TORONTO (AP) — The Blue Jays said goodbye to Kevin Pillar while giving a long-term deal to Randal Grichuk.Pillar was traded by the veteran-shedding Blue Jays to the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday for infielder Alen Hanson, right-hander Derek Law and minor league pitcher Juan De Paula.Toronto also acquired outfielder Socrates Brito from San Diego for Class A outfielder Rodrigo Orozco, then announced a $52 million, five-year agreement with Grichuk, an outfielder who had been eligible for free agency after the 2020 season."I love the city. I like the direction the team is going," Grichuk said. "I see the vision. I see a lot of young, talented players that can be very impactful. They have a vision, and I want to be a part of it."Grichuk is a career .247 hitter with 92 home runs and 245 RBIs in 533 games with St. Louis and Toronto, but his on-base percentage is just .297."The offense has always stood out," Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said. "He's always performed. He's always hit the... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Outfielder Kevin Pillar was traded by the veteran-shedding Toronto Blue Jays to the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday for infielder Alen Hanson, right-hander Derek Law and minor league pitcher Juan De Paula.Pillar was due to join the Giants in Los Angeles during their game against the Dodgers."We're excited, really excited," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "He's somebody that's been on our radar for a while, and to have him here to help out, he'll give us plus defense, another bat, experienced guy. The energy level that he plays at, I'm looking forward to getting to know him and watching him."Pillar had been Toronto's longest-tenured player, in his seventh season with the Blue Jays. Known for stellar defense in center field, the 30-year-old has a .260 average with 55 home runs and 231 RBIs in 695 games. Pillar has a $5.8 million salary, is eligible for arbitration next winter and can become a free agent after the 2020 season.Hanson, 26, has a .238 hitter with 12 home runs... [More]

TORONTO (AP) — The Blue Jays said goodbye to Kevin Pillar while giving a long-term deal to Randal Grichuk.Pillar was traded by the veteran-shedding Blue Jays to the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday for infielder Alen Hanson, right-hander Derek Law and minor league pitcher Juan De Paula.Toronto also acquired outfielder Socrates Brito from San Diego for Class A outfielder Rodrigo Orozco, then announced a $52 million, five-year agreement with Grichuk, an outfielder who had been eligible for free agency after the 2020 season."The offense has always stood out," Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said of Grichuk. "He's always performed. He's always hit the ball hard. He's always hit it far, and usually it goes over the fence at a pretty good rate. In our view, he's been an above average defender, and those are hard things to piece together."Grichuk is a career .247 hitter with 92 home runs and 245 RBIs in 533 games with St. Louis and Toronto, but his on-base percentage is just .297.Atkins said... [More]

TORONTO (AP) — The Blue Jays said goodbye to Kevin Pillar while giving a long-term deal to Randal Grichuk.Pillar was traded by the veteran-shedding Blue Jays to the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday for infielder Alen Hanson, right-hander Derek Law and minor league pitcher Juan De Paula.Toronto also acquired outfielder Socrates Brito from San Diego for Class A outfielder Rodrigo Orozco, then announced a $52 million, five-year agreement with Grichuk, an outfielder who had been eligible for free agency after the 2020 season."The offense has always stood out," Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said of Grichuk. "He's always performed. He's always hit the ball hard. He's always hit it far, and usually it goes over the fence at a pretty good rate. In our view, he's been an above average defender, and those are hard things to piece together."Grichuk is a career .247 hitter with 92 home runs and 245 RBIs in 533 games with St. Louis and Toronto, but his on-base percentage is just .297.Atkins said... [More]

TORONTO (AP) — Outfielder Kevin Pillar was traded by the veteran-shedding Toronto Blue Jays to the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday for infielder Alen Hanson, right-hander Derek Law and minor league pitcher Juan De Paula.Pillar had been Toronto's longest-tenured player, in his seventh season with the Blue Jays. Known for stellar defense in center field, the 30-year-old has a .260 average with 55 home runs and 231 RBIs in 695 games. Pillar has a $5.8 million salary, is eligible for arbitration next winter and can become a free agent after the 2020 season.Hanson, 26, has a .238 hitter with 12 home runs and 51 RBIs in 243 games for Pittsburgh, the Chicago White Sox and San Francisco. Law, 28, was 9-3 with five saves and a 3.83 ERA in 109 games over three seasons with the Giants. De Paula, 21, struck out 55 batters in 52 1/3 innings in Class A last season.Hanson has a $650,000 salary in the major leagues and Law $567,500.San Francisco designated outfielder Michael Reed for assignment to make room for Pillar on the 40-man roster.Toronto traded designated hitter Kendrys Morales to Oakland last Wednesday, agreeing to give the Athletics $11,445,000 to cover nearly all of Morales' $12 million salary.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

TORONTO (AP) — Toronto has traded outfielder Kevin Pillar to the San Francisco Giants, the second veteran the rebuilding Blue Jays have traded in the past week.Toronto receives infielder Alen Hanson, right-hander Derek Law and minor league pitcher Juan De Paula.Pillar is a career .260 hitter with 55 home runs and 231 RBI in 695 games. He's known for his highlight reel catches in center. Now in his seventh season, Pillar was Toronto's longest-tenured player.Hanson is a career .238 hitter with 12 home runs and 51 RBIs in 243 games for Pittsburgh, the White Sox and San Francisco. Law is 9-3 with five saves and a 3.83 ERA in 109 games over three seasons with the Giants. De Paula struck out 55 batters in 52 1/3 innings in Class-A last season.The Giants designated outfielder Michael Reed for assignment to make room for Pillar on the roster. Toronto sent designated hitter Kendrys Morales to Oakland last Wednesday.

Justin Verlander and the Houston Astros are going to continue their successful partnership for a while longer.Verlander and the Astros have agreed to a contract adding an additional $66 million in guaranteed money for 2020 and '21, a person with direct knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press.The person spoke Saturday on condition of anonymity because the deal had not been announced. The agreement was first reported by KRIV-FOX 26.A 36-year-old right-hander, Verlander is due $28 million in 2019, the final guaranteed season of a $180 million, seven-year deal he signed with Detroit before the 2013 season. That contract included a $22 million option for 2020 that would have become guaranteed if Verlander finished among the top five in Cy Young Award voting this year.Verlander was traded from Detroit to Houston on Aug. 31, 2017, and helped the Astros win their first World Series that season. The 2011 AL MVP and Cy Young Award winner, he finished second in Cy Young voting last season... [More]

Justin Verlander and the Houston Astros are going to continue their successful partnership for a while longer.Verlander and the Astros have agreed to a contract adding an additional $66 million in guaranteed money for 2020 and '21, a person with direct knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press.The person spoke Saturday on condition of anonymity because the deal had not been announced. The agreement was first reported by KRIV-FOX 26.A 36-year-old right-hander, Verlander is due $28 million in 2019, the final guaranteed season of a $180 million, seven-year deal he signed with Detroit before the 2013 season. That contract included a $22 million option for 2020 that would have become guaranteed if Verlander finished among the top five in Cy Young Award voting this year.Verlander was traded from Detroit to Houston on Aug. 31, 2017, and helped the Astros win their first World Series that season. The 2011 AL MVP and Cy Young Award winner, he finished second in Cy Young voting last season... [More]

Justin Verlander and the Houston Astros are going to continue their successful partnership for a while longer.Verlander and the Astros have agreed to a contract adding an additional $66 million in guaranteed money for 2020 and '21, a person with direct knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press.The person spoke Saturday on condition of anonymity because the deal had not been announced. The agreement was first reported by KRIV-FOX 26.A 36-year-old right-hander, Verlander is due $28 million in 2019, the final guaranteed season of a $180 million, seven-year deal he signed with Detroit before the 2013 season. That contract included a $22 million option for 2020 that would have become guaranteed if Verlander finished among the top five in Cy Young Award voting this year.Verlander was traded from Detroit to Houston on Aug. 31, 2017, and helped the Astros win their first World Series that season. The 2011 AL MVP and Cy Young Award winner, he finished second in Cy Young voting last season... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Christian Yelich drove in the winning run with the bases loaded in the ninth after beating a throw from third to avoid a double play, and the Milwaukee Brewers opened an important three-game series with the Chicago Cubs with a 4-3 win Monday.The .316 hitter hit a 1-2 fastball from Jesse Chavez right at third baseman Kris Bryant, who touched third for the second out of the ninth before firing to first. The speedy Yelich reached safely just before the throw landed in the glove of the outstretched Anthony Rizzo, allowing Keon Broxton to score the game-winner from third.Cubs reliever Steve Cishek (4-3) loaded the bases in the ninth with a walk, passed ball and two hit batters.The second-place Brewers pulled within four games of the NL Central-leading Cubs.Milwaukee tied the score 3-3 after pinch-hitter Mike Moustakas drew a four-pitch walk with two outs in the eighth from Carl Edwards Jr.Anthony Rizzo hit a two-out, two-run homer off tough left-hander Josh Hader in the eighth.Jeremy... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Ronald Acuna Jr. became the youngest player in major league history to homer in five straight games, hitting a leadoff shot on the first pitch and later adding a three-run drive to help the surging Atlanta Braves beat the Miami Marlins 10-6 on Tuesday night.The 20-year-old Acuna homered on Miami's first pitch for the second straight night and became the first player to hit a leadoff homer in three consecutive games since Baltimore's Brady Anderson went deep in four straight in 1996. On Monday, he became the fourth player in major league history to hit leadoff homers in both games of a doubleheader.Acuna connected in the first off Trevor Richards and homered to right-center, his 19th of the year, off Adam Conley (3-3) to give the Braves a 10-6 lead in the seventh.Freddie Freeman hit his 20th homer to tie it in the sixth, and Dansby Swanson had a tiebreaking RBI single in the seventh as the NL East-leading Braves won for the 13th time in 17 games.Acuna, who has homered in seven... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Starling Marte, Gregory Polanco and Josh Bell each hit a two-run homer, and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Cleveland Indians 9-4 on Tuesday night for their 11th straight win.The Pirates routed the Indians for the second straight night. Marte homered in the first inning, drove in three runs and extended his career-high hitting streak to 17 games.Polanco homered and Corey Dickerson tripled in two runs when Pittsburgh scored five times in the second. Bell hit a home run in the fifth. The Pirates have homered in a season-high nine straight games, hitting 22 home runs in that span.Pittsburgh has won 11 in a row for the first time since Sept. 12-22, 1996. The Pirates have won 13 of 14 and are 17-8 since June 24. Pittsburgh has outscored its opponents 43-8 in the last five games.Joe Musgrove (4-4) allowed two runs and five hits in seven innings for his first win since June 29.Shane Bieber (5-2), called up from Triple-A Columbus to make the start, allowed seven runs in 1 2/3 innings.... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Aroldis Chapman had flamed out, throwing three of 19 pitches for strikes and enabling the Mets to cut a four-run, ninth-inning deficit in half.Chasen Shreve to the rescue. Yes, Chasen Shreve.Maligned last month, Shreve entered with the bases loaded, got Devin Mesoraco to hit into a run-scoring, double-play grounder and retired Wilmer Flores on a slow roller in front of the mound.With his second big league save and first since August 2016, Shreve preserved a 7-6 Subway Series victory Saturday that enabled Sonny Gray (7-7) to win consecutive starts for the first time since the Yankees acquired him last summer.On another tumult-filled day for the last-place Mets, closer Jeurys Familia was traded to Oakland for a pair of minor leaguers and slugging outfielder Yoenis Cespedes was out of the lineup because of body soreness, one game after returning from a two-month absence. Cespedes said Friday night he may need surgery on both heels that would require an eight-to-10-month recovery.Aaron... [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]

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Shohei Ohtani's pinch-hit home run in the seventh inning sent Andrew Heaney and the Los Angeles Angels to a 4-3 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday.Albert Pujols also went deep for the Angels, tying the score at 3 in the sixth. Justin Upton had a two-run single.Heaney (5-6) allowed only three hits and equaled a career high with 10 strikeouts in seven innings to help the Angels take two of three at home in the Freeway Series. He gave up an early three-run homer to Yasiel Puig, who later left with an oblique injury.Ohtani drove his first career pinch-hit homer a projected 443 feet to center field off reliever JT Chargois (2-2). It also was the Angels' first pinch-hit home run of the season and Ohtani's seventh in the majors.The two-way rookie star from Japan, unavailable to pitch lately because of an elbow injury, fouled a ball off his knee one day earlier and experienced soreness. Before the game, it was unclear if he would be able to come off the bench.Justin... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Brett Anderson came off the disabled list and pitched effectively into the sixth inning before turning things over to Oakland's outstanding bullpen as the Athletics downed the Cleveland Indians 6-0 on Sunday.Anderson (1-2) had been sidelined with a shoulder strain, one of several injuries to the A's starting staff. But the left-hander looked sharp in his first start since May 18, limiting the Indians to three hits and leaving with a 4-0 lead.Stephen Piscotty hit a two-run homer off rookie Shane Bieber (4-1), and Jed Lowrie had a solo shot as Oakland won for the 10th time in 12 games to take two of three from the Indians.The A's are 18-6 against AL Central teams.Yusmeiro Petit, Ryan Buchter and Emilio Pagan finished the combined five-hitter as the A's moved 10 games over .500.ASTROS 2, WHITE SOX 1HOUSTON (AP) — Dallas Keuchel pitched seven strong innings, Jose Altuve homered and Houston manufactured the go-ahead run in the seventh to complete a four-game sweep of Chicago.Altuve's... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Brett Anderson came off the disabled list and pitched effectively into the sixth inning before turning things over to Oakland's outstanding bullpen as the Athletics downed the Cleveland Indians 6-0 on Sunday.Anderson (1-2) had been sidelined with a shoulder strain, one of several injuries to the A's starting staff. But the left-hander looked sharp in his first start since May 18, limiting the Indians to three hits and leaving with a 4-0 lead.Stephen Piscotty hit a two-run homer off rookie Shane Bieber (4-1), and Jed Lowrie had a solo shot as Oakland won for the 10th time in 12 games to take two of three from the Indians.The A's are 18-6 against AL Central teams.Yusmeiro Petit, Ryan Buchter and Emilio Pagan finished the combined five-hitter as the A's moved 10 games over .500.ASTROS 2, WHITE SOX 1HOUSTON (AP) — Dallas Keuchel pitched seven strong innings, Jose Altuve homered and Houston manufactured the go-ahead run in the seventh to complete a four-game sweep of Chicago.Altuve's... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Tyler Mahle tossed one-run ball into the seventh inning and the Cincinnati Reds edged the Cubs 3-2 on Friday for their fifth straight victory over Chicago.Adam Duvall and Scooter Gennett drove in runs as the Reds won for the 14th time in 18 games and ended the Cubs' six-game winning streak. Billy Hamilton, Cincinnati's No. 9 hitter, had three hits and leadoff man Jose Peraza had two.Mahle (7-6) allowed five hits and struck out four over 6 2/3 innings to win his fourth straight decision. In his last seven starts, the 23-year-old right-hander has a 2.06 ERA.Raisel Iglesias, Cincinnati's third reliever, got the final five outs for his 17th save in 20 chances.Cubs starter Mike Montgomery (3-3) allowed three runs on six hits in five innings while walking two and hitting two batters.TIGERS 3, RANGERS 1DETROIT — Jordan Zimmermann denied Bartolo Colon's bid at baseball history, striking out 11 batters in eight innings as Detroit beat Texas.Colon (5-6) as trying to become the winningest... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Trea Turner hit two homers, including his first career grand slam, and drove in eight runs to help the Washington Nationals rally from a nine-run deficit and defeat the Miami Marlins 14-12 in a wild slugfest Thursday night to end a five-game losing streak.The Nationals, who dropped 17 of their previous 22, have won 12 consecutive games against Miami dating to last season — their longest winning streak against any team since the franchise moved to Washington in 2005.The victory came a day after the Nationals called a players-only meeting Wednesday after Washington was swept by Boston and slipped under .500 for the first time since May 2. Turner's eight RBIs tied for the most ever by a leadoff hitter, according to STATS LLC.Shawn Kelley (1-0) pitched a scoreless sixth for the win. Sean Doolittle earned his 22nd save in 23 opportunities.Adam Conley (2-1) allowed five runs in 2/3 of an inning and took the loss.RANGERS 7, TIGERS 5DETROIT — Joey Gallo and Ronald Guzman homered... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — San Francisco third baseman Pablo Sandoval left the Giants' game Sunday against the Arizona Diamondbacks with a bruised right elbow after being hit by a pitch in the third inning.Sandoval stayed in the game for the moment but was replaced by Alen Hanson to start the bottom of the third. X-rays were negative.Sandoval reached base in both of his plate appearances Sunday.