KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Marcus Semien provided just enough early offense and Mike Fiers and three Oakland relievers combined to shut down the Kansas City Royals in a 2-1 victory Tuesday night.Semien scored in the first inning and drove in a run in the second. That was all the offense the A's pitchers needed one day after Oakland had a season-high 19 runs.Fiers (13-3) scattered eight hits in his 5 1/3 innings, but allowed just Alex Gordon's RBI double in the sixth. He's now won 11 straight decisions, dating to May 7, tying Mark Mulder for the second-longest winning streak in Oakland history.Mike Montgomery (3-7) surrendered an unearned run in the first and another run in the second, but gave up nothing else through 6 1/3 innings.ORIOLES 2, NATIONALS 0WASHINGTON (AP) — Aaron Brooks came up with an unexpected pitching gem against the torrid-hitting Nationals, throwing six innings of two-hit ball to help Baltimore end Washington's five-game winning streak.The Nationals were coming off a weekend... [More]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Marcus Semien provided just enough early offense and Mike Fiers and three Oakland relievers combined to shut down the Kansas City Royals in a 2-1 victory Tuesday night.Semien scored in the first inning and drove in a run in the second. That was all the offense the A's pitchers needed one day after Oakland had a season-high 19 runs.Fiers (13-3) scattered eight hits in his 5 1/3 innings, but allowed just Alex Gordon's RBI double in the sixth. He's now won 11 straight decisions, dating to May 7, tying Mark Mulder for the second-longest winning streak in Oakland history.Mike Montgomery (3-7) surrendered an unearned run in the first and another run in the second, but gave up nothing else through 6 1/3 innings.ORIOLES 2, NATIONALS 0WASHINGTON (AP) — Aaron Brooks came up with an unexpected pitching gem against the torrid-hitting Nationals, throwing six innings of two-hit ball to help Baltimore end Washington's five-game winning streak.The Nationals were coming off a weekend... [More]

Brewers second. Keston Hiura singles to center field. Eric Thames pops out to Paul Goldschmidt. Lorenzo Cain singles to center field. Keston Hiura to third. Cory Spangenberg strikes out swinging. Orlando Arcia singles to right field. Lorenzo Cain to second. Keston Hiura scores. Adrian Houser strikes out swinging.1 run, 3 hits, 0 errors, 2 left on. Brewers 1, Cardinals 0.Cardinals fifth. Paul DeJong grounds out to third base, Cory Spangenberg to Eric Thames. Yadier Molina homers to center field. Matt Carpenter singles to deep left center field. Harrison Bader singles to center field, advances to 2nd. Matt Carpenter out at third. Miles Mikolas strikes out swinging.1 run, 3 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on. Cardinals 1, Brewers 1.Cardinals seventh. Marcell Ozuna grounds out to shortstop, Cory Spangenberg to Eric Thames. Paul DeJong walks. Yadier Molina homers to left field. Paul DeJong scores. Matt Carpenter grounds out to first base to Eric Thames. Harrison Bader singles to right field. Kolten Wong... [More]

Cardinals fourth. Paul Goldschmidt grounds out to shallow infield, Gio Gonzalez to Eric Thames. Marcell Ozuna singles to shallow infield. Paul DeJong walks. Marcell Ozuna to second. Yadier Molina singles to center field. Paul DeJong to second. Marcell Ozuna scores. Kolten Wong strikes out swinging. Harrison Bader walks. Yadier Molina to second. Paul DeJong to third. Lane Thomas pinch-hitting for Michael Wacha. Lane Thomas flies out to center field to Lorenzo Cain.1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 3 left on. Cardinals 1, Brewers 0.Brewers sixth. Christian Yelich doubles to deep left field. Keston Hiura flies out to center field to Harrison Bader. Ryan Braun flies out to right field to Dexter Fowler. Eric Thames singles to center field. Christian Yelich scores. Hernan Perez singles to left field. Eric Thames to second. Orlando Arcia singles to center field. Hernan Perez to second. Eric Thames scores. Ben Gamel pinch-hitting for Gio Gonzalez. Ben Gamel strikes out swinging.2 runs, 4 hits, 0 errors,... [More]

Brewers third. Orlando Arcia strikes out swinging. Jordan Lyles walks. Trent Grisham walks. Jordan Lyles to second. Yasmani Grandal singles to right field. Trent Grisham to second. Jordan Lyles to third. Christian Yelich singles to right field. Yasmani Grandal to third. Trent Grisham scores. Jordan Lyles scores. Keston Hiura doubles to left field. Christian Yelich scores. Yasmani Grandal scores. Mike Moustakas singles to right field. Keston Hiura scores. Ryan Braun singles to center field. Mike Moustakas to second. Eric Thames flies out to deep right field to Adam Eaton. Mike Moustakas to third. Orlando Arcia is intentionally walked. Jordan Lyles reaches on a fielder's choice to shortstop. Orlando Arcia out at second.5 runs, 5 hits, 0 errors, 3 left on. Brewers 5, Nationals 0.Nationals third. Trea Turner singles to right field. Adam Eaton grounds out to shortstop. Trea Turner out at second. Anthony Rendon singles to right field. Juan Soto homers to left field. Anthony Rendon scores. Asdrubal... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Sandy León hit a three-run homer off Oliver Pérez after the Indians reliever caused an odd stoppage asking for new footwear, J.D. Martinez homered twice and the Boston Red Sox beat Cleveland 12-5 Monday.Jackie Bradley Jr. added two RBI doubles, and Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts each had two hits and scored twice for the Red Sox, who have won 18 of 26.Boston held a moment of silence and showed highlights of former player Bill Buckner, who died Monday. He was 69.Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia revealed before the game that he will take an indefinite leave in his long struggle to recover from knee trouble, putting in doubt whether he'll play again in the majors.The Indians have lost seven of eight, and even the team's equipment is having a rough go of it.Pérez put Fenway Park into a strange delay when he relieved during Boston's six-run fifth inning. The 37-year-old left-hander noticed something amiss with his spikes while warming up and signaled for a replacement pair,... [More]

DENVER (AP) — Max Muncy, Cody Bellinger and Russell Martin homered as the Los Angeles Dodgers kept up their longball barrage, beating Colorado 10-6 Friday in the Rockies' home opener.After hitting a franchise-record 235 home runs last year, the NL champion Dodgers have connected a whopping 21 times in only eight games this season. They've homered in every game so far.Bellinger hit his sixth of the year, breaking the game open with a three-run drive in the fifth. Muncy finished a double shy of a cycle, walking in the ninth.Trevor Story homered twice for the Rockies.Kenta Maeda (2-0) threw five sharp innings and cruised through a scuffling Colorado lineup. He allowed four hits and his only run on Nolan Arenado's sacrifice fly.Tyler Anderson (0-2) couldn't find his groove in allowing six runs over four innings.RED SOX 15, DIAMONDBACKS 8PHOENIX (AP) — Ketel Marte homered from both sides of the plate, including a grand slam, and Arizona won its home opener by keeping Boston in a funk.Adam Jones... [More]

DENVER (AP) — Max Muncy, Cody Bellinger and Russell Martin homered as the Los Angeles Dodgers kept up their longball barrage, beating Colorado 10-6 Friday in the Rockies' home opener.After hitting a franchise-record 235 home runs last year, the NL champion Dodgers have connected a whopping 21 times in only eight games this season. They've homered in every game so far.Bellinger hit his sixth of the year, breaking the game open with a three-run drive in the fifth. Muncy finished a double shy of a cycle, walking in the ninth.Trevor Story homered twice for the Rockies.Kenta Maeda (2-0) threw five sharp innings and cruised through a scuffling Colorado lineup. He allowed four hits and his only run on Nolan Arenado's sacrifice fly.Tyler Anderson (0-2) couldn't find his groove in allowing six runs over four innings.RED SOX 15, DIAMONDBACKS 8PHOENIX (AP) — Ketel Marte homered from both sides of the plate, including a grand slam, and Arizona won its home opener by keeping Boston in a funk.Adam Jones... [More]

DENVER (AP) — Max Muncy, Cody Bellinger and Russell Martin homered as the Los Angeles Dodgers kept up their longball barrage, beating Colorado 10-6 Friday in the Rockies' home opener.After hitting a franchise-record 235 home runs last year, the NL champion Dodgers have connected a whopping 21 times in only eight games this season. They've homered in every game so far.Bellinger hit his sixth of the year, breaking the game open with a three-run drive in the fifth. Muncy finished a double shy of a cycle, walking in the ninth.Trevor Story homered twice for the Rockies.Kenta Maeda (2-0) threw five sharp innings and cruised through a scuffling Colorado lineup. He allowed four hits and his only run on Nolan Arenado's sacrifice fly.Tyler Anderson (0-2) couldn't find his groove in allowing six runs over four innings.RED SOX 15, DIAMONDBACKS 8PHOENIX (AP) — Ketel Marte homered from both sides of the plate, including a grand slam, and Arizona won its home opener by keeping Boston in a funk.Adam Jones... [More]

Kansas City Royals All-Star catcher Salvador Perez damaged the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, raising the possibility the 2015 World Series MVP may need Tommy John surgery and miss the season.Perez was hurt during a workout Wednesday, and the team said an MRI on Thursday revealed the damage. Perez will travel next week to California for a second opinion from Los Angeles Dodgers head team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache.The 28-year-old has been an All-Star for six straight seasons and won Gold Gloves in five of the last six years. He hit .235 last year and had 27 home runs and 80 RBIs for the second straight season. He has a $10 million salary this year and is owed $13 million in each of the following two seasons.Cam Gallagher and Meibrys Viloria are the other catchers on Kansas City's 40-man roster. Gallagher, who appeared in 35 games during the past two years, has a .218 career average with two home runs and 12 RBIs.Viloria, 22, was a September call-up last season and has... [More]

Kansas City Royals All-Star catcher Salvador Perez damaged the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, raising the possibility the 2015 World Series MVP may need Tommy John surgery and miss the season.Perez was hurt during a workout Wednesday, and the team said a MRI on Thursday revealed the damage. Perez will travel next week to California for a second opinion from Los Angeles Dodgers head team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache.The 28-year-old has been an All-Star for six straight seasons and won Gold Gloves in five of the last six years. He hit .235 last year and had 27 home runs and 80 RBIs for the second straight season. He has a $10 million salary this year and is owed $13 million in each of the following two seasons.Cam Gallagher and Meibrys Viloria are the other catchers on Kansas City's 40-man roster. Gallagher, who appeared in 35 games during the past two years, has a .218 career average with two home runs and 12 RBIs.Viloria, 22, was a September callup last season and has appeared... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — NL MVP Christian Yelich tweeted a GIF of a leaping Moose .The Milwaukee Brewers were excited to know Mike Moustakas likely is sticking around for 2019.Moustakas and the Brewers are nearing a deal that would keep the third baseman in Milwaukee for a guarantee of $10 million, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Sunday. The person spoke Sunday on condition of anonymity because the agreement will be subject to a successful physical. The sides were negotiating a deal that includes a mutual option for 2020, the person said."I've known Mikey forever, since he was a little kid," said Ryan Braun, who like Moustakas grew up and resides in Southern California. "He came here last year, fit in seamlessly, performed for us really well on the field. Obviously, became a big part of our culture in the locker room as well.Yelich, also a Southern California resident, spent the offseason working out with Braun and Moustakas and also teamed with them to organize... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Brewers allowed former All-Star second baseman Jonathan Schoop to go free, failing to offer a 2019 contract.The 27-year-old spent his entire career with Baltimore before Milwaukee acquired him at the July 31 trade deadline for second baseman Jonathan Villar and a pair of prospects, right-handed pitcher Luis Ortiz and infielder Jean Carmona.Schoop hit .202 with four homers and 21 RBIs in 46 games for the Brewers, then was 0 for 8 in the postseason."We looked at what was a best-educated prediction of what we could expect going forward and the potential price tag for that, then compared that to some of our internal alternatives and what is potentially available externally and we decided to go in this direction," general manager David Stearns said. "Look, it was a bad deal, and that's on me. We made a trade for a player we thought was going to be here for basically a year and a half, and I was wrong."Milwaukee also failed to offer contracts to left-handers Xavier Cedeno and Dan Jennings. The Brewers agreed to a $2.5 million, one-year deal with infielder-outfielder Hernan Perez and an $887,500 deal with infielder Tyler Saladino.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Cody Bellinger is leading off for the Dodgers in Game 5 of the NL Championship Series on Wednesday, hours after his game-winning single pulled Los Angeles into a 2-all tie with Milwaukee in the best-of-seven series.Bellinger singled home the winning run with two outs in the 13th inning of a 2-1 victory Tuesday night that lasted more than five hours. The Dodgers primarily have been using Chris Taylor in the leadoff spot.Manager Dave Roberts said he made the change to "shake things up" and because he likes Bellinger's at-bats against Brewers left-handed starter Wade Miley.Bellinger started Games 1 and 3 and entered as a pinch-hitter in the sixth inning of Game 4.Max Muncy is starting at second base and hitting fifth for the Dodgers. Austin Barnes is starting at catcher for the second straight game while Yasmani Grandal continues to struggle.The Brewers are starting Hernan Perez at second base, his first start since Game 1 of the series. He will hit fifth.Erik Kratz is back... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Cody Bellinger is leading off for the Dodgers in Game 5 of the NL Championship Series, hours after his game-winning single pulled Los Angeles into a 2-all tie with Milwaukee in the best-of-seven series.Bellinger singled home the winning run with two outs in the 13th inning of a 2-1 victory Tuesday night. The Dodgers primarily have been using Chris Taylor in the leadoff spot.After Wednesday's game, the series shifts back to Milwaukee for Game 6 on Friday.Bellinger started Games 1 and 3 and entered as a pinch-hitter in the sixth inning of Game 4.Max Muncy is starting at second base and hitting fifth for the Dodgers. Austin Barnes is starting at catcher for the second straight game while Yasmani Grandal continues to struggle.The Brewers are starting Hernan Perez at second base, his first start since Game 1 of the series. He will hit fifth.Erik Kratz is back starting at catcher and hitting seventh. He started Games 2 and 3 and came off the bench in the 11th inning on Tuesday for Milwaukee.___More AP MLB: www.apnews.com/tag/MLB and www.twitter.com/AP_Sports

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Clayton Kershaw pounded his glove over and over, yelling "Let's go!" as he walked off the mound.Pretty soon, he was gone.Kershaw was hit hard in the shortest start of his spotty playoff career, and the shaky Los Angeles Dodgers lost 6-5 to the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 1 of the NL Championship Series on Friday night."Got to do a better of keeping the score close for our guys to have a chance there at the end," Kershaw said.Los Angeles committed four errors, including two by catcher Yasmani Grandal in Milwaukee's two-run third inning. But another playoff flop for its ace left-hander might be its biggest concern as it tries to cool off streaking Milwaukee."He's been in the playoffs for a really long time," Grandal said. "He knows what he needs to do to win games and that's all that matters. Game 5 comes around, then he'll be the guy on the mound and he'll be the guy who will get us a win."Game 2 is Saturday afternoon at Miller Park.Kershaw holds the team records for playoff... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Clayton Kershaw pounded his glove over and over, yelling "Let's go!" as he walked off the mound.Pretty soon, he was gone.Kershaw was hit hard in the shortest start of his spotty playoff career, and the shaky Los Angeles Dodgers lost 6-5 to the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 1 of the NL Championship Series on Friday night."Got to do a better of keeping the score close for our guys to have a chance there at the end," Kershaw said.Los Angeles committed four errors, including two by catcher Yasmani Grandal in Milwaukee's two-run third inning. But another playoff flop for its ace left-hander might be its biggest concern as it tries to cool off streaking Milwaukee."We gave up too many bases. We didn't play clean when he was in the game," manager Dave Roberts said. "The errors affected the game. But as far as Clayton, I just think it was poor execution. And I thought the stuff was good, but he just made mistakes in the strike zone and defensively, again, we didn't do him any favors."Game... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Clayton Kershaw pounded his glove with his left hand and yelled "Let's Go!" as he walked off the mound.Pretty soon, he was gone.Kershaw was hit hard in the shortest start of his spotty playoff career, and the sloppy Los Angeles Dodgers lost 6-5 to the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 1 of the NL Championship Series on Friday night.Los Angeles committed four errors, including two by catcher Yasmani Grandal in Milwaukee's two-run third. But another playoff flop for its ace left-hander might be its biggest concern as it tries to cool off streaking Milwaukee.Game 2 is Saturday afternoon at Miller Park.Kershaw holds the team records for playoff wins (eight), starts (21), innings (133) and strikeouts (144), but is just 8-8 with a 4.26 ERA in 26 career postseason appearances. The Dodgers dropped to 13-13 when the three-time NL Cy Young Award winner takes the mound in the playoffs.The 30-year-old Kershaw quieted some of those October questions when the Dodgers won the NL pennant last... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — David Freese is hitting third for the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 of the NL Championship Series against the Milwaukee Brewers, returning to a city where he enjoyed postseason success in 2011.Freese was the 2011 NLCS MVP after hitting .545 with three homers and nine RBIs for St. Louis in the Cardinals' six-game series victory over the Brewers.The Dodgers acquired Freese this season in August from the Pittsburgh Pirates. He hit .385 in 19 games in the regular season with Los Angeles.The right-handed hitting Freese is in the lineup at first base against Brewers left-handed starter Gio Gonzalez. Lefty slugger Max Muncy, who leads the Dodgers with 35 homers, will come off the bench.Chris Taylor and Justin Turner hit ahead of Freese, who is followed by cleanup hitter Manny Machado, Matt Kemp and Kike Hernandez.Cody Bellinger, the only left-handed hitter in the lineup, is seventh. Switch-hitter Yasmani Grandal hits eight, followed by starter Clayton Kershaw.The Brewers are going... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — It sounds, at first, like a long, drawn out "Booooo!"But look at the name on the scoreboard and it becomes apparent what fans at Miller Park are really chanting."Mooooose!"Mike Moustakas has been a hit with fans and teammates with the Milwaukee Brewers since being acquired from the Kansas City Royals two-plus months ago. They appreciate his solid third base defense, and his left-handed power stroke was key in getting Milwaukee through the NL Division Series. In the clubhouse, his focused demeanor and extensive postseason experience have made him a source of steadiness for a club playing in the postseason for the first time since 2011."Amazing, amazing. He's a great teammate," said utility man Hernan Perez, who has a locker near Moustakas. "He's been in this situation."Moustakas and current Brewers center fielder Lorenzo Cain helped Kansas City reach the World Series twice, including their championship run in 2015. Moustakas is one step away from a Series return with Milwaukee.... [More]