A look at what's happening around the majors today:ON PAUSEThe Giants and Padres will see if their game Sunday at Petco Park will be played after someone in the San Francisco organization tested positive for the coronavirus.The teams lined up for a moment of silence for the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and the national anthem on Friday night, then the game was postponed. Tonight's game also was called off.This was the first postponement due to COVID-19 for both teams. There have been 45 major league games postponed this season because of coronavirus concerns.BIRD WORTH WATCHINGOrioles right-hander Dean Kremer goes for a repeat shutdown of the Yankees after he pitched one-run ball over six innings against New York in his major league debut last Sunday.Kremer limited the Yankees to one hit, struck out seven and retired 14 of his final 15 batters. The 24-year-old was acquired from the Dodgers in 2018 as part of a deal that sent away Manny Machado.Jordan Montgomery is set... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Nate Lowe hit two homers and drove in four runs as Tampa Bay fielded a lineup of all lefties, Blake Snell worked 5 1/3 scoreless innings and the AL East-leading Rays routed the cellar-dwelling Boston Red Sox 11-1 on Friday night.Tampa Bay became the first major league team since at least 1900 to use a batting order with only left-handed batters, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.Snell (4-1) gave up five hits and two walks. He struck out five.Yoshi Tsutsugo also homered for the Rays, who stopped a three-game skid. Boston rookie Bobby Dalbec had his five-game home run streak end but had an RBI double in the ninth.Rays manager Kevin Cash stacked his lineup with lefties against right-hander Andrew Triggs, who made his second start with Boston.Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke quickly countered by removing Triggs after he allowed a hit and walk in a scoreless first. However, Tsutsugo started the second with a homer off lefty Matt Hall (0-3).Kevin Kiermaier had an RBI... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Nate Lowe hit two homers and drove in four runs as Tampa Bay fielded a lineup of all lefties, Blake Snell worked 5 1/3 scoreless innings and the AL East-leading Rays routed the cellar-dwelling Boston Red Sox 11-1 on Friday night.Tampa Bay became the first major league team since at least 1900 to use a batting order with only left-handed batters, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.Snell (4-1) gave up five hits and two walks. He struck out five.Yoshi Tsutsugo also homered for the Rays, who stopped a three-game skid. Boston rookie Bobby Dalbec had his five-game home run streak end but had an RBI double in the ninth.Rays manager Kevin Cash stacked his lineup with lefties against right-hander Andrew Triggs, who made his second start with Boston.Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke quickly countered by removing Triggs after he allowed a hit and walk in a scoreless first. However, Tsutsugo started the second with a homer off lefty Matt Hall (0-3).Kevin Kiermaier had an RBI... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Nate Lowe hit two homers and drove in four runs as Tampa Bay fielded a lineup of all lefties, Blake Snell worked 5 1/3 scoreless innings and the AL East-leading Rays routed the cellar-dwelling Boston Red Sox 11-1 on Friday night.Tampa Bay became the first major league team since at least 1900 to use a batting order with only left-handed batters, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.Snell (4-1) gave up five hits and two walks. He struck out five.Yoshi Tsutsugo also homered for the Rays, who stopped a three-game skid. Boston rookie Bobby Dalbec had his five-game home run streak end but had an RBI double in the ninth.Rays manager Kevin Cash stacked his lineup with lefties against right-hander Andrew Triggs, who made his second start with Boston.Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke quickly countered by removing Triggs after he allowed a hit and walk in a scoreless first. However, Tsutsugo started the second with a homer off lefty Matt Hall (0-3).Kevin Kiermaier had an RBI... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors on Saturday:BIRD WORTH WATCHINGOrioles right-hander Dean Kremer goes for a repeat shutdown of the Yankees after he pitched one-run ball over six innings against New York in his major league debut last Sunday.Kremer limited the Yankees to one hit, struck out seven and retired 14 of his final 15 batters. The 24-year-old was acquired from the Dodgers in 2018 as part of a deal that sent away Manny Machado.Jordan Montgomery is set to start for New York at Yankee Stadium.NAILEDRookie right-hander Spencer Howard will replace Zack Wheeler as the Phillies’ starter in Game 4 of their seven-game series at Miami. Wheeler ripped a fingernail putting on his pants Wednesday, delaying his next start until at least Monday and perhaps longer.José Ureña is scheduled to start for the Marlins. He allowed three runs in five innings in his first start of the year against Atlanta after being sidelined by the coronavirus.LEFTIES, RIGHT?The innovative Rays became the... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Adam Duvall hit three home runs a night after teammate Marcell Ozuna become the first NL player ever to hit three homers in Fenway Park, and the East-leading Atlanta Braves beat the stumbling Boston Red Sox 7-5 Wednesday night to complete a three-game sweep. Duvall hit a pair of two-run shots over the Green Monster and a solo blast to center for his five RBIs. Ozuna added a long, tiebreaking solo drive for the Braves, who entered the three-game set 0-12-3 in their last 15 series against the Red Sox.It was Atlanta’s first sweep in Boston since capturing a three-game set in 2002. Freddie Freeman had two hits to extend his hitting streak to 16 games.Jackie Bradley Jr. hit a solo homer and J.D. Martinez had two hits and two RBIs for the Red Sox.Ozuna’s drive also cleared the Monster, sailing over a billboard and completely out of Fenway against Andrew Triggs (0-2) in the seventh. Duvall’s third homer hit off a back wall near the bleachers after his second homer had tied it at... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Adam Duvall hit three home runs a night after teammate Marcell Ozuna become the first NL player ever to hit three homers in Fenway Park, and the East-leading Atlanta Braves beat the stumbling Boston Red Sox 7-5 Wednesday night to complete a three-game sweep. Duvall hit a pair of two-run shots over the Green Monster and a solo blast to center for his five RBIs. Ozuna added a long, tiebreaking solo drive for the Braves, who entered the three-game set 0-12-3 in their last 15 series against the Red Sox.It was Atlanta’s first sweep in Boston since capturing a three-game set in 2002. Freddie Freeman had two hits to extend his hitting streak to 16 games.Jackie Bradley Jr. hit a solo homer and J.D. Martinez had two hits and two RBIs for the Red Sox.Ozuna’s drive also cleared the Monster, sailing over a billboard and completely out of Fenway against Andrew Triggs (0-2) in the seventh. Duvall’s third homer hit off a back wall near the bleachers after his second homer had tied it at... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge homered twice and drove in five runs, connecting for the fifth straight game and breaking an eighth-inning tie with a tape-measure shot that powered the New York Yankees past the Boston Red Sox 9-7 on Sunday night for their sixth consecutive victory. Luke Voit also went deep in a back-and forth slugfest to help the Yankees (7-1) finish a three-game sweep in the first series this season between the longtime rivals. New York has won six in a row and 11 of 12 against Boston since last July.DJ LeMahieu tied it 7 in the eighth with a two-out RBI single off Matt Barnes (0-1) past diving second baseman José Peraza. The clutch hit came after Mike Tauchman, who entered on defense in the seventh, walked and stole second.Judge then launched a no-doubt drive that landed several rows up in the raised bleachers beyond the left-center bullpen for his sixth home run already this year. The big slugger socked a three-run shot in the second, making him the first Yankees player... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Kyle Wright and the Atlanta bullpen combined on a 10-hit shutout and the Braves won their fifth in a row, beating the Mets 4-0 Sunday and blanking a New York lineup that found out late that slugger Yoenis Céspedes had opted out of playing any more this season.The Mets released a statement from general manager Brodie Van Wagenen in the early innings that Céspedes wasn’t at the ballpark and the team hadn’t been able to contact him.After the game, Van Wagenen said: “He’s decided to opt out of the remainder of the season for COVID-related reasons.”A two-time All-Star, the 34-year-old Céspedes returned to the lineup this season for the first time since July 20, 2018, after a series of injuries.The Braves sent New York to its fifth straight loss.Wright worked around five hits and four walks in 3 1/3 innings. Relievers Tyler Matzek (1-0), A.J. Minter, Shane Greene and Mark Melancon combined for 5 2/3 scoreless innings.New York's David Peterson (1-1) went six innings, striking out... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Kyle Wright and the Atlanta bullpen combined on a 10-hit shutout and the Braves won their fifth in a row, beating the Mets 4-0 Sunday and blanking a New York lineup that found out late that slugger Yoenis Céspedes had opted out of playing any more this season.The Mets released a statement from general manager Brodie Van Wagenen in the early innings that Céspedes wasn’t at the ballpark and the team hadn’t been able to contact him.After the game, Van Wagenen said: “He’s decided to opt out of the remainder of the season for COVID-related reasons.”A two-time All-Star, the 34-year-old Céspedes returned to the lineup this season for the first time since July 20, 2018, after a series of injuries.The Braves sent New York to its fifth straight loss.Wright worked around five hits and four walks in 3 1/3 innings. Relievers Tyler Matzek (1-0), A.J. Minter, Shane Greene and Mark Melancon combined for 5 2/3 scoreless innings.New York's David Peterson (1-1) went six innings, striking out... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The Oakland Athletics have activated outfielder Stephen Piscotty from the injured list and claimed catcher Dustin Garneau off waivers from the Los Angeles Angels.Piscotty had been out since June 30 with a sprained right knee. He played five games in the minors while rehabbing and batted .304 with one home run and three RBIs.To make room on the roster, the A's optioned second baseman Franklin Barreto to Triple-A Las Vegas on Saturday. Additionally, right-hander Ryan Dull was designated for assignment and pitcher Andrew Triggs was released.Garneau batted .232 with two home runs and seven RBIs in 28 games this season with the Angels.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CINCINNATI (AP) — Tanner Roark was on the road headed to Atlanta for the Cincinnati Reds' next series when he stopped to get something to eat and learned that he'd be going in a much different direction.The playoff-contending Oakland Athletics acquired Roark on Wednesday, filling out a rotation that also could have left-hander Sean Manaea back soon."This is a gamer that gets after it," A's manager Bob Melvin said. "He competes really hard, he throws strikes. He works quickly, which the fielders enjoy. Nice addition for us."Oakland sent outfield prospect Jameson Hannah to Cincinnati. The Reds are sending Oakland $2.1 million to offset much of the $3,225,806 remaining of Roark's $10 million salary.The trade was announced about an hour before the deadline for making deals. It was Oakland's third trade in 17 days. The A's previously acquired starter Homer Bailey and reliever Jake Diekman in a pair of deals with Kansas City."We needed starting pitching depth and a back-end arm in the bullpen,... [More]

CINCINNATI (AP) — Tanner Roark was on the road headed to Atlanta for the Cincinnati Reds' next series when he stopped to get something to eat and learned that he'd be going in a much different direction.The playoff-contending Oakland Athletics acquired Roark on Wednesday, filling out a rotation that also could have left-hander Sean Manaea back soon.Oakland sent outfield prospect Jameson Hannah to Cincinnati. The Reds are sending Oakland $2.1 million to offset much of the $3,225,806 remaining in Roark's $10 million salary.The trade was announced about an hour before the deadline for making deals. The A's began the day a half-game out of the second AL wild-card spot.Roark lasted a season-low 3 1/3 innings during Cincinnati's 11-4 loss to the Pirates on Tuesday. He is 6-7 in 21 starts with a 4.24 ERA and can become a free agent after the season, which left him a candidate for a midseason trade."I knew coming into the season that this was a possibility," Roark said. "That's how the game is.... [More]

MESA, Ariz. (AP) — Like every other pitcher in the Oakland Athletics' deep bullpen, Liam Hendriks is expecting to pitch a lot this season.The tricky question for manager Bob Melvin going into spring training: Who gets to go first?The Athletics rotation is a major uncertainty heading into camp, with the first workout for pitchers and catchers set for Monday. Of course, that's nothing new for Melvin. Oakland's rotation was wrecked by injuries last season, prompting the A's to lean on their relief pitchers as "openers" to start games. With at least three spots in the rotation currently wide open, Oakland might again be forced to get creative with the early innings.Hendriks became the most dependable in that role last season, making nine of the 10 "opener" starts for Oakland in September and October, including in the AL wild-card game against the Yankees.The makeshift bullpen games helped the A's earn a surprising postseason appearance, and Hendriks is eager to return to the role. He's ready... [More]

MESA, Ariz. (AP) — Like every other pitcher in the Oakland Athletics' deep bullpen, Liam Hendriks is expecting to pitch a lot this season.The tricky question for manager Bob Melvin going into spring training: Who gets to go first?The Athletics rotation is a major uncertainty heading into camp, with the first workout for pitchers and catchers set for Monday. Of course, that's nothing new for Melvin. Oakland's rotation was wrecked by injuries last season, prompting the A's to lean on their relief pitchers as "openers" to start games. With at least three spots in the rotation currently wide open, Oakland might again be forced to get creative with the early innings.Hendriks became the most dependable in that role last season, making nine of the 10 "opener" starts for Oakland in September and October, including in the AL wild-card game against the Yankees.The makeshift bullpen games helped the A's earn a surprising postseason appearance, and Hendriks is eager to return to the role. He's ready... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Bob Melvin's job was a lot different as a rookie manager with Seattle in 2002, and even when he was voted Manager of the Year with Arizona in 2007 and Oakland in 2012."Organizations and certainly front offices are more a part of it now, and you have to understand that," Melvin said Tuesday after winning his third manager award.Melvin won the American League honor after leading the Athletics to the playoffs despite the lowest opening-day payroll in the major leagues.Atlanta's Brian Snitker won the National League award following a surprising first-place finish, a reward for a 63-year-old baseball lifer who has spent 42 seasons with the Braves. He thought back to how he returned to the minor leagues in 1986, 1991 and 2004 after stints on the staff of the big league Braves."Hey, I've been recycled three times from the major leagues as a coach," he said. "Everything that I've been through I think has prepared me better to understand what these guys go through and what this job... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Fittingly, Liam Hendriks wore his cap backward. A reliever is going to start a team's postseason opener.A pitcher with no wins in the regular season.A pitcher cut from the 40-man roster in June who spent two months toiling in the minor leagues.A pitcher from Down Under who was happy to get medieval in New York."Instead of the starter going six and handing it over to the bullpen or going five and handing it over to the bullpen, now we're just reversing it," Oakland's Australian right-hander said Tuesday, a day ahead of the Athletics' AL wild card game against the New York Yankees.New York's Aaron Boone made a more conventional choice for his postseason game as a manager, picking Luis Severino over J.A. Happ and Masahiro Tanaka. Severino created a bullpen night in last year's wild card game but not by design, lasting just one out and leaving with a three-run deficit against Minnesota in a game the Yankees rallied to win 8-4.Oakland manager Bob Melvin has been scrambling because... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Fittingly, Liam Hendriks wore his cap backward. A reliever is going to start a team's postseason opener.A pitcher with no wins in the regular season.A pitcher cut from the 40-man roster in June who spent two months toiling in the minor leagues.A pitcher from Down Under who was happy to get medieval in New York."Instead of the starter going six and handing it over to the bullpen or going five and handing it over to the bullpen, now we're just reversing it," Oakland's Australian right-hander said Tuesday, a day ahead of the Athletics' AL wild card game against the New York Yankees.New York's Aaron Boone made a more conventional choice for his postseason game as a manager, picking Luis Severino over J.A. Happ and Masahiro Tanaka. Severino created a bullpen night in last year's wild card game but not by design, lasting just one out and leaving with a three-run deficit against Minnesota in a game the Yankees rallied to win 8-4.Oakland manager Bob Melvin has been scrambling because... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors today:CAN WE JUST PLAY?The Washington Nationals still haven't finished a full game since last Sunday. Their matchup against the Yankees at home Tuesday night was suspended in the sixth inning because of rain, and the teams were washed out Wednesday. The Nats were off Thursday and rained out again Friday night against the Dodgers.Washington and Los Angeles are now scheduled for a split doubleheader. And yep, an all-day rain is in the forecast at Nationals Park.SLUMPINGYankees shortstop Didi Gregorius is in a 1-for-45 slump that's lasted two weeks. He was batting .372 in late April and was chosen the AL Player of the Month. He hit his 10th home run on April 27, but hasn't cleared the fence since then. Gregorius has struck out only four times in his last 10 games, but isn't finding any open space.NICE STARTPirates center fielder Austin Meadows looks to build on his fine big league debut. The 23-year-old got two hits and stole a base Friday night... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors Saturday:CAN WE JUST PLAY?The Washington Nationals still haven't finished a full game since last Sunday. Their matchup against the Yankees at home Tuesday night was suspended in the sixth inning because of rain, and the teams were washed out Wednesday. The Nats were off Thursday and rained out again Friday night against the Dodgers.Washington and Los Angeles are now scheduled for a split doubleheader. And yep, an all-day rain is in the forecast at Nationals Park.SLUMPINGYankees shortstop Didi Gregorius is in a 1-for-45 slump that's lasted two weeks. He was batting .372 in late April and was chosen the AL Player of the Month. He hit his 10th home run on April 27, but hasn't cleared the fence since then. Gregorius has struck out only four times in his last 10 games, but isn't finding any open space.NICE STARTPirates center fielder Austin Meadows looks to build on his fine big league debut. The 23-year-old got two hits and stole a base Friday night... [More]