OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Justin Verlander pitched just well enough to earn his 200th career win and the Houston Astros hit five home runs, beating the Oakland Athletics 9-4 Sunday to avoid a sweep and retake sole possession of the AL West lead.The surging A's had won the first two games at the Coliseum to tie shaky Houston atop the division. But Yuli Gurriel hit a three-run homer in the third inning and Evan Gattis, Alex Bergman, Marwin Gonzalez and Martin Maldonado later homered for the defending World Series champions. Maldonado also tripled and doubled.Verlander (12-8) gave up four runs in 5 1/3 innings while becoming the 114th pitcher with at least 200 career wins.Oakland's Sean Manaea (11-9) was charged with six runs and nine hits in four-plus innings.DODGERS 12, MARINERS 1SEATTLE (AP) — Clayton Kershaw pitched seven sharp innings for his 150th career win, Justin Turner homered and drove in five runs, and Los Angeles routed Seattle.Kershaw (6-5) gave up four hits, struck out seven and... [More]

CINCINNATI (AP) — St. Louis starter Daniel Poncedeleon made a sensational debut 14 months after suffering a severe head injury, throwing no-hit ball for seven innings Monday night before Eugenio Suarez led the Cincinnati Reds' two-out rally in the ninth for a 2-1 victory over the Cardinals.Suarez's two-out, solo homer off Bud Norris (3-3) tied it 1-1. The closer then loaded the bases on a pair of singles and a walk, and pinch-hitter Dilson Herrera singled to end the Reds' losing streak at four games. Jared Hughes (3-3) pitched the ninth.The late rally overshadowed Poncedeleon's incredible comeback.The 26-year-old right-hander was hit on the right temple by a line drive while pitching for Triple-A Memphis on May 9 last year, fracturing his skull and causing bleeding in the brain. He had emergency surgery followed by months of slow recovery.Poncedeleon was one of the top pitchers in the Pacific Coast League when St. Louis called him up Monday to help their injury-depleted rotation. He walked... [More]

CINCINNATI (AP) — St. Louis starter Daniel Poncedeleon made a sensational debut 14 months after suffering a severe head injury, throwing no-hit ball for seven innings Monday night before Eugenio Suarez led the Cincinnati Reds' two-out rally in the ninth for a 2-1 victory over the Cardinals.Suarez's two-out, solo homer off Bud Norris (3-3) tied it 1-1. The closer then loaded the bases on a pair of singles and a walk, and pinch-hitter Dilson Herrera singled to end the Reds' losing streak at four games. Jared Hughes (3-3) pitched the ninth.The late rally overshadowed Poncedeleon's incredible comeback.The 26-year-old right-hander was hit on the right temple by a line drive while pitching for Triple-A Memphis on May 9 last year, fracturing his skull and causing bleeding in the brain. He had emergency surgery followed by months of slow recovery.Poncedeleon was one of the top pitchers in the Pacific Coast League when St. Louis called him up Monday to help their injury-depleted rotation. He walked... [More]

DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Tigers fired pitching coach Chris Bosio, saying he made insensitive comments to another employee of the team."I have to take seriously what the comments were," Tigers general manager Al Avila said, declining to give details. "And, the action we took was appropriate."The Tigers promoted bullpen coach Rick Anderson to replace Bosio. Roving pitching instructor A.J. Sager will be the team's bullpen coach until Triple-A Toledo pitching coach Jeff Pico takes his place next week.Tigers general manager Al Avila said Bosio made the comments recently and they were brought to Avila's attention Tuesday. Avila decided Wednesday to terminate Bosio's contract after the team investigated the situation and spoke to all of the people involved.Avila said what Bosio said violated team policy and his contract, though Avila otherwise spoke highly of Bosio's job performance."He definitely was a good pitching coach," Avila said.Tigers right-hander Alex Wilson said he and teammates heard... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Jonathan Loaisiga pitched three-hit ball over five impressive innings to win his major league debut, and the New York Yankees beat the Tampa Bay Rays 5-0 on Friday night.Didi Gregorius homered off ex-Yankee Nathan Eovaldi, and Gary Sanchez broke out of a long slump with a three-run double in the eighth. Giancarlo Stanton had a sacrifice fly for New York, which improved the best record in the majors to 45-20.Jonathan Holder, David Robertson, Dellin Betances and Adam Warren each worked an inning to finish the four-hitter.Loaisiga (1-0) was called up from Double-A Trenton to fill in for injured starter Masahiro Tanaka. The 23-year-old righty, who walked only four batters in 45 minor league innings this year, struggled a little with his command, issuing four walks while striking out six.Pitching against his former team, Eovaldi (1-2) allowed only two runs over the first seven innings until the Yankees chased him in the eighth. He was charged with five runs and eight hits in... [More]

DETROIT (AP) — The Tigers have put third baseman Jeimer Candelario on the 10-day disabled list with left wrist tendinitis.Detroit announced the move Monday and made it retroactive to Sunday. Infielder Dawel Lugo was recalled from Triple-A Toledo.Candelario is hitting .272 with five home runs and 16 RBIs. He joins Miguel Cabrera, Leonys Martin, Jordan Zimmermann, Alex Wilson and Daniel Norris on the DL for the Tigers.Outfielder Nicholas Castellanos is out of the starting lineup for Monday night's game against Cleveland. He hurt a finger on his left hand when he was hit by a pitch against Seattle on Saturday night.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

BOSTON (AP) — Mookie Betts hit a grand slam on a monster night, leading Chris Sale and the Boston Red Sox over the New York Yankees 14-1 Tuesday for their ninth straight victory.Betts went 4 for 4, scoring five runs and driving in four. His third career slam capped a nine-run burst in the sixth inning that turned the first matchup of the season between the AL East rivals into a rout.Sale (1-0) allowed one run in six innings, striking out eight. Luis Severino (2-1) gave up five runs in five innings.Aaron Judge had three hits for the Yankees, including his third home run of the season.Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton went 2 for 4. He struck out his first two times up against Sale, and has now fanned 22 times in 46 at-bats.GIANTS 5, DIAMONDBACKS 4SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Andrew McCutchen hit a bases-loaded single for his second walk-off of San Francisco's homestand.McCutchen lined the first pitch he got from Jorge De La Rosa (0-1) for a clean single into left-center, his 10th career game-ending... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Mookie Betts hit a grand slam on a monster night, leading Chris Sale and the Boston Red Sox over the New York Yankees 14-1 Tuesday for their ninth straight victory.Betts went 4 for 4, scoring five runs and driving in four. His third career slam capped a nine-run burst in the sixth inning that turned the first matchup of the season between the AL East rivals into a rout.Sale (1-0) allowed one run in six innings, striking out eight. Luis Severino (2-1) gave up five runs in five innings.Aaron Judge had three hits for the Yankees, including his third home run of the season.Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton went 2 for 4. He struck out his first two times up against Sale, and has now fanned 22 times in 46 at-bats.BLUE JAYS 2, ORIOLES 1BALTIMORE (AP) — Aaron Sanchez lost his no-hit bid when Baltimore's Tim Beckham led off the eighth inning with a sharp grounder through the legs of third baseman Josh Donaldson, and Curtis Granderson hit a tiebreaking homer in the ninth to carry Toronto.Seeking... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Mookie Betts hit a grand slam on a monster night, leading Chris Sale and the Boston Red Sox over the New York Yankees 14-1 Tuesday for their ninth straight victory.Betts went 4 for 4, scoring five runs and driving in four. His third career slam capped a nine-run burst in the sixth inning that turned the first matchup of the season between the AL East rivals into a rout.Sale (1-0) allowed one run in six innings, striking out eight. Luis Severino (2-1) gave up five runs in five innings.Aaron Judge had three hits for the Yankees, including his third home run of the season.Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton went 2 for 4. He struck out his first two times up against Sale, and has now fanned 22 times in 46 at-bats.BLUE JAYS 2, ORIOLES 1BALTIMORE (AP) — Aaron Sanchez lost his no-hit bid when Baltimore's Tim Beckham led off the eighth inning with a sharp grounder through the legs of third baseman Josh Donaldson, and Curtis Granderson hit a tiebreaking homer in the ninth to carry Toronto.Seeking... [More]

DETROIT (AP) — Gregory Polanco hit a three-run homer in the 13th inning to lift the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 13-10 victory over Detroit on Friday — about an hour after the Tigers spilled onto the field to celebrate what they thought was a game-winning hit of their own.Nicholas Castellanos was initially called safe at home in the bottom of the 10th for the Tigers, but a replay review took the run away and the teams played on. Polanco's drive to right-center on a 3-0 pitch from Alex Wilson (0-1) finally gave the Pirates a comfortable lead — or as comfortable as could be on a wacky day in which both teams scored four runs in the ninth.Detroit put two men on base in the 13th, but Steven Brault (1-0) was able to hold on and finish his third scoreless inning of relief.By the time the 5-hour, 27-minute game was over, there were only three umpires and one manager left. Plate umpire Mike Everitt exited in the eighth with a concussion after being hit in the mask by a pitch. And Ron Gardenhire — in... [More]

DETROIT (AP) — Gregory Polanco hit a three-run homer in the 13th inning to lift the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 13-10 victory over Detroit on Friday — about an hour after the Tigers spilled onto the field to celebrate what they thought was a game-winning hit of their own.Nicholas Castellanos was initially called safe at home in the bottom of the 10th for the Tigers, but a replay review took the run away and the teams played on. Polanco's drive to right-center on a 3-0 pitch from Alex Wilson (0-1) finally gave the Pirates a comfortable lead — or as comfortable as could be on a wacky day in which both teams scored four runs in the ninth.Detroit put two men on base in the 13th, but Steven Brault (1-0) was able to hold on and finish his third scoreless inning of relief.By the time the 5-hour, 27-minute game was over, there were only three umpires and one manager left. Plate umpire Mike Everitt exited in the eighth with a concussion after being hit in the mask by a pitch. And Ron Gardenhire — in... [More]

DETROIT (AP) — Gregory Polanco hit a three-run homer in the 13th inning to lift the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 13-10 victory over Detroit on Friday — about an hour after the Tigers spilled onto the field to celebrate what they thought was a game-winning hit of their own.Nicholas Castellanos was initially called safe at home in the bottom of the 10th for the Tigers, but a replay review took the run away and the teams played on. Polanco's drive to right-center on a 3-0 pitch from Alex Wilson (0-1) finally gave the Pirates a comfortable lead — or as comfortable as could be on a wacky day in which both teams scored four runs in the ninth.Detroit put two men on base in the 13th, but Steven Brault (1-0) was able to hold on and finish his third scoreless inning of relief.By the time the 5-hour, 27-minute game was over, there were only three umpires and one manager left. Plate umpire Mike Everitt exited in the eighth with a concussion after being hit in the mask by a pitch. And Ron Gardenhire — in... [More]

Capsules of American League Central teams, listed in order of finish last year:___Cleveland Indians2017: 102-60, first place, lost to Yankees in ALDS.Manager: Terry Francona (sixth season).He's Here: 1B-DH Yonder Alonso, LF Rajai Davis, RHP Alexi Ogando.He's Outta Here: 1B Carlos Santana, OF Jay Bruce, RHP Bryan Shaw, RHP Joe Smith, OF Austin Jackson, LHP Boone Logan.Projected Lineup: SS Francisco Lindor (.273, 33 HRs, 89 RBIs, 44 2Bs, 15 SBs, 10 errors), 2B Jason Kipnis (.232, 12 HRs, 35 RBIs in 90 games), 3B Jose Ramirez (.318, 29, 83, AL-leading 56 2Bs), DH Edwin Encarnacion (.258, 38, 107), 1B Yonder Alonso (.266, career-high 28 HRs, 67 RBIs with Athletics and Mariners), RF Lonnie Chisenhall (.288, 12, 53 in 82 games), C Roberto Perez (.207, 8, 38, club went 44-22 in his starts) or Yan Gomes (.232, 14, 56), CF Bradley Zimmer (.241, 8, 39, 18 SBs, 0 errors), LF Michael Brantley (.299, 9, 52 in 90 games) or Rajai Davis (.235, 5, 20, 29 SBs with Oakland and Boston).Rotation: RH Corey Kluber... [More]

LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) — Nicholas Castellanos went into his fifth major league season as an established third baseman. He came out of it as the Detroit Tigers' right fielder."Because of all the trades and the way the team was going, and building for the future and acquiring other infielders, it's kind of the way it worked," he said Tuesday. "I'll do whatever they need me to do. Right now they've asked me to go out there and catch flyballs so that's what I'm doing."Castellanos was most of the way through his fourth season as Detroit's third baseman when the Tigers made a series of moves that prompted his shift."People came up to me and talked about it, but I also brought it up myself just because I saw how everything was happening," he said. "If you work, what happens if your boss was like: 'Hey, we need you to go over here; that's going to benefit the company.' Same thing."Some players might be hesitant to make such a drastic change in the middle of their careers."He's not in the middle of... [More]

DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Tigers have agreed to a one-year, $6.05 million contract with Nicholas Castellanos, avoiding arbitration.The Tigers also reached one-year deals with right-handers Alex Wilson ($1,925,000) and Shane Greene ($1.95 million). Shortstop Jose Iglesias is still eligible for arbitration. He is asking for $6.8 million and the team is offering $5.6 million.Castellanos hit .272 with 26 home runs and 101 RBIs last season. He started 128 games at third base and 20 in right field. He may play more in the outfield in 2018 if Jeimer Candelario can hold the third base job.In addition to his base salary, he has a $25,000 bonus for 500 plate appearances.Wilson went 2-5 with a 4.50 ERA in 66 relief appearances last year, and Greene was 4-3 with a 2.66 ERA and nine saves.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

DETROIT (AP) — Catcher James McCann and the Detroit Tigers have agreed to a $2,375,000, one-year contract that avoided arbitration.The 27-year-old hit .253 with 13 home runs and 49 RBIs last season and made $552,100. He was eligible for arbitration for the first time.Four Tigers are still eligible for arbitration: third baseman Nicholas Castellanos, shortstop Jose Iglesias and right-handers Shane Greene and Alex Wilson.Detroit also announced Thursday it claimed 25-year-old right-hander Johnny Barbato off waivers from the Pittsburgh Pirates. Barbato went 0-1 with a 4.08 ERA last season in 24 relief appearances.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

RHP Alex Wilson, his broken right fibula encased in a cast, will not make Detroit's final road trip to Kansas City and Minnesota. "He'll be going home," manager Brad Ausmus said Sunday. Wilson said he was sore but not taking any pain medication, only anti-inflammatory medicine. The leg muscles will have to be built back up before he can do any serious throwing. Wilson was struck on the foot Saturday by a 1B Joe Mauer liner back to the mound.

RHP Alex Wilson suffered a non-displaced fracture near the right ankle Saturday night when struck by a line drive off the bat of 1B Joe Mauer. He tried to throw a pitch after getting up and testing but crumpled to the ground after that. "Honestly, all I thought was that my foot was numb," Wilson said, "and then it kinda felt warm. I was walking around the mound to see whether or not I was going to be able to go. I squatted down, and was able to do that. Of course, it wasn't on the weight-bearing bone. So, really, it had no effect. Then I tried to throw a pitch, and I felt a pop. And, obviously, that was the end of the night. And, that's when the pain really started shooting through." Surgery is not required but the right foot will be in a cast for 4-to-6 weeks and then strengthening will be involved.

RHP Alex Wilson was activated after serving a three-game suspension for his role in a brawl with the New York Yankees on Aug. 24. Wilson pitched a scoreless inning of relief in Tuesday's 13-2 victory over Kansas City.

RHP Alex Wilson had his suspension reduced by one game, to three, and Detroit announced he would begin serving the ban starting with that day's game against Cleveland. Wilson was suspended after admitting he deliberately hit a Yankee with a pitch last month. "I guess," Wilson said when the suspension was announced, "that honesty isn't always the best policy."