SEATTLE (AP) — Jerry Dipoto expected a quiet lead-up to the trade deadline. The only player the Seattle Mariners general manager knew he wanted to and could move with ease was pitcher Taijuan Walker. The last thing Dipoto planned on was a massive seven-player swap that ended up landing the Mariners a couple of prime prospects they have long coveted. “We’re excited about the group we’re building,” Dipoto said. “Frankly, when we made the Taijuan Walker deal I really did think that we were probably done and that would be the extent of our activity. But it took on a little bit of a different light.”Seattle ended up making four trades before Monday’s deadline but the most notable was the seven-player deal with San Diego that landed the Mariners four players with the potential to contribute to their rebuilding plans. Taylor Trammell, one of the top 100 prospects in the minors, headlined the trade. But the depth of the deal is what made it successful for the Mariners, who also added infielder... [More]

SEATTLE (AP) — Jerry Dipoto expected a quiet lead-up to the trade deadline. The only player the Seattle Mariners general manager knew he wanted to and could move with ease was pitcher Taijuan Walker. The last thing Dipoto planned on was a massive seven-player swap that ended up landing the Mariners a couple of prime prospects they have long coveted. “We’re excited about the group we’re building,” Dipoto said. “Frankly, when we made the Taijuan Walker deal I really did think that we were probably done and that would be the extent of our activity. But it took on a little bit of a different light.”Seattle ended up making four trades before Monday’s deadline but the most notable was the seven-player deal with San Diego that landed the Mariners four players with the potential to contribute to their rebuilding plans. Taylor Trammell, one of the top 100 prospects in the minors, headlined the trade. But the depth of the deal is what made it successful for the Mariners, who also added infielder... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Dominic Smith hit the go-ahead home run in his first game since tearfully pleading for help combating racial inequality, Pete Alonso also connected and the New York Mets beat the crosstown Yankees 6-4 in the opener of a doubleheader Friday.Amed Rosario hit a walkoff, two-run homer to lift the Mets to a 4-3 victory in the nightcap — a bizarre scene in the Bronx, where the Yankees batted first as the visiting team in the makeup of a game postponed last weekend.The sweep sent the Yankees to their seventh straight loss.Rosario connected off closer Aroldis Chapman (0-1) with pinch-runner Billy Hamilton at second base. Chapman walked Jeff McNeil to open the inning, and Hamilton promptly stole second despite being picked off by the All-Star left-hander.Rosario then cranked his third home run of the season into the left field seats, setting off the second big celebration in the visiting dugout as the Mets swept the Yankees in a doubleheader for the first time.Jared Hughes (1-1)... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Dominic Smith hit the go-ahead home run in his first game since tearfully pleading for help combating racial inequality, Pete Alonso also connected and the New York Mets beat the crosstown Yankees 6-4 in the opener of a doubleheader Friday.Amed Rosario hit a walkoff, two-run homer to lift the Mets to a 4-3 victory in the nightcap — a bizarre scene in the Bronx, where the Yankees batted first as the visiting team in the makeup of a game postponed last weekend.The sweep sent the Yankees to their seventh straight loss.Rosario connected off closer Aroldis Chapman (0-1) with pinch-runner Billy Hamilton at second base. Chapman walked Jeff McNeil to open the inning, and Hamilton promptly stole second despite being picked off by the All-Star left-hander.Rosario then cranked his third home run of the season into the left field seats, setting off the second big celebration in the visiting dugout as the Mets swept the Yankees in a doubleheader for the first time.Jared Hughes (1-1)... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Dominic Smith hit the go-ahead home run in his first game since tearfully pleading for help combating racial inequality, and the New York Mets beat the crosstown Yankees 6-4 in the opener of a doubleheader Friday.Smith, a 25-year-old Black man, wept Wednesday night reflecting on a recent shooting by police of a Black man in Wisconsin. Smith and his teammates were all smiles after his decisive solo shot against Chad Green in the sixth inning on what was Jackie Robinson Day around the majors. Smith’s drive followed a tying three-run shot by Pete Alonso, and Jake Marisnick also connected in the inning against Green (2-2).Clint Frazier homered and reached base four times for the Yankees, who lost their sixth in a row.Walker Lockett (1-0) pitched two scoreless innings in relief for the Mets. Edwin Díaz struck out the side in the ninth for his second save.Lockett was designated for assignment between games to create roster space for nightcap starter David Peterson.NATIONALS 10,... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Dominic Smith hit the go-ahead home run in his first game since tearfully pleading for help combating racial inequality, and the New York Mets beat the crosstown Yankees 6-4 in the opener of a doubleheader Friday.Smith, a 25-year-old Black man, wept Wednesday night reflecting on a recent shooting by police of a Black man in Wisconsin. Smith and his teammates were all smiles after his decisive solo shot against Chad Green in the sixth inning on what was Jackie Robinson Day around the majors. Smith’s drive followed a tying three-run shot by Pete Alonso, and Jake Marisnick also connected in the inning against Green (2-2).Clint Frazier homered and reached base four times for the Yankees, who lost their sixth in a row.Walker Lockett (1-0) pitched two scoreless innings in relief for the Mets. Edwin Díaz struck out the side in the ninth for his second save.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — Gerrit Cole posted his 20th straight regular-season win, becoming the sixth pitcher to reach the mark by throwing seven sharp innings to lead the New York Yankees over the Boston Red Sox 10-3 Friday night.Cole (4-0) allowed one run and four hits. He struck out eight, walked none and threw 95 pitches.Cole’s only defeat since May 2019 was in the World Series opener last year, when he pitched for Houston and lost to Washington. The Yankees improved to 7-0 at home for the fourth time since 1959 (also 2017, 1998 and 1987). New York also beat Boston for the seventh straight time.Gary Sánchez homered for the second straight game and Gleyber Torres had four hits, including a two-run double in the third. Mike Tauchman drove in four runs and started in right field for Aaron Judge, who landed on the injured list with a mild right calf strain. Clint Frazier also hit a two-run double in the eighth.DJ LeMahieu had two more hits and ended the night with a .429 average. It was his 69th... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Gerrit Cole posted his 20th straight regular-season win, becoming the sixth pitcher to reach the mark by throwing seven sharp innings to lead the New York Yankees over the Boston Red Sox 10-3 Friday night.Cole (4-0) allowed one run and four hits. He struck out eight, walked none and threw 95 pitches.Cole’s only defeat since May 2019 was in the World Series opener last year, when he pitched for Houston and lost to Washington. The Yankees improved to 7-0 at home for the fourth time since 1959 (also 2017, 1998 and 1987). New York also beat Boston for the seventh straight time.Gary Sánchez homered for the second straight game and Gleyber Torres had four hits, including a two-run double in the third. Mike Tauchman drove in four runs and started in right field for Aaron Judge, who landed on the injured list with a mild right calf strain. Clint Frazier also hit a two-run double in the eighth.DJ LeMahieu had two more hits and ended the night with a .429 average. It was his 69th... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Gerrit Cole posted his 20th straight regular-season win, becoming the sixth pitcher to reach the mark by throwing seven sharp innings to lead the New York Yankees over the Boston Red Sox 10-3 Friday night.Cole (4-0) allowed one run and four hits. He struck out eight, walked none and threw 95 pitches.Cole’s only defeat since May 2019 was in the World Series opener last year, when he pitched for Houston and lost to Washington. The Yankees improved to 7-0 at home for the fourth time since 1959 (also 2017, 1998 and 1987). New York also beat Boston for the seventh straight time.Gary Sánchez homered for the second straight game and Gleyber Torres had four hits, including a two-run double in the third. Mike Tauchman drove in four runs and started in right field for Aaron Judge, who landed on the injured list with a mild right calf strain. Clint Frazier also hit a two-run double in the eighth.DJ LeMahieu had two more hits and ended the night with a .429 average. It was his 69th... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Gerrit Cole posted his 20th straight regular-season win, becoming the sixth pitcher to reach the mark by throwing seven sharp innings to lead the New York Yankees over the Boston Red Sox 10-3 Friday night.Cole (4-0) allowed one run and four hits. He struck out eight, walked none and threw 95 pitches.Cole’s only defeat since May 2019 was in the World Series opener last year, when he pitched for Houston and lost to Washington. The Yankees improved to 7-0 at home for the fourth time since 1959 (also 2017, 1998 and 1987). New York also beat Boston for the seventh straight time.Gary Sánchez homered for the second straight game and Gleyber Torres had four hits, including a two-run double in the third. Mike Tauchman drove in four runs and started in right field for Aaron Judge, who landed on the injured list with a mild right calf strain. Clint Frazier also hit a two-run double in the eighth.DJ LeMahieu had two more hits and ended the night with a .429 average. It was his 69th... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Gerrit Cole posted his 20th straight regular-season win, becoming the sixth pitcher to reach the mark by throwing seven sharp innings to lead the New York Yankees over the Boston Red Sox 10-3 Friday night.Cole (4-0) allowed one run and four hits. He struck out eight, walked none and threw 95 pitches.Cole’s only defeat since May 2019 was in the World Series opener last year, when he pitched for Houston and lost to Washington. The Yankees improved to 7-0 at home for the fourth time since 1959 (also 2017, 1998 and 1987). New York also beat Boston for the seventh straight time.Gary Sánchez homered for the second straight game and Gleyber Torres had four hits, including a two-run double in the third. Mike Tauchman drove in four runs and started in right field for Aaron Judge, who landed on the injured list with a mild right calf strain. Clint Frazier also hit a two-run double in the eighth.DJ LeMahieu had two more hits and ended the night with a .429 average. It was his 69th... [More]

With all the protocols in place, Stephen Strasburg got a good feel Monday night for what pitching on the road will entail this season during the coronavirus pandemic. Last year's World Series MVP threw five strong innings for Washington in a 4-2 exhibition win over the Baltimore Orioles. Nationals manager Dave Martinez said the team took five buses for the 45-minute ride to Baltimore so players and staff could space out, with 14 people on each bus. “It’s pretty intense,” Strasburg said. “You get on the bus and you have to wear a face mask the whole time. Then you get in, and basically they temperature screen you. It’s kind of tough to get a good temperature reading when it’s 100 degrees outside. "But if you pass that, then you come into the clubhouse and everybody’s kind of sectioned off. So it’s just kind of an adjustment that we have to make. But unfortunately it’s kind of challenging to build team chemistry in an environment like this right now.” Strasburg looked just fine on the mound,... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Mets reliever Robert Gsellman has a partially torn lat muscle that puts the rest of his season in jeopardy, a significant blow to New York's improved bullpen as the team chases a playoff berth.Gsellman was placed on the 10-day injured list last weekend, retroactive to Aug. 14, with tightness in his right triceps. But an MRI showed a partial tear of his right lat, a similar injury to the one that sidelined teammate Noah Syndergaard for more than 4½ months in 2017."We don't know how long this is going to last, so it didn't really change our view on timeline or anything like that. It's just unfortunate that he isn't going to be available to us," manager Mickey Callaway said.The announcement was made Tuesday before the Mets opened a pivotal homestand against Cleveland. They began the night two games behind the Chicago Cubs for the second NL wild card."Very frustrating," Gsellman said. "With the way the team's playing, I want to be with them. But I'm still going to be here. I'm... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Mets reliever Robert Gsellman has a partially torn lat muscle that puts the rest of his season in jeopardy, a significant blow to New York's improved bullpen as the team chases a playoff spot.Gsellman was placed on the 10-day injured list last weekend, retroactive to Aug. 14, with tightness in his right triceps. But the Mets say an MRI showed a partial tear of his right lat, a similar injury to the one that sidelined teammate Noah Syndergaard for more than 4½ months in 2017.The announcement was made Tuesday before the Mets opened a pivotal homestand against Cleveland. They began the night two games behind the Chicago Cubs for the second NL wild card.Gsellman is 2-3 with a 4.66 ERA and one save in 52 appearances covering 63 2/3 innings. The right-hander has struck out 60 and walked 23.New York selected the contract of veteran outfielder Rajai Davis from Triple-A Syracuse, bringing him back to the majors for the second time this season. Right-hander Walker Lockett was optioned to Syracuse and right-handed reliever Brooks Pounders, who was in the minors, was designated for assignment.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — Gary Sánchez, Gleyber Torres and DJ LeMahieu homered in a hurry, connecting in a six-run fourth inning that powered the New York Yankees past the Houston Astros 10-6 on Thursday night for their sixth straight win.Edwin Encarnación hit his AL-leading 23rd home run, and second since being acquired by New York from Seattle, as the Yankees handed Houston its season-worst fifth loss in a row.The Astros dropped a matchup of division leaders despite Jake Marisnick's two home runs and solo drives by Alex Bregman and rookie Yordan Álvarez.Sánchez opened the fourth with his 22nd homer. With rain falling, Torres connected for a three-run jolt off rookie Framber Valdéz (3-3). LeMahieu tagged reliever Chris Devenski for a two-run homer and a 6-0 lead. The inning included two delays — a short break to fix the mound and a 37-minute stoppage when the showers fell too hard.Nestor Cortes Jr. (2-0) pitched three innings after another fine start by opener Chad Green. The veteran reliever struck... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Gary Sánchez, Gleyber Torres and DJ LeMahieu homered in a hurry, connecting in a six-run fourth inning that powered the New York Yankees past the Houston Astros 10-6 on Thursday night for their sixth straight win.Edwin Encarnación hit his AL-leading 23rd home run, and second since being acquired by New York from Seattle, as the Yankees handed Houston its season-worst fifth loss in a row.The Astros dropped a matchup of division leaders despite Jake Marisnick's two home runs and solo drives by Alex Bregman and rookie Yordan Álvarez.Sánchez opened the fourth with his 22nd homer. With rain falling, Torres connected for a three-run jolt off rookie Framber Valdéz (3-3). LeMahieu tagged reliever Chris Devenski for a two-run homer and a 6-0 lead. The inning included two delays — a short break to fix the mound and a 37-minute stoppage when the showers fell too hard.Nestor Cortes Jr. (2-0) pitched three innings after another fine start by opener Chad Green. The veteran reliever struck... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Gary Sánchez, Gleyber Torres and DJ LeMahieu homered in a hurry, connecting in a six-run fourth inning that powered the New York Yankees past the Houston Astros 10-6 on Thursday night for their sixth straight win.Edwin Encarnación hit his AL-leading 23rd home run, and second since being acquired by New York from Seattle, as the Yankees handed Houston its season-worst fifth loss in a row.The Astros dropped a matchup of division leaders despite Jake Marisnick's two home runs and solo drives by Alex Bregman and rookie Yordan Álvarez.Sánchez opened the fourth with his 22nd homer. With rain falling, Torres connected for a three-run jolt off rookie Framber Valdéz (3-3). LeMahieu tagged reliever Chris Devenski for a two-run homer and a 6-0 lead. The inning included two delays — a short break to fix the mound and a 37-minute stoppage when the showers fell too hard.Nestor Cortes Jr. (2-0) pitched three innings after another fine start by opener Chad Green. The veteran reliever struck... [More]

A team-by-team look at the National League East entering spring training, including key players each club acquired and lost, and dates of the first workout for pitchers and catchers, and the full squad:___Atlanta BravesManager: Brian Snitker (fourth season).2018: 90-72, first place, lost to Dodgers in Division Series.Training Town: Kissimmee, Florida.Park: Champion Stadium.First Workout: Feb. 16/21.He's Here: 3B Josh Donaldson, C Brian McCann, C Raffy Lopez, pitching coach Rick Kranitz.He's Outta Here: C Kurt Suzuki, RHP Anibal Sanchez, RHP Brandon McCarthy, RHP Brad Brach, 3B Ryan Flaherty, RHP Peter Moylan, 1B Lucas Duda, C Rene Rivera, OF Lane Adams, pitching coach Chuck Hernandez.Going campin': The 2018 Baby Braves were a surprise breakthrough team, winning the club's first NL East championship since 2013. A repeat title in a tougher NL East might be a bigger challenge. A key to the start of spring will be the health of Donaldson, who signed a one-year, $23 million deal after a left... [More]

A team-by-team look at the National League East entering spring training, including key players each club acquired and lost, and dates of the first workout for pitchers and catchers, and the full squad:___Atlanta BravesManager: Brian Snitker (fourth season).2018: 90-72, first place, lost to Dodgers in Division Series.Training Town: Kissimmee, Florida.Park: Champion Stadium.First Workout: Feb. 16/21.He's Here: 3B Josh Donaldson, C Brian McCann, C Raffy Lopez, pitching coach Rick Kranitz.He's Outta Here: C Kurt Suzuki, RHP Anibal Sanchez, RHP Brandon McCarthy, RHP Brad Brach, 3B Ryan Flaherty, RHP Peter Moylan, 1B Lucas Duda, C Rene Rivera, OF Lane Adams, pitching coach Chuck Hernandez.Going campin': The 2018 Baby Braves were a surprise breakthrough team, winning the club's first NL East championship since 2013. A repeat title in a tougher NL East might be a bigger challenge. A key to the start of spring will be the health of Donaldson, who signed a one-year, $23 million deal after a left... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Indians have replenished their bare catching cupboard.After trading top prospect Francisco Mejia and All-Star catcher Yan Gomes last year, the Indians had a void behind the plate and filled it Sunday by acquiring catcher Kevin Plawecki in a trade with the New York Mets.The three-time defending AL champions sent right-hander Walker Lockett and infielder Sam Haggerty to New York for Plawecki, who played in 78 games — 64 starts — for the Mets last season. Plawecki batted .201 with seven homers and a career-high 30 RBIs.The Indians were in the market for a catcher after dealing Gomes to the Washington Nationals in December."We're excited to add Kevin to our major league catching mix," said Indians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti. "The guy's earned a reputation as a really good teammate, a good receiver and leads a pitching staff really well. We also believe there's some upside with him offensively. We like his ingredients to hit and think he can be a contributing... [More]