowding into the small room. Utley has 259 career homers with a .276 average and 1,880 hits, though he'll likely get some Hall of Fame support from voters inclined toward advanced analytics.WELCOME BACKJon Gray is set to return from Triple-A and start for Colorado against Seattle. Gray was expected to be the Rockies' ace, but he's been hit hard this season, going 7-7 with a 5.77 ERA before being demoted to work on mechanics and clear his head at Albuquerque. Gray will... [More]