CLEVELAND (AP) — Andrew Miller has watched every game for two months. He's now ready to help the Cleveland Indians accomplish something special.Miller was activated Friday after being out because of inflammation in his right knee. The left-hander, who was on the 60-day disabled list, has been sidelined since May 26. Miller also missed time earlier in the season with a strained left hamstring.The Indians hold a comfortable lead in the AL Central, but the team has much bigger plans than reaching the postseason and needs Miller to be a dominant force again to get there."Ideally, we have a lot more business to take care of," he said before Friday's game against the Los Angeles Angels. "You want to be sharp at the end of the year because this team has very high aspirations, and the goal is to win more than just the division in the regular season."Miller, a key part of Cleveland's bullpen since being acquired in 2016, is 1-3 with one save and a 4.40 ERA in 14 appearances. He pitched 10 scoreless... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Andrew Miller has watched every game for two months. He's now ready to help the Cleveland Indians accomplish something special.Miller was activated Friday after being out because of inflammation in his right knee. The left-hander, who was on the 60-day disabled list, has been sidelined since May 26. Miller also missed time earlier in the season with a strained left hamstring.The Indians hold a comfortable lead in the AL Central, but the team has much bigger plans than reaching the postseason and needs Miller to be a dominant force again to get there."Ideally, we have a lot more business to take care of," he said before Friday's game against the Los Angeles Angels. "You want to be sharp at the end of the year because this team has very high aspirations, and the goal is to win more than just the division in the regular season."Miller, a key part of Cleveland's bullpen since being acquired in 2016, is 1-3 with one save and a 4.40 ERA in 14 appearances. He pitched 10 scoreless... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Nothing splashy, just sensible.The Cleveland Indians stabilized their shaky outfield without making a blockbuster trade.Riddled by injuries to outfielders all season, Cleveland acquired center fielder Leonys Martin from the Detroit Tigers before Tuesday's deadline for 21-year-old infield prospect Willi Castro.The AL Central-leading Indians also received right-hander Kyle Dowdy.Although they had been linked to talks involving more high-profile outfielders like superstar Bryce Harper, Adam Jones and others, the Indians opted to make a deal that wouldn't be too damaging to their future. Manager Terry Francona had high praise for his front office."They did a really good job. It's not easy," Francona said. "We have some parameters which we know are in place. We're not going to be the Dodgers or the Red Sox. But we don't want that to get in the way of us winning, and I think they've done an unbelievable job of making us better."The 30-year-old Martin is a steady hitter and strong... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Nothing splashy, just sensible.The Cleveland Indians stabilized their shaky outfield without making a blockbuster trade.Riddled by injuries to outfielders all season, Cleveland acquired center fielder Leonys Martin from the Detroit Tigers before Tuesday's deadline for 21-year-old infield prospect Willi Castro.The AL Central-leading Indians also will receive right-hander Kyle Dowdy.Although they had been linked to talks involving more high-profile outfielders like superstar Bryce Harper, Adam Jones and others, the Indians opted to make a deal that wouldn't be too damaging to their future.The 30-year-old Martin is a steady hitter and strong fielder who will take away runs for Cleveland's pitching staff. He leads the league with nine assists.He also gives manager Terry Francona another option in center field with Bradley Zimmer done for the season following shoulder surgery and Tyler Naquin on the disabled list with a hip injury."It's been a position that's been a little bit... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Sergio Romo relieved in the eighth inning, shifted to third base when Jonny Venters replaced him in the ninth, then struck out Brett Gardner to end the game with two on and give the Tampa Bay Rays a 3-2 win over the New York Yankees on Wednesday.Scheduled Rays starter Nathan Eovaldi was traded to AL East-leading Boston about two hours before game time, and six pitchers combined on a seven-hitter.New York has lost just two series since May, and both are against the Rays. Tampa Bay swept three games in late June, took two of three this week and has won six of its past seven against the Yankees. New York, 14-14 over its past 28 games, acquired reliever Zach Britton from Baltimore late Tuesday but said he will not report until Thursday's homestand opener against Kansas City.Neil Walker hit a sacrifice fly in the second inning, but the Rays took a 3-1 lead in the sixth when Kevin Kiermaier hit a two-run homer off Luis Cessa (1-2) and C.J. Cron added a solo drive against... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Sergio Romo relieved in the eighth inning, shifted to third base when Jonny Venters replaced him in the ninth, then struck out Brett Gardner to end the game with two on and give the Tampa Bay Rays a 3-2 win over the New York Yankees on Wednesday.Scheduled Rays starter Nathan Eovaldi was traded to AL East-leading Boston about two hours before game time, and six pitchers combined on a seven-hitter.New York has lost just two series since May, and both are against the Rays. Tampa Bay swept three games in late June, took two of three this week and has won six of its past seven against the Yankees. New York, 14-14 over its past 28 games, acquired reliever Zach Britton from Baltimore late Tuesday but said he will not report until Thursday's homestand opener against Kansas City.Neil Walker hit a sacrifice fly in the second inning, but the Rays took a 3-1 lead in the sixth when Kevin Kiermaier hit a two-run homer off Luis Cessa (1-2) and C.J. Cron added a solo drive against... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Sergio Romo relieved in the eighth inning, shifted to third base when Jonny Venters replaced him in the ninth, then struck out Brett Gardner to end the game with two on and give the Tampa Bay Rays a 3-2 win over the New York Yankees on Wednesday.Scheduled Rays starter Nathan Eovaldi was traded to AL East-leading Boston about two hours before game time, and six pitchers combined on a seven-hitter.New York has lost just two series since May, and both are against the Rays. Tampa Bay swept three games in late June, took two of three this week and has won six of its past seven against the Yankees. New York, 14-14 over its past 28 games, acquired reliever Zach Britton from Baltimore late Tuesday but said he will not report until Thursday's homestand opener against Kansas City.Neil Walker hit a sacrifice fly in the second inning, but the Rays took a 3-1 lead in the sixth when Kevin Kiermaier hit a two-run homer off Luis Cessa (1-2) and C.J. Cron added a solo drive against... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — All-Star closer Brad Hand kept hearing his name in trade talk last year, when the lefty ended up staying with the San Diego Padres and got a new contract during the offseason.This time, Hand has switched teams and could have a bit of a different role than the one he had in the National League."Going into this year, I didn't really think it was going to happen after last year," Hand said Friday in the Cleveland Indians' clubhouse. "So I was obviously a little bit surprised. But my name was out there and talked about. ... (The Padres) got a deal worth taking."Hand and rookie right-handed sidearmer Adam Cimber joined the AL Central-leading Indians in time for the first game after the All-Star break, and both pitched Friday night against the Texas Rangers. Cleveland traded switch-hitting catching prospect Francisco Mejia to the Padres on Thursday to get the two relievers.Joey Gallo hit his 23rd homer, a towering, two-run drive to right-center in the seventh that got... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — All-Star closer Brad Hand kept hearing his name discussed among potential trades last year, when the lefty ended up staying with the San Diego Padres and got a new contract during the offseason.This time, Hand has switched teams and could have a bit of a different role than what he had in the National League."Going into this year, I didn't really think it was going to happen after last year," Hand said Friday in the Cleveland Indians' clubhouse. "So I was obviously a little bit surprised. But my name was out there and talked about. ... (The Padres) got a deal worth taking."Hand and rookie right-handed sidearmer Adam Cimber joined the AL Central-leading Indians in time for the first game after the All-Star break, Friday night against the Texas Rangers. Cleveland traded switch-hitting catching prospect Francisco Mejia to the Padres on Thursday to get the two relievers.Cleveland manager Terry Francona said he spoke to both pitchers, and told them: "They won't feel new... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors today:HADER RETURNSMilwaukee reliever Josh Hader rejoins the team, three days after years-old racist and homophobic tweets of his resurfaced during the All-Star Game. The Brewers open the second half at Miller Park against the Dodgers.The 24-year-old Hader has apologized for the tweets, saying they did not reflect his values or the person he is now. The commissioner's office will require Hader to participate in diversity and inclusion initiatives and sensitivity training.Hader spoke with Brewers teammate Lorenzo Cain after the All-Star Game in Washington. Cain, who is African-American, said he expects the club to accept Hader's present-day statements and move on.MACHADO DEBUTManny Machado plays his first game for the Dodgers, filling a big gap at shortstop when the NL West leaders visit Milwaukee. Los Angeles traded five minor leaguers to Baltimore during the break for the four-time All-Star. The 26-year-old Machado was hitting .315 with 24 homers... [More]

SAN DIEGO (AP) — With an eye on October and beyond, the AL Central-leading Cleveland Indians scooped up All-Star closer Brad Hand and fellow reliever Adam Cimber from the rebuilding San Diego Padres in exchange for switch-hitting catching prospect Francisco Mejia.The Indians need Hand, a lefty, and Cimber, a rookie right-handed sidearmer, to shore up a bullpen that has been without left-hander Andrew Miller since late May and has a 5.28 ERA, second-worst in the majors. The trade was announced Thursday, well ahead of the non-waiver trade deadline."Not just for this year, that's kind of obvious, but having two controllable relievers, I just think it makes our organization healthier," manager Terry Francona said Thursday night before a workout in Arlington, Texas, where the Indians start after the All-Star break. "We've got eight years' worth of relief. That's pretty exciting."Hand and Cimber were both expected to join the Indians before Friday night's game against the Rangers.Cleveland leads... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Mookie Betts and the major league-leading Red Sox are on pace for 100-plus wins. Same for Aaron Judge and the Yankees, and the World Series champion Astros, too.The Orioles, White Sox and Royals are on track to lose more than 100.It's the haves and the have-nots as baseball returns after the All-Star break."There's a few good teams out there that they're going to make it interesting in the second half," Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. "That's why you got to show up every day and keep playing. We had a great first part of the season, but that doesn't guarantee us anything in October, going to October."The Dodgers know all about October, and they are a World Series contender once again. Especially with the addition of Manny Machado.The NL West leaders got a head start on the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline by sending five prospects to Baltimore on Wednesday for Machado, an All-Star shortstop capable of powering Los Angeles to its first title in 30 years."Any time you have... [More]

SAN DIEGO (AP) — With an eye on October and beyond, the AL Central-leading Cleveland Indians scooped up All-Star closer Brad Hand and fellow reliever Adam Cimber from the rebuilding San Diego Padres in exchange for switch-hitting catching prospect Francisco Mejia.The Indians need Hand, a lefty, and Cimber, a rookie right-handed sidearmer, to shore up a bullpen that has been without left-hander Andrew Miller since late May and has a 5.28 ERA, second-worst in the majors. The trade was announced Thursday, well ahead of the non-waiver trade deadline."We tried to have a really honest assessment, what are our strengths and what are the areas we can improve to help better position us to secure a postseason berth and advance once we get there," Indians President Chris Antonetti said in a conference call. "This not only impacts 2018, but it also reinforces our bullpen options for future years. Both of these guys, Brad and Adam, can do that for us."The Indians lead the AL Central by 7 ½ games over... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — The AL Central-leading Cleveland Indians have bolstered their bullpen with the acquisition of lefty All-Star closer Brad Hand and reliever Adam Cimber from the San Diego Padres in exchange for catching prospect Francisco Mejia.The trade was announced Thursday morning.Hand is coming off his second straight All-Star Game appearance. Known for his slider, he has 24 saves with a 3.05 ERA and 65 strikeouts.Cimber, a sidearmer, is 3-5 with a 3.17 ERA in 42 relief appearances this season for the rebuilding Padres.Mejía was batting .279 with seven home runs and 45 RBIs in 79 games for Triple-A Columbus.The Indians lead the AL Central by 7 ½ games over Minnesota. The Padres, who haven't been to the playoffs since 2006, are last in the NL West, 14 ½ games behind Los Angeles.