NEW YORK (AP) — Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Cody Bellinger was the top vote-getter in the major leagues and Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout led the AL in the first stage of Major League Baseball's new two-phase fan balloting to determine All-Star Game starters.Bellinger got 3.69 million votes and finished about 39,000 ahead of Milwaukee outfielder Christian Yelich, the commissioner's office said Friday. Trout received 3.37 million, well ahead of Houston outfielder George Springer at 2.57 million,Candidates to start for the July 9 game at Cleveland were narrowed to three at infield positions in each league and AL designated hitter, and nine in the outfield. The remaining contenders will start from zero for phase two, which begins at noon EDT Wednesday and ends at 4 p.m. EDT Thursday.Texas' Joey Gallo beat Minnesota's Max Kepler by 138 votes for the ninth AL outfield spot, and the Yankees' Gleyber Torres edged Cleveland's Francisco Lindor by fewer than 14,000 votes for the third... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — A season full of All-Star potential for Oakland Athletics pitcher Frankie Montas was drastically cut short Friday when Major League Baseball suspended him 80 games after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance.Montas pitched well Thursday night and is 9-2 with a 2.70 ERA in 15 starts, a big reason the A's are 40-36.The 26-year-old righty could return for the final week of the season. But the penalty makes him ineligible for the All-Star Game and postseason play this year, and he'll lose about half of his $560,000 salary."I think it was a shock to everybody," A's manager Bob Melvin said before a night game against Tampa Bay. "We met as a team and Frankie spoke and was very remorseful and is going to accept what he has to deal with and feels bad about it."The commissioner's office said Montas tested positive for Ostarine, a PED. He is the sixth player suspended this year under the major league drug program."While I never intended to take any prohibited... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Looking for a big start, the New York Yankees found an unorthodox spot for Aaron Judge in his long-awaited return to the lineup.After missing two months with a left oblique injury, Judge was back Friday night against Houston and batted leadoff for the first time in his major league career.Normally the team's No. 2 hitter, the 6-foot-7, 282-pound slugger was moved to the top spot as manager Aaron Boone toys with how best to arrange his power-packed batting order."I'm just trying to get my best players up there as much as possible," Boone said.Judge received a boisterous ovation from the Yankee Stadium crowd when No. 99 was introduced with a "Welcome back!" from public address announcer Paul Olden. Judge ran the count full his first time up before grounding out to first base against right-hander Brad Peacock.Astros skipper AJ Hinch deadpanned that Judge is the largest leadoff hitter he'll ever manage against."He brings an immediate threat from the first pitch of the game tonight,"... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — A season full of All-Star potential for Oakland Athletics pitcher Frankie Montas was drastically cut short Friday when Major League Baseball suspended him 80 games after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance.Montas pitched well Thursday night and is 9-2 with a 2.70 ERA in 15 starts, a big reason the A's are 40-36.The 26-year-old righty could return for the final week of the season. But the penalty makes him ineligible for the All-Star Game and postseason play this year, and he'll lose about half of his $560,000 salary.The commissioner's office said Montas tested positive for Ostarine, a PED. He is the sixth player suspended this year under the major league drug program."While I never intended to take any prohibited substance, I unfortunately and unknowingly ingested a contaminated supplement that I had purchased over-the-counter at a nutrition store here in the United States," Montas said in a statement released by the players' union.Montas said he... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Texas Rangers third baseman Asdrúbal Cabrera never left the dugout and says he wasn't trying to hit an umpire with the equipment he threw onto the field after being ejected from a game.Cabrera is appealing a four-game suspension and undisclosed fine from Major League Baseball that was handed down Friday, a day after umpire crew chief Bill Miller was hit on the foot by a small shin guard or batting gloves."I wasn't trying to hit anybody. I think the umpire is the last guy you want to hit," Cabrera said Friday. "I was just trying to throw the gloves out there to let him know I was (unhappy), instead of walking back to home plate."The Rangers' lineup for Friday night's game against the Chicago White Sox included Cabrera.Cabrera tossed the shin guard with the gloves wrapped inside of it after his ejection in the sixth inning of a 4-2 win over Cleveland on Thursday. That was a couple of pitches to the next batter after Cabrera was upset about a called third strike by... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge is back in the New York Yankees' lineup and batting leadoff for the first time in his major league career.After missing two months with a left oblique injury, Judge returned Friday night against Houston. Normally the team's No. 2 hitter, the 6-foot-7, 282-pound slugger was moved to the top spot as manager Aaron Boone toys with how best to arrange his power-packed batting order now that Edwin Encarnación has arrived and several Yankees stars are healed up.Along with his prodigious power, Judge has a sharp eye at the plate. He batted leadoff in spring training 2018 as the Yankees explored the idea — but he'd never started there in a regular-season game until now.Gary Sánchez, with 22 homers and 50 RBIs, hit second for New York ahead of lefty-swinging Didi Gregorius and cleanup man Giancarlo Stanton. Encarnación, leading the American League with 23 home runs, was fifth in front of lefty Brett Gardner, Gleyber Torres, Gio Urshela and Cameron Maybin.Encarnación was acquired last weekend in a trade with Seattle.Astros skipper AJ Hinch deadpanned that Judge is the largest leadoff hitter he'll ever manage against.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CLEVELAND (AP) — Mike Clevinger is confident his latest stint on the injured list will be a short one.The Cleveland Indians placed Clevinger on the 10-day IL prior to Friday night's game against Detroit because of a sprained left ankle. The right-hander was scheduled to start Saturday.Clevinger twisted his ankle while coming off the mound to cover first base in the second inning against Texas on Tuesday. He was making his first start since April 7 when he strained a back muscle.Clevinger expects his next start will come when the Indians visit Baltimore for a three-game series that begins June 28."It's nothing bad," he said. "If this was October, I'd probably be out there but coming back from the long layoff, right now everything lines up perfectly for me to only miss one start. It's more logical to do that."Clevinger remained in Tuesday's game but struggled, allowing five runs in 4 2/3 innings. The move is retroactive to June 18.The Indians have been dealing with a depleted rotation for... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — A season full of All-Star potential for Oakland Athletics pitcher Frankie Montas was drastically cut short Friday when Major League Baseball suspended him 80 games after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance.Montas pitched well Thursday night and is 9-2 with a 2.70 ERA in 15 starts, a big reason the A's are 40-36.The 26-year-old righty could return for the final week of the season. But the penalty makes him ineligible for the All-Star Game and postseason play this year.The commissioner's office said Montas tested positive for Ostarine, a PED. He is the sixth player suspended this year under the major league drug program."While I never intended to take any prohibited substance, I unfortunately and unknowingly ingested a contaminated supplement that I had purchased over-the-counter at a nutrition store here in the United States," Montas said in a statement released by the players' union.Montas said he accepted "full responsibility" for the penalty."I... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Oakland Athletics pitcher Frankie Montas has been suspended 80 games by Major League Baseball after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance.The penalty was announced Friday, a day after another fine outing by the 26-year-old right-hander. He is 9-2 with a 2.70 ERA in 13 starts.The A's are 40-36, meaning Montas could return for the final week of the regular season. Montas, however, becomes ineligible for postseason play this year.The commissioner's office said Montas tested positive for Ostarine, a PED. He is the sixth player this year suspended under the major league drug program.In a statement released by the players' union, Montas said he never intended to use a banned substance. He said he unknowingly took a contaminated supplement that he bought over the counter at a nutrition store in the United States.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cleveland Indians have placed pitcher Mike Clevinger on the 10-day injured list because of a sprained left ankle.He twisted the ankle while coming off the mound to cover first base in the second inning against Texas on Tuesday. He was making his first start since April 7 when he strained a back muscle.Clevinger remained in the game but struggled, allowing five runs in 4 2/3 innings. The move is retroactive to June 18.The right-hander was scheduled to start Saturday against Detroit. Injuries have limited Clevinger to three starts this season in which he's 1-1 with a 2.70 ERA.Aaron Civale will be called up from Triple-A Columbus to start Saturday. Reliever Josh Smith was recalled from Columbus for Friday night's game.The Indians have been dealing with injuries to their rotation this season. Corey Kluber (broken right arm) and Carlos Carrasco (blood condition) are also out.

A look at what's happening around the majors today:BACK WHERE IT BEGANAlbert Pujols returns for his first game in St. Louis since leaving the Cardinals to sign a $240 million contract with the Angels before the 2012 season. The slugger won three NL MVP awards and made nine All-Star teams with the Cardinals, leading them to World Series championships in 2006 and 2011. Pujols, sixth on the career list with 645 home runs, batted .328 with 455 doubles, 445 homers and 1,329 RBIs in 1,705 games for St. Louis. He is scheduled to meet the media at Busch Stadium before the opener of an interleague series.JUDGE-MENT DAYAaron Judge is all set to swing back into action for the first-place New York Yankees. The slugger is expected to be reinstated from the injured list to play against Houston, his first game since straining his left oblique April 20. "I'm not going to try to baby it or go at 80%. We're in the major leagues," Judge said Thursday at Yankee Stadium. "We're ready to go. That's not something... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is optimistic that pitcher Rich Hill will be back before the end of the season. But with the left-hander out for at least four weeks, Roberts still needs to fill a spot in his rotation.Roberts said he is looking at either Julio Urias or Ross Stripling to plug that hole after Hill was placed on the 10-day injured list Thursday with a left forearm strain. Hill left Wednesday's game before the second inning after retiring the side in the first."Obviously, to lose him, the way he's been pitching, is disheartening any way you look at it," Roberts said. "He's a big part of what we're trying to do moving forward, so to lose him for 3-4 weeks is tough. We know the prognosis and will go from there."Hill is 4-1 with a 2.55 ERA and 61 strikeouts in 10 starts. It is the second time this season the 39-year old has been on the injured list. He missed the first month due to a left knee sprain.Urias and Stripling both ended up being used in Thursday night's... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Gary Sánchez, Gleyber Torres and DJ LeMahieu homered in a hurry, connecting in a six-run fourth inning that powered the New York Yankees past the Houston Astros 10-6 on Thursday night for their sixth straight win.Edwin Encarnación hit his AL-leading 23rd home run, and second since being acquired by New York from Seattle, as the Yankees handed Houston its season-worst fifth loss in a row.The Astros dropped a matchup of division leaders despite Jake Marisnick's two home runs and solo drives by Alex Bregman and rookie Yordan Álvarez.Sánchez opened the fourth with his 22nd homer. With rain falling, Torres connected for a three-run jolt off rookie Framber Valdéz (3-3). LeMahieu tagged reliever Chris Devenski for a two-run homer and a 6-0 lead. The inning included two delays — a short break to fix the mound and a 37-minute stoppage when the showers fell too hard.Nestor Cortes Jr. (2-0) pitched three innings after another fine start by opener Chad Green. The veteran reliever struck... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Gary Sánchez, Gleyber Torres and DJ LeMahieu homered in a hurry, connecting in a six-run fourth inning that powered the New York Yankees past the Houston Astros 10-6 on Thursday night for their sixth straight win.Edwin Encarnación hit his AL-leading 23rd home run, and second since being acquired by New York from Seattle, as the Yankees handed Houston its season-worst fifth loss in a row.The Astros dropped a matchup of division leaders despite Jake Marisnick's two home runs and solo drives by Alex Bregman and rookie Yordan Álvarez.Sánchez opened the fourth with his 22nd homer. With rain falling, Torres connected for a three-run jolt off rookie Framber Valdéz (3-3). LeMahieu tagged reliever Chris Devenski for a two-run homer and a 6-0 lead. The inning included two delays — a short break to fix the mound and a 37-minute stoppage when the showers fell too hard.Nestor Cortes Jr. (2-0) pitched three innings after another fine start by opener Chad Green. The veteran reliever struck... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Gary Sánchez, Gleyber Torres and DJ LeMahieu homered in a hurry, connecting in a six-run fourth inning that powered the New York Yankees past the Houston Astros 10-6 on Thursday night for their sixth straight win.Edwin Encarnación hit his AL-leading 23rd home run, and second since being acquired by New York from Seattle, as the Yankees handed Houston its season-worst fifth loss in a row.The Astros dropped a matchup of division leaders despite Jake Marisnick's two home runs and solo drives by Alex Bregman and rookie Yordan Álvarez.Sánchez opened the fourth with his 22nd homer. With rain falling, Torres connected for a three-run jolt off rookie Framber Valdéz (3-3). LeMahieu tagged reliever Chris Devenski for a two-run homer and a 6-0 lead. The inning included two delays — a short break to fix the mound and a 37-minute stoppage when the showers fell too hard.Nestor Cortes Jr. (2-0) pitched three innings after another fine start by opener Chad Green. The veteran reliever struck... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors Friday:BACK WHERE IT BEGANAlbert Pujols returns to St. Louis for a game for the first time since leaving the Cardinals to sign a $240 million contract with the Angels before the 2012 season. The slugger won three NL MVP awards and made nine All-Star teams with the Cardinals, leading them to World Series championships in 2006 and 2011. Pujols, sixth on the career list with 645 home runs, batted .328 with 455 doubles, 445 homers and 1,329 RBIs in 1,705 games for St. Louis. He is scheduled to meet the media at Busch Stadium before the opener of an interleague series.JUDGE-MENT DAYAaron Judge is all set to swing back into action for the first-place New York Yankees. The slugger is expected to be reinstated from the injured list to play against Houston, his first game since straining his left oblique April 20. "I'm not going to try to baby it or go at 80%. We're in the major leagues," Judge said Thursday at Yankee Stadium. "We're ready to go. That's... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is optimistic that pitcher Rich Hill will be back before the end of the season.Los Angeles placed Hill on the 10-day injured list with a left forearm strain before Thursday's game against the San Francisco Giants. The right-hander left Wednesday's game before the second inning after retiring the side in the first."Obviously, to lose him, the way he's been pitching, is disheartening any way you look at it," Roberts said. "He's a big part of what we're trying to do moving forward, so to lose him for 3-4 weeks is tough. We know the prognosis and will go from there."Hill is 4-1 with a 2.55 ERA and 61 strikeouts in 10 starts. It is the second time this season the 39-year old has been on the injured list. He missed the first month due to a left knee sprain.Roberts said that either Ross Stripling or Julio Urias will take Hill's place in the rotation, but that he will evaluate things over the next couple of days. Stripling, a right-hander, has started... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The New York Mets fired pitching coach Dave Eiland and bullpen coach Chuck Hernández on Thursday, and named Phil Regan interim pitching coach, Ricky Bones interim bullpen coach and Jeremy Accardo interim pitching strategist.The team announced the moves before its game against the Chicago Cubs.The 82-year-old Regan has been the Mets' minor league assistant pitching coordinator since 2016 after spending 2009-15 as the pitching coach for Class A St. Lucie of the Florida State League. The former major league pitcher managed the Baltimore Orioles during the 1995 season.Bones began this year as the pitching coach for St. Lucie. He was the Mets' bullpen coach from 2012-18.Accardo was in his first full season as the Mets' minor league pitching coordinator.The Mets entered Thursday with a 35-39 record and in fourth place in the NL East. They expected to contend in the division behind their pitching, but had a staff ERA of 4.67, which was 20th in the majors. The bullpen ERA was 5.38... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The Ex-Rays?Starved for fans despite success on the field, the Tampa Bay Rays have been given the go-ahead by Major League Baseball to look into playing a split season in Montreal.No timetable for the possible plan was announced. An idea under consideration is for the Rays to play early in the season in Tampa Bay and finish up in Montreal, the former home of the Expos.Commissioner Rob Manfred made the announcement Thursday at the end of the owners' meetings, saying the executive council had granted the Rays "broad permission to explore what's available."Manfred said it's too soon to detail the particulars — as in, where the team would play postseason games, or in what stadiums. He did not address whether this would be a step toward a full move."It's an interesting kind of idea," Rays outfielder/infielder Brandon Lowe said before playing at Oakland on Thursday night. "It's in the future. It's so far ahead of us that it's going to be big news right now, but I feel like a lot... [More]

ST. LOUIS (AP) — First baseman Garrett Cooper has been removed from Miami's game against the St. Louis Cardinals in the fifth inning after aggravating a left triceps injury.Cooper missed Wednesday's game for the Marlins with the same ailment, but felt good enough to start on Thursday night. He doubled in the fourth to extend his hitting streak to a career-high 12 games.Cooper, who has reached base safely in his last 18 games, originally got hurt Tuesday when he crashed into the tarp while catching a foul ball off the bat of Yadier Molina.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports