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]

BALTIMORE (AP) — Gary Sánchez and the New York Yankees spent much Sunday, the entire weekend really, admiring balls flying out of Camden Yards.Sánchez hit three of the Yankees' seven home runs, their most on the road in more than a half-century, and New York routed Baltimore 15-3 Sunday to complete a three-game sweep."Opportunity knocks for some guys," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. "Other guys need to play well and step up their game. That's nice to see."Clint Frazier homered twice and had four hits, a day after hitting a go-ahead three-run drive for his first big league homer since July 2017. Austin Romine and Gleyber Torres also went deep for the Yankees, who got back above 500 at 5-4.New York's first 18 runs of the series scored on homers, and the Yankees hit 14 over the three games, a record in a three-game series at Baltimore. New York had not hit seven homers on the road since May 30, 1961, at Boston, when Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris and Moose Skowron hit two each, and Yogi Berra... [More]

BALTIMORE (AP) — Gary Sánchez hit three of the Yankees' seven home runs, their most on the road in more than a half-century, and New York routed the Baltimore Orioles 15-3 Sunday to complete a three-game sweep.Clint Frazier homered twice and had four hits, a day after hitting a go-ahead three-run drive for his first big league homer since July 28, 2017. Austin Romine and Gleyber Torres also went deep for the Yankees, who got back above .500 at 5-4.New York's first 18 runs of the series scored on homers, and the Yankees hit 14 over the three games, a record in a three-game series at Baltimore. New York had not hit seven homers on the road since May 30, 1961, at Boston, when Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris and Moose Skowron hit two each, and Yogi Berra had one.New York has won eight straight games at Camden Yards, its longest winning streak against the Orioles on the road.Sánchez had 33 homers and was an All-Star in 2017 but hit just 18 in an injury slowed 2018, when he was in a season-long slump.He... [More]

BALTIMORE (AP) — Gary Sánchez hit three of the Yankees' seven home runs, their most on the road in more than a half-century, and New York routed the Baltimore Orioles 15-3 Sunday to complete a three-game sweep.Clint Frazier homered twice and had four hits, a day after hitting a go-ahead three-run drive for his first big league homer since July 28, 2017. Austin Romine and Gleyber Torres also went deep for the Yankees, who got back to .500 at 4-4.New York's first 18 runs of the series scored on homers, and the Yankees hit 14 over the three games, a record in a three-game series at Baltimore. New York had not hit seven homers on the road since May 30, 1961, at Boston, when Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris and Moose Skowron hit two each, and Yogi Berra had one.New York has won eight straight games at Camden Yards, its longest winning streak against the Orioles on the road.Sánchez had 33 homers and was an All-Star in 2017 but hit just 18 in an injury slowed 2018, when he was in a season-long slump.He... [More]

A look at what's a happening around the majors today:LA LONGBALLSCody Bellinger and the Los Angeles Dodgers are on a home run rampage, hitting a whopping 21 in their first eight games — that's the second-most in major league history in that span, only behind the St. Louis Cardinals' 23 in 2000. After launching a franchise-record 235 homers last year, the NL champion Dodgers have connected in every game so far this season.Rockies righty Jon Gray tries to keep the Dodgers in the park when he starts against them at Coors Field. Bellinger leads the majors with six home runs.SKIDSThe defending World Series champion Red Sox are 2-7 on their season-opening 11-game road trip. They got pounded 15-8 Friday night in Arizona — starting pitcher Rick Porcello flung a water cooler against the back wall of the Boston dugout after getting hit hard, and infielder Eduardo Nunez came in to pitch in the eighth inning and gave up a home run to Alex Avila. ... Joey Votto and the Reds have been shut out in three... [More]

A look at what's a happening around the majors Saturday:LA LONGBALLSCody Bellinger and the Los Angeles Dodgers are on a home run rampage, hitting a whopping 21 in their first eight games — that's the second-most in major league history in that span, only behind the St. Louis Cardinals' 23 in 2000. After launching a franchise-record 235 homers last year, the NL champion Dodgers have connected in every game so far this season.Rockies righty Jon Gray tries to keep the Dodgers in the park when he starts against them at Coors Field. Bellinger leads the majors with six home runs.SKIDSThe defending World Series champion Red Sox are 2-7 on their season-opening 11-game road trip. They got pounded 15-8 Friday night in Arizona — starting pitcher Rick Porcello flung a water cooler against the back wall of the Boston dugout after getting hit hard, and infielder Eduardo Nunez came in to pitch in the eighth inning and gave up a home run to Alex Avila. ... Joey Votto and the Reds have been shut out in... [More]

BALTIMORE (AP) — Seeking to boost a thin starting rotation, the Baltimore Orioles agreed to a $575,000, one-year contact with Dan Straily.The 30-year-old right-hander's deal was announced Friday. He would get a $250,000 assignment bonus if traded.Baltimore rotation includes Alex Cobb, Andrew Cashner, Dylan Bundy and David Hess, and Nate Karns has been used twice as an opener. Cobb strained a groin late in spring training and was activated from the injured list on Thursday.Straily was released March 25 by the Miami Marlins, who chose to give him $1,209,677 in termination pay rather than his $5 million salary, which was not guaranteed.He was 15-15 in two seasons with the Marlins, who acquired him from Cincinnati in January 2017. He was limited to 23 starts last year, when he went on the disabled list twice because of forearm and oblique strains.Straily had a 5.94 ERA over 16 2/3 innings in five spring training appearances. He is 42-36 with a 4.23 ERA in seven major league seasons.Baltimore also said right-hander Pedro Araujo cleared waivers, was returned to the Cubs, then was reacquired from Chicago for international signing bonus pool allocation and assigned to Double-A Bowie.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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]

TORONTO (AP) — The Blue Jays said goodbye to Kevin Pillar while giving a long-term deal to Randal Grichuk.Pillar was traded by the veteran-shedding Blue Jays to the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday for infielder Alen Hanson, right-hander Derek Law and minor league pitcher Juan De Paula.Toronto also acquired outfielder Socrates Brito from San Diego for Class A outfielder Rodrigo Orozco, then announced a $52 million, five-year agreement with Grichuk, an outfielder who had been eligible for free agency after the 2020 season."I love the city. I like the direction the team is going," Grichuk said. "I see the vision. I see a lot of young, talented players that can be very impactful. They have a vision, and I want to be a part of it."Grichuk is a career .247 hitter with 92 home runs and 245 RBIs in 533 games with St. Louis and Toronto, but his on-base percentage is just .297."The offense has always stood out," Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said. "He's always performed. He's always hit the... [More]

TORONTO (AP) — The Blue Jays said goodbye to Kevin Pillar while giving a long-term deal to Randal Grichuk.Pillar was traded by the veteran-shedding Blue Jays to the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday for infielder Alen Hanson, right-hander Derek Law and minor league pitcher Juan De Paula.Toronto also acquired outfielder Socrates Brito from San Diego for Class A outfielder Rodrigo Orozco, then announced a $52 million, five-year agreement with Grichuk, an outfielder who had been eligible for free agency after the 2020 season."The offense has always stood out," Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said of Grichuk. "He's always performed. He's always hit the ball hard. He's always hit it far, and usually it goes over the fence at a pretty good rate. In our view, he's been an above average defender, and those are hard things to piece together."Grichuk is a career .247 hitter with 92 home runs and 245 RBIs in 533 games with St. Louis and Toronto, but his on-base percentage is just .297.Atkins said... [More]

TORONTO (AP) — The Blue Jays said goodbye to Kevin Pillar while giving a long-term deal to Randal Grichuk.Pillar was traded by the veteran-shedding Blue Jays to the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday for infielder Alen Hanson, right-hander Derek Law and minor league pitcher Juan De Paula.Toronto also acquired outfielder Socrates Brito from San Diego for Class A outfielder Rodrigo Orozco, then announced a $52 million, five-year agreement with Grichuk, an outfielder who had been eligible for free agency after the 2020 season."The offense has always stood out," Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said of Grichuk. "He's always performed. He's always hit the ball hard. He's always hit it far, and usually it goes over the fence at a pretty good rate. In our view, he's been an above average defender, and those are hard things to piece together."Grichuk is a career .247 hitter with 92 home runs and 245 RBIs in 533 games with St. Louis and Toronto, but his on-base percentage is just .297.Atkins said... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Joc Pederson and Enrique Hernandez each hit two of the Los Angeles Dodgers' eight home runs Thursday in a 12-5 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.The Dodgers set a major league record for homers on opening day and tied the franchise mark for any game.Hernandez, Austin Barnes and Corey Seager all homered in the fourth inning to chase Arizona ace Zack Greinke (0-1). Max Muncy, Cody Bellinger and Hernandez connected in the seventh for the power-packed Dodgers, whose pursuit of a third straight National League got off to a thrilling start.Adam Jones and Christian Walker homered for the Diamondbacks, but their pitching staff's eight homers allowed also set a team record.The Dodgers and Diamondbacks weren't the only ones going deep, either, as teams around the majors combined to set an all-time high for home runs on opening day.Hyun-Jin Ryu (1-0) struck out eight over six stellar innings as Los Angeles' first opening day starter not named Clayton Kershaw since 2010. Kershaw's... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Joc Pederson and Enrique Hernandez each hit two of the Los Angeles Dodgers' eight home runs Thursday in a 12-5 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.The Dodgers set a major league record for homers on opening day and tied the franchise mark for any game.Hernandez, Austin Barnes and Corey Seager all homered in the fourth inning to chase Arizona ace Zack Greinke (0-1). Max Muncy, Cody Bellinger and Hernandez connected in the seventh for the power-packed Dodgers, whose pursuit of a third straight National League got off to a thrilling start.Adam Jones and Christian Walker homered for the Diamondbacks, but their pitching staff's eight homers allowed also set a team record.The Dodgers and Diamondbacks weren't the only ones going deep, either, as teams around the majors combined to set an all-time high for home runs on opening day.Hyun-Jin Ryu (1-0) struck out eight over six stellar innings as Los Angeles' first opening day starter not named Clayton Kershaw since 2010. Kershaw's... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Manager Aaron Boone sees even more motivation in this year's New York Yankees."They've had a couple of really good teams here that have been close, and the disappointment of an ending when you feel like you have a team capable of greatness I think does add a log to the fire," he said Wednesday. "It does add a little extra kick to wanting this to get done, and I think that adds to everyone's hunger a little bit."New York worked out at Yankee Stadium ahead of Thursday's opener against Baltimore. The Yankees have not reached the World Series since winning the 2009 title and haven't finished first in the AL East since 2012.They finished eight games behind Boston in the AL East last year and were eliminated by the Red Sox in the Division Series. In 2017, they lost to Houston in Game 7 of the AL Championship Series."In '17 we got one game away from the World Series and last year leaving in the DS, those games sting. Both those years sting a little bit," said right fielder Aaron... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Manager Aaron Boone sees even more motivation in this year's New York Yankees."They've had a couple of really good teams here that have been close, and the disappointment of an ending when you feel like you have a team capable of greatness I think does add a log to the fire," he said Wednesday. "It does add a little extra kick to wanting this to get done, and I think that adds to everyone's hunger a little bit."New York worked out at Yankee Stadium ahead of Thursday's opener against Baltimore. The Yankees have not reached the World Series since winning the 2009 title and haven't finished first in the AL East since 2012.They finished eight games behind Boston in the AL East last year and were eliminated by the Red Sox in the Division Series. In 2017, they lost to Houston in Game 7 of the AL Championship Series."In '17 we got one game away from the World Series and last year leaving in the DS, those games sting. Both those years sting a little bit," said right fielder Aaron... [More]

BALTIMORE (AP) — The season hasn't started yet, and the Baltimore Orioles are already in next-man-up mode.Right-hander Andrew Cashner will replace injured Alex Cobb as Baltimore's starter Thursday on opening day at Yankee Stadium. Though he wasn't the first choice of rookie manager Brandon Hyde, the 32-year-old Cashner was happy to step into the role."This will be my second one. I'm excited for it," Cashner said Tuesday after a team workout at Camden Yards. "I have some family in town, and I get to kick off baseball."Cashner's previous opening day start came in 2014, when he stymied the Los Angeles Dodgers over six innings for San Diego."That was before the home crowd," he said. "It's a little bit different, but you take it in stride. There's only one opening day."Cobb was placed on the 10-day injured list Monday with a strained groin. The Orioles also put designated hitter Mark Trumbo on the 60-day injured list to allow him to recover from knee surgery, and catcher Austin Wynns went on... [More]

With opening day just around the corner, the list of notable players who are going to be absent keeps growing.World Series MVP Steve Pearce will start the season on the injured list for the Boston Red Sox, and Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Steven Souza Jr. went down with a knee injury Monday night when he slipped on home plate.Earlier in the day, Baltimore put scheduled opening-day starter Alex Cobb on the 10-day injured list with a strained right groin.Pearce exited an exhibition game last weekend due to discomfort in his left calf. The right-handed batter normally platoons with lefty-hitting Mitch Moreland at first base, but the Red Sox will begin defense of their championship Thursday in Seattle without Pearce."We have to do it that way," manager Alex Cora said. "It makes sense for us, it makes sense for him. He should be back sooner rather than later but he won't be ready for Seattle, so why take a chance?"Sam Travis will likely make the team and take Pearce's spot on the opening-day... [More]

SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) — The Baltimore Orioles put scheduled opening-day starter Alex Cobb on the 10-day injured list because of a strained right groin.He likely will be replaced by Andrew Cashner for Thursday's game at the New York Yankees. Cobb's last spring training was cut short after one inning Saturday because of the groin.Baltimore also placed catcher Austin Wynns on the 10-day IL on Monday because of a left oblique strain.Baltimore also selected the contract of catcher Jesus Sucre from Norfolk of the International League. Sucre, at spring training with a minor league contract, gets a one-year deal paying at the rate of $850,000 in the major leagues and $250,000 in the minors. Outfielder Mark Trumbo, recovering from September surgery on his right knee, was placed on the 60-day injured list, opening a spot on the 40-man roster.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports