CLEVELAND (AP) — Austin Meadows hit an RBI single in the 10th inning to cap Tampa Bay’s comeback in a 5-4 win over the Cleveland Indians on Thursday night, hours after the Rays acquired slugger Nelson Cruz from Minnesota. Meadows’ one-out liner off Bryan Shaw (3-4) brought home Randy Arozarena, who began the 10th at second base. Down 4-2 in the ninth, the Rays rallied to tie it against closer James Karinchak on a leadoff homer by Yandy Diaz and Brandon Lowe’s two-out RBI double. Pete Fairbanks (3-3) pitched the ninth and Diego Castillo struck out Franmil Reyes and Bobby Bradley with the potential tying run at third in the 10th for his 14th save. The Rays announced their acquisition of Cruz just before the first pitch. Needing a big bat for the playoff push, Tampa Bay got a potent one from the disappointing Twins. Cruz has 436 career homers, and his presence alone will re-shape Tampa Bay’s lineup. Indians starter Cal Quantrill allowed just one run in six strong innings before turning it... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Austin Meadows hit an RBI single in the 10th inning to cap Tampa Bay’s comeback in a 5-4 win over the Cleveland Indians on Thursday night, hours after the Rays acquired slugger Nelson Cruz from Minnesota. Meadows’ one-out liner off Bryan Shaw (3-4) brought home Randy Arozarena, who began the 10th at second base. Down 4-2 in the ninth, the Rays rallied to tie it against closer James Karinchak on a leadoff homer by Yandy Diaz and Brandon Lowe’s two-out RBI double. Pete Fairbanks (3-3) pitched the ninth and Diego Castillo struck out Franmil Reyes and Bobby Bradley with the potential tying run at third in the 10th for his 14th save. The Rays announced their acquisition of Cruz just before the first pitch. Needing a big bat for the playoff push, Tampa Bay got a potent one from the disappointing Twins. Cruz has 436 career homers, and his presence alone will re-shape Tampa Bay’s lineup. Indians starter Cal Quantrill allowed just one run in six strong innings before turning it... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Austin Meadows hit an RBI single in the 10th inning to cap Tampa Bay’s comeback in a 5-4 win over the Cleveland Indians on Thursday night, hours after the Rays acquired slugger Nelson Cruz from Minnesota. Meadows’ one-out liner off Bryan Shaw (3-4) brought home Randy Arozarena, who began the 10th at second base. Down 4-2 in the ninth, the Rays rallied to tie it against closer James Karinchak on a leadoff homer by Yandy Diaz and Brandon Lowe’s two-out RBI double. Pete Fairbanks (3-3) pitched the ninth and Diego Castillo struck out Franmil Reyes and Bobby Bradley with the potential tying run at third in the 10th for his 14th save. The Rays announced their acquisition of Cruz just before the first pitch. Needing a big bat for the playoff push, Tampa Bay got a potent one from the disappointing Twins. Cruz has 436 career homers, and his presence alone will re-shape Tampa Bay’s lineup. Indians starter Cal Quantrill allowed just one run in six strong innings before turning it... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Austin Meadows hit an RBI single in the 10th inning to cap Tampa Bay’s comeback in a 5-4 win over the Cleveland Indians on Thursday night, hours after the Rays acquired slugger Nelson Cruz from Minnesota. Meadows’ one-out liner off Bryan Shaw (3-4) brought home Randy Arozarena, who began the 10th at second base. Down 4-2 in the ninth, the Rays rallied to tie it against closer James Karinchak on a leadoff homer by Yandy Diaz and Brandon Lowe’s two-out RBI double. Pete Fairbanks (3-3) pitched the ninth and Diego Castillo struck out Franmil Reyes and Bobby Bradley with the potential tying run at third in the 10th for his 14th save. The Rays announced their acquisition of Cruz just before the first pitch. Needing a big bat for the playoff push, Tampa Bay got a potent one from the disappointing Twins. Cruz has 436 career homers, and his presence alone will re-shape Tampa Bay’s lineup. Indians starter Cal Quantrill allowed just one run in six strong innings before turning it... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Dansby Swanson hit his first career grand slam, Orlando Arcia added a solo shot and the Atlanta Braves beat the Philadelphia Phillies 7-2 on Thursday night to inch closer in the NL East race. Charlie Morton (9-4) allowed two earned runs over six innings and struck out eight in his latest strong start. With the victory, the Braves — winners of the last three NL East titles — closed within four games of the idle New York Mets and tied Philadelphia for second place at 47-48. Atlanta did most of its offensive damage against Phillies starter Matt Moore, who allowed six earned runs in six innings. Morton cruised for most of the night before stumbling a bit in the seventh when Didi Gregorius hit a leadoff triple and Odubel Herrera followed with an RBI double. Luke Jackson replaced Morton and got two outs before allowing Jean Segura’s RBI single. The Braves added a run in the ninth when Austin Riley drew a bases-loaded walk off Mauricio Llovera. CARDINALS 3, CUBS 2 ST. LOUIS... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — Nestor Cortes and three relievers combined for a three-hitter and Brett Gardner and DJ LeMahieu each drove in two runs to lead the New York Yankees over the Houston Astros 4-0 on Friday night. Making a spot start, Cortes permitted two hits in 4 2/3 innings, striking out two and walking two and lowering his ERA to 1.05. Lucas Luetge (3-1) pitched 1 1/3 hitless innings for the win. Chad Green gave up one hit in two innings and Jonathan Loaisiga threw a perfect ninth. It was New York’s first visit to Houston since Game 6 of the 2019 AL Championship Series. The Astros advanced to the World Series with a 6-4 win in that game on a two-run homer by Jose Altuve with two outs in the ninth. The Astros are commemorating the event by giving away replica 2019 AL champions trophies on Friday night, 2019 AL champions replica rings on Saturday and Altuve jerseys for the finale on Sunday. GIANTS 5, NATIONALS 3 SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Curt Casali hit a two-run homer while filling in for injured... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — Nestor Cortes and three relievers combined for a three-hitter and Brett Gardner and DJ LeMahieu each drove in two runs to lead the New York Yankees over the Houston Astros 4-0 on Friday night. Making a spot start, Cortes permitted two hits in 4 2/3 innings, striking out two and walking two and lowering his ERA to 1.05. Lucas Luetge (3-1) pitched 1 1/3 hitless innings for the win. Chad Green gave up one hit in two innings and Jonathan Loaisiga threw a perfect ninth. It was New York’s first visit to Houston since Game 6 of the 2019 AL Championship Series. The Astros advanced to the World Series with a 6-4 win in that game on a two-run homer by Jose Altuve with two outs in the ninth. The Astros are commemorating the event by giving away replica 2019 AL champions trophies on Friday night, 2019 AL champions replica rings on Saturday and Altuve jerseys for the finale on Sunday. GIANTS 5, NATIONALS 3 SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Curt Casali hit a two-run homer while filling in for injured... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — Nestor Cortes and three relievers combined for a three-hitter and Brett Gardner and DJ LeMahieu each drove in two runs to lead the New York Yankees over the Houston Astros 4-0 on Friday night. Making a spot start, Cortes permitted two hits in 4 2/3 innings, striking out two and walking two and lowering his ERA to 1.05. Lucas Luetge (3-1) pitched 1 1/3 hitless innings for the win. Chad Green gave up one hit in two innings and Jonathan Loaisiga threw a perfect ninth. It was New York’s first visit to Houston since Game 6 of the 2019 AL Championship Series. The Astros advanced to the World Series with a 6-4 win in that game on a two-run homer by Jose Altuve with two outs in the ninth. The Astros are commemorating the event by giving away replica 2019 AL champions trophies on Friday night, 2019 AL champions replica rings on Saturday and Altuve jerseys for the finale on Sunday. CUBS 10, CARDINALS 5 CHICAGO (AP) — Kyle Hendricks won his ninth straight decision, Patrick Wisdom hit... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Kyle Hendricks won his ninth straight decision, Patrick Wisdom hit a two-run homer and Chicago Cubs beat the St. Louis Cardinals 10-5 on Friday afternoon. Kris Bryant drove in three runs with a pinch-hit double to start Chicago’s five-run burst in the seventh inning before Wisdom went deep against his former team. Joc Pederson doubled twice, including a three-run hit in the first. Chicago won for the second time in three games following an 11-game losing streak. Bryant didn’t start for a second straight game because of a strained right hamstring, but hit the first pitch he saw from Junior Fernández to the wall in left filed with the bases loaded. The All-Star came home when Wisdom connected for his 12th homer to make it 9-2. Hendricks (11-4) allowed two runs on seven hits in 6 1/3 innings while walking one and hitting a batter. INDIANS 2, ROYALS 1 CLEVELAND (AP) — Bobby Bradley homered leading off the ninth inning as Cleveland overcame some brutal baserunning that led to... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The slumping Brewers moved to shore up their infield defense by acquiring shortstop Willy Adames from the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday. Milwaukee also got pitcher Trevor Richards from the Rays for relievers J.P Feyereisen and Drew Rasmussen. Adames is hitting .197 with five homers and 15 RBIs in 41 games this year but had an .813 OPS last season while helping Tampa Bay reach the World Series. The 28-year-old Richards has a 4.50 ERA and one save in six relief appearances. “We're acquiring a shortstop who has proven he's one of the best defensive shortstops in baseball," Brewers president of baseball operations David Stearns said. The trade surprised Adames, who already had arrived at TD Ballpark for the Rays' game with the Toronto Blue Jays in Dunedin, Florida, when he learned about the move. Adames said he'd “been crying the whole afternoon.” “To get that news out of nowhere, it was tough,” Adames said. “It’s business. You’ve got to see every side of the situation and every... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The slumping Brewers moved to shore up their infield defense by acquiring shortstop Willy Adames from the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday. Milwaukee also got pitcher Trevor Richards from the Rays for relievers J.P Feyereisen and Drew Rasmussen. Adames is hitting .197 with five homers and 15 RBIs in 41 games this year but had an .813 OPS last season while helping Tampa Bay reach the World Series. The 28-year-old Richards has a 4.50 ERA and one save in six relief appearances. “We're acquiring a shortstop who has proven he's one of the best defensive shortstops in baseball," Brewers president of baseball operations David Stearns said. The trade surprised Adames, who already had arrived at TD Ballpark for the Rays' game with the Toronto Blue Jays in Dunedin, Florida, when he learned about the move. Adames said he'd “been crying the whole afternoon.” “To get that news out of nowhere, it was tough,” Adames said. “It’s business. You’ve got to see every side of the situation and every... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The slumping Brewers moved to shore up their infield defense by acquiring shortstop Willy Adames from the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday. Milwaukee also got pitcher Trevor Richards from the Rays for relievers J.P Feyereisen and Drew Rasmussen. Adames is hitting .197 with five homers and 15 RBIs in 41 games this year but had an .813 OPS last season while helping Tampa Bay reach the World Series. The 28-year-old Richards has a 4.50 ERA and one save in six relief appearances. “We're acquiring a shortstop who has proven he's one of the best defensive shortstops in baseball," Brewers president of baseball operations David Stearns said. The Rays plan to call up Taylor Walls and give him much of the playing time at shortstop, though Joey Wendle will play there on occasion as well. Tampa Bay also has Wander Franco, widely considered the top prospect in all of baseball, and Vidal Bruján waiting at Triple-A Durham. “You’re talking about as good a defensive shortstop as you’re going to... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Former All-Star Dee Strange-Gordon has signed a minor league contract with the Milwaukee Brewers and been assigned to the alternate training site in Appleton, Wisconsin. Strange-Gordon, who turns 33 on Thursday, had gone to spring training with the Cincinnati Reds with a minor league contract and was released on March 26 after hitting .281 with no homers and four RBIs in 32 at-bats over 10 games. He had been working out at shortstop with the Reds. Strange-Gordon has primarily played second base and also has experience in the outfield. The Brewers wanted to address some depth concerns in the infield after trading Orlando Arcia to the Atlanta Braves this month and losing Tim Lopes and Mark Mathias to injuries in spring training. Lopes and Mathias are both on the 60-day injured list. “This is a signing that’s just about depth, I think,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said Wednesday. “And I think about the trade of Orlando, really. He’s another infielder. He’s an infielder... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Former All-Star Dee Strange-Gordon has signed a minor league contract with the Milwaukee Brewers and been assigned to the alternate training site in Appleton, Wisconsin. Strange-Gordon, who turns 33 on Thursday, had gone to spring training with the Cincinnati Reds with a minor league contract and was released on March 26 after hitting .281 with no homers and four RBIs in 32 at-bats over 10 games. He had been working out at shortstop with the Reds. Strange-Gordon has primarily played second base and also has experience in the outfield. The Brewers wanted to address some depth concerns in the infield after trading Orlando Arcia to the Atlanta Braves this month and losing Tim Lopes and Mark Mathias to injuries in spring training. Lopes and Mathias are both on the 60-day injured list. Starting second baseman Kolten Wong is on the 10-day injured list, though he’s expected to be activated later this week Strange-Gordon batted .200 with no homers, three RBIs and three steals in 33 games for the Seattle Mariners last season. He led the NL in batting average, hits and stolen bases in 2015 with the Miami Marlins. He also led the NL in steals in 2014 and 2017. He made the NL All-Star team with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2014 and with Miami in 2015. He has a .286 career batting average with a .319 on-base percentage and 333 steals. ___ More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

A look at what’s happening around the majors Wednesday: ___ WAITING GAME Now that Fernando Tatis Jr. has been placed on the injured list, the San Diego Padres hope their electrifying shortstop won't be sidelined too long. Tatis should be able to avoid surgery on his left shoulder, the team said a day after he slightly dislocated it taking a hard swing. An MRI on Tuesday showed a slight labral tear and the Padres put the 22-year-old Tatis on the 10-day IL. General manager A.J. Preller said the club wasn’t ruling out anything, including Tatis’ possible return when he’s eligible. According to Preller, doctors said another partially dislocated shoulder could occur again but playing this season wouldn’t put him at long-term risk. “Everybody was very confident that surgery wasn’t the answer at this point in time,” Preller said. “We can keep him on the field here this year and be able to put him in a spot where he can be successful and not be in pain and we’re not doing any kind of long-term damage.”... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Atlanta Braves have acquired infielder Orlando Arcia from the Milwaukee Brewers for right-handed pitchers Chad Sobotka and Patrick Weigel. Arcia had been the Brewers’ starting shortstop from 2018-20, but was expected to split time between shortstop and third base this year in more of a utility role. This move clears the way for Luis Urías to take over as the Brewers’ everyday shortstop. The Brewers had acquired the 23-year-old Urías along with pitcher Eric Lauer from San Diego in a November 2019 trade that sent outfielder Trent Grisham and pitcher Zach Davies to the Padres. “The trade is a commitment to Luis Urías,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “That is a commitment that we made. He has earned this and it’s an important time for him. He’s going to get a great opportunity here.” Arcia brings infield depth to the Braves. The 26-year-old Arcia has gone 1 for 11 so far this season after hitting .260 with five homers and 20 RBIs in 59 games last year. He has batted... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Atlanta Braves have acquired infielder Orlando Arcia from the Milwaukee Brewers for right-handed pitchers Chad Sobotka and Patrick Weigel. Arcia had been the Brewers’ starting shortstop from 2018-20, but was expected to split time between shortstop and third base this year in more of a utility role. This move clears the way for Luis Urías to take over as the Brewers’ everyday shortstop. The Brewers had acquired the 23-year-old Urías along with pitcher Eric Lauer from San Diego in a November 2019 trade that sent outfielder Trent Grisham and pitcher Zach Davies to the Padres. Arcia brings infield depth to the Braves. The 26-year-old Arcia has gone 1 for 11 so far this season after hitting .260 with five homers and 20 RBIs in 59 games last year. He has batted .244 with a .293 on-base percentage, 42 homers and 180 RBIs in 542 regular-season games. “He’s kind of an up-and-coming guy,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “I was a little surprised he was available. Any time... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jean Segura hit an RBI single with two outs in the 10th inning to lift the Philadelphia Phillies over the Atlanta Braves 3-2 in their season opener Thursday. After Nate Jones (0-1) intentionally walked Did Gregorius, Segura hit a bouncer down the third-base line to score Bryce Harper, who began the inning as the automatic runner at second base and advanced to third on a grounder. In the top of the 10th, center fielder Roman Quinn made a perfect throw to the plate to retire Ozzie Albies, who was trying to score on Marcell Ozuna’s fly ball. Catcher J.T. Realmuto caught the ball and slid in front of the plate in one slick motion, successfully blocking Albies’ path. Phillies ace Aaron Nola was one strike away from tossing seven scoreless innings before pinch-hitter Pablo Sandoval ripped an 0-2 pitch into the second deck in right field to tie it at 2. The Phillies got 3 1/3 scoreless innings from four relievers, with Connor Brogdon (1-0) working the 10th. They had the worst... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jean Segura hit an RBI single with two outs in the 10th inning to lift the Philadelphia Phillies over the Atlanta Braves 3-2 in their season opener Thursday. After Nate Jones (0-1) intentionally walked Did Gregorius, Segura hit a bouncer down the third-base line to score Bryce Harper, who began the inning as the automatic runner at second base and advanced to third on a grounder. In the top of the 10th, center fielder Roman Quinn made a perfect throw to the plate to retire Ozzie Albies, who was trying to score on Marcell Ozuna’s fly ball. Catcher J.T. Realmuto caught the ball and slid in front of the plate in one slick motion, successfully blocking Albies’ path. Phillies ace Aaron Nola was one strike away from tossing seven scoreless innings before pinch-hitter Pablo Sandoval ripped an 0-2 pitch into the second deck in right field to tie it at 2. The Phillies got 3 1/3 scoreless innings from four relievers, with Connor Brogdon (1-0) working the 10th. They had the worst... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jean Segura hit an RBI single with two outs in the 10th inning to lift the Philadelphia Phillies over the Atlanta Braves 3-2 in their season opener Thursday. After Nate Jones (0-1) intentionally walked Did Gregorius, Segura hit a bouncer down the third-base line to score Bryce Harper, who began the inning as the automatic runner at second base and advanced to third on a grounder. In the top of the 10th, center fielder Roman Quinn made a perfect throw to the plate to retire Ozzie Albies, who was trying to score on Marcell Ozuna’s fly ball. Catcher J.T. Realmuto caught the ball and slid in front of the plate in one slick motion, successfully blocking Albies’ path. Phillies ace Aaron Nola was one strike away from tossing seven scoreless innings before pinch-hitter Pablo Sandoval ripped an 0-2 pitch into the second deck in right field to tie it at 2. The Phillies got 3 1/3 scoreless innings from four relievers, with Connor Brogdon (1-0) working the 10th. They had the worst... [More]