WASHINGTON (AP) — Bryce Harper hit two more homers from the leadoff spot and the Washington Nationals beat the Philadelphia Phillies 7-3 Friday night for their sixth straight win.Harper opened the Washington first by lining a fastball from Nick Pivetta (1-2) to the opposite field in left. With a runner on first in the third inning, Harper crushed a changeup 473 feet to dead center for his 12th homer this season — including four games from the leadoff slot.Gio Gonzalez (4-2) allowed two hits in five scoreless innings.YANKEES 7, INDIANS 6NEW YORK (AP) — Rookie Miguel Andujar flared an RBI single off Cody Allen with two outs in the ninth and New York, after blowing 5-0 and 6-5 leads, won for the 13th time in 14 games.Gleyber Torres, at 21, became the youngest Yankees player to hit a home run since John Ellis in 1969. Aaron Judge homered, doubled and drew a bases-loaded walk in the eighth that put the Yankees ahead 6-5. Cleveland tied it in the ninth, scoring on the second wild pitch of the... [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.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]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Slumping Bryce Harper was moved to the leadoff spot for the first time since 2013 and responded with a three-run homer that helped Max Scherzer win his fifth straight start as the Washington Nationals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 12-4 Wednesday night.Harper entered in a 5-for-35 slump and had not gotten an extra-base hit since April 16. He grounded out in the first inning against Chad Kuhl (3-2), followed Wilmer Difo's go-ahead homer in the third with a flyout, then gave the Nationals a 5-0 lead in the fifth with his ninth homer this season.Scherzer (6-1) allowed two runs and three hits in 6 1/3 innings, striking out eight and walked one.YANKEES 4, ASTROS 0HOUSTON (AP) — Gary Sanchez hit a three-run homer in the ninth off Ken Giles (0-1), who punched himself on the face and chin when he walked to the dugout after he was knocked out later in the inning, then threw a bat in the dugout and kicked it. New York won for the ninth time in 10 games.Yankees starter Jordan Montgomery... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Slumping Bryce Harper was moved to the leadoff spot for the first time since 2013 and responded with a three-run homer that helped Max Scherzer win his fifth straight start as the Washington Nationals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 12-4 Wednesday night.Harper entered in a 5-for-35 slump and had not gotten an extra-base hit since April 16. He grounded out in the first inning against Chad Kuhl (3-2), followed Wilmer Difo's go-ahead homer in the third with a flyout, then gave the Nationals a 5-0 lead in the fifth with his ninth homer this season.Scherzer (6-1) allowed two runs and three hits in 6 1/3 innings, striking out eight and walked one.YANKEES 4, ASTROS 0HOUSTON (AP) — Gary Sanchez hit a three-run homer in the ninth off Ken Giles (0-1), who punched himself on the face and chin when he walked to the dugout after he was knocked out later in the inning, then threw a bat in the dugout and kicked it. New York won for the ninth time in 10 games.Yankees starter Jordan Montgomery... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Bryce Harper is hitting leadoff for the Washington Nationals for the first time since 2013.The five-time All-Star and 2015 NL MVP leads the major leagues with 38 walks — eight of them intentional — but entered Tuesday's game against Pittsburgh in a 5-for-35 slump. He has not had an extra-base hit since April 16."Last night I spoke to Harp and I just came to the conclusion: 'Why not?'" Washington manager Dave Martinez said. "He's a little frustrated and, hopefully, he gets some more pitches to hit."Harper led off 16 times in 2013, his second major league season."You lead off one time in a game, and every other at-bat it really doesn't matter," Harper said.He leads the NL with a .458 on-base percentage but is frustrated with his walks."Yeah, at 25 years old you want to hit the baseball," Harper said.___For more AP baseball coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

NEW YORK (AP) — The Boston Red Sox and Washington Nationals are the only teams on track to pay baseball's luxury tax this year, according to opening-day payroll totals compiled by Major League Baseball and obtained by The Associated Press.Boston's payroll at the start of the season for purposes of the tax was $233.9 million, which would cause the Red Sox to pay a $9.4 million tax. Washington's payroll was $201 million, which would result in a tax of $1.2 million.San Francisco was just below the $197 million tax threshold at $196.66 million. The Giants were followed by the Chicago Cubs at $183.9 million, Houston at $182.4 million, the Los Angeles Dodgers at $181.99 million and the New York Yankees at $178.8 million.New York was over the threshold from 2003-17, paying $341 million. The Dodgers have had the highest tax bill for the past four seasons and have paid nearly $150 million over the last five years.By not paying tax this year, the Yankees and Dodgers would reset their base tax rates... [More]

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Francisco Lindor homered in his native Puerto Rico, Corey Kluber allowed one run in 6 2/3 innings and the Cleveland Indians beat the Minnesota Twins 6-1 on Tuesday night in the first regular-season game on the island commonwealth since 2010.Michael Brantley and Jose Ramirez each had three hits for Cleveland before a sold-out crowd of 19,516 at Hiram Bithorn Stadium. Brantley and Ramirez hit consecutive homers in the sixth, and Yonder Alonso added a solo homer in the eighth.Kluber (2-1) allowed five hits and struck out six, lowering his ERA to 1.52. Minnesota's Jake Odorizzi (1-1) gave up four runs and six hits in five-plus innings.RED SOX 10, ANGELS 1ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Mookie Betts led off with the first of his three homers, and Boston chased Shohei Ohtani just two innings into his third big-league start.Ohtani (2-1) yielded four hits and three runs on 66 pitches before exiting with a blister on his pitching hand. The two-way Japanese sensation couldn't... [More]

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Francisco Lindor homered in his native Puerto Rico, Corey Kluber allowed one run in 6 2/3 innings and the Cleveland Indians beat the Minnesota Twins 6-1 on Tuesday night in the first regular-season game on the island commonwealth since 2010.Michael Brantley and Jose Ramirez each had three hits for Cleveland before a sold-out crowd of 19,516 at Hiram Bithorn Stadium. Brantley and Ramirez hit consecutive homers in the sixth, and Yonder Alonso added a solo homer in the eighth.Kluber (2-1) allowed five hits and struck out six, lowering his ERA to 1.52. Minnesota's Jake Odorizzi (1-1) gave up four runs and six hits in five-plus innings.DIAMONDBACKS 1, GIANTS 0PHOENIX (AP) — Patrick Corbin lost his no-hit bid on a checked-swing infield single with two outs in the eighth inning but finished a one-hitter to lift Arizona.Corbin (3-0) walked one but otherwise was cruising toward what would have been the franchise's third no-hitter. Brandon Belt ended it with a softly... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Didi Gregorius homered twice for the second time this season, Gary Sanchez had three hits and three RBIs, and the New York Yankees romped to a 12-1 victory over Derek Jeter's Miami Marlins on Monday night.The only Yankees bopper who didn't join the hit parade was Giancarlo Stanton, who went hitless and got booed again by the hometown fans in his first game against his former team.Aaron Judge became the fastest major leaguer to hit 60 career homers, and Gregorius finished with three RBIs. New York scored in each of the first five innings and built an 11-0 lead for Luis Severino (3-1), who allowed one hit in six scoreless innings and struck out eight.Judge hit his fourth home run this season and reached 60 in 197 games, five fewer than Mark McGwire.Jeter did not attend the game, the first between the teams since the former Yankees captain became Marlins CEO last October.Stanton went 0 for 3 with two strikeouts, a bases-loaded foulout, a walk and was hit by a pitch. The four-time... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Didi Gregorius homered twice for the second time this season, Gary Sanchez had three hits and three RBIs, and the New York Yankees romped to a 12-1 victory over Derek Jeter's Miami Marlins on Monday night.The only Yankees bopper who didn't join the hit parade was Giancarlo Stanton, who went hitless and got booed again by the hometown fans in his first game against his former team.Aaron Judge became the fastest major leaguer to hit 60 career homers, and Gregorius finished with three RBIs. New York scored in each of the first five innings and built an 11-0 lead for Luis Severino (3-1), who allowed one hit in six scoreless innings and struck out eight.Judge hit his fourth home run this season and reached 60 in 197 games, five fewer than Mark McGwire.Jeter did not attend the game, the first between the teams since the former Yankees captain became Marlins CEO last October.Stanton went 0 for 3 with two strikeouts, a bases-loaded foulout, a walk and was hit by a pitch. The four-time... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — This was shear power by Bryce Harper.In a startling display, the Washington Nationals slugger shattered his bat into two pieces, yet still hit a long home run Monday night in an 8-6 win over the New York Mets."Barreled it pretty good," Harper said. "It just broke and kept going."Harper hit his major league-high eighth homer, and his 33 1/2-inch, 31 1/2-ounce Marucci bat paid the price. It cleanly cracked, but the ball flew an estimated 406 feet to right-center at Citi Field.The lumber split just above his hands, and the barrel helicoptered into the high, protective netting behind home plate on the first base side. The five-time All-Star trotted most of the way to first holding the few inches of the handle that remained after tagging a 95 mph fastball from Jacob deGrom.Mets right fielder Brandon Nimmo headed toward the wall and quickly ran out of room."Yeah, that was pretty shocking," deGrom said, with a slight grin. "I heard the bat break and then I looked, I saw Nimmo,... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — This was shear power by Bryce Harper.In a startling display, the Washington Nationals slugger shattered his bat into two pieces, yet still hit a long home run Monday night in an 8-6 win over the New York Mets."Barreled it pretty good," Harper said. "It just broke and kept going."Harper hit his major league-high eighth homer, and his 33 1/2-inch, 31 1/2-ounce Marucci bat paid the price. It cleanly cracked, but the ball flew an estimated 406 feet to right-center at Citi Field.The lumber shattered just above his hands, and the barrel helicoptered into the high, protective netting behind home plate on the first base side. The five-time All-Star trotted most of the way to first holding the few inches of the handle that remained after tagging a 95 mph fastball from Jacob deGrom.Mets right fielder Brandon Nimmo headed toward the wall and quickly ran out of room."Yeah, that was pretty shocking," deGrom said, with a slight grin. "I heard the bat break and then I looked, I saw Nimmo,... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Didi Gregorius homered twice for the second time this season, Gary Sanchez had three hits and three RBIs, and the New York Yankees romped to a 12-1 victory over Derek Jeter's Miami Marlins on Monday night.About the only Yankees bopper who didn't get in on the fun was Giancarlo Stanton, who went hitless and got booed again by the hometown fans in his first game against his former team.Aaron Judge became the fastest major leaguer to hit 60 career homers, and Gregorius finished with three RBIs. New York scored in each of the first five innings and built an 11-0 lead for Luis Severino (3-1), who allowed one hit in six scoreless innings and struck out eight.Judge hit his fourth home run this season and reached 60 in 197 games, five fewer than Mark McGwire.Jeter did not attend the game, the first between the teams since the former Yankees captain became Marlins CEO last October.Stanton went 0 for 3 with two strikeouts, a bases-loaded foulout, a walk and was hit by a pitch. The... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — This was shear power by Bryce Harper.In a startling display, the Washington Nationals slugger broke his bat into two pieces, yet still hit a long home run Monday night against the New York Mets.Harper's bat shattered just above his hands, and the barrel helicoptered into the high, protective netting behind home plate on the first base side.The ball sailed far over the wall in right center at Citi Field. Harper hit his major league-leading eighth home run, a solo shot in the first inning on a 95 mph fastball from Jacob deGrom. Statcast projected the homer at 406 feet.As Harper rounded the bases, first base coach Tim Bogar picked up the few inches of lumber left in the former NL MVP's batting gloves and handed it to a bat boy.On his way back to the dugout, Harper playfully pulled up his sleeve to show his biceps.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

A look at what's happening all around the majors Monday:REMEMBER ME?Giancarlo Stanton faces his former teammates when the Marlins visit Yankee Stadium. The slugger led the majors with 59 home runs and was the NL MVP last year, then was traded to New York. Stanton is hitting .220 with three homers for the Yankees, striking out 25 times in 59 at-bats. Caleb Smith starts for Miami — he pitched for the Yanks last year, and was sent to the Marlins in a separate deal.Marlins CEO and former Yankees star Derek Jeter will not be attending the two-game series in the Bronx. "I went to a spring training game when we played New York, but it would be an awkward situation for me to actually go to Yankee Stadium," he said last week.A BIT WARMERThe Chicago White Sox begin a series at Oakland, where the gametime temperature for the opener is supposed to be in the low 50s. That's still a lot better than what they left behind in Minnesota, where a blizzard helped wipe out the last three games of their series... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Max Scherzer stole the first base of his professional career and allowed only two singles in his fifth big league shutout, and the Washington Nationals ended a five-game losing skid while getting back to .500 with a 2-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Monday night.Scherzer (2-1), the winner of the past two NL Cy Young Awards, did not let the Braves push a runner beyond first base. Kurt Suzuki got a hit in the second, and Nick Markakis did in the fifth, but neither advanced.Scherzer managed to get farther than that: He swiped second after singling off reliever Peter Moylan in the seventh.Howie Kendrick delivered all the offense Washington needed with a two-run double.Scherzer struck out 10 and walked none in his ninth complete game in 299 major league starts. And he needed only 102 pitches, a far more efficient outing than his previous time on the mound: He threw 110 over five innings in a 7-1 loss at Atlanta on April 4.Julio Teheran (0-1) went six innings for the Braves,... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Max Scherzer stole the first base of his professional career and allowed only two singles in his fifth big league shutout, and the Washington Nationals ended a five-game losing skid while getting back to .500 with a 2-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Monday night.Scherzer (2-1), the winner of the past two NL Cy Young Awards, did not let the Braves push a runner beyond first base. Kurt Suzuki got a hit in the second, and Nick Markakis did in the fifth, but neither advanced.Scherzer managed to get farther than that: He swiped second after singling off reliever Peter Moylan in the seventh.Howie Kendrick delivered all the offense Washington needed with a two-run double.Scherzer struck out 10 and walked none in his ninth complete game in 299 major league starts. And he needed only 102 pitches, a far more efficient outing than his previous time on the mound: He threw 110 over five innings in a 7-1 loss at Atlanta on April 4.Julio Teheran (0-1) went six innings for the Braves,... [More]

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Shohei Ohtani retired the Oakland Athletics' first 19 batters and yielded one hit over seven shutout innings in his home pitching debut, leading the Los Angeles Angels to a 6-1 victory Sunday.Marcus Semien's clean one-out single to left broke up Ohtani's bid for a perfect game,Ohtani (2-0) struck out the side twice and finished with 12 strikeouts in all. He won his pitching debut in Oakland last weekend with six strong innings, then homered in three consecutive games in Anaheim between starts in his attempt to become the first regular two-way player in decades.Mike Trout and Ryan Schimpf homered, and Albert Pujols had an RBI double in the Angels' seventh win in nine games. Kendall Graveman (0-2) gave up five hits and four walks while failing to get out of the fourth inning for the A's, who have lost seven of 10.METS 6, NATIONALS 5, 12 INNINGSWASHINGTON (AP) — Yoenis Cespedes scored Juan Lagares with a broken-bat single in the 12th inning to help New York complete... [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]