HOUSTON (AP) — Kent Emanuel worked 8 2/3 innings in relief in his major league debut, saving Houston’s bullpen after Jake Odorizzi left early with an injury, and the Astros pounded the Los Angeles Angels 16-2 on Saturday. Emanuel (1-0) allowed five hits and two runs. The 28-year-old became the fourth pitcher in the modern era to have a relief outing of 8 2/3 innings or more in his debut. Alex Bregman hit a three-run homer, Yordan Alvarez had a season-high four RBIs and Carlos Correa had three hits including a homer for Houston. The Astros had season highs in runs and hits (18) to win their third straight following a three-game skid. Odorizzi exited with tightness in his right forearm after retiring leadoff batter David Fletcher on five pitches. The Angels got solo homers from Albert Pujols in the second and Shohei Ohtani in the third. Bregman padded the lead when he sent a slider from Griffin Canning (1-2) to make it 6-2 in the third. YANKEES 2, INDIANS 1 CLEVELAND (AP) — Gerrit Cole was... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — Kent Emanuel worked 8 2/3 innings in relief in his major league debut, saving Houston’s bullpen after Jake Odorizzi left early with an injury, and the Astros pounded the Los Angeles Angels 16-2 on Saturday. Emanuel (1-0) allowed five hits and two runs. The 28-year-old became the fourth pitcher in the modern era to have a relief outing of 8 2/3 innings or more in his debut. Alex Bregman hit a three-run homer, Yordan Alvarez had a season-high four RBIs and Carlos Correa had three hits including a homer for Houston. The Astros had season highs in runs and hits (18) to win their third straight following a three-game skid. Odorizzi exited with tightness in his right forearm after retiring leadoff batter David Fletcher on five pitches. The Angels got solo homers from Albert Pujols in the second and Shohei Ohtani in the third. Bregman padded the lead when he sent a slider from Griffin Canning (1-2) to make it 6-2 in the third. NATIONALS 7, METS 1 NEW YORK (AP) — Joe Ross tossed... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — Astros newcomer Jake Odorizzi exited his start against the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday after just five pitches because of tightness in his right forearm. Odorizzi retired leadoff man David Fletcher on a flyball, grimacing on his final pitch. Catcher Jason Castro went to check on him and quickly motioned to the dugout. Houston manager Dusty Baker and trainers talked to Odorizzi for a couple of minutes before he was taken out of the game. Kent Emanuel relieved and made his major league debut after seven years in the minors. Odorizzi got a late start to the season after not signing with the Astros until March 8. His deal guarantees him $20.25 million over two years or $23.5 million over three seasons if a player option is exercised for 2023. Odorizzi entered the game 0-2 with a 10.57 ERA in two starts this season. An All-Star in 2019 with Minnesota, Odorizzi was looking to bounce back from an injury-plagued 2020 season when he pitched just 13 2/3 innings. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

BALTIMORE (AP) — The Oakland Athletics won their 12th consecutive game — their longest winning streak in almost two decades — with a 3-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night. Oakland’s string is its longest since it won a franchise-record 20 in a row in 2002. It is the Athletics’ third-longest winning streak since moving to Oakland in 1968, and is the longest in the majors since Houston’s 12-game run from June 6-18, 2018. Ramón Laureano homered and Cole Irvin won consecutive starts for the first time in nearly two years as the A’s improved to 13-1 since dropping their first six games. Baltimore has lost seven of its eight home games. Irvin (2-2) had won back-to-back starts just once before, his first two career starts for Philadelphia in May 2019. Coming off six shutout innings against Detroit on Saturday, he stymied the Orioles for five innings. But Baltimore stitched together four singles in the sixth, capped by Pedro Severino’s RBI single, to end Irvin’s night. Jake Diekman... [More]

BALTIMORE (AP) — The Oakland Athletics won their 12th consecutive game — their longest winning streak in almost two decades — with a 3-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night. Oakland’s string is its longest since it won a franchise-record 20 in a row in 2002. It is the Athletics’ third-longest winning streak since moving to Oakland in 1968, and is the longest in the majors since Houston’s 12-game run from June 6-18, 2018. Ramón Laureano homered and Cole Irvin won consecutive starts for the first time in nearly two years as the A’s improved to 13-1 since dropping their first six games. Baltimore has lost seven of its eight home games. Irvin (2-2) had won back-to-back starts just once before, his first two career starts for Philadelphia in May 2019. Coming off six shutout innings against Detroit on Saturday, he stymied the Orioles for five innings. But Baltimore stitched together four singles in the sixth, capped by Pedro Severino’s RBI single, to end Irvin’s night. Jake Diekman... [More]

BALTIMORE (AP) — The Oakland Athletics won their 12th consecutive game — their longest winning streak in almost two decades — with a 3-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night. Oakland’s string is its longest since it won a franchise-record 20 in a row in 2002. It is the Athletics’ third-longest winning streak since moving to Oakland in 1968, and is the longest in the majors since Houston’s 12-game run from June 6-18, 2018. Ramón Laureano homered and Cole Irvin won consecutive starts for the first time in nearly two years as the A’s improved to 13-1 since dropping their first six games. Baltimore has lost seven of its eight home games. Irvin (2-2) had won back-to-back starts just once before, his first two career starts for Philadelphia in May 2019. Coming off six shutout innings against Detroit on Saturday, he stymied the Orioles for five innings. But Baltimore stitched together four singles in the sixth, capped by Pedro Severino’s RBI single, to end Irvin’s night. Jake Diekman... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Rafael Devers homered for the fourth straight game and the streaking Boston Red Sox beat the Minnesota Twins 4-2 on a snowy Tuesday in a series opener moved back following the fatal police shooting of a Black man in a nearby suburb. Hunter Renfroe hit a solo homer and Bobby Dalbec added a pair of RBI doubles as Boston won its seventh in a row after losing its first three games of the season. Monday’s game was postponed due to safety and sensitivity concerns in the Twin Cities after the police shooting a day earlier of Daunte Wright during a traffic stop. The Twins held a moment of silence for Wright prior to Tuesday’s game. Snow flurries fell for most of the game and it was 33 degrees for the first pitch. That made for the third-coldest start at Target Field, the record being 27 degrees on April 7, 2018. Adam Ottavino (1-0) earned the win with a scoreless inning of relief. Matt Barnes pitched a perfect ninth for his first save of the season. Randy Dobnak (0-2) took the... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Rafael Devers homered for the fourth straight game and the streaking Boston Red Sox beat the Minnesota Twins 4-2 on a snowy Tuesday in a series opener moved back following the fatal police shooting of a Black man in a nearby suburb. Hunter Renfroe hit a solo homer and Bobby Dalbec added a pair of RBI doubles as Boston won its seventh in a row after losing its first three games of the season. Monday’s game was postponed due to safety and sensitivity concerns in the Twin Cities after the police shooting a day earlier of Daunte Wright during a traffic stop. The Twins held a moment of silence for Wright prior to Tuesday’s game. Snow flurries fell for most of the game and it was 33 degrees for the first pitch. That made for the third-coldest start at Target Field, the record being 27 degrees on April 7, 2018. Adam Ottavino (1-0) earned the win with a scoreless inning of relief. Matt Barnes pitched a perfect ninth for his first save of the season. Randy Dobnak (0-2) took the... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Jeff McNeil launched a tying homer in the bottom of the ninth inning on his 29th birthday and the New York Mets were handed the winning run on a disputed hit by pitch for a bizarre 3-2 victory over the Miami Marlins in their home opener Thursday. With the bases loaded and one out, a scuffling Michael Conforto appeared to stick out his right elbow pad just enough to get it grazed by a 1-2 breaking ball from closer Anthony Bass that looked to be in the strike zone. Plate umpire and crew chief Ron Kulpa at first signaled strike, then quickly ruled Conforto was hit by the pitch. Conforto headed toward first base as Luis Guillorme scored and the Mets celebrated a comeback win in front of the first crowd at Citi Field in 557 days. Marlins players and manager Don Mattingly argued with Kulpa before a replay review was initiated. The review lasted 58 seconds, and the call was upheld. According to baseball rules, if a batter is hit by a pitch in the strike zone, the pitch should be... [More]

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Infielder David Fletcher will get a $2 million salary this season as part of his $26 million, five-year contract with the Los Angeles Angeles, up from a $615,000 salary in the majors and $296,760 in the minors under the one-year contract he agreed to in February. The deal, announced ahead of Thursday’s opener, calls for a salary of $4 million next season, when he would have been eligible for arbitration for the first time. He gets $6 million each in 2023 and 2024, and $6.5 million in 2025, the first year he would have been eligible for free agency. Los Angeles has an $8 million option for 2026 with a $1.5 million buyout. If that option is exercised, the Angels can exercise an $8.5 million option for 2027 with a $1.5 million buyout. “It’s exciting to me to know I’m going to be playing at home for a while now,” Fletcher said after the deal was announced. “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. Ideally, if it was up to me, I’d play here my whole career, and I have a lot of work to do to make that happen, but I’m excited.” ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — David Fletcher agreed to a five-year, $26 million contract with the Angels on Thursday, capping his rise from an unheralded infield prospect to a key figure in Los Angeles' future. The Halos announced the deal with their homegrown talent before taking the field for their season opener against the Chicago White Sox with Fletcher batting leadoff and playing second base. Fletcher, who would have been eligible for arbitration for the first time after this season, agreed to a new deal that stretches through his arbitration years and across his first two potential seasons of free agency. The contract could be worth up to $41 million because it includes two club options worth $8 million in 2026 and $8.5 million in 2027. “It’s exciting to me to know I’m going to be playing at home for a while now,” Fletcher said. “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. Ideally, if it was up to me, I’d play here my whole career, and I have a lot of work to do to make that happen, but I'm excited.”... [More]

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Infielder David Fletcher has agreed to a five-year, $26 million contract with the Los Angeles Angels. The Halos announced the deal Thursday before their season opener against the Chicago White Sox. Fletcher's deal could be worth up to $41 million because it includes two club options worth $8 million in 2026 and $8.5 million in 2027. Fletcher is a former sixth-round pick who was born and raised in Orange County. Once considered a fringe major league prospect, he played his way into a starting job at second base with the Angels after his debut in 2018. He is a career .292 hitter with 10 homers and 92 RBIs in his three big league seasons. His 239 hits in the past two years are the seventh-most in the AL, and he led the Angels in hits and doubles last season while finishing third in the league in 2020 with a .319 average. Along with providing stellar defense at second base or shortstop, Fletcher also is among the toughest players to strike out in recent history. His 9.67... [More]

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — The Los Angeles Angels acquired veteran shortstop José Iglesias from the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday in a trade for minor league right-handers Garrett Stallings and Jean Pinto. Iglesias batted .373 with three homers and 17 RBIs in 39 games with the Orioles last season. He struggled with injuries, but posted the highest average in the majors among players with at least 100 plate appearances. New Angels general manager Perry Minasian expects Iglesias to be an everyday player next season as the long-struggling Angels attempt to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2014. “We feel really confident that he’s a starting-caliber shortstop that’s going to bring a lot to the table both in the clubhouse and on the field,” Minasian said. “I think he’s really come into his own over the last couple of years. He had an outstanding season for Baltimore. He's an outstanding defender, and he puts the ball in play." The Angels picked the 23-year-old Stallings in the fifth... [More]

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — The Los Angeles Angels have acquired veteran shortstop José Iglesias from the Baltimore Orioles in a trade for minor league right-handers Garrett Stallings and Jean Pinto. The clubs announced the deal Wednesday. Iglesias batted .373 with three homers and 17 RBIs in 39 games with the Orioles last season. He struggled with injuries, but posted the highest average in the majors among players with at least 100 plate appearances. Baltimore exercised its $3.5 million option on Iglesias for 2021 last month. He is joining his fifth big league club after nine seasons spent with Boston, Detroit — where he made the All-Star team in 2015 — Cincinnati and Baltimore. Iglesias' arrival all but confirms the departure of Angels shortstop Andrelton Simmons, who spent the past five seasons playing the position in Anaheim. Los Angeles also could move second baseman David Fletcher full-time to his original position at shortstop, although Iglesias has played only one career game at second... [More]

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Perry Minasian had never been interviewed for a general manager job before he joined the field of 40 candidates hoping to take over the Los Angeles Angels last month. The 40-year-old Braves assistant GM went through several rounds of lengthy Zoom interviews and emerged as a finalist. After more lengthy conversations with owner Arte Moreno and the Angels' top brass, Minasian landed the responsibility to build a big-budget roster that can finally get Mike Trout's first playoff victory. During his formal introduction at Angel Stadium on Tuesday, Minasian described the Halos' audition process as “grueling, to some extent.” That's not a negative to a baseball lifer who has been waiting for this chance since he was an 8-year-old batboy for the Texas Rangers. “You start asking me baseball questions, you’d better take a seat and get comfortable,” Minasian said. The Angels' 13th general manager already has strong opinions about the immediate prospects for the Angels, who are... [More]

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Several weeks after stumbling out to another miserable start in another dismal season, the Los Angeles Angels finally clicked. They were among the majors' best teams in September, with a pitching staff that finally backed their star-studded offense. Products of a once-barren farm system supplemented their superstars during an impressive four-week surge that brought the Angels back into the playoff picture. The Halos (26-34) clicked about one week too late to save their fifth consecutive losing season. A team with a stacked lineup and a huge payroll missed the postseason for the sixth straight year, finishing in a tie for 10th in the AL. “You look at this team we have right now, it could have been a different story if we played a full season,” three-time AL MVP Mike Trout said. “We just got hot a little late, and we fell short.” It also seems the Angels got it together just barely too late to save the job of general manager Billy Eppler, who got a contract extension... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Randy Arozarena homered twice and the Tampa Bay Rays clinched their first AL East title in 10 years Wednesday night with an 8-5 victory over the New York Mets. Joey Wendle and Brandon Lowe also went deep to help Tyler Glasnow (5-1) win his fifth straight decision. Tampa Bay will be home at quirky Tropicana Field for a best-of-three first-round playoff series beginning next Tuesday. It is the third division crown for the thrifty Rays, who also won the AL East in 2008 and 2010. Their inaugural season was 1998. After missing a chance to clinch Tuesday, the Rays went into Wednesday again needing just a win or a New York Yankees loss against Toronto to lock up the division championship. The Rays (37-20) broke a 2-all tie in the sixth on Arozarena’s two-run homer off Michael Wacha (1-4) and pulled away. As has become customary during this pandemic-shortened season, the celebration was muted. After Nick Anderson fanned Andres Gimenez for the final out, the closer exchanged a hug... [More]

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Right-hander Mike Clevinger of the playoff-bound San Diego Padres lasted only one inning in his start against the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday. The team said the right-hander's departure was unplanned but didn't provide any other information. Clevinger's start had been pushed back from Saturday night because of tightness in his right biceps. Manager Jayce Tingler said on Tuesday that the right-hander threw a bullpen session on Monday and seemed good to go for Wednesday afternoon's start. A few days earlier, Tingler held out hope that Clevinger might even be able to make two more starts before the regular season ended, if even if the second one was brief. Clevinger, obtained in a blockbuster trade with Cleveland on Aug. 31, breezed through the first inning on 12 pitches, including striking out Mike Trout and David Fletcher. Rookie Adrian Morejon began warming up in the bullpen while the Padres batted in the bottom of the inning and came out to start the second. Morejon allowed a two-run home run to Shohei Ohtani and solo shots to Justin Upton and Anthony Bemboom that gave the Angels a 4-2 lead. The Padres have clinched their first playoff berth in 14 seasons and their magic number remains at two for clinching homefield advantage in the wild-card round next week. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Shortstop Andrelton Simmons has opted out of the remainder of the Los Angeles Angels' season. The Angels announced the four-time Gold Glove-winning shortstop's decision Tuesday before they faced the San Diego Padres. Los Angeles (24-31) is still technically in the playoff race with five games left in the regular season, and Simmons clearly caught the Angels by surprise, although the club said it respected his decision. The 31-year-old Simmons, who can be a free agent this winter, is finishing his fifth year with the Angels. After spraining his ankle in late July and missing 22 games, Simmons is currently batting .297 with 10 RBIs while playing his usual stellar defense, albeit with four errors in 30 games. “At this time, I feel this is the best decision for me and my family,” Simmons said in a statement. “We don't know what the future holds, but we would like to sincerely thank the Angels organization and Angels fans for welcoming and making us feel at home.” Manager... [More]

The Chicago White Sox clinched their first postseason berth since 2008, beating the Minnesota Twins 4-3 Thursday as Eloy Jim�nez hit a tiebreaking double that capped a two-run, seventh-inning rally. Chicago (33-17) opened a three-game lead over the second-place Twins (31-21) in the AL Central. The White Sox assured themselves of no worse than a wild-card berth. Jos� Abreu homered and drove in two runs and Edwin Encarnaci�n also homered for Chicago, which won three of four in the series. Chicago trailed 3-2 in the seventh when Abreu beat out an infield hit on a slow grounder that drove in Jarrod Dyson from third base. Jim�nez followed with a go-ahead double. Codi Heuer (3-0) pitched a scoreless 1 2/3 innings, and Alex Colom� got four outs for his 12th save in 13 chances. Tyler Clippard (1-1) gave up two runs in two-thirds of an inning. Byron Buxton homered twice, giving him seven in his last nine games and 12 this season. Josh Donaldson also went deep for Minnesota and was ejected for kicking... [More]