ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Houston Astros outfielder Jake Marisnick was suspended for two games by Major League Baseball on Thursday for his violent home plate collision with Los Angeles Angels catcher Jonathan Lucroy before the All-Star break.Marisnick said he still felt terrible about the play and had a rough couple of days during the break to digest the situation. He also said he had spoken with Lucroy, who sustained a concussion and a broken nose."I've seen a lot of takes on it, and obviously everybody has their own opinion," Marisnick said before the AL West-leading Astros played their first game after the break. "But I know deep down in my heart that I had no intent to hurt, or make contact, with him."Joe Torre, MLB's chief baseball officer, said he thoroughly reviewed the play from all angles. While acknowledging he didn't believe Marisnick intended to injure Lucroy, Torre said the actions in last Sunday's game warranted discipline because they violated MLB rules designed to protect... [More]

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The Cardinals placed catcher Yadier Molina on the injured list with a strained right thumb and activated infielder Matt Carpenter as part of a series of roster moves Thursday.St. Louis also brought up left-hander Chasen Shreve from Triple-A Memphis, optioned left-hander Tyler Webb and outfielder Rangel Ravelo to Memphis, and transferred pitcher Jordan Hicks to the 60-day IL update ahead of their series against Arizona beginning Friday night.Molina's move to the IL was retroactive to Monday. The nine-time All-Star, who missed 12 games in May and June with a similar injury, pinch hit on Saturday but hasn't started a game since June 3.Carpenter has been sidelined since June 29 with a lower back strain.Shreve appeared in 20 games for the Cardinals last season, and is 2-1 with a 3.80 ERA in 37 games for Memphis this season. Kinzer made his big league debut June 2, going 0 for 7 for St. Louis.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The Cardinals placed catcher Yadier Molina on the injured list with a strained right thumb and activated infielder Matt Carpenter as part of a series of roster moves Thursday.St. Louis also brought up left-hander Chasen Shreve from Triple-A Memphis, optioned left-hander Tyler Webb and outfielder Rangel Ravelo to Memphis, and transferred pitcher Jordan Hicks from the 60-day IL update ahead of their series against Arizona beginning Friday night.Molina's move to the IL was retroactive to Monday. The nine-time All-Star, who missed 12 games in May and June with a similar injury, pinch hit on Saturday but hasn't started a game since June 3.Carpenter has been sidelined since June 29 with a lower back strain.Shreve appeared in 20 games for the Cardinals last season, and is 2-1 with a 3.80 ERA in 37 games for Memphis this season. Kinzer made his big league debut June 2, going 0 for 7 for St. Louis.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Houston Astros outfielder Jake Marisnick has been suspended for two games by Major League Baseball after his violent home plate collision with Los Angeles Angels catcher Jonathan Lucroy.The suspension was announced Thursday before the AL West-leading Astros played a series opener at Texas in their first game after the All-Star break. Marisnick, who also was fined, appealed the suspension and was available to play.Lucroy was carted off the field last Sunday after the collision at the end of the eighth inning of a game at Houston the Astros won 11-10 in 10 innings. The Angels catcher sustained a concussion and broken nose. Marisnick was called out for colliding with Lucroy and the call was upheld after a crew chief review.Marisnick said afterward that it was a "bad play" and that he hoped Lucroy was OK. He also posted on his Twitter later that he "made a split second decision at full speed" and he felt awful that another player got hurt.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Joe Maddon didn't let the free time created by a rare ejection go to waste.Shortly after getting tossed by home plate umpire Joe West on July 4 following an outburst in which the Chicago Cubs manager appeared ready to take on any and all comers from the Pittsburgh dugout after taking exception to the way the Pirates kept pitching up and in to his players, Maddon retired to the visiting manager's office at PNC Park. He eased into a chair, opened a bottle of wine, flipped on the television and watched his wildly uneven team put the finishing touches on an 11-3 victory that avoided a four-game sweep.Veteran move. Opportunities to relax over the next two-plus months will be scarce in the most competitive division in the majors.The National League Central enters the second half with the first-place Cubs and last-place Cincinnati separated by just 4½ games, an outlier during an otherwise yawn-inducing first half in which five divisions reached the All-Star break with at least... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Rays are confident they can emerge from a tough five-week stretch and remain in contention for their first playoff berth in six years.With help from a surprising 14-4 start that left the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox playing catch-up in the AL East for much of the season's first half, the low-payroll Rays reached the All-Star break with 52 wins despite a 17-19 record since the beginning of June.An eight-game, seven-day trip that starts Friday at Baltimore could impact what the mostly young team does to try to bolster its roster before the July 31 trade deadline."We've had some tough times here as of late, but we've put ourselves in a tremendous position to come out of the break and compete," manager Kevin Cash said."I hope our guys recognize that," Cash added. "The game is not easy, our division is not easy, the American League is not easy, and we have done a lot of good things to put ourselves in the position we're in right now."The second-place... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Rays are confident they can emerge from a tough five-week stretch and remain in contention for their first playoff berth in six years.With help from a surprising 14-4 start that left the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox playing catch-up in the AL East for much of the season's first half, the low-payroll Rays reached the All-Star break with 52 wins despite a 17-19 record since the beginning of June.An eight-game, seven-day trip that starts Friday at Baltimore could impact what the mostly young team does to try to bolster its roster before the July 31 trade deadline."We've had some tough times here as of late, but we've put ourselves in a tremendous position to come out of the break and compete," manager Kevin Cash said."I hope our guys recognize that," Cash added. "The game is not easy, our division is not easy, the American League is not easy, and we have done a lot of good things to put ourselves in the position we're in right now."The second-place... [More]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Royals are bringing Bubba Starling to the majors, culminating a journey for the hometown hero and former first-round draft pick that took eight years in the minors.Starling will join Kansas City for the opener of their series against Detroit on Friday night.The 26-year-old outfielder, who starred at nearby Gardner-Edgerton High School, has struggled for years to live up to enormous expectations. But he is hitting .310 with seven homers and 38 RBIs in his first full season at Triple-A Omaha, and recently played in that level's all-star game.Starling was chosen fifth overall in the 2011 amateur draft, signing for a $7.5 million bonus — then the second-largest in draft history and the most guaranteed money to a prep player.Royals general manager Dayton Moore told MLB.com that Starling will not ride the bench when his years-in-the-making arrival happens. But how much he plays ultimately will be up to manager Ned Yost, who has had plenty of opportunities to observe... [More]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Royals are bringing Bubba Starling to the majors, culminating a journey for the hometown hero and former first-round draft pick that took eight years in the minors.Starling will join Kansas City for the opener of their series against Detroit on Friday night.The 26-year-old outfielder, who starred at nearby Gardner-Edgerton High School, has struggled for years to live up to enormous expectations. But he is hitting .310 with seven homers and 38 RBIs in his first full season at Triple-A Omaha, and recently played in that level's all-star game.Starling was chosen fifth overall in the 2011 amateur draft, signing for a $7.5 million bonus — then the second-largest in draft history and the most guaranteed money to a prep player.Royals general manager Dayton Moore told MLB.com that Starling will not ride the bench when his years-in-the-making arrival happens. But how much he plays ultimately will be up to manager Ned Yost, who has had plenty of opportunities to observe... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Houston Astros outfielder Jake Marisnick has been suspended for two games by Major League Baseball after his violent home plate collision with Los Angeles Angels catcher Jonathan Lucroy.The suspension was announced Thursday before the AL West-leading Astros played a series opener at Texas in their first game after the All-Star break. Marisnick also was fined.Lucroy was carted off the field last Sunday after the collision at the end of the eighth inning of a game at Houston the Astros won 11-10 in 10 innings. The Angels catcher sustained a concussion and broken nose. Marisnick was called out for colliding with Lucroy and the call was upheld after a crew chief review.Marisnick said afterward that it was a "bad play" and that he hoped Lucroy was OK. He also posted on his Twitter later that he "made a split second decision at full speed" and he felt awful that another player got hurt.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

BALTIMORE (AP) — There might come a time when Brandon Hyde wakes up in the morning, grabs a newspaper and finds the Baltimore Orioles in the standings.For now, the rookie manager simply can't bear to look.The rebuilding Orioles limped into the All-Star break with a major league-worst 27-62 record. During a particular brutal stretch in late June, Baltimore showed its youth and inexperience while losing 13 of 14 games — including blowouts of 12-3, 13-2, 16-2 and 13-3.Asked at that point to present his goal for this season, Hyde replied, "I'll be honest with you — I have no idea what our record is. I don't even want to look at it. Right now, it's about developing these guys and how we play. Eventually, I'm going to be looking at the standings and it's going to be about wins and losses."Until then, Hyde will have to grit his teeth when his outfielders throw to the wrong base, players get picked off and his pitching staff gets rocked. Baltimore is allowing a major league-high 6.07 runs per game... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Houston Astros outfielder Jake Marisnick has been suspended for two games by Major League Baseball after his violent home plate collision with Los Angeles Angels catcher Jonathan Lucroy.The suspension was announced Thursday before the AL West-leading Astros played a series opener at Texas in their first game after the All-Star break. Marisnick also was fined.Lucroy was carted off the field last Sunday after the collision at the end of the eighth inning of a game at Houston the Astros won 11-10 in 10 innings. The Angels catcher sustained a concussion and broken nose. Marisnick was called out for colliding with Lucroy and the call was upheld after a crew chief review.Marisnick said afterward that it was a "bad play" and that he hoped Lucroy was OK. He also posted on his Twitter later that he "made a split second decision at full speed" and he felt awful that another player got hurt.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Royals are bringing Bubba Starling to the majors, culminating a journey that took eight years in the minors for the hometown hero and former first-round draft pick.Starling will join the Royals for the opener of their series against Detroit on Friday night.The 26-year-old outfielder, who starred at nearby Gardner-Edgerton High School, has struggled for years to live up to enormous expectations in the minors. But he is hitting .310 with seven homers and 38 RBIs in his first full season at Triple-A Omaha, and recently played in that level's all-star game.Starling was chosen fifth overall in the 2011 draft, signing for a $7.5 million bonus — then the second-largest in draft history and the most guaranteed money to a prep player.The Royals will make a corresponding roster move Friday.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

YORK, Pa. (AP) — "Robot umpires" have arrived.The independent Atlantic League became the first American professional baseball league to let a computer call balls and strikes Wednesday night at its All-Star Game. Plate umpire Brian deBrauwere wore an earpiece connected to an iPhone in his pocket and relayed the call upon receiving it from a TrackMan computer system that uses Doppler radar.He crouched in his normal position behind the catcher and signaled balls and strikes."Until we can trust this system 100%, I still have to go back there with the intention of getting a pitch correct because if the system fails, it doesn't pick a pitch up or if it registers a pitch that's a foot-and-a-half off the plate as a strike, I have to be prepared to correct that," deBrauwere said before the game.It didn't appear deBrauwere had any delay receiving the calls at first, but players noticed a big difference."One time I already had caught the ball back from the catcher and he signaled strike," said pitcher... [More]

YORK, Pa. (AP) — "Robot umpires" have arrived.The independent Atlantic League became the first American professional baseball league to let a computer call balls and strikes Wednesday night at its All-Star Game. Plate umpire Brian deBrauwere wore an earpiece connected to an iPhone in his pocket and relayed the call upon receiving it from a TrackMan computer system that uses Doppler radar.He crouched in his normal position behind the catcher and signaled balls and strikes."Until we can trust this system 100%, I still have to go back there with the intention of getting a pitch correct because if the system fails, it doesn't pick a pitch up or if it registers a pitch that's a foot-and-a-half off the plate as a strike, I have to be prepared to correct that," deBrauwere said before the game.It didn't appear deBrauwere had any delay receiving the calls at first, but players noticed a big difference."One time I already had caught the ball back from the catcher and he signaled strike," said pitcher... [More]

BALTIMORE (AP) — There might come a time when Brandon Hyde wakes up in the morning, grabs a newspaper and finds the Baltimore Orioles in the standings.For now, the rookie manager simply can't bear to look.The rebuilding Orioles limped into the All-Star break with a major league worst 27-62 record. During a particular brutal stretch in late June, Baltimore showed its youth and inexperience while losing 13 of 14 games — including blowouts of 12-3, 13-2, 16-2 and 13-3.Asked at that point to present his goal for this season, Hyde replied, "I'll be honest with you — I have no idea what our record is. I don't even want to look at it. Right now, it's about developing these guys and how we play. Eventually, I'm going to be looking at the standings and it's going to be about wins and losses."Until then, Hyde will have to grit his teeth when his outfielders throw to the wrong base, players get picked off and his pitching staff gets rocked. Baltimore is allowing a major league high 6.07 runs per game... [More]

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Joe Maddon didn't let the free time created by a rare ejection go to waste.Shortly after getting tossed by home-plate umpire Joe West on July 4 following an outburst in which the Chicago Cubs' manager appeared ready to take on any and all comers from the Pittsburgh dugout after taking exception to the way the Pirates kept pitching up and in to his players, Maddon retired to the visiting manager's office at PNC Park. He eased into a chair, opened a bottle of wine, flipped on the television and watched his wildly uneven team put the finishing touches on an 11-3 victory that avoided a four-game sweep.Veteran move. Opportunities to relax over the next two-plus months will be scarce in the most competitive division in the majors.The National League Central enters the second half with the first-place Cubs and last-place Cincinnati separated by just 4 1/2 games, an outlier during an otherwise yawn-inducing first half in which five divisions reached the All-Star break with at... [More]

First the players, now the ball. Home runs are skyrocketing, and once again Major League Baseball officials claim they don't know the reason why.Then again, it might be that they're just not looking hard enough.Unlike the players, the ball still looks the same. Commissioner Rob Manfred said it tests much the same as before, too, though he conceded there might be less drag on the ball than there was in the past.So why are batters teeing off at a rate nearing three home runs a game, a 19 percent increase from a year before? Why are hitters on a pace to hit 1,000 more home runs than the Steroids Era high mark of 5,693 in 2000?Good question, Manfred says, but it's not because anyone juiced the ball."Manipulation of the baseball is a great conspiracy theory," Manfred said Tuesday at the All-Star Game in Cleveland. "How you manipulate a human-dominated handmade manufacturing process in any consistent way, it's a smarter human being than I."Don't tell that to pitchers like Justin Verlander, who... [More]

YORK, Pa. (AP) — "Robot umpires" have arrived.The independent Atlantic League became the first American professional baseball league to let a computer call balls and strikes Wednesday night at its All-Star Game. Plate umpire Brian deBrauwere wore an earpiece connected to an iPhone in his pocket and relayed the call upon receiving it from a TrackMan computer system that uses Doppler radar.He crouched in his normal position behind the catcher and signaled balls and strikes."Until we can trust this system 100 percent, I still have to go back there with the intention of getting a pitch correct because if the system fails, it doesn't pick a pitch up or if it registers a pitch that's a foot-and-a-half off the plate as a strike, I have to be prepared to correct that," deBrauwere said before the game.It didn't appear deBrauwere had any delay receiving the calls at first but players noticed a big difference."One time I already had caught the ball back from the catcher and he signaled strike," said... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — The only errors on the scoreboard at the All-Star Game were by the scoreboard.At least one player noticed — and wasn't too pleased.The giant board at Progressive Field was filled with mistakes Tuesday night, including a couple of misspelled names, a wrong picture and a pair of incorrect team logos."They had what, two weeks to get ready for this? That can't happen," New York Mets sparkplug Jeff McNeil said.McNeil is leading the majors with a .349 batting average, an impressive feat seeing how he made his major league debut less than a year ago.A late sub, he came up for the National League in the eighth inning and noticed the headshot on the scoreboard wasn't of him. Instead, it was of Mets teammate Jacob deGrom."That was tough, to see deGrom's picture up there," McNeil said. "I didn't really like that.""I wanted to see my picture up there. I know my family did, too. What are you going to do? I guess, but I don't think that should happen," he said.David Dahl didn't fare... [More]