NEW YORK (AP) — José Altuve responded to jeering fans by marking his 31st birthday with a go-ahead, three-run homer off Chad Green in the eighth inning, and the Houston Astros beat the New York Yankees 7-4 on Thursday to avoid a three-game sweep. Booed throughout the series by fans getting to express their anger directly at the Astros since their cheating scandal en route to the 2017 World Series title was exposed, Altuve turned on a shoulder-high 96 mph 3-2 pitch and drove it over the left-field scoreboard for a 5-3 lead. Gleyber Torres made an incredible, daring dash for the Yankees, scoring from first base on an infield single, but New York’s five-game winning streak ended. Yordan Álvarez hit a pair of solo homers off Gerrit Cole, who turned a 3-2 lead over to Green (0-3) starting the eighth. After Torres pulled the Yankees within a run in the bottom half, Martín Maldonado hit a two-run homer off Justin Wilson in the ninth, ending a streak of of 75 plate appearances without an RBI. Cole... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — José Altuve responded to jeering fans by marking his 31st birthday with a go-ahead, three-run homer off Chad Green in the eighth inning, and the Houston Astros beat the New York Yankees 7-4 on Thursday to avoid a three-game sweep. Booed throughout the series by fans getting to express their anger directly at the Astros since their cheating scandal en route to the 2017 World Series title was exposed, Altuve turned on a shoulder-high 96 mph 3-2 pitch and drove it over the left-field scoreboard for a 5-3 lead. Gleyber Torres made an incredible, daring dash for the Yankees, scoring from first base on an infield single, but New York’s five-game winning streak ended. Yordan Álvarez hit a pair of solo homers off Gerrit Cole, who turned a 3-2 lead over to Green (0-3) starting the eighth. After Torres pulled the Yankees within a run in the bottom half, Martín Maldonado hit a two-run homer off Justin Wilson in the ninth, ending a streak of of 75 plate appearances without an RBI. Cole... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — José Altuve responded to jeering fans by marking his 31st birthday with a go-ahead, three-run homer off Chad Green in the eighth inning, and the Houston Astros beat the New York Yankees 7-4 on Thursday to avoid a three-game sweep. Booed throughout the series by fans getting to express their anger directly at the Astros since their cheating scandal en route to the 2017 World Series title was exposed, Altuve turned on a shoulder-high 96 mph 3-2 pitch and drove it over the left-field scoreboard for a 5-3 lead. Gleyber Torres made an incredible, daring dash for the Yankees, scoring from first base on an infield single, but New York’s five-game winning streak ended. Yordan Álvarez hit a pair of solo homers off Gerrit Cole, who turned a 3-2 lead over to Green (0-3) starting the eighth. After Torres pulled the Yankees within a run in the bottom half, Martín Maldonado hit a two-run homer off Justin Wilson in the ninth, ending a streak of of 75 plate appearances without an RBI. Cole... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Michael Conforto hit a tiebreaking home run in the ninth inning and the New York Mets benefited from a very questionable call by the second base umpire to beat the Philadelphia Phillies 5-4 Saturday night. Conforto led off the ninth by connecting against Hector Neris (1-3). Conforto also had a two-run double in a four-run first inning against former teammate Zack Wheeler. The Mets squandered the 4-0 lead but recovered to win for just the fourth time in 12 games — even after center fielder Brandon Nimmo and third baseman J.D. Davis exited with hand injuries. Alec Bohm tied it with a two-run homer for the Phillies, who have alternated wins and losses in their last 10 games. Philadelphia hasn’t won consecutive games since a three-game sweep of Atlanta to open the season. With one out in the bottom of the seventh, second base umpire Jose Navas ruled Andrew McCutchen ran out of the baseline to avoid an attempted tag by shortstop Francisco Lindor on what became an inning-ending... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Michael Conforto hit a tiebreaking home run in the ninth inning and the New York Mets benefited from a very questionable call by the second base umpire to beat the Philadelphia Phillies 5-4 Saturday night. Conforto led off the ninth by connecting against Hector Neris (1-3). Conforto also had a two-run double in a four-run first inning against former teammate Zack Wheeler. The Mets squandered the 4-0 lead but recovered to win for just the fourth time in 12 games — even after center fielder Brandon Nimmo and third baseman J.D. Davis exited with hand injuries. Alec Bohm tied it with a two-run homer for the Phillies, who have alternated wins and losses in their last 10 games. Philadelphia hasn’t won consecutive games since a three-game sweep of Atlanta to open the season. With one out in the bottom of the seventh, second base umpire Jose Navas ruled Andrew McCutchen ran out of the baseline to avoid an attempted tag by shortstop Francisco Lindor on what became an inning-ending... [More]

SEATTLE (AP) — Julio Urías threw seven dominant innings of one-hit ball, striking out a career-high 11 and leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 1-0 win over the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday. Corey Seager drove in the only run with a two-out single in the third inning after AJ Pollock’s leadoff double. Those were the Dodgers’ only hits in the game. Seattle’s lone hit against Urías (3-0) was Mitch Haniger’s slow infield single with two outs in the third inning. Victor González worked the eighth, and Kenley Jansen pitched a perfect ninth for his fourth save to complete the one-hittter. Gonzales (1-2) allowed two hits and struck out six. He retired the final 13 batters he faced. ATHLETICS 7, TWINS 0, 1ST GAME ATHLETICS 1, TWINS 0, 2ND GAME OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Matt Olson hit a grand slam and Mitch Moreland homered twice to back Sean Manaea’s shutout, and Jesús Luzardo followed with his own Game 2 gem as Oakland swept a doubleheader against depleted Minnesota. The Athletics have won 10 straight.... [More]

SEATTLE (AP) — Julio Urías threw seven dominant innings of one-hit ball, striking out a career-high 11 and leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 1-0 win over the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday. Corey Seager drove in the only run with a two-out single in the third inning after AJ Pollock’s leadoff double. Those were the Dodgers’ only hits in the game. Seattle’s lone hit against Urías (3-0) was Mitch Haniger’s slow infield single with two outs in the third inning. Victor González worked the eighth, and Kenley Jansen pitched a perfect ninth for his fourth save to complete the one-hittter. Gonzales (1-2) allowed two hits and struck out six. He retired the final 13 batters he faced. ATHLETICS 7, TWINS 0, 1ST GAME ATHLETICS 1, TWINS 0, 2ND GAME OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Matt Olson hit a grand slam and Mitch Moreland homered twice to back Sean Manaea’s shutout, and Jesús Luzardo followed with his own Game 2 gem as Oakland swept a doubleheader against depleted Minnesota. The Athletics have won 10 straight.... [More]

SEATTLE (AP) — Julio Urías threw seven dominant innings of one-hit ball, striking out a career-high 11 and leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 1-0 win over the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday. Corey Seager drove in the only run with a two-out single in the third inning after AJ Pollock’s leadoff double. Those were the Dodgers’ only hits in the game. Seattle’s lone hit against Urías (3-0) was Mitch Haniger’s slow infield single with two outs in the third inning. Victor González worked the eighth, and Kenley Jansen pitched a perfect ninth for his fourth save to complete the one-hittter. Gonzales (1-2) allowed two hits and struck out six. He retired the final 13 batters he faced. ATHLETICS 7, TWINS 0, 1ST GAME ATHLETICS 1, TWINS 0, 2ND GAME OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Matt Olson hit a grand slam and Mitch Moreland homered twice to back Sean Manaea’s shutout, and Jesús Luzardo followed with his own Game 2 gem as Oakland swept a doubleheader against depleted Minnesota. The Athletics have won 10 straight.... [More]

SEATTLE (AP) — Julio Urías threw seven dominant innings of one-hit ball, striking out a career-high 11 and leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 1-0 win over the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday. Corey Seager drove in the only run with a two-out single in the third inning after AJ Pollock’s leadoff double. Those were the Dodgers’ only hits in the game. Seattle’s lone hit against Urías (3-0) was Mitch Haniger’s slow infield single with two outs in the third inning. Victor González worked the eighth, and Kenley Jansen pitched a perfect ninth for his fourth save to complete the one-hittter. Gonzales (1-2) allowed two hits and struck out six. He retired the final 13 batters he faced. ATHLETICS 7, TWINS 0 OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Matt Olson hit a grand slam, Mitch Moreland homered twice to back Sean Manaea’s shutout and Oakland slugged past depleted Minnesota in the first game of a doubleheader for its ninth straight victory. Moreland connected for a two-run homer in the second inning and a solo drive... [More]

SEATTLE (AP) — Julio Urías threw seven dominant innings of one-hit ball, striking out a career-high 11 and leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 1-0 win over the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday. Corey Seager drove in the only run with a two-out single in the third inning after AJ Pollock’s leadoff double. Those were the Dodgers’ only hits in the game. Seattle’s lone hit against Urías (3-0) was Mitch Haniger’s slow infield single with two outs in the third inning. Victor González worked the eighth, and Kenley Jansen pitched a perfect ninth for his fourth save to complete the one-hittter. Gonzales (1-2) allowed two hits and struck out six. He retired the final 13 batters he faced. ATHLETICS 7, TWINS 0 OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Matt Olson hit a grand slam, Mitch Moreland homered twice to back Sean Manaea’s shutout and Oakland slugged past depleted Minnesota in the first game of a doubleheader for its ninth straight victory. Moreland connected for a two-run homer in the second inning and a solo drive... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit a stunning homer off an otherwise dominant Jacob deGrom, Trevor Rogers beat the two-time Cy Young Award winner for the second time and the Miami Marlins blanked the New York Mets 3-0 on Saturday. DeGrom (0-1) matched a career best with 14 strikeouts over eight innings, Rogers fanned 10 in six and the teams combined for 28 overall. The 23-year-old Rogers (1-1) outpitched deGrom for the second time in nine major league starts. The left-hander got his first big league win against deGrom in a 5-3 victory last Aug. 31. This was his second. A 2017 first-round draft pick, Rogers cruised in his third career outing against New York. He scattered three hits and two walks, retiring 11 straight during one stretch. Rogers mixed a fastball averaging 95 mph with a slider and changeup, inducing 19 swing-and-misses among his 82 pitches. He ended his outing with strikeouts of Michael Conforto and Pete Alonso, stranding two runners to preserve a 1-0 lead. Dylan Floro... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit a stunning homer off an otherwise dominant Jacob deGrom, Trevor Rogers beat the two-time Cy Young Award winner for the second time and the Miami Marlins blanked the New York Mets 3-0 on Saturday. DeGrom (0-1) matched a career best with 14 strikeouts over eight innings, Rogers fanned 10 in six and the teams combined for 28 overall. The 23-year-old Rogers (1-1) outpitched deGrom for the second time in nine major league starts. The left-hander got his first big league win against him in a 5-3 victory last Aug. 31. This was his second. A 2017 first-round draft pick, Rogers cruised in his third career outing against New York. He scattered three hits and two walks, retiring 11 straight in one stretch. Rogers mixed a fastball averaging 95 mph with a slider and changeup, inducing 19 swing-and-misses among his 82 pitches. He ended his outing with strikeouts of Michael Conforto and Pete Alonso, stranding two runners to preserve a 1-0 lead. Dylan Floro followed... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit a stunning homer off an otherwise dominant Jacob deGrom, Trevor Rogers beat the two-time Cy Young Award winner for the second time and the Miami Marlins blanked the New York Mets 3-0 on Saturday. DeGrom (0-1) matched a career best with 14 strikeouts over eight innings, Rogers fanned 10 in six and the teams combined for 28 overall. The 23-year-old Rogers (1-1) outpitched deGrom for the second time in nine major league starts. The left-hander got his first big league win against him in a 5-3 victory last Aug. 31. This was his second. A 2017 first-round draft pick, Rogers cruised in his third career outing against New York. He scattered three hits and two walks, retiring 11 straight in one stretch. Rogers mixed a fastball averaging 95 mph with a slider and changeup, inducing 19 swing-and-misses among his 82 pitches. He ended his outing with strikeouts of Michael Conforto and Pete Alonso, stranding two runners to preserve a 1-0 lead. Dylan Floro followed... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit a stunning homer off an otherwise dominant Jacob deGrom, Trevor Rogers beat the two-time Cy Young Award winner for the second time and the Miami Marlins blanked the New York Mets 3-0 on Saturday. DeGrom (0-1) matched a career best with 14 strikeouts over eight innings, Rogers fanned 10 in six and the teams combined for 28 overall. The 23-year-old Rogers (1-1) outpitched deGrom for the second time in nine major league starts. The left-hander got his first big league win against him in a 5-3 victory last Aug. 31. This was his second. A 2017 first-round draft pick, Rogers cruised in his third career outing against New York. He scattered three hits and two walks, retiring 11 straight in one stretch. Rogers mixed a fastball averaging 95 mph with a slider and changeup, inducing 19 swing-and-misses among his 82 pitches. He ended his outing with strikeouts of Michael Conforto and Pete Alonso, stranding two runners to preserve a 1-0 lead. Dylan Floro followed... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit a stunning homer off an otherwise dominant Jacob deGrom, Trevor Rogers beat the two-time Cy Young Award winner for the second time and the Miami Marlins blanked the New York Mets 3-0 on Saturday. DeGrom (0-1) matched a career best with 14 strikeouts over eight innings, Rogers fanned 10 in six and the teams combined for 28 overall. The 23-year-old Rogers (1-1) outpitched deGrom for the second time in nine major league starts. The left-hander got his first big league win against him in a 5-3 victory last Aug. 31. This was his second. A 2017 first-round draft pick, Rogers cruised in his third career outing against New York. He scattered three hits and two walks, retiring 11 straight in one stretch. Rogers mixed a fastball averaging 95 mph with a slider and changeup, inducing 19 swing-and-misses among his 82 pitches. He ended his outing with strikeouts of Michael Conforto and Pete Alonso, stranding two runners to preserve a 1-0 lead. Dylan Floro followed... [More]

A team-by-team look at the American League East entering spring training, including key players each club acquired and lost, and dates of the first workout for pitchers and catchers, and the full squad: ___ Tampa Bay Rays Manager: Kevin Cash (seventh season). 2020: 40-20, first place, AL champions, lost to Dodgers in World Series. Training Town: Port Charlotte, Florida. Park: Charlotte Sports Park. First Workout: Feb. 18/23. He’s Here: RHP Michael Wacha, RHP Chris Archer, C Francisco Mejia, RHP Luis Patiño. He’s Outta Here: LHP Blake Snell, RHP Charlie Morton, OF Hunter Renfroe, RHP Aaron Slegers, 1B Nate Lowe, LHP Aaron Loup, LHP Jose Alvarado, 1B Brian O’Grady, RHP Chaz Roe, RHP Oliver Drake, LHP Sean Gilmartin. Going campin’: The AL champions are coming off their first division title in a decade and first World Series appearance in 12 years, but they have to replace their top two starting pitchers after declining a $15 million option on Morton and trading Snell to San Diego. The Rays... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — The Red Sox have signed right-hander Matt Andriese to a $2.1 million, one-year deal to bolster the back end of their starting rotation. Chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom announced the agreement Wednesday. Andriese will earn a $1.85 million salary for 2021 and has a $3.5 million club option for 2022 with a $250,000 buyout. Andriese could earn up to $7.6 million over two seasons. The 31-year-old Andriese made one start and 15 relief appearances for the Los Angeles Angels in 2020, posting a 4.50 ERA. Andriese has been a starter and reliever throughout his career, including during four seasons with AL East-rival Tampa Bay. The option includes an escalator of up to $1 million for innings — $250,000 each for 120, 130, 140 and 150. He can also earn $500,000 in performance bonuses based on innings, $125,000 for 120, 130, 140 and 150. Also Wednesday, the Cincinnati Reds claimed catcher Deivy Grullón off waivers from the Red Sox. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

BOSTON (AP) — The Red Sox have signed right-hander Matt Andriese to a $2.1 million, one-year deal to bolster the back end of their starting rotation. Chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom announced the agreement Wednesday. Andriese will earn a $1.85 million salary for 2021 and has a $3.5 million club option for 2022 with a $250,000 buyout. Andriese could earn up to $7.6 million over two seasons. The 31-year-old Andriese made one start and 15 relief appearances for the Los Angeles Angels in 2020, posting a 4.50 ERA. Andriese has been a starter and reliever throughout his career, including during four seasons with AL East-rival Tampa Bay. The option includes an escalator of up to $1 million for innings — $250,000 each for 120, 130, 140 and 150. He can also earn $500,000 in performance bonuses based on innings, $125,000 for 120, 130, 140 and 150. Boston also claimed catcher Deivy Grullón off waivers from the Cincinnati Reds. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — The Los Angeles Angels acquired closer Raisel Iglesias from the Cincinnati Reds for right-hander Noé Ramirez and a player to be named or cash Monday in the first trade of the week of baseball's winter meetings. Iglesias has been the Reds' closer for the past four seasons, racking up 100 saves in 114 opportunities over that stretch with a career 3.15 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP. Iglesias will make $9,125,000 next season in the final year of his contract. The trade allows the Reds to save money while putting a cornerstone in the Angels’ bullpen, which is being rebuilt by rookie general manager Perry Minasian this offseason. “Bullpen is an area we’d like to improve, and we feel like he’s a positive addition in that area,” Minasian said. “He has a history of pitching late in games, a history of pitching in big games. Not only did he fit from a talent standpoint, but a makeup standpoint. He loves to pitch and loves to compete. He’s not scared of the big moment, and we’re very... [More]

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — The Los Angeles Angels have acquired closer Raisel Iglesias from the Cincinnati Reds for right-hander Noé Ramirez and a player to be named or cash. The clubs announced the deal Monday. Iglesias has been the Reds' closer for the past four seasons, racking up 100 saves in 114 opportunities over that stretch with a career 3.15 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP. He is one of just five major league relievers with at least 100 saves over the past four seasons along with Edwin Diaz, Kenley Jansen, Brad Hand and Alex Colome. The 30-year-old Cuban right-hander is coming off a strong performance in the shortened season. He went 4-3 with a 2.74 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP with eight saves and 31 strikeouts against just five walks. Iglesias had a poor playoff series, capped by allowing a pair of two-run homers in the eighth inning of the Reds' elimination loss to Atlanta in the wild-card round. Ramirez, who turns 31 this month, is a Los Angeles native who was among the Angels’ few effective relievers... [More]