A look at the best-of-five American League Division Series between the Cleveland Indians and Houston Astros:___Schedule: (All times EDT) Game 1, Friday, at Houston, 2:05 p.m.; Game 2, Saturday, at Houston, 4:37 p.m.; Game 3, Monday, Oct. 8, at Cleveland, 1:30 p.m.; x-Game 4, Tuesday, Oct. 9, at Cleveland, 4:35 p.m.; x-Game 5, Thursday, Oct. 11, at Houston, 4:07 p.m. (All games on TBS).x-if necessary.___Season Series: Astros won 4-3.___Projected Lineups:Indians: SS Francisco Lindor (.277, 38 HRs, 92 RBIs, 42 2Bs, 25 SBs), LF Michael Brantley (.309, 17, 76), 2B Jose Ramirez (.272, 39, 106, 34 SBs), DH Edwin Encarnacion (.246, 32, 107), 3B Josh Donaldson (.246, 8, 23 with Blue Jays and Indians), 1B Yonder Alonso (.250, 23, 83), RF Melky Cabrera (.280, 6, 39 in 78 games), C Yan Gomes (.266, 16, 48), CF Jason Kipnis (.230, 18, 75).Astros: CF George Springer (.265, 22, 71), 2B Jose Altuve (.315, 13, 61), 3B Alex Bregman (.286, 31, 103, AL-best 51 doubles, 84 walks, 82 Ks), SS Carlos Correa (.239,... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — Rajai Davis is getting the chance to further his October legacy.Indians manager Terry Francona said Thursday the speedy outfielder will get his team's final spot on the 25-man roster for the AL Division Series against the Houston Astros.Davis was given the nod over backup infielder Erik Gonzalez. Davis cemented his place in October baseball lore with a tying home run in Game 7 of the 2016 World Series before Cleveland lost to the Chicago Cubs in 10 innings.Houston manager A.J. Hinch chose to carry just two catchers, leaving off Max Stassi for rookie Myles Straw, another speedy outfielder who has been mostly used as a pinch-runner. The Astros bullpen will consist of closer Roberto Osuna, Lance McCullers Jr., Ryan Pressly, left-hander Tony Sipp, Collin McHugh, Will Harris and hard-throwing rookie Josh James.Hinch chose to go with James over Hector Rondon, who has struggled over the last month, for his ability to pitch multiple innings. Also left off the roster were right-hander Brad Peacock, who appeared in seven games with one start last postseason, and 2017 All-Star Chris Devenski.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/tag/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

HOUSTON (AP) — Rajai Davis is getting the chance to further his October legacy.Indians manager Terry Francona said Thursday the speedy outfielder will get his team's final spot on the 25-man roster for the AL Division Series against the Houston Astros.Davis was given the nod over backup infielder Erik Gonzalez. Davis cemented his place in October baseball lore with a tying home run in Game 7 of the 2016 World Series before Cleveland lost to the Chicago Cubs in 10 innings.Houston manager A.J. Hinch chose to carry just two catchers, leaving off Max Stassi for rookie Myles Straw, another speedy outfielder who has been mostly used as a pinch-runner. The Astros bullpen will consist of closer Roberto Osuna, Lance McCullers Jr., Ryan Pressly, left-hander Tony Sipp, Collin McHugh, Will Harris and hard-throwing rookie Josh James.Hinch chose to go with James over Hector Rondon, who has struggled over the last month, for his ability to pitch multiple innings. Also left off the roster was right-hander Brad Peacock, who appeared in seven games with one start last postseason.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/tag/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

A look at the best-of-five American League Division Series between the Cleveland Indians and Houston Astros:___Schedule: (All times EDT) Game 1, Friday, at Houston, 2:05 p.m.; Game 2, Saturday, at Houston, 4:37 p.m.; Game 3, Monday, Oct. 8, at Cleveland, TBA; x-Game 4, Tuesday, Oct. 9, at Cleveland, TBA; x-Game 5, Thursday, Oct. 11, at Houston, TBA. (All games on TBS).x-if necessary.___Season Series: Astros won 4-3.___Projected Lineups:Indians: SS Francisco Lindor (.277, 38 HRs, 92 RBIs, 42 2Bs, 25 SBs), LF Michael Brantley (.309, 17, 76), 2B Jose Ramirez (.272, 39, 106, 34 SBs), DH Edwin Encarnacion (.246, 32, 107), 3B Josh Donaldson (.246, 8, 23 with Blue Jays and Indians), 1B Yonder Alonso (.250, 23, 83), RF Melky Cabrera (.280, 6, 39 in 78 games), C Yan Gomes (.266, 16, 48), CF Jason Kipnis (.230, 18, 75).Astros: CF George Springer (.265, 22, 71), 2B Jose Altuve (.315, 13, 61), 3B Alex Bregman (.286, 31, 103, AL-best 51 doubles, 84 walks, 82 Ks), SS Carlos Correa (.239, 15, 65), 1B... [More]

A look at the best-of-five American League Division Series between the Cleveland Indians and Houston Astros:___Schedule: (All times EDT) Game 1, Friday, at Houston, 2:05 p.m.; Game 2, Saturday, at Houston, 4:37 p.m.; Game 3, Monday, Oct. 8, at Cleveland, TBA; x-Game 4, Tuesday, Oct. 9, at Cleveland, TBA; x-Game 5, Thursday, Oct. 11, at Houston, TBA. (All games on TBS).x-if necessary.___Season Series: Astros won 4-3.___Projected Lineups:Indians: SS Francisco Lindor (.277, 38 HRs, 92 RBIs, 42 2Bs, 25 SBs), LF Michael Brantley (.309, 17, 76), 2B Jose Ramirez (.272, 39, 106, 34 SBs), DH Edwin Encarnacion (.246, 32, 107), 3B Josh Donaldson (.246, 8, 23 with Blue Jays and Indians), 1B Yonder Alonso (.250, 23, 83), RF Melky Cabrera (.280, 6, 39 in 78 games), C Yan Gomes (.266, 16, 48), CF Jason Kipnis (.230, 18, 75).Astros: CF George Springer (.265, 22, 71), 2B Jose Altuve (.315, 13, 61), 3B Alex Bregman (.286, 31, 103, AL-best 51 doubles, 84 walks, 82 Ks), SS Carlos Correa (.239, 15, 65), 1B... [More]

DENVER (AP) — The NL West-leading Colorado Rockies locked up a playoff berth for the second straight season, beating the Washington Nationals 5-2 on Friday night for their eighth win in a row behind a resilient start from Kyle Freeland.David Dahl homered for the fifth consecutive game and Ian Desmond hit a two-run homer against his former team to help Colorado clinch at least a wild card with two games remaining. The Rockies remained one game ahead of Los Angeles as they try to wrap up the franchise's first division crown. The Dodgers won 3-1 in San Francisco.Wade Davis struck out Bryce Harper looking to end the game and earn his 43rd save. The sellout crowd at Coors Field roared and fireworks went off.The Rockies are headed to the postseason in back-to-back years for the first time in team history. This is their fifth playoff trip since the franchise began in 1993 — last year, they lost to Arizona in the NL wild-card game.Freeland (17-7) wiggled out of jam after jam on a cool night to... [More]

DENVER (AP) — The NL West-leading Colorado Rockies locked up a playoff berth for the second straight season, beating the Washington Nationals 5-2 on Friday night for their eighth win in a row behind a resilient start from Kyle Freeland.David Dahl homered for the fifth consecutive game and Ian Desmond hit a two-run homer against his former team to help Colorado clinch at least a wild card with two games remaining. The Rockies remained one game ahead of Los Angeles as they try to wrap up the franchise's first division crown. The Dodgers won 3-1 in San Francisco.Wade Davis struck out Bryce Harper looking to end the game and earn his 43rd save. The sellout crowd at Coors Field roared and fireworks went off.The Rockies are headed to the postseason in back-to-back years for the first time in team history. This is their fifth playoff trip since the franchise began in 1993 — last year, they lost to Arizona in the NL wild-card game.Freeland (17-7) wiggled out of jam after jam on a cool night to... [More]

DENVER (AP) — The NL West-leading Colorado Rockies locked up a playoff berth for the second straight season, beating the Washington Nationals 5-2 on Friday night for their eighth win in a row behind a resilient start from Kyle Freeland.David Dahl homered for the fifth consecutive game and Ian Desmond hit a two-run homer against his former team to help Colorado clinch at least a wild card with two games remaining. The Rockies remained one game ahead of Los Angeles Dodgers as they try to wrap up the franchise's first division crown. The Dodgers won 3-1 in San Francisco.Wade Davis struck out Bryce Harper looking to end the game and earn his 43rd save. The sellout crowd at Coors Field roared and fireworks went off.The Rockies are headed to the postseason in back-to-back years for the first time in team history. This is their fifth playoff trip since the franchise began in 1993 — last year, they lost to Arizona in the NL wild-card game.Freeland (17-7) wiggled out of jam after jam on a cool night... [More]

DENVER (AP) — The NL West-leading Colorado Rockies locked up a playoff berth for the second straight season, beating the Washington Nationals 5-2 on Friday night for their eighth win in a row behind a resilient start from Kyle Freeland.David Dahl homered for the fifth consecutive game and Ian Desmond hit a two-run homer against his former team to help Colorado clinch at least a wild card with two games remaining. The Rockies entered the night with a one-game lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers as they try to wrap up the franchise's first division crown.Wade Davis struck out Bryce Harper looking to end the game and earn his 43rd save. The sellout crowd at Coors Field roared and fireworks went off.The Rockies are headed to the postseason in back-to-back years for the first time in team history. This is their fifth playoff trip since the franchise began in 1993 — last year, they lost to Arizona in the NL wild-card game.Freeland (17-7) wiggled out of jam after jam on a cool night to finish the... [More]

DENVER (AP) — The NL West-leading Colorado Rockies locked up a playoff berth for the second straight season, beating the Washington Nationals 5-2 on Friday night for their eighth win in a row behind a resilient start from Kyle Freeland.David Dahl homered for the fifth consecutive game and Ian Desmond hit a two-run homer against his former team to help Colorado clinch at least a wild card with two games remaining. The Rockies entered the night with a one-game lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers as they try to wrap up the franchise's first division crown.Wade Davis struck out Bryce Harper looking to end the game and earn his 43rd save. The sellout crowd at Coors Field roared and fireworks went off.The Rockies are headed to the postseason in back-to-back years for the first time in team history. This is their fifth playoff trip since the franchise began in 1993 — last year, they lost to Arizona in the NL wild-card game.Freeland (17-7) wiggled out of jam after jam on a cool night to finish the... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — The New York Yankees clinched home-field advantage for the AL wild-card game, hitting four homers to tie the major league single-season record and beat the Boston Red Sox 11-6 on Friday night.Aaron Judge hit his first homer since coming off the disabled list Sept. 14, and Gary Sanchez, Aaron Hicks and Luke Voit also homered to match the mark of 264 set by the 1997 Seattle Mariners.The win in the opener of the three-game series settled the AL's last remaining postseason question with two games to go. The Yankees will host Oakland on Wednesday, with the winner playing Boston.The Red Sox, who clinched the best record in baseball with a franchise-record 107 wins, were hoping to make things difficult for their archrivals — and the Athletics, too — by forcing the winner of the wild-card game have to fly cross-country next week. The ALDS begins in Boston on Friday.J.A. Happ (17-6) pitched three perfect innings and allowed just one hit through five. Staked to an 8-0 lead, he loaded... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The Chicago Cubs tied a major league record by turning seven double plays Friday night, including a game-ending effort by rookie third baseman David Bote on a grounder by David Freese to finish off a 1-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.The Cubs got six double plays on grounders — five with Cole Hamels pitching — and one on a line drive. The Elias Sports Bureau said the Cubs became the third team in big league history to turn seven DPs in a nine-inning game.Pittsburgh put runners on first and second in the ninth before Jesse Chavez got Freese to ground to Bote. Having hit a game-ending grand slam last Sunday night to beat Washington 4-3, Bote again was in the right place to cap off a win. Bote stepped on third and threw to first base to end it.Hamels (8-9) pitched seven solid innings. Kyle Schwarber hit a home run in the second off Trevor Williams (10-9). Chavez got his second save as the Pirates lost their fifth in a row.The Cubs beat the Pirates by a 1-0 score for the second... [More]

Now that the dust has settled after the trade deadline, here's some quick trivia:Which team does Zach Duke pitch for?How about Darren O'Day? Or Seunghwan Oh?It seemed like every contender wanted to add another arm or two in the bullpen, making the hours and days leading up to last week's non-waiver trade deadline feel like a giant game of musical chairs for relievers. The importance of relief pitching in the postseason has been obvious for a while now. Last year, the Yankees got just one out from their starting pitcher in the American League wild-card game against Minnesota, but four relievers went the rest of the way, and New York was able to advance.With so many off days built into the schedule in the playoffs, teams can push their top relievers more. Here are a few bullpens to watch down the stretch.(But first, the trivia answers: Duke was traded to Seattle, O'Day was dealt to Atlanta, and Oh is with Colorado now.)Chicago Cubs: If you made a list of the absolute top relievers in baseball,... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Noah Syndergaard pitched out of trouble in a rusty return from the disabled list and helped himself with an RBI single as the New York Mets beat the Washington Nationals 4-2 on Friday night.Amed Rosario tripled and doubled, both times over Bryce Harper's head in center field, and the Mets won for only the sixth time in their last 26 home games. Brandon Nimmo had three hits for New York, which built a three-run cushion in the first inning against struggling starter Tanner Roark.Roark (3-12) became the first 12-game loser in the majors this season. He allowed four runs and eight hits in five innings.Matt Adams homered for the inconsistent Nationals, who fell back to .500 at 47-47. They have lost just three of 13 games at Citi Field since the start of last season.After missing seven weeks with a strained ligament in his right index finger, Syndergaard (5-1) came out firing 99 mph fastballs.Robert Gsellman gave up Adams' upper-deck shot in the eighth but got six outs for his... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Noah Syndergaard pitched out of trouble in a rusty return from the disabled list and helped himself with an RBI single as the New York Mets beat the Washington Nationals 4-2 on Friday night.Amed Rosario tripled and doubled, both times over Bryce Harper's head in center field, and the Mets won for only the sixth time in their last 26 home games. Brandon Nimmo had three hits for New York, which built a three-run cushion in the first inning against struggling starter Tanner Roark.Roark (3-12) became the first 12-game loser in the majors this season. He allowed four runs and eight hits in five innings.Matt Adams homered for the inconsistent Nationals, who fell back to .500 at 47-47. They have lost just three of 13 games at Citi Field since the start of last season.After missing seven weeks with a strained ligament in his right index finger, Syndergaard (5-1) came out firing 99 mph fastballs.Robert Gsellman gave up Adams' upper-deck shot in the eighth but got six outs for his... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Noah Syndergaard pitched out of trouble in a rusty return from the disabled list and helped himself with an RBI single as the New York Mets beat the Washington Nationals 4-2 on Friday night.Amed Rosario tripled and doubled, both times over Bryce Harper's head in center field, and the Mets won for only the sixth time in their last 26 home games. Brandon Nimmo had three hits for New York, which built a three-run cushion in the first inning against struggling starter Tanner Roark.Roark (3-12) became the first 12-game loser in the majors this season. He allowed four runs and eight hits in five innings.Matt Adams homered for the inconsistent Nationals, who fell back to .500 at 47-47. They have lost just three of 13 games at Citi Field since the start of last season.After missing seven weeks with a strained ligament in his right index finger, Syndergaard (5-1) came out firing 99 mph fastballs.Gsellman gave up Adams' upper-deck shot in the eighth but got six outs for his fourth... [More]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Carlos Correa and the Houston Astros won their 11th straight game, finishing off a 10-0 trip by rallying past the Kansas City Royals 7-4 on Sunday.The World Series champion Astros swept their swing through Texas, Oakland and Kansas City, outscoring opponents 74-35. Last season, Houston had an 11-game winning streak end in Kansas City. This time, the Astros trailed 4-3 in the eighth inning before Correa led off with a tying homer. Evan Gattis, who had three hits, then put them ahead during a three-run burst.Correa has three home runs and eight RBIs in six games after missing four games with discomfort in his right side. He had a first-inning single and added a sacrifice fly in the ninth.Gattis hit .366 with five home runs and 19 RBIs on the Astros' trip. He singled home Yuli Gurriel in the eighth, and Marvin Gonzalez added an RBI single in the inning.The Royals have lost six straight and 12 of 13. They have dropped 26 of 36 home games.Brandon Maurer (0-3) took the... [More]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Carlos Correa and the Houston Astros won their 11th straight game, finishing off a 10-0 trip by rallying past the Kansas City Royals 7-4 on Sunday.The World Series champion Astros swept their swing through Texas, Oakland and Kansas City, outscoring opponents 74-35. Last season, Houston had an 11-game winning streak end in Kansas City. This time, the Astros trailed 4-3 in the eighth inning before Correa led off with a tying homer. Evan Gattis, who had three hits, then put them ahead during a three-run burst.Correa has three home runs and eight RBIs in six games after missing four games with discomfort in his right side. He had a first-inning single and added a sacrifice fly in the ninth.Gattis hit .366 with five home runs and 19 RBIs on the Astros' trip. He singled home Yuli Gurriel in the eighth, and Marvin Gonzalez added an RBI single in the inning.The Royals have lost six straight and 12 of 13. They have dropped 26 of 36 home games.Brandon Maurer (0-3) took the... [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]

CHICAGO (AP) — Jon Lester combined with two relievers on a one-hitter, and the Cubs took advantage of a first-inning slip by center fielder Starling Marte in a 2-0 victory Saturday over the Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago's 11th win in 13 games.Lester (7-2) allowed a two-out triple in the third to Austin Meadows, then retired Starling Marte on a groundout. Lester struck out five and walked two in seven innings, improving to 5-1 in his past six starts.Justin Wilson and Steve Cishek each pitched a perfect inning. Cishek got his second save as the Cubs remained a half-game behind NL Central-leading Milwaukee.Nick Kingham (2-3) allowed both runs and four hits in 6 1/3 innings. Pittsburgh lost for the sixth time in seven games and is 5-16 following a 26-17 start, losing seven straight series.YANKEES 4, METS 3NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge hit a tiebreaking drive in the eighth inning and the Yankees won a game of home run derby, beating the Mets for their sixth straight victory in the Subway Series.Rookies... [More]