CLEVELAND (AP) — Terry Francona's emotions are still raw and real. The postseason pain hasn't subsided just yet.Still feeling a "sting" after another successful season for Cleveland ended in disappointment and well short of a World Series title, Francona tried to explain on Wednesday why his team looked so overmatched against the Houston Astros.Francona didn't have all the answers — and he got annoyed at one point while defending star Jose Ramirez — but if October has taught anything to the two-time Series winner with Boston, it's that only one manager won't get second-guessed when the playoffs end."When you win you're smart, and when you lose you're dumb," Francona said. "That's kind of the way it is. You have one chance to do it, so you do it to the best of your ability and you have the confidence to come answer the questions and move on. But also move on trying to learn from what you didn't do good enough."The Indians weren't close to being good enough against the Astros, who had little... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora says David Price will start Game 2 of the AL Championship Series against Houston despite an unprecedented history of playoff struggles.Speaking on MLB Network radio on Wednesday, a day after the Red Sox eliminated the Yankees from the divisional round, Cora said he plans to use Chris Sale in Game 1 of the best-of-seven series. The first-year manager said Price is still in line to start Game 2.Price started and lost the only Red Sox defeat in the first round, getting just five outs against the Yankees. In his career, he is 0-9 in 10 postseason starts. Price's teams have lost all 10 of his starts, the longest such skid for a pitcher in postseason history.Nathan Eovaldi and 2016 Cy Young winner Rick Porcello are expected to start Games 3 and 4.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/tag/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

A look at the best-of-seven National League Championship Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers:___Schedule: (All times EDT) Game 1, Friday, at Milwaukee, 8:09 p.m.; Game 2, Saturday, at Milwaukee, 4:09 p.m.; Game 3, Monday, Oct. 15, at Los Angeles, 7:39 p.m.; Game 4, Tuesday, Oct. 16 at Los Angeles, 9:09 p.m.; x-Game 5, Wednesday, Oct. 17, at Los Angeles, 5:05 p.m.; x-Game 6, Friday, Oct. 19, at Milwaukee, 8:39 p.m.; x-Game 7, Saturday, Oct. 20, at Milwaukee, 9:09 p.m.. (Game 2 Fox, all others FS1).x-if necessary.___Season Series: Dodgers won 4-3.___Projected Lineups:Dodgers: LF Joc Pederson (.248, 25 HRs, 56 RBIs) or Matt Kemp (.290, 21, 85, 115 Ks in 146 games), 3B Justin Turner (.312, 14, 52), 1B Max Muncy (.263, 35, 79, .958 OPS), SS Manny Machado (.315, 24, 65, .963 OPS with Orioles; .273, 13, 42, .825 OPS with Dodgers), C Yasmani Grandal (.241, 24, 68), CF-1B Cody Bellinger (.260, 25, 76, 151 Ks in 162 games), RF Yasiel Puig (.267, 23, 63), 2B Enrique Hernandez... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Terry Francona's emotions are still raw and real. The postseason pain hasn't subsided just yet.Still feeling a "sting" after another successful season for Cleveland ended in disappointment and well short of a World Series title, Francona tried to explain on Tuesday why his team looked so overmatched against the Houston Astros.Francona didn't have all the answers — and he got annoyed at one point while defending star Jose Ramirez — but if October has taught anything to the two-time Series winner with Boston, it's that only one manager won't get second-guessed when the playoffs end."When you win you're smart, and when you lose you're dumb," Francona said. "That's kind of the way it is. You have one chance to do it, so you do it to the best of your ability and you have the confidence to come answer the questions and move on. But also move on trying to learn from what you didn't do good enough."The Indians weren't close to being good enough against the Astros, who had little... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Right-handed reliever Kyle Barraclough was acquired by Washington from Miami on Wednesday in the Nationals' first offseason move to rebuild their bullpen.Washington sent the Marlins $1 million in international slot allotment as part of the deal.Barraclough went 1-6 with 4.20 ERA and 10 saves in 17 chances during 61 appearances this year. He allowed one hit in 36 at-bats in June, when he was chosen NL reliever of the month, but struggled with his command the rest of the season.Barraclough's ERA ballooned to 10.24 over his final 24 games and he lost the Marlins closer's job. His fastball average velocity dropped from 96.5 mph in 2016 to 94 mph this year.He has a 3.21 career ERA with 279 strikeouts and 134 walks in 218 2/3 innings over four seasons, all with Miami.Washington general manager Mike Rizzo is in need of relievers after jettisoning Shawn Kelley and Brandon Kintzler late this season.Miami obtained greater financial flexibility to pursue 22-year-old Cuban outfielder Victor Victor Mesa, an international amateur free agent who showcased for major league scouts at Marlins Park last week. Miami started with $6,044,500 in available allotment for its 2018-19 international signing bonus pool, has increased it to $8,044,500 and has spent $1,975,000, leaving $6,069,500 remaining.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

A look at the best-of-seven National League Championship Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers:___Schedule: (All times EDT) Game 1, Friday, at Milwaukee, 8:09 p.m.; Game 2, Saturday, at Milwaukee, 4:09 p.m.; Game 3, Monday, Oct. 15, at Los Angeles, TBA; Game 4, Tuesday, Oct. 16 at Los Angeles, TBA; x-Game 5, Wednesday, Oct. 17, at Los Angeles, TBA; x-Game 6, Friday, Oct. 19, at Milwaukee, TBA; x-Game 7, Saturday, Oct. 20, at Milwaukee, TBA. (All games on Fox and FS1).x-if necessary.___Season Series: Dodgers won 4-3.___Projected Lineups:Dodgers: LF Joc Pederson (.248, 25 HRs, 56 RBIs) or Matt Kemp (.290, 21, 85, 115 Ks in 146 games), 3B Justin Turner (.312, 14, 52), 1B Max Muncy (.263, 35, 79, .958 OPS), SS Manny Machado (.315, 24, 65, .963 OPS with Orioles; .273, 13, 42, .825 OPS with Dodgers), C Yasmani Grandal (.241, 24, 68), CF-1B Cody Bellinger (.260, 25, 76, 151 Ks in 162 games), RF Yasiel Puig (.267, 23, 63), 2B Enrique Hernandez (.256, 21, 52) or Brian Dozier... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Washington Nationals picked up righty reliever Kyle Barraclough from Miami in their first offseason move to rebuild the bullpen.The Nationals said Wednesday that they gave the Marlins international slot value in the deal.The hard-throwing Barraclough went 1-6 with 4.20 ERA and 10 saves in 17 chances, with 61 appearances this year. He allowed one hit in 36 at-bats in June, when he was chosen NL reliever of the month, but struggled with his command the rest of the season.Barraclough's ERA ballooned to 10.24 over his final 24 games and he lost the Marlins closer's job.He has a career ERA of 3.21 with 279 strikeouts and 134 walks in 218 2/3 innings over four seasons, all with Miami.Washington general manager Mike Rizzo is in need of relievers after jettisoning Shawn Kelley and Brandon Kintzler late this season.The deal helps the Marlins in their pursuit of top international free-agent Victor Victor Mesa, a Cuban outfielder who tried out for major league scouts at Marlins Park last week.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees couldn't wait to get back home.Now, that's exactly where they're staying.CC Sabathia became the latest pitcher to put New York in an early hole as rookie manager Aaron Boone again stuck with his starter too long, and the Yankees fell just short of extending their season Tuesday night with a 4-3 loss to the rival Boston Red Sox in Game 4 of their AL Division Series."That's the one team that you don't want to lose to," outfielder Brett Gardner said. "We hate losing to them and we love beating them. Obviously, they just had our number this year."New York mounted a last-ditch rally against wild closer Craig Kimbrel, scoring twice in the ninth inning . But the Yankees' comeback stalled when Gary Sanchez's bases-loaded sacrifice fly was caught on the left-field warning track , and rookie Gleyber Torres grounded out with two on to end it — sort of.The play at first base was close, so both teams and a sellout crowd held their breath during a... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees couldn't wait to get back home.Now, that's exactly where they're staying.CC Sabathia became the latest pitcher to put New York in an early hole as rookie manager Aaron Boone again stuck with his starter too long, and the Yankees fell just short of extending their season Tuesday night with a 4-3 loss to the rival Boston Red Sox in Game 4 of their AL Division Series."That's the one team that you don't want to lose to," outfielder Brett Gardner said. "We hate losing to them and we love beating them. Obviously, they just had our number this year."New York mounted a last-ditch rally against wild closer Craig Kimbrel, scoring twice in the ninth inning . But the Yankees' comeback stalled when Gary Sanchez's bases-loaded sacrifice fly was caught on the left-field warning track , and rookie Gleyber Torres grounded out with two on to end it — sort of.The play at first base was close, so both teams and a sellout crowd held their breath during a... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees couldn't wait to get back home.Now, that's exactly where they're staying.CC Sabathia became the latest pitcher to put New York in an early hole as rookie manager Aaron Boone again stuck with his starter too long, and the Yankees fell just short of extending their season Tuesday night with a 4-3 loss to the rival Boston Red Sox in Game 4 of their AL Division Series."That's the one team that you don't want to lose to," outfielder Brett Gardner said. "We hate losing to them and we love beating them. Obviously, they just had our number this year."New York mounted a last-ditch rally against wild closer Craig Kimbrel, scoring twice in the ninth inning. But the Yankees' comeback stalled when Gary Sanchez's bases-loaded sacrifice fly was caught on the left-field warning track, and rookie Gleyber Torres grounded out with two on to end it — sort of.The play at first base was close, so both teams and a sellout crowd held their breath during a dramatic... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees couldn't wait to get back home.Now, that's exactly where they're staying.CC Sabathia became the latest pitcher to put New York in an early hole as rookie manager Aaron Boone again stuck with his starter too long, and the Yankees fell just short of extending their season Tuesday night with a 4-3 loss to the rival Boston Red Sox in Game 4 of their AL Division Series.New York mounted a last-ditch rally against wild closer Craig Kimbrel, scoring twice in the ninth inning. But the Yankees' comeback stalled when Gary Sanchez's bases-loaded sacrifice fly was caught on the left-field warning track, and rookie Gleyber Torres grounded out with two on to end it — sort of.The play at first base was close, so both teams and a sellout crowd held their breath during a dramatic replay review before the out call was upheld following a 63-second delay. Kimbrel and the Red Sox — suspended in mid-celebration for a minute — resumed bouncing around in excitement.After... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors Wednesday:MOVING ONThe Red Sox are set for a postseason rematch with the World Series champion Astros. Boston eliminated the Yankees with a dramatic 4-3 victory Tuesday night in Game 4 of their AL Division Series, and now rookie manager Alex Cora and his club will wait until Saturday night to open the AL Championship Series against Houston at Fenway Park. Ace lefty Chris Sale figures to get the ball after making an impressive turn in a setup role for the eighth inning Tuesday. It'll also mark a reunion for Cora and the Astros — he was the bench coach during their championship run last season."I've been talking about them the whole season, so now we go," Cora said. "Best of seven. They know me. I know them. It should be fun."The Yankees, meanwhile, begin an offseason that's sure to bring a few changes. CC Sabathia, Brett Gardner, David Robertson and J.A. Happ can become free agents, and New York could be major a player in an anticipated free agent... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees couldn't wait to get back home.Now, that's exactly where they're staying.CC Sabathia became the latest pitcher to put New York in an early hole as rookie manager Aaron Boone again stuck with his starter too long, and the Yankees fell just short of extending their season Tuesday night with a 4-3 loss to the rival Boston Red Sox in Game 4 of their AL Division Series.New York mounted a last-ditch rally against wild closer Craig Kimbrel, scoring twice in the ninth inning. But the Yankees' comeback stalled when Gary Sanchez's bases-loaded sacrifice fly was caught on the left-field warning track, and rookie Gleyber Torres grounded out with two on to end it — sort of.The play at first base was close, so both teams and a sellout crowd held their breath during a dramatic replay review before the out call was upheld following a 63-second delay. Kimbrel and the Red Sox — suspended in mid-celebration for a minute — resumed bouncing around in excitement.After... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Curtis Granderson rounded first base and kept going. He reached second, stopped and turned around to smile back toward the Milwaukee Brewers dugout.Granderson's trademark enthusiasm is evident even in an off-day workout in the postseasonThe Brewers returned to Miller Park on Tuesday, where a handful of players including Granderson took part in a limited session. Milwaukee beat the Colorado Rockies on Sunday to advance to the NL Championship Series, when they will host the Los Angeles Dodgers starting Friday night.That means four days in between games for the surging Brewers, who have won 11 in a row."It's a chance to rest up a little bit, guys that are banged up get a chance to heal up," Granderson said.There could be a down side, too. Granderson would know since he's played in 59 games over eight postseason appearances."Con side of it is, baseball is one of those games where you play a lot games in a row over the course of the season ... so consistency in playing is a... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Curtis Granderson rounded first base and kept going. He reached second, stopped and turned around to smile back toward the Milwaukee Brewers dugout.Granderson's trademark enthusiasm is evident even in an off-day workout in the postseasonThe Brewers returned to Miller Park on Tuesday, where a handful of players including Granderson took part in a limited session. Milwaukee beat the Colorado Rockies on Sunday to advance to the NL Championship Series, when they will host the Los Angeles Dodgers starting Friday night.That means four days in between games for the surging Brewers, who have won 11 in a row."It's a chance to rest up a little bit, guys that are banged up get a chance to heal up," Granderson said.There could be a down side, too. Granderson would know since he's played in 59 games over eight postseason appearances."Con side of it is, baseball is one of those games where you play a lot games in a row over the course of the season ... so consistency in playing is a... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Boone regrets his slow hook of Luis Severino.Given a night to reflect on New York's record-setting 16-1 loss to Boston in Game 3 of the AL Division Series, the Yankees' rookie manager said he would not have let his ace take the mound for the fourth inning down 3-0 after allowing five singles and several hard-hit outs."Certainly in hindsight, when he doesn't get an out, I'd like to have that back," Boone said before Game 4 on Tuesday. "Being able to look back in hindsight, sure, go in a different way there in that spot."Severino lasted just six pitches in the fourth, allowing a pair of singles and a four-pitch walk to the bottom three hitters in the Red Sox batting order.Lance Lynn, usually a starter, came in and started with a four-pitch walk to Mookie Betts that forced in a run. Lynn also gave up Andrew Benintendi's three-run double that put Boston ahead 7-0. Later in the inning, Chad Green allowed Steve Pearce's RBI single and Brock Holt's two-run triple that boosted... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Miguel Sano has begun a critical offseason in his so-far-frustrating career with the Minnesota Twins, who plan to keep close tabs on the slugging third baseman frequently waylaid by injuries."The plan is to have very consistent touch points," general manager Thad Levine said, "both by phone and quite frankly face to face."Sano left Minnesota last week for his native Dominican Republic, where he was involved in an incident with police outside a nightclub that left an officer with a broken leg. The incident was deemed an accident and no criminal charges were brought. Last winter, Sano was accused of assaulting a woman but Major League Baseball did not punish him after an investigation yielded insufficient evidence.For now, though, the focus is on Sano's physical condition. After losing the last six weeks of the 2017 season due to a lower left leg injury that required surgery, Sano missed time in May with a left hamstring injury. Then a hard slide in September resulted in... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Alex Bregman is getting his wish — the Houston Astros are headed for prime time.Major League Baseball released the schedule for Games 1 and 2 of the NL and AL Championship Series on Tuesday, and the Astros will play either the Boston Red Sox or New York Yankees on Saturday and Sunday nights.The Astros played all three of their AL Division Series games against the Cleveland Indians in the afternoon, with Red Sox and Yankees playing exclusively in prime time.Bregman sounded off about the scheduling decision to ESPN after the defending World Series champions completed a three-game sweep of the Indians on Monday."Does Floyd Mayweather fight the first fight of the night, or is he the main event?" Bregman said. "I mean, does Tiger Woods tee off at 8 a.m.? It's about time the show 'Stros play on prime-time television, so we're looking forward to the ALCS."Game 1 of the ALCS will be at 8:09 p.m. Saturday, and Game 2 will be at 7:09 p.m. Sunday. Game 1 of the NLCS between Milwaukee and the Los Angeles Dodgers will be Friday at 8:09 p.m., and Game 2 will be Saturday at 4:09 p.m. The schedule is the same as last year, and Houston would have played Game 2 in prime time regardless because it is the only scheduled game that day.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/tag/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — Becoming the first player to hit for a postseason cycle earned Brock Holt a return to the Boston Red Sox bench.Ian Kinsler was back at second base Tuesday night for Game 4 of the AL Division Series against the New York Yankees and left-hander CC Sabathia.Holt, a left-handed batter, had four hits and five RBIs in Boston's 16-1 rout Monday night, his first appearance in the series. His cycle came in the 1,562nd postseason game in major league history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau."I told him it's a tough league," Red Sox manager Alex Cora said with a smile. "I talked to him this morning, and he knew. He knew where we were going. Let's see how the game plays out. It's one of those that either we get to CC early and they bring (in) the righties, or we have to grind out at-bats against CC for five innings, and we need the righties. So he'll be ready."The right-handed-hitting Kinsler is 3 for 9 in the series with one RBI and five strikeouts.Cora inserted Eduardo Nunez... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Alex Bregman is getting his wish — the Houston Astros are headed for prime time.Major League Baseball released the schedule for Games 1 and 2 of the NL and AL Championship Series on Tuesday, and the Astros will play either the Boston Red Sox or New York Yankees on Saturday and Sunday nights.The Astros played all three of their AL Division Series games against the Cleveland Indians in the afternoon, with Red Sox and Yankees playing exclusively in prime time.Bregman sounded off about the scheduling decision to ESPN after the defending World Series champions completed a three-game sweep of the Indians on Monday."Does Floyd Mayweather fight the first fight of the night, or is he the main event?" Bregman said. "I mean, does Tiger Woods tee off at 8 a.m.? It's about time the show 'Stros play on prime-time television, so we're looking forward to the ALCS."Game 1 of the ALCS will be at 8:09 p.m. Saturday, and Game 2 will be at 7:09 p.m. Sunday. Game 1 of the NLCS between Milwaukee and the Los Angeles Dodgers will be Friday at 8:09 p.m., and Game 2 will be Saturday at 4:09 p.m. The schedule is the same as last year, and Houston would have played Game 2 in prime time regardless because it is the only scheduled game that day.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/tag/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports