BOSTON (AP) — Tyler Austin rushed the mound after being hit by a pitch from Red Sox reliever Joe Kelly, triggering a bench-clearing brawl in a ramped-up rivalry as the New York Yankees ended Boston's nine-game winning streak with a 10-7 victory Wednesday night.Benches cleared briefly in the third after Austin's spikes clipped Brock Holt's leg on a slide into second base. Holt took issue with the contact and they exchanged words before being separated.Then with the Yankees leading 10-6 in the seventh, Kelly caught Austin on the side with a 98 mph fastball. Austin slammed his bat on the plate, threw it down and took four steps toward the mound while hollering. Kelly waved Austin at him, and things quickly escalated.Austin, Kelly, New York reliever Tommy Kahnle and Yankees third base coach Phil Nevin were ejected.The Yankees scored four runs off David Price (1-1) in the first inning before the lefty ace exited the game with a tingling sensation in his pitching hand.Gary Sanchez hit two home... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — New York Yankees designated hitter Tyler Austin rushed the mound after being hit by a pitch from Boston Red Sox reliever Joe Kelly, and both players began punching away in a bench-clearing brawl Wednesday night at Fenway Park.The bitter rivals tangled in the seventh inning, adding another chapter to a long history that has included some memorable brawls.The benches cleared briefly in the third after Austin's spikes clipped Brock Holt's leg on a slide into second base. Holt took issue with the contact and they exchanged words before being separated.Then with the Yankees leading 10-6, Kelly nearly hit Austin and then caught him on the side with a 2-1 pitch clocked at 98 mph. Austin slammed his bat on the plate, threw it down and took four steps toward the mound while hollering. Kelly waved Austin at him, and things quickly escalated.The scuffle spilled across the field before it broke up in front of the Boston dugout on the first base side, with Yankees sluggers Aaron Judge... [More]

Boston (AP) — New York Yankees designated hitter Tyler Austin has rushed the mound after being hit by a pitch from Boston Red Sox reliever Joe Kelly, and both players began punching away in a bench-clearing brawl at Fenway Park.The bitter rivals tangled Wednesday night, adding another chapter to a long history that has included some memorable brawls.The benches cleared briefly in the third inning after Austin's spikes clipped Brock Holt's leg on a slide into second base. Holt took issue with the contact and they exchanged words before being separated.Then in the seventh, with the Yankees leading 10-6, Kelly hit Austin in the side with a 2-1 pitch clocked at 98 mph. Austin slammed his bat on the plate, then threw it down and took four steps toward the mound while hollering. Kelly waved Austin at him, and things quickly escalated.The scuffle spilled across the filled before it broke up in front of the Boston dugout on the first base side, with Yankees sluggers Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton pushing the pile. Yankees hitting coach Marcus Thames used both hands to shove Austin all the way across the infield toward the New York dugout.Austin, Kelly and Yankees third base coach Phil Nevin were ejected.It was the second bench-clearing brawl of the day in the majors. Colorado star Nolan Arenado charged the mound after being a pitch from San Diego's Luis Perdomo threw a pitch behind him.___More AP baseball: www.apnews.com/tags/MLBbaseball

DENVER (AP) — Colorado Rockies standout Nolan Arenado charged the mound after a fastball from San Diego starter Luis Perdomo sailed behind him, setting off a wild brawl that resulted in five ejections Wednesday during a testy series at Coors Field.Perdomo tossed his glove at a furious Arenado, and the big-hitting third baseman started throwing punches at the pitcher in the third inning. The benches cleared and relievers ran in from the bullpen. Arenado yelled at Padres catcher A.J. Ellis near the San Diego dugout and had to be held back, with Padres bench coach Mark McGwire helping keep them separated.Just when the melee seemed to be winding down, Rockies starter German Marquez appeared to toss a towel toward the Padres, and Rockies outfielder Gerardo Parra appeared to throw a punch . That briefly heated things back up.The night before, Rockies reliever Scott Oberg hit San Diego center fielder Manuel Margot in the ribs. Margot was placed on the 10-day disabled list on Wednesday. Before... [More]

DENVER (AP) — Colorado Rockies star Nolan Arenado charged the mound after a fastball from San Diego starter Luis Perdomo sailed behind him, setting off a wild brawl that resulted in five ejections during a testy series at Coors Field.Perdomo tossed his glove at a furious Arenado, and the big-hitting third baseman started throwing punches at the pitcher in the third inning Wednesday. The benches cleared and relievers ran in from the bullpen. Arenado yelled at Padres catcher A.J. Ellis and had to be held back, with San Diego bench coach Mark McGwire helping keep them separated.The night before, Rockies reliever Scott Oberg hit San Diego center fielder Manuel Margot in the ribs. Margot was placed on the 10-day disabled list on Wednesday.That carried over to Wednesday when Rockies shortstop Trevor Story was hit in the first inning and Padres right fielder Hunter Renfroe was plunked in the second.The umpires met for several minutes before ejecting Perdomo, Ellis, Arenado, Rockies pitcher German Marquez and Colorado outfielder Gerardo Parra.

DENVER (AP) — Now that Charlie Blackmon has agreed to a lucrative new deal, he can afford to trade in that Jeep Cherokee he's had forever.Only, that's not how he rolls."I'm going to get some new tires," he said.That's just Blackmon being Blackmon, the insightful and quirky leadoff hitter extraordinaire with the ragged beard and impressive mullet who will be patrolling the Colorado Rockies outfield for quite some time.The NL batting champion made a long-term commitment Wednesday rather than test the free-agent market next offseason, agreeing to a contract that guarantees him $108 million over six seasons. It's been in the works for most of spring training — and under the radar."I didn't want to create distractions," he said.In January, the two-time All-Star center fielder had agreed to a $14 million, one-year deal. The new agreement announced in San Diego, where the Rockies are playing a four-game series with the Padres, calls for a $14 million salary this year, with $2 million payable on... [More]

DENVER (AP) — Now that Charlie Blackmon has agreed to a lucrative new deal, he can afford to trade in that Jeep Cherokee he's had forever.Only, that's not how he rolls."I'm going to get some new tires," he said.That's just Blackmon being Blackmon, the insightful and quirky leadoff hitter extraordinaire with the ragged beard and impressive mullet who will be patrolling the Colorado Rockies outfield for quite some time.The NL batting champion made a long-term commitment Wednesday rather than test the free-agent market next offseason, agreeing to a contract that guarantees him $108 million over six seasons. It's been in the works for most of spring training — and under the radar."I didn't want to create distractions," he said.In January, the two-time All-Star center fielder had agreed to a $14 million, one-year deal. The new agreement announced in San Diego, where the Rockies are playing a four-game series with the Padres, calls for a $2 million signing bonus payable within 30 days of the... [More]

DENVER (AP) — The leadoff hitter extraordinaire with the ragged beard and impressive mullet will be patrolling the Colorado Rockies outfield for quite some time.NL batting champion Charlie Blackmon made a long-term commitment Wednesday rather than test the free-agent market next offseason, agreeing to a contract that guarantees him $108 million over six seasons.In January, the two-time All-Star center fielder had agreed to a $14 million, one-year deal. The new agreement announced in San Diego, where the Rockies are playing a four-game series with the Padres, calls for a $2 million signing bonus payable within 30 days of the deal's approval by the commissioner's office, a $12 million salary this year and $21 million in each of the next three seasons.Blackmon has player options of $21 million for 2022 and $10 million for 2023, and his 2023 salary can escalate up to $5 million based on plate appearances in 2022: $500,000 each for 400, 425, 450, 475, 500 and 525, and $1 million apiece for 550... [More]

TORONTO (AP) — Giancarlo Stanton homered twice, doubled and had four RBIs in his New York Yankees debut, a 6-1 win Thursday over the Toronto Blue Jays that gave Aaron Boone in a win in his first game as a professional manager.Luis Severino (1-0) pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings for the Yankees, who won their opener for the first time since 2011.Acquired from Miami after leading the majors with 59 homers, Stanton hit a two-run homer in the first off J.A. Happ (0-1), an RBI double in the fifth and hit a solo homer in the ninth off Tyler Clippard.WHITE SOX 14, ROYALS 7KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Matt Davidson became the fourth player in major league history to homer three times on opening day, Tim Anderson homered twice and Jose Abreu went deep for the White Sox.James Shields (1-0) surrendered four runs in the first inning but wound up lasting six innings, holding his former team without a hit after that shaky first.Davidson became the fourth player with a three-homer performance on opening day,... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — The last time the Colorado Rockies played at Chase Field was one wild October night.It was the National League wild-card game, and the Arizona Diamondbacks emerged with an 11-8 victory in a game that featured 30 hits, 17 by Arizona. The Diamondbacks had four triples, two by Ketel Marte, a crucial one late by A.J. Pollock and a highly unexpected one, driving in two runs, from reliever Archie Bradley."That game will linger in my memory as long as I'm alive," Bradley said.Colorado All-Star Nolan Arenado, who homered in that game, isn't forgetting, either."There hasn't been a week I haven't thought about that game," he said.Now the two teams, who share a spring training facility and are ever-so-familiar with each other in the NL West, will be back at it on Thursday night in their season opener."It doesn't get old, right?" Bradley said. "We only saw them 15 times during spring (a slight exaggeration). Now we get them to start the season."Jon Gray, who never made it out of the... [More]

Baseball is increasingly becoming focused on what's known as the "three true outcomes": home runs, walks and strikeouts. These plays in the sport take the defense out of the equation and have increased around baseball.While a record 6,105 home runs were hit last season, stolen bases declined last season.Your competitors will be looking for power bats in fantasy drafts, leading to one of several scenarios where players can be overvalued or undervalued when it comes time to make selections.OVERVALUED POWERMarcell Ozuna OF, Cardinals: The 27-year-old outfielder had his best year in 2017, hitting .312 with 37 HRs and 124 RBIs. However, his BABIP of .355 would indicate he's more likely to drop back to his previous career high below .270 than to maintain anything close to .300 this year. Ozuna was also traded along with everyone else from Miami (where he had Christian Yelich and Giancarlo Stanton ahead of him in the order and actually enjoyed the tutelage of Barry Bonds) to a Cardinals lineup... [More]

Capsules of National League West teams, listed in order of finish last year:___Los Angeles Dodgers2017: 104-58, first place, lost to Houston in World Series.Manager: Dave Roberts (third season).He's Here: OF Matt Kemp, RHP Tom Koehler, LHP Scott Alexander, LHP Henry Owens.He's Outta Here: 1B Adrian Gonzalez, RHP Yu Darvish, RHP Brandon Morrow, RHP Brandon McCarthy, LHP Tony Watson, LHP Luis Avilan, LHP Scott Kazmir, LHP Adam Liberatore, OF Andre Ethier, INF Charlie Culberson, OF Curtis Granderson, LHP Grant Dayton, OF Franklin Gutierrez, RHP Josh Ravin.Projected Lineup: CF Chris Taylor (.288, 21 HRs, 72 RBIs, 17 SBs), SS Corey Seager (.295, 22, 77), 3B Justin Turner (.322, 21, 71, will start season on DL with broken left wrist), 1B Cody Bellinger (.267, 39, 97, 10 SBs), RF Yasiel Puig (.263, 28, 74), LF Matt Kemp (.276, 19, 64 in 115 games with Braves) or Joc Pederson (.212, 11, 35 in 102 games), C Austin Barnes (.289, 8, 38) or Yasmani Grandal (.247, 22, 58), 2B Logan Forsythe (.224, 6,... [More]

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — For the second consecutive season, the San Francisco Giants will be without injured ace Madison Bumgarner for a while.Bumgarner broke a bone in his pitching hand Friday when it was hit by a line drive off the bat of Kansas City's Whit Merrifield during a spring training game.The Giants said X-rays showed the 28-year-old fractured the fifth metacarpal on the outside of his left hand. Bumgarner said the timeline for recovery is four to six weeks and he will have a pin inserted into his pinkie Saturday."It's tough. But I can handle it," Bumgarner said. "These guys can handle it. This obviously was not what I was expecting out of my last start. But it happened and I can deal with it."Bumgarner, the 2014 World Series MVP, missed nearly three months with a shoulder injury last season after a dirt bike accident on April 20 during an off day in Colorado.His latest setback is a huge blow to the Giants as they try to rebound from a surprising last-place finish in the NL West... [More]

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — For the second consecutive season, the San Francisco Giants will be without injured ace Madison Bumgarner for a while.Bumgarner broke a bone in his pitching hand Friday when it was hit by a line drive off the bat of Kansas City's Whit Merrifield during a spring training game.The Giants said X-rays showed the 28-year-old fractured the fifth metacarpal on the outside of his left hand. Bumgarner said the timeline for recovery is four to six weeks and he will have a pin inserted into his pinkie Saturday."It's tough. But I can handle it," Bumgarner said. "These guys can handle it. This obviously was not what I was expecting out of my last start. But it happened and I can deal with it."Bumgarner, the 2014 World Series MVP, missed nearly three months with a shoulder injury last season after a dirt bike accident on April 20 during an off day in Colorado.His latest setback is a huge blow to the Giants as they try to rebound from a surprising last-place finish in the NL West... [More]

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Carlos Gonzalez smiled at the thought of being back with the Colorado Rockies.Gonzalez spent nine seasons with the Rockies, becoming a three-time All-Star. He left as a free agent after the World Series, then returned to the Rockies in mid-March with a $5 million, one-year contract — a huge cut from his previous deal for $80 million over seven years."It was very different than in years past, my first time in free agency," the 32-year-old Venezuelan outfielder said Friday, speaking in Spanish. "There were a lot good players sweating it out, and everyone knows how it all went down, but the most important thing is to be able to get back to playing baseball."Gonzalez learned some things about the business side of baseball during a free-agent market that was the slowest since the end of the 1994-95 strike."Really glad to back here again," Gonzalez said. "Not many players have the opportunity to be with the same team for a decade."Gonzalez hit .221 with just six home... [More]

DENVER (AP) — Charlie Blackmon didn't need much baiting: The lure of a fishing contest in the middle of spring training was incentive enough.So the quirky Colorado Rockies outfielder/avid outdoorsman slipped into some waders and grabbed his fishing rod for a game to see which player could most accurately cast at cans set up on the turf.Anything for team bonding.Next on the line is an even more prized catch — reeling in a postseason berth for a second straight season. The Rockies are driven by an 11-8 loss to Arizona in the NL wild card game that halted their season."We have all the pieces that we need to be very competitive," Blackmon said. "We're well positioned to play better than last year."Hard to argue. Manager Bud Black's lineup features an NL batting champion in Blackmon , along with a power-hitting, smooth-fielding third baseman in Nolan Arenado. The team added a veteran catcher in Chris Iannetta and brought back popular clubhouse leader Carlos Gonzalez on a one-year deal.They won't... [More]

Capsules of National League West teams, listed in order of finish last year:___Los Angeles Dodgers2017: 104-58, first place, lost to Houston in World Series.Manager: Dave Roberts (third season).He's Here: OF Matt Kemp, RHP Tom Koehler, LHP Scott Alexander, LHP Henry Owens.He's Outta Here: 1B Adrian Gonzalez, RHP Yu Darvish, RHP Brandon Morrow, RHP Brandon McCarthy, LHP Tony Watson, LHP Luis Avilan, LHP Scott Kazmir, LHP Adam Liberatore, OF Andre Ethier, INF Charlie Culberson, OF Curtis Granderson, LHP Grant Dayton, OF Franklin Gutierrez, RHP Josh Ravin.Projected Lineup: CF Chris Taylor (.288, 21 HRs, 72 RBIs, 17 SBs), SS Corey Seager (.295, 22, 77), 3B Justin Turner (.322, 21, 71, will start season on DL with broken left wrist), 1B Cody Bellinger (.267, 39, 97, 10 SBs), RF Yasiel Puig (.263, 28, 74), LF Matt Kemp (.276, 19, 64 in 115 games with Braves) or Joc Pederson (.212, 11, 35 in 102 games), C Austin Barnes (.289, 8, 38) or Yasmani Grandal (.247, 22, 58), 2B Logan Forsythe (.224, 6,... [More]

Third base is a polarizing position for 2018, as some fantasy analysts say it's extremely deep and others say it falls off tremendously after the top 10.It all comes down to roster structure and your league size.Outside of Mike Trout and Jose Altuve, the safest player in fantasy baseball is Nolan Arenado. And quite honestly, safety is what you want from your first-round pick. You want someone who will put up elite numbers, but doesn't have a lot of risk attached. Over the past three years, Arenado has averaged a .297 batting average, 40 home runs, 131 RBIs and 104 runs for the Rockies. If you want Arenado, you'll have to pay an early first-round price for him, but is he the only third baseman that deserves to be a first-round pick in fantasy this year?Kris Bryant, Manny Machado and Jose Ramirez all make the case, but they are a tier below Arenado, typically falling in the middle of the second round.Is it worth grabbing Arenado in the first round or one of the other aforementioned second-tier... [More]

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Shohei Ohtani was rocked for seven runs and seven hits over 1 1/3 innings in his second major league spring training start for the Los Angeles Angels, allowing long home runs to Colorado's Ian Desmond and Nolan Arenado that went over the left-field berm on Friday in an 18-6 loss.The 23-year-old Japanese two-way star made his first big league exhibition appearance since Feb. 24, when he pitched 1 1/3 innings against Milwaukee and gave up Keon Broxton's home run leading off the second.Desmond hit a solo homer and Arenado had a three-run shot. Charlie Blackmon had a two-run single, and DJ LeMahieu a run-scoring infield single.Desmond also hit a solo homer off Tyler Warmoth. Kole Calhoun homered for the Angels and Justin Upton went deep for the third time.ELSEHWERE AROUND THE GRAPEFRUIT AND CACTUS LEAGUESROYALS 12, PADRES 4Mike Moustakas hit a two-run single in his first spring training appearance for Kansas City after rejoining the Royals. Salvador Perez homered twice,... [More]

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Shohei Ohtani was rocked for seven runs and seven hits over 1 1/3 innings in his second major league spring training start for the Los Angeles Angels, allowing long home runs to Colorado's Ian Desmond and Nolan Arenado that went over the left-field berm on Friday in an 18-6 loss.The 23-year-old Japanese two-way star made his first big league exhibition appearance since Feb. 24, when he pitched 1 1/3 innings against Milwaukee and gave up Keon Broxton's home run leading off the second.Desmond hit a solo homer and Arrenado had a three-run shot. Charlie Blackmon had a two-run single, and DJ LeMahieu a run-scoring infield single.Desmond also hit a solo homer off Tyler Warmoth. Kole Calhoun homered for the Angels and Justin Upton went deep for the third time.ELSEHWERE AROUND THE GRAPEFRUIT AND CACTUS LEAGUESROYALS 12, PADRES 4Mike Moustakas hit a two-run single in his first spring training appearance for Kansas City after rejoining the Royals. Salvador Perez homered twice,... [More]