MIAMI (AP) — Even by the Dodgers' high-scoring standards, Tuesday night was extraordinary.Rookie Will Smith achieved another milestone in the storybook start to his big league career with his first two-homer game, and Los Angeles twice hit back-to-back homers to pound the Miami Marlins 15-1.Cody Bellinger tied a career high with his 39th home run and Justin Turner hit his 20th for the Dodgers, who totaled six homers and a season-high 13 extra-base hits — but no singles until there were two out in the ninth.The six homers tied the record for most by a team at pitcher-friendly Marlins Park, which opened in 2012."It was as good a night as we've had all year, and that's saying a lot," manager Dave Roberts said. "Just a relentless approach."Rookie Dustin May (1-1), making his third career start, earned his first win by allowing one run in 5 2/3 innings. Four relievers, including backup catcher Russell Martin, pitched the final 3 1/3 innings to complete a four-hitter.The Dodgers increased their... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — A tough night for the New York Mets got even worse when All-Star second baseman Jeff McNeil trudged off the field in the ninth inning with a hamstring injury.McNeil was hurt while trying to beat out a grounder in a 5-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday.McNeil said he felt "a little snag" in his left hamstring as he approached first base. He slammed down his helmet after crossing the bag in obvious frustration and, after a brief delay, walked gingerly back to the Mets' dugout accompanied by a trainer."It didn't feel great, but I don't think it's terrible," McNeil said. "We'll see what it feels like in the morning."An MRI was scheduled for Wednesday in Atlanta to determine the extent of the injury.McNeil said he hopes it's not serious enough to send him to the injured list."I didn't feel it pop," he said. "Just a little snag. Nothing crazy."One of the NL's top hitters with a .332 average, McNeil made the All-Star Game for the first time. He has 15 homers and 55 RBIs out of the leadoff spot, helping spark the Mets on a run of 15 wins in 18 games."The team is playing well," he said. "I just want to contribute. Hopefully this is something real short and I can get right back on the field."___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CLEVELAND (AP) — Rafael Devers wasn't trying to make history, it just happened.Boston's third baseman became the first major league player to record six hits and four doubles in the same game as the Red Sox beat the Cleveland Indians 7-6 in 10 innings on Tuesday night.Devers went 6 for 6 and drove in three runs as the Red Sox won after blowing a 6-1 lead.The 22-year-old doubled in the first, fifth, sixth and 10th. He added singles in the third and eighth."Every single ball was a scud missile," said Jackie Bradley Jr., who homered in the 10th as the Red Sox won for just the fourth time in 16 games. "He hit it hard every time."Devers also made a costly error that allowed the Indians to close within 6-5 in the seventh."I just tried to have a good at-bat every turn," Devers said. "I'm always confident, every single day, every at-bat. Sometimes I don't have a good game when I feel that way."Red Sox starter Chris Sale, who made his own history by getting to 2,000 career strikeouts faster than... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — All-Star second baseman Jeff McNeil of the New York Mets had to be helped off the field in the ninth inning Tuesday night after he sustained a hamstring injury while trying to beat out a grounder in a 5-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves.McNeil says he felt "a little snag" in his left hamstring as he approached first base. He slammed down his helmet after crossing the bag in obvious frustration and walked gingerly back to the Mets' dugout, accompanied by a trainer.An MRI is scheduled for Wednesday morning in Atlanta to determine the seriousness of the injury. McNeil says he hopes it won't be enough to send him to the injured list.One of the NL's top hitters with a .332 average, McNeil made the All-Star Game for the first time. He has 15 homers and 55 RBIs out of the leadoff spot, helping spark the Mets to a run of 15 wins in 18 games.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

MIAMI (AP) — Even by the Dodgers' high-scoring standards, Tuesday night was extraordinary.Rookie Will Smith achieved another milestone in the storybook start to his big league career with his first two-homer game, and Los Angeles twice hit back-to-back homers to pound the Miami Marlins 15-1.Cody Bellinger tied a career high with his 39th home run and Justin Turner hit his 20th for the Dodgers, who totaled six homers and a season-high 13 extra-base hits — but no singles until there were two out in the ninth.The six homers tied the record for most by a team at pitcher-friendly Marlins Park, which opened in 2012."It was as good a night as we've had all year, and that's saying a lot," manager Dave Roberts said. "Just a relentless approach."Rookie Dustin May (1-1), making his third career start, earned his first win by allowing one run in 5 2/3 innings. Four relievers, including backup catcher Russell Martin, pitched the final 3 1/3 innings to complete a four-hitter.The Dodgers increased their... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — Rookie Will Smith achieved another milestone in the storybook start to his big league career with his first two-homer game, and the Los Angeles Dodgers twice hit back-to-back homers to pound the Miami Marlins 15-1 Tuesday.Cody Bellinger tied a career high with his 39th home run and Justin Turner hit his 20th for the Dodgers, who totaled six homers, a season-high 13 extra-base hits and no singles until there were two out in the ninth.The six homers tied the record for most by a team at pitcher-friendly Marlins Park, which opened in 2012.Rookie Dustin May (1-1), making his third career start, earned his first win by allowing one run in 5 2/3 innings. Four relievers, including backup catcher Russell Martin, pitched the final 3 1/3 innings to complete a four-hitter.The Dodgers increased their season run differential to plus-206, best in the majors. Los Angeles has won all four games this year against the last-place Marlins while outscoring them 36-8.Corey Seager and Smith went... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors Wednesday:STRASBURG VS. BAUERThere's quite a pitching matchup at Nationals Park for the series finale between Washington and Cincinnati: Stephen Strasburg vs. Trevor Bauer, two righties who are among the top strikeout artists in the majors this season.For Bauer, it's his third appearance for the Reds since arriving from the Indians in a three-team trade that sent Yasiel Puig to Cleveland — and came shortly after the pitcher chucked a baseball over an outfield wall when he was removed from a game. Bauer is 1-0 with a 3.09 ERA for Cincinnati, and 10-8 with a 3.74 ERA and 200 strikeouts in 168 1/3 innings overall in 2019.Strasburg leads the NL in wins at 14-5, is fourth with 181 Ks and has a 3.72 ERA. He's also 3-0 with a 2.52 ERA in his past four starts against the Reds.REMEMBER ME?Cubs lefty Cole Hamels is set to pitch at Citizens Bank Park for the first time since the Phillies traded him to Texas in July 2015.Hamels spent 10 seasons with Philadelphia... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Houston Astros right-hander Gerrit Cole didn't make a scheduled start in the second game of doubleheader against the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night because of right hamstring discomfort.Cole was listed on the starting lineup, but righty Chris Devenski took the mound in the bottom of the first. Devenski made his first start of the season and seventh of his career.Cole is 14-5 with a 2.87 ERA and will have to wait to try to extend his career-best winning streak to 11 games. The last team to beat him was the White Sox on May 22.Devenski is 2-0 with a 4.33 ERA in 46 games.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CLEVELAND (AP) — Boston Red Sox lefty Chris Sale has reached 2,000 career strikeouts faster than any pitcher in history.Sale entered Tuesday's game against the Indians with 1,995 strikeouts. He struck out the side in the first and reached the milestone in the third when he fanned rookie Oscar Mercado.According to information provided by the Red Sox, Sale broke Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez's mark by getting to 2,000 in 1,626 innings. Martinez did it in 1,711 1/3 innings. Randy Johnson reached the plateau in 1,733 1/3 innings, and Max Scherzer got there in 1,784.Sale has struggled this season. He entered his 25th start at just 6-11 with a 4.41 ERA. Still, he has the best strikeout-to-walk ratio in the majors since 1920.The 30-year-old is in his third season with Boston after spending seven with the Chicago White Sox. He opened 2019 with four straight losses and didn't get his first win until May 3.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Yadier Molina thinks he may have rushed himself back to the field when he hurt his thumb in May, and that's why the Cardinals' star catcher landed back on the injured list last early last month.He doesn't intend to make the same mistake.Molina was activated Tuesday night for the opener of a two-game series in Kansas City after a minor league rehab stint that included a daunting challenge: The nine-time All-Star was sent to the plate on a couple occasions and told not to swing, allowing him to get his timing back but protecting that thumb."No matter where you're playing you want to help the team," said Molina, who missed 28 games after landing on the injured list July 8 with a strained tendon. "Just to track pitches is difficult."Well, Molina will have the green light to swing Tuesday night. He was back in the starting lineup before the plate, batting seventh for a team that has been playing well without him."Hopefully I can help the team," he said, "and we'll see... [More]

DENVER (AP) — The Colorado Rockies have designated veteran catcher Chris Iannetta for assignment.Iannetta departs as the team's all-time leader among catchers in games played, runs, hits, homers, RBIs and walks.The 36-year-old hit .222 with six homers in 52 games this season.Originally selected by Colorado during the fourth round in 2004, Iannetta made his major league debut on Aug. 27, 2006. He played with Colorado until being dealt to the Los Angeles Angels in November 2011. He also suited up for Seattle and Arizona before returning to the Rockies last season.In other moves, Colorado purchased the contract of catcher Dom Nuñez from Triple-A Albuquerque. Nuñez will make his major league debut Tuesday against Arizona.The Rockies also optioned Chi Chi González to Triple-A and recalled righty Jeff Hoffman, who will start Tuesday with Jon Gray scratched because of left ankle soreness.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Phillies have turned to the most successful manager in franchise history to revive their feeble offense.The Phillies hired Charlie Manuel to replace John Mallee as hitting coach on Tuesday before a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs. Manuel, who was working as senior adviser to general manager Matt Klentak, will join the team Wednesday."We have 44 games remaining and we're two games out of the playoffs," Klentak said. "We have not hit well but we aren't buried and we are not out and in my judgment with 44 games remaining, it makes sense to try something different. We are very fortunate we have Charlie Manuel as a colleague who is willing to step in, is excited to do it and feels he can help."Klentak said the 75-year-old Manuel is assuming his new position for the remainder of the season. Mallee joined manager Gabe Kapler's staff last year after serving as the hitting coach for the Cubs from 2015-17.Manuel led the Phillies to five straight division... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Austin Riley is feeling a whole lot better.Dansby Swanson? Not so much.Riley, the slugging rookie for the Atlanta Braves, will not need surgery on his injured right knee and expects to return to the lineup in about two weeks.He revealed the good news before the NL East leaders opened a three-game series against the New York Mets on Tuesday. An MRI revealed a partial tear that will require him to wear a brace but nothing more. Surgery likely would have ended his season."It looks super strong," Riley said. "(The doctor) was surprised that it was so strong. That's always good news."But Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson continues to rehab a bruised right foot that already has kept him out far longer than the team expected. He went on the 10-day injured list retroactive to July 24 and still is not sure when he'll be able to return."It's kind of a frustrating injury," Swanson said. "Obviously, it's kind of impossible to avoid it because you've got to walk and put pressure on it all... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Brewers star Christian Yelich has returned to the lineup after missing five starts because of a back injury.The NL MVP was set to bat third and play right field Tuesday night when the Brewers hosted Minnesota.Yelich leads the NL with a .335 batting average and his 39 home runs are tied for the most in the majors with Mike Trout of the Angels.Yelich pinch-hit on Sunday and struck out in the Brewers' 1-0 loss to the Texas Rangers.The lefty-swinging Yelich missed six consecutive games from April 29 to May 4 while dealing with a back issue. He has not been on the injured list this season.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ATLANTA (AP) — Rookie outfielder Austin Riley will not need surgery on his injured right knee and expects to return to the Atlanta Braves' lineup in about two weeks.Riley revealed the good news before the NL East leaders opened a three-game series against the New York Mets on Tuesday. He went on the 10-day injured list Aug. 5 after spraining his knee during a workout.After a dazzling start to his first season in the big leagues, Riley slumped to a .242 average by the time of his injury. He has 17 homers and 45 RBIs.Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson continues to rehab a bruised right foot that already has kept him out far longer than the team expected. He went on the IL retroactive to July 24 and still is not sure when he'll be able to return.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The St. Louis Cardinals activated catcher Yadier Molina from the injured list, placed outfielder Jose Martinez on it with a shoulder injury and selected outfielder Randy Arozarena from Triple-A Memphis before opening a two-game series at Kansas City on Tuesday night.Molina has been out since July 8 with a strained right thumb tendon that has caused the nine-time All-Star to miss the past 28 games. He went 3 for 20 with a homer and six RBIs during an eight-game rehab stint with Double-A Springfield and Memphis.Martinez hurt the AC joint in his right shoulder when he collided with the right field wall in Sunday's game in Pittsburgh. He was batting .266 with 10 homers and 40 RBIs this season.Arozarena was hitting .368 and had reached base safely in 37 straight games for the Redbirds.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

WASHINGTON (AP) — Greg Holland and the Washington Nationals are giving it another go, the latest in a long series of moves aimed at helping the team's struggling bullpen.Holland, who was with Washington last season, and the Nationals reached an agreement in principle for him to return on a minor league contract, pending the completion of a successful physical exam, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press. The person confirmed the move to the AP on condition of anonymity Tuesday because nothing had been announced by the team.The 33-year-old Holland was designated for assignment by the Arizona Diamondbacks last week. He was 1-2 with a 4.54 ERA and 17 saves in 22 chances this season and lost the job as Arizona's closer after a blown save in late July.His ERA was 2.33 at the end of June but then began climbing as he allowed at least one earned run in seven of his last 13 appearances for the Diamondbacks."We took the role away from him — we thought it would take some pressure... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — A person familiar with the deal tells The Associated Press that right-handed reliever Greg Holland and the Washington Nationals have an agreement in principle on a minor league contract, pending the completion of a successful physical exam.The person confirmed the move to the AP on condition of anonymity Tuesday because nothing had been announced by the team.The 33-year-old Holland was designated for assignment by the Arizona Diamondbacks last week. He was 1-2 with a 4.54 ERA and 17 saves in 22 chances this season.Holland was 2-0 with a 0.84 ERA in 24 games for the Nationals last season.Washington's bullpen has struggled throughout this year. Its 6.05 ERA is the worst in the NL.___This story has been corrected to show that Holland is 33, not 41.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Phillies have hired former manager Charlie Manuel to replace John Mallee as hitting coach.Manuel was working as senior adviser to the general manager. The Phillies announced Tuesday that he would assume his new position for the remainder of the season.Manuel led the Phillies to five straight division titles, two NL pennants and the franchise's second World Series championship, in 2008.His 780 wins as Philadelphia's manager are the most in team history. He was 1,000-826 in nine seasons as manager of the Phillies and three seasons managing the Cleveland Indians.The 75-year-old Manuel previously served as hitting coach for the Indians from 1988-89 and 1994-99.The Phillies are fourth in the NL East at 60-58 but only two games out of the second wild-card spot.Their offense has underperformed despite the addition of slugger Bryce Harper, All-Star J.T. Realmuto, two-time All-Star Jean Segura and former 2013 MVP Andrew McCutchen, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in June.The Phillies are 19th in runs, 24th in batting average (.245) and 23rd in home runs (149).___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

WASHINGTON (AP) — A person familiar with the deal tells The Associated Press that right-handed reliever Greg Holland and the Washington Nationals have an agreement in principle on a minor league contract, pending the completion of a successful physical exam.The person confirmed the move to the AP on condition of anonymity Tuesday because nothing had been announced by the team.The 41-year-old Holland was designated for assignment by the Arizona Diamondbacks last week. He was 1-2 with a 4.54 ERA and 17 saves in 22 chances this season.Holland was 2-0 with a 0.84 ERA in 24 games for the Nationals last season.Washington's bullpen has struggled throughout this year. Its 6.05 ERA is the worst in the NL.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports