NEW YORK (AP) — Cincinnati manager David Bell notices the difference from his playing days."There's just no question that swings are geared for more home runs," he said. "The swings are different than they used to be. It's pretty obvious when you pull up a video of 20 years ago, 30 years ago."Baseball's all-or-nothing trend accelerated in the season's first full month, as batters binged on home runs and pitchers thrived on strikeouts.Players hit 1,144 home runs in 874 games through April 30, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, an average of 1.31 per game. That is on track to break the record average of 1.26 set two years ago."I think we're starting to see more and more, some of the miss-hits are going pretty far, too," Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said.Even more significantly, the barrage took place during a time when cold weather in much of the country usually causes many fly balls to die on warning tracks. There were 912 homers in 838 games through April last year, an average of 1.09... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Cincinnati manager David Bell notices the difference from his playing days."There's just no question that swings are geared for more home runs," he said. "The swings are different than they used to be. It's pretty obvious when you pull up a video of 20 years ago, 30 years ago."Baseball's all-or-nothing trend accelerated in the season's first full month, as batters binged on home runs and pitchers thrived on strikeouts.Players hit 1,144 home runs in 874 games through April 30, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, an average of 1.31 per game. That is on track to break the record average of 1.26 set two years ago."I think we're starting to see more and more, some of the miss-hits are going pretty far, too," Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said.Even more significantly, the barrage took place during a time when cold weather in much of the country usually causes many fly balls to die on warning tracks. There were 912 homers in 838 games through April last year, an average of 1.09... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun got a sudsy surprise chasing Pete Alonso's flyball in the first inning — a cold one dumped right on his cap.Braun leapt at the wall for Alonso's drive in the first inning Sunday at Citi Field while a Mets fan reached down and appeared to try to catch the ball in his beer cup. Both came up empty, and the fan's beer spilled and splashed right onto Braun's hat.The ball caromed off the top of the wall, and Alonso lugged his way to a triple. Braun was left shaking foam off the bill of his cap while center fielder Lorenzo Cain laughed.Replay review upheld the umpires' decision that there was no fan interference and the ball did not clear the fence.It was Alonso's first career triple."If I could, I would have bought him a beer," Alonso said of the fan. "The Mets need to get that guy a beer, for sure."Alonso scored on Todd Frazier's single for a 1-0 lead. New York won the game 5-2.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun got a sudsy surprise chasing Pete Alonso's flyball in the first inning — a cold one dumped right on his cap.Braun leapt at the wall for Alonso's drive in the first inning Sunday at Citi Field while a Mets fan reached down and appeared to try to catch the ball in his beer cup. Both came up empty, and the fan's beer spilled and splashed right onto Braun's hat.The ball caromed off the top of the wall, and Alonso lugged his way to a triple. Braun was left shaking foam off the bill of his cap while center fielder Lorenzo Cain laughed.Replay review upheld the umpires' decision that there was no fan interference and the ball did not clear the fence.Alonso scored on Todd Frazier's single for a 1-0 lead.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

BOSTON (AP) — Chris Sale remained winless after five starts but struck out a season-high 10 in five innings as the Detroit Tigers beat the Boston Red Sox 7-4 Tuesday to start their first doubleheader sweep at Fenway Park since August 1965.Spencer Turnbull (1-2) pitched five shutout innings for his first major league win, leading the Tigers to a 4-2 victory in the nightcap that left the World Series champions at 9-15.Brandon Dixon greeted Marcus Walden with a three-run double after the Tigers loaded the bases against Hector Velázquez (0-2), and the Red Sox were swept in a twin-bill for the first time since the Los Angeles Angels accomplished the feat on July 20, 2015.Sale gave up two runs, five hits and two walks, lowering his ERA from 8.50 to 7.43. The 30-year-old, who signed a $160 million, six-year contract late in spring training, had never gone his first five starts in a big league season without a victory.In the first game, Matthew Boyd (2-1) combined with three relievers on a five-hitter... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Chris Sale remained winless after five starts but struck out a season-high 10 in five innings as the Detroit Tigers beat the Boston Red Sox 7-4 Tuesday to start their first doubleheader sweep at Fenway Park since August 1965.Spencer Turnbull (1-2) pitched five shutout innings for his first major league win, leading the Tigers to a 4-2 victory in the nightcap that left the World Series champions at 9-15.Brandon Dixon greeted Marcus Walden with a three-run double after the Tigers loaded the bases against Hector Velázquez (0-2), and the Red Sox were swept in a twin-bill for the first time since the Los Angeles Angels accomplished the feat on July 20, 2015.Sale gave up two runs, five hits and two walks, lowering his ERA from 8.50 to 7.43. The 30-year-old, who signed a $160 million, six-year contract late in spring training, had never gone his first five starts in a big league season without a victory.In the first game, Matthew Boyd (2-1) combined with three relievers on a five-hitter... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Mets ace Jacob deGrom remains on track to start Friday night after an MRI on his right elbow showed no damage.New York general manager Brodie Van Wagenen said the NL Cy Young Award winner had a test Monday morning that came back clean."No problems whatsoever," Van Wagenen said, later adding, "we got the answers we were hoping for."DeGrom threw a 30-pitch bullpen session Monday. He is lined up to come off the injured list and start the opener of a weekend series against Milwaukee at Citi Field.DeGrom reported soreness last week and the Mets put him on the injured list while the team was in St. Louis. The move followed two shaky starts by deGrom, leaving him 2-2 with a 3.68 ERA.Later, the team said deGrom had been slowed by strep throat. DeGrom and the club said his elbow trouble likely was a result of altering his routine during a recent bout of strep throat.The Mets made a series of roster moves before opening a series against Philadelphia. The game started more than 1 ½... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Mets ace Jacob deGrom remains on track to start Friday night after an MRI on his right elbow showed no damage.New York general manager Brodie Van Wagenen said the NL Cy Young Award winner had a test Monday morning that came back clean."No problems whatsoever," Van Wagenen said, later adding, "we got the answers we were hoping for."DeGrom threw a 30-pitch bullpen session Monday. He is lined up to come off the injured list and start the opener of a weekend series against Milwaukee at Citi Field.DeGrom reported soreness last week and the Mets put him on the injured list while the team was in St. Louis. The move followed two shaky starts by deGrom, leaving him 2-2 with a 3.68 ERA.Later, the team said deGrom had been slowed by strep throat. DeGrom and the club said his elbow trouble likely was a result of altering his routine during a recent bout of strep throat.The Mets made a series of roster moves before opening a series against Philadelphia.Third baseman Todd Frazier was... [More]

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) — The New York Mets cut five players from major league camp Saturday and informed catcher Devin Mesoraco that he won't be on the opening day roster.The Mets re-assigned outfielders Carlos Gomez and Rajai Davis, infielder Adeiny Hechavarria, and pitchers Ryan O'Rourke and Hector Santiago to minor league camp. All six players were offered $100,000 retention bonuses.The moves trimmed New York's spring roster to 30, with five days to get that number to 25. The toughest calls appear to be at the catching and pitching positions.Catcher Travis d'Arnaud and infielders Todd Frazier and Jed Lowrie could be placed on the injured list prior to the Mets' season opener at Washington.D'Arnaud is working back from Tommy John surgery last April, and it's uncertain if he or Tomas Nido will break camp as the backup to Wilson Ramos. New York has been careful with the 30-year-old d'Arnaud, who caught eight innings over two games Thursday and Friday and has played eight spring games."We... [More]

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) — The New York Mets cut five players from major league camp Saturday and informed catcher Devin Mesoraco that he won't be on the opening day roster.The Mets re-assigned outfielders Carlos Gomez and Rajai Davis, infielder Adeiny Hechavarria, and pitchers Ryan O'Rourke and Hector Santiago to minor league camp. All six players were offered $100,000 retention bonuses.The moves trimmed New York's spring roster to 30, with five days to get that number to 25. The toughest calls appear to be at the catching and pitching positions.Catcher Travis d'Arnaud and infielders Todd Frazier and Jed Lowrie could be placed on the injured list prior to the Mets' season opener at Washington.D'Arnaud is working back from Tommy John surgery last April, and it's uncertain if he or Tomas Nido will break camp as the backup to Wilson Ramos. New York has been careful with the 3-year-old d'Arnaud, who caught eight innings over two games Thursday and Friday and has played eight spring games."We... [More]

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) — Jeff McNeil will be exchanging the big glove he's been wearing this spring for the smaller one in his locker.And soon.The New York Mets utilityman — an infielder for most of his career — started in left field for Friday's exhibition game against the Miami Marlins. After the 10-3 loss, Mets manager Mickey Callaway said McNeil would get be getting more looks at third base.The move is out of necessity, not because of McNeil's outfield play."He's been taking groundballs and we're going to get him in there at third base on Sunday and start getting him some reps there," Callaway said. "Every other time out, you might see him at third and the other time you'll see him in left."The move for McNeil, who also sports a first baseman's mitt in his locker, was on the horizon. Callaway expected an 80-20 split between time in the outfield and in the infield for McNeil, but those numbers flipped to 50-50 with injuries to infielder Jed Lowrie (knee) and third baseman Todd Frazier... [More]

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) — Jeff McNeil will be exchanging the big glove he's been wearing this spring for the smaller one in his locker.And soon.The New York Mets utilityman — an infielder for most of his career — started in left field for Friday's exhibition game against the Miami Marlins. After the 10-3 loss, Mets manager Mickey Callaway said McNeil would get be getting more looks at third base.The move is out of necessity, not because of McNeil's outfield play."He's been taking groundballs and we're going to get him in there at third base on Sunday and start getting him some reps there," Callaway said. "Every other time out, you might see him at third and the other time you'll see him in left."The move for McNeil, who also sports a first baseman's mitt in his locker, was on the horizon. Callaway expected an 80-20 split between time in the outfield and in the infield for McNeil, but those numbers flipped to 50-50 with injuries to infielder Jed Lowrie (knee) and third baseman Todd Frazier... [More]

Yu Darvish walked off the mound after a bunch of walks, yet wasn't worried. After a rocky first season for the Chicago Cubs full of injuries, he felt fine."No pain," he said Tuesday. "That was a huge part."Darvish walked four in 1 1/3 innings against Arizona and didn't give up a hit. It was his first time facing major league hitters since May — his last minor league rehab outing came in August and he had arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow in September.A four-time All-Star with Texas, Darvish went 1-3 with a 4.95 ERA in eight starts last season with the Cubs, his first since signing a $126 million, six-year contract."This is like my first outing in my life," Darvish said. "I haven't thrown the last seven months. I was so excited."Darvish threw 36 pitches, only 17 for strikes. But he hit 96 mph with a fastball, a significant jump from his final outing in the minors last year."It was a great day for me," Darvish said.The 32-year-old Japanese ace also cracked a couple of jokes in English... [More]

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) — The Mets are missing a pair of injured infielders, and the calendar hasn't even reached March.Third baseman Todd Frazier injured his left oblique muscle and will return to New York for a cortisone injection, the second Mets infielder to get hurt at spring training after fellow infielder Jed Lowrie.The 33-year-old Frazier had an MRI that revealed the injury."I was hitting the ball great, and then I felt a little tightness in my left side," Frazier said Tuesday.Frazier said he had not experienced the injury before."I thought I was doing everything right," he said. "I'm frustrated, very frustrated myself. It's just one of those things where you come into the year all healthy and ready to roll and this happens. It's not fun."Frazier hit 18 homers and drove in 59 runs in 115 games last year, when he went on the disabled list for the first two times in his big league career. He was out from May 8 to June 2 with a left hamstring strain and from July 9 to Aug. 2 with... [More]

Yu Darvish walked off the mound after a bunch of walks, yet wasn't worried. After a rocky first season for the Chicago Cubs full of injuries, he felt fine."No pain," he said Tuesday. "That was a huge part."Darvish walked four in 1 1/3 innings against Arizona and didn't give up a hit. It was his first time facing major league hitters since May — his last minor league rehab outing came in August and he had arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow in September.A four-time All-Star with Texas, Darvish went 1-3 with a 4.95 ERA in eight starts last season with the Cubs, his first since signing a $126 million, six-year contract."This is like my first outing in my life," Darvish said. "I haven't thrown the last seven months. I was so excited."Darvish threw 36 pitches, only 17 for strikes. But he hit 96 mph with a fastball, a significant jump from his final outing in the minors last year."It was a great day for me," Darvish said.The 32-year-old Japanese ace also cracked a couple of jokes in English... [More]

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) — The Mets are missing a pair of injured infielders, and the calendar hasn't even reached March.Third baseman Todd Frazier injured his left oblique muscle and will return to New York for a cortisone injection, the second Mets infielder to get hurt at spring training after fellow infielder Jed Lowrie.The 33-year-old Frazier had an MRI that revealed the injury."I was hitting the ball great, and then I felt a little tightness in my left side," Frazier said Tuesday.Frazier said he had not experienced the injury before."I thought I was doing everything right," he said. "I'm frustrated, very frustrated myself. It's just one of those things where you come into the year all healthy and ready to roll and this happens. It's not fun."Frazier hit 18 homers and drove in 59 runs in 115 games last year, when he went on the disabled list for the first two times in his big league career. He was out from May 8 to June 2 with a left hamstring strain and from July 9 to Aug. 2 with... [More]

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) — Third baseman Todd Frazier injured his left oblique muscle and will return to New York for a cortisone injection, the second Mets infielder to get hurt at spring training after fellow infielder Jed Lowrie.The 33-year-old Frazier had an MRI that revealed the injury. Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen said the image "wasn't overly alarming" and pointed out oblique injuries often are day to day."I was hitting the ball great, and then I felt a little tightness in my left side," Frazier said Tuesday.Frazier said he had not experienced the injury before.Lowrie, 34, is not participating in baseball activities because of pain in the back of his left knee.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — Jed Lowrie would rather talk about wine than whine.The infielder visited Citi Field on Wednesday after finalizing a $20 million, two-year contract with the New York Mets, likely less money and a shorter term than he would have gotten before the free-agent market for solid-but-less-than-stellar veterans buckled a year ago."I think that argument could be made," he said. "But you deal in reality, and so I'm excited to be a Met."A switch-hitter who turns 35 in April, Lowrie and is coming off his first All-Star appearance. In his 11th major league season, Lowrie set career highs last year for Oakland with 23 homers, 99 RBIs, 78 walks and 128 strikeouts, hitting .267."He's a big wine connoisseur. He gets better with age like many of the wines that he collects," said new Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen, Lowrie's former agent.Lowrie, wife Milessa, daughter Saige and son Miles likely will live in New York City, possibly in Brooklyn. They have homes in Houston and his hometown... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Cubs will have different hitting and pitching coaches for the second straight season after they announced Jim Hickey's departure Tuesday.Hickey is leaving the organization after one season as pitching coach because of personal reasons, according to the team. Hitting coach Chili Davis was fired last month after one season and replaced by Anthony Iapoce.With Hickey's help, Chicago ranked third in the majors this year with a 3.65 team ERA. The Cubs went 95-68 and lost to Colorado in the NL wild-card game."We thank Jim for his season with the Cubs and his positive impact on our pitchers," president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said in a statement. "Jim has our full support and we all wish him well."Chicago's uncertain situation with its coaching staff could affect its search for a replacement for the respected Hickey. Manager Joe Maddon is entering the final year of his contract, and Epstein has said the club will not be offering an extension before the start... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Jacob deGrom says he has not yet chosen a new agent after Brodie Van Wagenen left his agency to become Mets general manager, and the NL Cy Young Award winner is open to discussing a contract extension with New York.Speaking on Wednesday night after being awarded his first Cy Young, deGrom said he is still "trying to figure everything out" after Van Wagenen gave up his career as an agent to deGrom, Yoenis Cespedes, Todd Frazier and others to become the Mets' general manager last month.The 30-year-old right-hander is under contractual control with New York through the 2020 season. He says he is open to signing an extension with the Mets, but says no discussions have begun. He says his "goal is to continue to keep an open dialogue and just see where things go."Mets chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon has said there are provisions in Van Wagenen's contract "to deal with any conflicts of interest." Some players and rival agents have expressed concerns about Van Wagenen flipping labor-relations roles.___Follow Jake Seiner: https://twitter.com/Jake_Seiner___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports