Twins second. Eddie Rosario homers to right field. Miguel Sano strikes out swinging. Byron Buxton flies out to deep right field to Nomar Mazara. Marwin Gonzalez walks. Ehire Adrianza grounds out to shallow infield, Lucas Giolito to Yasmani Grandal.1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 left on. Twins 1, White sox 0.Twins fourth. Eddie Rosario walks. Miguel Sano flies out to right field to Nomar Mazara. Byron Buxton homers to center field. Eddie Rosario scores. Marwin Gonzalez called out on strikes. Ehire Adrianza lines out to shallow right field to Nick Madrigal.2 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 left on. Twins 3, White sox 0.White sox fourth. Jose Abreu homers to left field. Eloy Jimenez pops out to shallow infield to Alex Avila. Yoan Moncada flies out to center field to Byron Buxton. James McCann strikes out swinging.1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 left on. Twins 3, White sox 1.Twins eighth. Josh Donaldson walks. Nelson Cruz grounds out to shallow infield, Yoan Moncada to Yasmani Grandal. Josh Donaldson to second. Eddie Rosario strikes out swinging. Miguel Sano homers to center field. Josh Donaldson scores. Byron Buxton grounds out to third base, Yoan Moncada to Yasmani Grandal.2 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 left on. Twins 5, White sox 1.

MIAMI (AP) — Jorge Alfaro homered twice before he took a foul ball to his helmet and the Miami Marlins beat the Boston Red Sox 8-4 on Wednesday night.Garrett Cooper also homered and scored twice for Miami, which moved within 2 1/2 games of first-place Atlanta in the NL East.Alfaro, the Marlins’ catcher, was removed in the seventh inning as a precaution after Christian Vázquez’s foul ball beaned him.“Just getting past the baseball and just trying to make sure that he’s good and not let him catch another foul ball," Miami manager Don Mattingly said of the decision to remove Alfaro. Miami chased Boston starter Michael Kickham with a four-run third. Alfaro hit his first of two two-run blasts. Brian Anderson had a run-scoring single and scored from first on Lewis Brinson’s RBI double to make it 6-1.“We just pass the baton, we trust each other with anything,” Brinson said. “There's no selfish player on this team. There's nobody that's here for their numbers.”Alfaro also went deep in the fifth,... [More]

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers became the first team to clinch a playoff spot in the pandemic-shortened season, beating the San Diego Padres 7-5 Wednesday behind Dustin May’s gutty effort out of the bullpen and home runs from AJ Pollock and Chris Taylor.Will Smith drove in three runs for the seven-time defending NL West champion Dodgers, who opened a 3 1/2-game lead in the division by winning two of three in the matchup of the NL’s two best teams.Mookie Betts tied his career high with three stolen bases, had two hits and scored a run.At 35-15, the Dodgers breezed into the expanded 16-team postseason field. Los Angeles is seeking its first World Series title since 1988.San Diego has lost two straight for the first time since mid-August.Manny Machado hit a solo homer in the eighth, his 14th of the season.Starter Brusdar Gasterol allowed a hit and a run in 1 1/3 innings before Adam Kolarek (3-0) allowed a hit and two walks in two-thirds of an inning. Pedro Baez got the final two... [More]

Rangers ninth. Leody Taveras singles to shallow right field. Willie Calhoun strikes out swinging. Isiah Kiner-Falefa grounds out to shallow infield to Yuli Gurriel. Leody Taveras to second. Joey Gallo doubles. Leody Taveras scores. Nick Solak walks. Rougned Odor called out on strikes.1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 left on. Rangers 1, Astros 0.

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers became the first team to clinch a playoff spot in the pandemic-shortened season, beating the San Diego Padres 7-5 Wednesday behind Dustin May’s gutty effort out of the bullpen and home runs from AJ Pollock and Chris Taylor.Will Smith drove in three runs for the seven-time defending NL West champion Dodgers, who opened a 3 1/2-game lead in the division by winning two of three in the matchup of the NL’s two best teams.Mookie Betts tied his career high with three stolen bases, had two hits and scored a run.At 35-15, the Dodgers breezed into the expanded 16-team postseason field. Los Angeles is seeking its first World Series title since 1988.San Diego has lost two straight for the first time since mid-August.Manny Machado hit a solo homer in the eighth, his 14th of the season.Starter Brusdar Gasterol allowed a hit and a run in 1 1/3 innings before Adam Kolarek (3-0) allowed a hit and two walks in two-thirds of an inning. Pedro Baez got the final two... [More]

Phillies second. Jean Segura doubles to right center field. Andrew Knapp doubles, advances to 3rd. Jean Segura scores. Fielding error by Andres Gimenez. Scott Kingery walks. Adam Haseley out on a sacrifice fly to deep left field to Jeff McNeil. Andrew Knapp scores. Roman Quinn singles to right field. Scott Kingery to third. Andrew McCutchen reaches on a fielder's choice to shallow infield. Roman Quinn to third. Scott Kingery scores. Bryce Harper strikes out swinging. Andrew McCutchen picked off.3 runs, 3 hits, 1 error, 1 left on. Phillies 3, Mets 0.Phillies third. Alec Bohm grounds out to shortstop, Andres Gimenez to Dominic Smith. Didi Gregorius flies out to center field to Brandon Nimmo. Jean Segura homers to left field. Andrew Knapp grounds out to shallow infield, Robinson Cano to Dominic Smith.1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 left on. Phillies 4, Mets 0.Mets fourth. J.D. Davis doubles to deep center field. Dominic Smith grounds out to second base, Scott Kingery to Alec Bohm. J.D. Davis to... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Umpires hastily cleared the field during a game between the Cleveland Indians and Chicago Cubs on Wednesday night when a small drone flew into Wrigley Field over the bleachers and landed on the grass in deep left center.As Willson Contreras came to bat with two outs in the bottom of the fifth and the game tied at 2, the device was spotted over the left-center stands. Before the drone landed, umpires rushed players into the dugouts.The blinking drone took off, hovered at about 100 feet, then pulled away and vanished past the vintage center-field scoreboard.Following a 7-minute delay, Contreras resumed his at-bat and grounded out to end the inning.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

MIAMI (AP) — Jorge Alfaro homered twice before he took a foul ball to his helmet and the Miami Marlins beat the Boston Red Sox 8-4 on Wednesday night.Garrett Cooper also homered and scored twice for Miami, which moved within 2 1/2 games of first-place Atlanta in the NL East.Alfaro, the Marlins’ catcher, was removed in the seventh inning as a precaution after Christian Vázquez’s foul ball beaned him.Miami chased Boston starter Michael Kickham with a four-run third. Alfaro hit his first of two two-run blasts. Brian Anderson had a run-scoring single and scored from first on Lewis Brinson’s RBI double to make it 6-1.Alfaro also went deep in the fifth, a 412-foot shot to left-center off Robinson Leyer.Yimi Garcia (2-0) pitched a perfect eighth and was credited with the win even though he entered with an 8-4 lead. Brandon Kintzler was the sixth Miami reliever and worked a scoreless ninth.Miami starter Trevor Rogers was lifted after three innings and 76 pitches. Rogers allowed one run on three... [More]

Yankees first. DJ LeMahieu homers to right field. Aaron Judge strikes out swinging. Aaron Hicks grounds out to second base, Jonathan Villar to Vladimir Guerrero Jr.. Luke Voit flies out to deep center field to Randal Grichuk.1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 left on. Yankees 1, Blue jays 0.Yankees third. Tyler Wade singles to shallow right field. Kyle Higashioka homers to center field. Tyler Wade scores. DJ LeMahieu walks. Aaron Judge strikes out swinging. Aaron Hicks walks. DJ LeMahieu to second. Luke Voit strikes out swinging. Gio Urshela grounds out to shallow center field, Jonathan Villar to Vladimir Guerrero Jr..2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 left on. Yankees 3, Blue jays 0.Yankees fourth. Clint Frazier homers to left field. Gary Sanchez singles to right field. Tyler Wade flies out to left center field to Lourdes Gurriel Jr.. Kyle Higashioka lines out to deep left field to Lourdes Gurriel Jr.. DJ LeMahieu homers to right field. Gary Sanchez scores. Aaron Judge strikes out swinging.3 runs, 3 hits,... [More]

Marlins first. Miguel Rojas flies out to center field to Alex Verdugo. Jesus Aguilar singles to left field. Brian Anderson called out on strikes. Garrett Cooper homers to center field. Jesus Aguilar scores. Lewis Brinson grounds out to third base, Rafael Devers to Bobby Dalbec.2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 0 left on. Marlins 2, Red sox 0.Red sox third. Alex Verdugo singles to shallow center field. Rafael Devers hit by pitch. Alex Verdugo to second. Xander Bogaerts grounds out to shallow infield, Brian Anderson to Garrett Cooper. Rafael Devers to second. Alex Verdugo to third. J.D. Martinez out on a sacrifice fly to deep right field to Lewis Brinson. Rafael Devers to third. Alex Verdugo scores. Christian Vazquez walks. Yairo Munoz lines out to shallow infield, Trevor Rogers to Garrett Cooper.1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 2 left on. Marlins 2, Red sox 1.Marlins third. Miguel Rojas doubles. Jesus Aguilar strikes out swinging. Brian Anderson singles to right field. Miguel Rojas scores. Garrett Cooper... [More]

Orioles third. Austin Hays doubles to deep left field. Andrew Velazquez walks. Hanser Alberto doubles to deep left field. Andrew Velazquez to third. Austin Hays scores. Jose Iglesias grounds out to shallow center field, Dansby Swanson to Freddie Freeman. Hanser Alberto to third. Andrew Velazquez scores. Ryan Mountcastle out on a sacrifice fly to center field to Ronald Acuna Jr.. Hanser Alberto scores. Pedro Severino grounds out to third base, Austin Riley to Freddie Freeman.3 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 0 left on. Orioles 3, Braves 0.Braves sixth. Freddie Freeman singles to deep left field. Marcell Ozuna grounds out to third base, Hanser Alberto to Pat Valaika. Travis d'Arnaud grounds out to shortstop, Jose Iglesias to Pat Valaika. Freddie Freeman to third. Dansby Swanson grounds out to shallow center field, Andrew Velazquez to Pat Valaika.1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 left on. Orioles 3, Braves 1.Orioles sixth. Jose Iglesias singles to left field. Ryan Mountcastle flies out to deep left field to Marcell Ozuna. Pedro Severino singles to right field. Jose Iglesias to second. Renato Nunez doubles, advances to 3rd. Pedro Severino scores. Jose Iglesias scores. DJ Stewart called out on strikes. Pat Valaika pops out to shallow center field to Ozzie Albies.2 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on. Orioles 5, Braves 1.

Brewers first. Avisail Garcia hit by pitch. Christian Yelich walks. Avisail Garcia to second. Ryan Braun homers to left field. Christian Yelich scores. Avisail Garcia scores. Keston Hiura walks. Daniel Vogelbach grounds out to first base, Tommy Edman to Paul Goldschmidt. Keston Hiura to third. Jedd Gyorko out on a sacrifice fly to deep left field to Tyler O'Neill. Keston Hiura scores. Orlando Arcia strikes out swinging.4 runs, 1 hit, 1 error, 0 left on. Brewers 4, Cardinals 0.Brewers sixth. Orlando Arcia singles to shallow infield. Luis Urias strikes out swinging. Jacob Nottingham homers to left field. Orlando Arcia scores. Avisail Garcia grounds out to shortstop, Paul DeJong to Paul Goldschmidt. Christian Yelich walks. Ryan Braun grounds out to shortstop, Paul DeJong to Paul Goldschmidt.2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on. Brewers 6, Cardinals 0.

Royals first. Whit Merrifield flies out to deep left center field to Travis Demeritte. Adalberto Mondesi reaches on error. Fielding error by Sergio Alcantara. Salvador Perez homers to left field. Adalberto Mondesi scores. Maikel Franco strikes out swinging. Hunter Dozier strikes out on a foul tip.2 runs, 1 hit, 1 error, 0 left on. Royals 2, Tigers 0.Royals sixth. Whit Merrifield singles to shallow left field. Adalberto Mondesi flies out to shallow center field to Jorge Bonifacio. Salvador Perez doubles to deep right field. Whit Merrifield scores. Maikel Franco grounds out to first base to Jeimer Candelario. Salvador Perez to third. Hunter Dozier strikes out swinging.1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on. Royals 3, Tigers 0.Royals eighth. Nicky Lopez grounds out to shallow left field, Sergio Alcantara to Jeimer Candelario. Whit Merrifield singles to shortstop. Adalberto Mondesi singles to shallow center field. Whit Merrifield to second. Salvador Perez walks. Maikel Franco strikes out swinging. Hunter Dozier grounds out to shallow center field, Willi Castro to Jeimer Candelario.1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 left on. Royals 4, Tigers 0.

A look at what's happening around the majors on Thursday:NOW AND LATERCleveland ace Shane Bieber (7-1, 1.53 ERA) tries to get the Indians headed in the right direction when they open a series at Detroit. Bieber, a top contender for the AL Cy Young Award and perhaps the best pitcher in baseball this season, was beaten 3-1 in Minnesota last week for his first loss of the year. Still, he became the fastest starting pitcher since 1900 to reach 100 strikeouts in a season, hitting the milestone in 62 1/3 innings. Bieber will face Casey Mize (0-1, 5.85 ERA), the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 amateur draft. Mize makes his sixth big league start and is looking for his first career win.JUST IN TIME?Astros ace Justin Verlander threw to hitters on Wednesday for the first time since he was injured in the team’s opener on July 24. The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner, who was out with a strained right forearm, threw 50 pitches in the bullpen before throwing about 25 pitches to hitters in two simulated... [More]

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers became the first team to clinch a playoff spot in the pandemic-shortened season, beating the San Diego Padres 7-5 Wednesday behind Dustin May’s gutty effort out of the bullpen and home runs from AJ Pollock and Chris Taylor.Will Smith drove in three runs for the seven-time defending NL West champion Dodgers, who opened a 3 1/2-game lead in the division by winning two of three in the matchup of the NL’s two best teams.Mookie Betts tied his career high with three stolen bases, had two hits and scored a run.At 35-15, the Dodgers breezed into the expanded 16-team postseason field. Los Angeles is seeking its first World Series title since 1988.San Diego has lost two straight for the first time since mid-August.Manny Machado hit a solo homer in the eighth, his 14th of the season.Starter Brusdar Gasterol allowed a hit and a run in 1 1/3 innings before Adam Kolarek (3-0) allowed a hit and two walks in two-thirds of an inning. Pedro Baez got the final two... [More]

Reds fifth. Nick Senzel grounds out to third base, Ke'Bryan Hayes to Josh Bell. Freddy Galvis flies out to deep center field to Cole Tucker. Jose Garcia singles to left field. Curt Casali singles to center field. Jose Garcia to third. Shogo Akiyama singles to left field. Curt Casali out at home. Jose Garcia scores.1 run, 3 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on. Reds 1, Pirates 0.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom left his start against the Philadelphia Phillies after two innings Wednesday night with a right hamstring spasm.He exited after a surprisingly rough two innings that could put a wrinkle in his bid for a third straight NL Cy Young Award. The right-hander, who struck out 12 Phillies on Sept. 6, was pulled after only 40 pitches and one strikeout. He allowed three runs, pushing his ERA back over 2.00 at 2.09, and appeared to spike a water bottle in frustration in the dugout after a brief chat with pitching coach Jeremy Hefner and trainer Brian Chicklo. Hefner visited deGrom on the mound in the second inning when he allowed all his runs. It was the first time this season he gave up three earned runs.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Brewers first. Avisail Garcia grounds out to shallow infield, Adam Wainwright to Tommy Edman to Paul Goldschmidt. Christian Yelich singles to shallow center field. Keston Hiura homers to left field. Christian Yelich scores. Daniel Vogelbach called out on strikes. Jedd Gyorko strikes out swinging.2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 0 left on. Brewers 2, Cardinals 0.Cardinals second. Brad Miller strikes out swinging. Matt Carpenter grounds out to shallow infield, Keston Hiura to Jedd Gyorko. Tyler O'Neill homers to center field. Justin Williams singles to right field. Harrison Bader grounds out to shallow infield, Brandon Woodruff to Jedd Gyorko.1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on. Brewers 2, Cardinals 1.Cardinals fourth. Paul Goldschmidt singles to left field. Brad Miller doubles to left field. Paul Goldschmidt to third. Matt Carpenter flies out to shallow center field to Ben Gamel. Tyler O'Neill out on a sacrifice fly to deep right field to Ben Gamel. Brad Miller to third. Paul Goldschmidt scores.... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Yankees activated All-Star right fielder Aaron Judge on Wednesday and batted him second against Toronto, giving the team a full stable of active regulars for the first time since Aug. 8.The team also said it was transferring left-hander James Paxton to the 45-day injured list, ending his season and potentially his time as a Yankee.Judge has been out since Aug. 26 after re-aggravating a strained right calf and landing on the injured list for the second time this season. Judge initially went on the IL on Aug. 14, returned for one game and promptly was put back on the shelf.Judge is batting .292 with nine home runs, 20 RBIs and a 1.081 OPS in 18 games this season.“Writing him back in the lineup is big,” manager Aaron Boone said. Paxton hasn't pitched since Aug. 20, and New York had been hoping he could recover from a strained left flexor tendon in his pitching arm in time to pitch again this season. The 31-year-old suffered a setback in his rehab last week and... [More]

Athletics third. Tony Kemp walks. Marcus Semien walks. Tony Kemp to third. Robbie Grossman reaches on a fielder's choice to first base. Marcus Semien out at third. Tony Kemp scores. Tommy La Stella singles to center field. Robbie Grossman to second. Matt Olson strikes out swinging. Robbie Grossman steals third. Mark Canha grounds out to shallow left field, Nolan Arenado to Josh Fuentes.1 run, 1 hit, 1 error, 2 left on. Athletics 1, Rockies 0.Rockies third. David Dahl flies out to deep center field to Ramon Laureano. Ryan McMahon singles to deep right center field. Tony Wolters singles to shallow right field. Ryan McMahon to third. Raimel Tapia singles to shallow center field. Tony Wolters to second. Ryan McMahon scores. Trevor Story reaches on a fielder's choice to shortstop. Raimel Tapia out at second. Tony Wolters to third. Charlie Blackmon strikes out swinging.1 run, 3 hits, 0 errors, 2 left on. Athletics 1, Rockies 1.Athletics sixth. Tommy La Stella singles to shallow infield. Matt Olson doubles to deep right center field. Tommy La Stella to third. Mark Canha grounds out to shallow infield, Ryan McMahon to Josh Fuentes. Matt Olson to third. Tommy La Stella scores. Jake Lamb singles to deep right field. Matt Olson scores. Sean Murphy grounds out to shortstop. Jake Lamb out at second.2 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 0 left on. Athletics 3, Rockies 1.