ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Christian Vazquez hit a sacrifice fly in the 11th inning, and the Boston Red Sox completed an uplifting three-game sweep of the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays with a 4-3 victory Sunday.Rafael Devers singled off Jose Alvarado (0-2) to start the 11th and went to second when Michael Chavis walked.Both runners moved up a base on Jackie Bradley's sacrifice bunt and Vazquez followed with his fly that Kevin Kiermaier ran down in center field.Marcus Walden (3-0) allowed an infield hit over two scoreless innings and Ryan Brasier worked the 11th to get his sixth save.After starting the season by losing eight of 10, the defending World Series champions are 7-5 over the last 12 games and went from eight to five games behind the Rays.DODGERS 6, BREWERS 5MILWAUKEE (AP) — Cody Bellinger reached over the right field wall to rob Christian Yelich in the eighth inning of yet another home run, then hit a solo drive off Josh Hader with two outs in the ninth to lift Los Angeles over... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Christian Vazquez hit a sacrifice fly in the 11th inning, and the Boston Red Sox completed an uplifting three-game sweep of the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays with a 4-3 victory Sunday.Rafael Devers singled off Jose Alvarado (0-2) to start the 11th and went to second when Michael Chavis walked.Both runners moved up a base on Jackie Bradley's sacrifice bunt and Vazquez followed with his fly that Kevin Kiermaier ran down in center field.Marcus Walden (3-0) allowed an infield hit over two scoreless innings and Ryan Brasier worked the 11th to get his sixth save.After starting the season by losing eight of 10, the defending World Series champions are 7-5 over the last 12 games and went from eight to five games behind the Rays.DODGERS 6, BREWERS 5MILWAUKEE (AP) — Cody Bellinger reached over the right field wall to rob Christian Yelich in the eighth inning of yet another home run, then hit a solo drive off Josh Hader with two outs in the ninth to lift Los Angeles over... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Chris Davis ended his record slump at 0 for 54 and drew applause from rival fans at Fenway Park, getting three hits and driving in four runs as the Baltimore Orioles beat the Boston Red Sox 9-5 on Saturday to end a four-game losing streak.Davis walked to the plate in the first inning to what mostly appeared to be mock cheers when he was announced. But many of those quickly changed when he lined a bases-loaded, two-run single over the head of second baseman Dustin Pedroia, ending the longest hitless streak ever by a position player. Once he safely reached first, Davis tipped his cap to the Orioles dugout and many of his teammates raised their arms and hollered in support. He smiled and made a motion that he wanted to ball, which he got.Davis, a former two-time major league home run champion, later hit two doubles. He had been 0 for 33 this season. The all-time record for a hitless streak by any player is an 0-for-85 drought by pitcher Bob Buhl in 1962-63.Christian Vázquez hit... [More]

April 141910 — William Howard Taft became the first U.S. president to throw out the first ball at a baseball opener in Washington.1910 — Chicago's Frank Smith pitched a one-hitter in the season opener to give the White Sox a win over the St. Louis Browns.1915 — In the opening game at Philadelphia, left-hander Herb Pennock of the A's blanked the Red Sox 5-0. He gave up only one hit — a scratch single by Harry Hooper with two outs in the ninth.1917 — Ed Cicotte of the Chicago White Sox pitched an 11-0 no-hitter over the St. Louis Browns.1925 — The Cleveland Indians opened the season with a 21-14 victory over the St. Louis Browns, the most runs scored by one club on opening day. The Indians scored 12 runs in the eighth inning when the Browns made five errors. Browns first baseman George Sisler had four errors in the game.1967 — Boston rookie Bill Rohr lost a no-hit bid in his first major league start when Elston Howard singled in the ninth inning for the New York Yankees' only hit in a 3-0... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — Jose Altuve hit two homers, Carlos Correa homered with three RBIs and the Houston Astros completed their first sweep of the New York Yankees with an 8-6 win Wednesday night.The Astros needed late-game comebacks to win the first two games of the series but used a four-run fifth inning to break the finale open and held on for their sixth straight win despite a big eighth inning by the Yankees.It's the first time since 2004 the Astros have swept a homestand of at least two series. They beat the Athletics three times this weekend before the Yankees arrived.Altuve, who has homered in three straight games, hit his first one off James Paxton (1-2) to tie it at 1 in the first inning after Brett Gardner hit a leadoff homer for New York.The Astros were up by 1 with no outs in the fifth inning when Altuve connected off Paxton again. The towering shot clanged off the light pole atop the wall in left field to make it 4-2.A single by Michael Brantley chased Paxton, who was replaced by... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — Jose Altuve hit two homers, Carlos Correa homered with three RBIs and the Houston Astros completed their first-ever sweep of the New York Yankees with an 8-6 win Wednesday night.The Astros needed late-game comebacks to win the first two games of the series but used a four-run fifth inning to break the finale open and held on for their sixth straight win despite a big eighth inning by the Yankees.It's the first time since 2004 the Astros have swept a homestand of at least two series. They beat the Athletics three times this weekend before the Yankees arrived.Altuve, who has homered in three straight games, hit his first one off James Paxton (1-2) to tie it at 1 in the first inning after Brett Gardner hit a leadoff homer for New York.The Astros were up by 1 with no outs in the fifth inning when Altuve connected off Paxton again. The towering shot clanged off the light pole atop the wall in left field to make it 4-2.A single by Michael Brantley chased Paxton, who was replaced... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Kyle Schwarber hit a two-run homer and Chicago's beleaguered bullpen stepped up after Jon Lester departed with left hamstring tightness, leading the Cubs over the Pittsburgh Pirates 10-0 in their home opener on Monday.Brad Brach, Brandon Kintzler, Randy Rosario and Pedro Strop combined for seven innings of four-hit ball after Lester was removed with two on and no outs in the third. Brach (1-0) pitched two innings for his first win with the Cubs.Pittsburgh had won four in a row, but it hurt itself with four errors, including three by shortstop Kevin Newman. Jameson Taillon (0-2) was charged with six unearned runs and four hits in two innings.ORIOLES 12, ATHLETICS 4BALTIMORE (AP) — Chris Davis went 0 for 5 to set a major league record for the longest hitless streak by a position player, extending his drought to 49 consecutive at-bats in Baltimore's rout of Oakland.Davis hit three flyballs before striking out in the seventh and eighth innings, leaving him 0 for 28 this season... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Kyle Schwarber hit a two-run homer and Chicago's beleaguered bullpen stepped up after Jon Lester departed with left hamstring tightness, leading the Cubs over the Pittsburgh Pirates 10-0 in their home opener on Monday.Brad Brach, Brandon Kintzler, Randy Rosario and Pedro Strop combined for seven innings of four-hit ball after Lester was removed with two on and no outs in the third. Brach (1-0) pitched two innings for his first win with the Cubs.Pittsburgh had won four in a row, but it hurt itself with four errors, including three by shortstop Kevin Newman. Jameson Taillon (0-2) was charged with six unearned runs and four hits in two innings.ORIOLES 12, ATHLETICS 4BALTIMORE (AP) — Chris Davis went 0 for 5 to set a major league record for the longest hitless streak by a position player, extending his drought to 49 consecutive at-bats in Baltimore's rout of Oakland.Davis hit three flyballs before striking out in the seventh and eighth innings, leaving him 0 for 28 this season... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Kyle Schwarber hit a two-run homer and Chicago's beleaguered bullpen stepped up after Jon Lester departed with left hamstring tightness, leading the Cubs over the Pittsburgh Pirates 10-0 in their home opener on Monday.Brad Brach, Brandon Kintzler, Randy Rosario and Pedro Strop combined for seven innings of four-hit ball after Lester was removed with two on and no outs in the third. Brach (1-0) pitched two innings for his first win with the Cubs.Pittsburgh had won four in a row, but it hurt itself with four errors, including three by shortstop Kevin Newman. Jameson Taillon (0-2) was charged with six unearned runs and four hits in two innings.ORIOLES 12, ATHLETICS 4BALTIMORE (AP) — Chris Davis went 0 for 5 to set a major league record for the longest hitless streak by a position player, extending his drought to 49 consecutive at-bats in Baltimore's rout of Oakland.Davis hit three flyballs before striking out in the seventh and eighth innings, leaving him 0 for 28 this season... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — Mitch Moreland homered off Merrill Kelly on the first pitch of the seventh inning, and the World Series champion Boston Red Sox ended an awful opening trip with a 1-0 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday.Boston went 3-8 against Seattle, Oakland and Arizona, its worst start since losing nine of 11 in 2011. The Red Sox host Toronto on Tuesday, their first game at Fenway Park since winning the World Series at Dodger Stadium last October.Hector Velázquez, Brandon Workman, Marcus Walden (1-0), Matt Barnes and Ryan Brasier combined on a three-hitter. Walden got six outs for his first major league victory and Brasier retired Adam Jones on a game-ending groundout with a runner on second.YANKEES 15, ORIOLES 3BALTIMORE (AP) — Gary Sánchez hit three of the Yankees' seven home runs, their most on the road since 1961, and New York completed a three-game sweep to move back above .500 at 5-4.Clint Frazier homered twice and had four hits, and Austin Romine and Gleyber Torres also... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — Mitch Moreland homered off Merrill Kelly on the first pitch of the seventh inning, and the World Series champion Boston Red Sox ended an awful opening trip with a 1-0 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday.Boston went 3-8 against Seattle, Oakland and Arizona, its worst start since losing nine of 11 in 2011. The Red Sox host Toronto on Tuesday, their first game at Fenway Park since winning the World Series at Dodger Stadium last October.Hector Velázquez, Brandon Workman, Marcus Walden (1-0), Matt Barnes and Ryan Brasier combined on a three-hitter. Walden got six outs for his first major league victory and Brasier retired Adam Jones on a game-ending groundout with a runner on second.YANKEES 15, ORIOLES 3BALTIMORE (AP) — Gary Sánchez hit three of the Yankees' seven home runs, their most on the road since 1961, and New York completed a three-game sweep to move back above .500 at 5-4.Clint Frazier homered twice and had four hits, and Austin Romine and Gleyber Torres also... [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]

A look at what's a happening around the majors today:SCUFFLING SOXBoston is 2-6, the worst start for a defending World Series champion since the stripped-down Marlins bumbled to 108 losses in 1998. Rick Porcello tries to get the Red Sox going in the right direction when he pitches at Arizona. In his first start of the year, Porcello gave up nine runs — four of them earned — in 2 2/3 innings against the Seattle.FEELING GOODDodgers closer Kenley Jansen is at Coors Field for the first time since experiencing an irregular heartbeat last August in Colorado, an episode that put him in a hospital. It was the second time in his career Jansen felt his heart racing in Denver's high altitude.Jansen didn't accompany the Dodgers when they returned to face the Rockies last September. He had a procedure in the offseason to help with the condition, and Jansen says recently talked to his doctor and is eager — and a bit anxious — about this weekend stay.LET IT FLY!A's center fielder Ramon Laureano is putting... [More]

A look at what's a happening around the majors Friday:SCUFFLING SOXBoston is 2-6, the worst start for a defending World Series champion since the stripped-down Marlins bumbled to 108 losses in 1998. Rick Porcello tries to get the Red Sox going in the right direction when he pitches at Arizona. In his first start of the year, Porcello gave up nine runs — four of them earned — in 2 2/3 innings against the Seattle.FEELING GOODDodgers closer Kenley Jansen is at Coors Field for the first time since experiencing an irregular heartbeat last August in Colorado, an episode that put him in a hospital. It was the second time in his career Jansen felt his heart racing in Denver's high altitude.Jansen didn't accompany the Dodgers when they returned to face the Rockies last September. He had a procedure in the offseason to help with the condition, and Jansen says recently talked to his doctor and is eager — and a bit anxious — about this weekend stay.LET IT FLY!A's center fielder Ramon Laureano is putting... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Bryce Harper crushed a long home run for his third hit while performing to jeers in his return to Washington, and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Nationals 8-2 Tuesday night for the franchise's best start in over a century.Maikel Franco also homered for the Phillies, baseball's only undefeated team at 4-0. They had only done that in 1915 and 1897.Harper left Washington after playing 927 games over seven years, participating in six All-Star Games and winning the 2015 NL MVP Award. He listened to what the Nationals had to offer, then signed a $330 million, 13-year contract with the rival Phillies in February.Harper hasn't wasted any time providing returns for the investment. He has three homers and five RBIs in four games, along with a .429 batting average. He drove in three Tuesday.Booed during every at-bat, Harper thumped a "take that," 458-foot shot in the eighth inning off Jeremy Hellickson. As the ball soared toward the second deck in right field, Harper flipped... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Bryce Harper crushed a long home run for his third hit while performing to jeers in his return to Washington, and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Nationals 8-2 Tuesday night for the franchise's best start in over a century.Maikel Franco also homered for the Phillies, baseball's only undefeated team at 4-0. They had only done that in 1915 and 1897.Harper left Washington after playing 927 games over seven years, participating in six All-Star Games and winning the 2015 NL MVP Award. He listened to what the Nationals had to offer, then signed a $330 million, 13-year contract with the rival Phillies in February.Harper hasn't wasted any time providing returns for the investment. He has three homers and five RBIs in four games, along with a .429 batting average. He drove in three Tuesday.Booed during every at-bat, Harper thumped a "take that," 458-foot shot in the eighth inning off Jeremy Hellickson. As the ball soared toward the second deck in right field, Harper flipped... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors today:M-V-P! M-V-P!Christian Yelich has picked up right where he left off last season. The 2018 NL MVP hit his fourth homer Sunday and then a two-run double in the ninth inning that gave Milwaukee a dramatic 5-4 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. He has homered in the first four games of the season to match a major league record and can break the mark by going deep when the Brewers visit Cincinnati."What we're witnessing is greatness," teammate Ryan Braun said. "I've never seen anyone this good at baseball for this long."Yelich batted .326 with 36 homers and 110 RBIs last year, leading Milwaukee to the NL Central title. He is 6 for 12 with six walks and eight RBIs already this season."Candidly, I can't recall a series like that," Cardinals manager Mike Shildt said. "I've had some guys that are smoking hot against us, but I've never seen that kind of damage over four days."WELCOME HOMEThe Indians, Pirates and Braves are set to play their home openers.... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors Monday:MVP! MVP!Christian Yelich has picked up right where he left off last season. The 2018 NL MVP hit his fourth homer Sunday and then a two-run double in the ninth inning that gave Milwaukee a dramatic 5-4 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. He has homered in the first four games of the season to match a major league record and can break the mark by going deep when the Brewers visit Cincinnati. "What we're witnessing is greatness," teammate Ryan Braun said. "I've never seen anyone this good at baseball for this long." Yelich batted .326 with 36 homers and 110 RBIs last year, leading Milwaukee to the NL Central title. He is 6 for 12 with six walks and eight RBIs already this season. "Candidly, I can't recall a series like that," Cardinals manager Mike Shildt said. "I've had some guys that are smoking hot against us, but I've never seen that kind of damage over four days."WELCOME HOMEThe Indians, Pirates and Braves are set to play their home openers.... [More]