BALTIMORE (AP) — There might come a time when Brandon Hyde wakes up in the morning, grabs a newspaper and finds the Baltimore Orioles in the standings.For now, the rookie manager simply can't bear to look.The rebuilding Orioles limped into the All-Star break with a major league-worst 27-62 record. During a particular brutal stretch in late June, Baltimore showed its youth and inexperience while losing 13 of 14 games — including blowouts of 12-3, 13-2, 16-2 and 13-3.Asked at that point to present his goal for this season, Hyde replied, "I'll be honest with you — I have no idea what our record is. I don't even want to look at it. Right now, it's about developing these guys and how we play. Eventually, I'm going to be looking at the standings and it's going to be about wins and losses."Until then, Hyde will have to grit his teeth when his outfielders throw to the wrong base, players get picked off and his pitching staff gets rocked. Baltimore is allowing a major league-high 6.07 runs per game... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Former Red Sox slugger David Ortiz is recovering from a third surgery after experiencing complications resulting from his gunshot wound.Ortiz's wife, Tiffany, says in a statement Thursday that he is "recovering well and in good spirits." He had the surgery earlier this week at Massachusetts General Hospital.Ortiz was shot in the back at a bar in the Dominican Republic last month. Dominican police have said he was mistaken for another man who was sitting near him at the club.Police say a suspected drug trafficker offered to pay $30,000 for the shooting.Police say they've arrested 14 people in the case, including the suspected gunman, and are searching for others.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

BALTIMORE (AP) — There might come a time when Brandon Hyde wakes up in the morning, grabs a newspaper and finds the Baltimore Orioles in the standings.For now, the rookie manager simply can't bear to look.The rebuilding Orioles limped into the All-Star break with a major league worst 27-62 record. During a particular brutal stretch in late June, Baltimore showed its youth and inexperience while losing 13 of 14 games — including blowouts of 12-3, 13-2, 16-2 and 13-3.Asked at that point to present his goal for this season, Hyde replied, "I'll be honest with you — I have no idea what our record is. I don't even want to look at it. Right now, it's about developing these guys and how we play. Eventually, I'm going to be looking at the standings and it's going to be about wins and losses."Until then, Hyde will have to grit his teeth when his outfielders throw to the wrong base, players get picked off and his pitching staff gets rocked. Baltimore is allowing a major league high 6.07 runs per game... [More]

First the players, now the ball. Home runs are skyrocketing, and once again Major League Baseball officials claim they don't know the reason why.Then again, it might be that they're just not looking hard enough.Unlike the players, the ball still looks the same. Commissioner Rob Manfred said it tests much the same as before, too, though he conceded there might be less drag on the ball than there was in the past.So why are batters teeing off at a rate nearing three home runs a game, a 19 percent increase from a year before? Why are hitters on a pace to hit 1,000 more home runs than the Steroids Era high mark of 5,693 in 2000?Good question, Manfred says, but it's not because anyone juiced the ball."Manipulation of the baseball is a great conspiracy theory," Manfred said Tuesday at the All-Star Game in Cleveland. "How you manipulate a human-dominated handmade manufacturing process in any consistent way, it's a smarter human being than I."Don't tell that to pitchers like Justin Verlander, who... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Baseball players' union head Tony Clark says a poor job has been done of marketing Boston Red Sox outfielder Mookie Betts, the reigning AL MVP."Mookie should be a household name," Clark told the Baseball Writers' Association of America on Tuesday. "Mookie should be a one-name guy. You say Ronaldo. You say Messi. You say Mookie. You should know who Mookie is, and outside of the baseball world, I don't know how many do."Betts earned his fourth straight All-Star selection after helping Boston win the World Series last year."In the grand scheme of things with respect to players that should be at the forefront of every conversation and should be in conversations even with non-baseball fans, Mookie is one of them," Clark said. "No doubt about it. And unless or until we fix that, it's going to be difficult for others to be a part of that conversation, too."Clark said baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred probably would be in position to answer what is required to increase Betts' recognition."I... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Latest on baseball's All-Star Game (all times local):10 p.m.Carlos Carrasco hopes to strike out cancer.The Indians right-hander, who was recently diagnosed with a form of leukemia, was saluted in the fifth inning of the All-Star Game during Major League Baseball's "Stand Up to Cancer" campaign.The 32-year-old stood in the third-base coach's box, flanked by four All-Star teammates and Indians manager Terry Francona. Carrasco held a sign that read "I Stand'" while Lindor's said: "Cookie," which is the pitcher's nickname.Carrasco had been feeling fatigued in May, and was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia following an exam at the Cleveland Clinic.He has been cleared to resume conditioning and throwing activities to the extent he can tolerate them. Carrasco could pitch a bullpen session later this week and believes he'll return to the team at some point this season.He had been scheduled to start against Minnesota on June 5, when the Indians issued a statement saying... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Latest on baseball's All-Star Game (all times local):8:55 p.m.Two Cleveland baseball mainstays, whose careers are forever linked, were saluted before the All-Star Game.For CC Sabathia, it was a final bow. For Michael Brantley, it was welcome back.Sabathia, who will retire at the end of this season, threw out the ceremonial first pitch, a fitting tribute for the 38-year-old Yankees left-hander who began his career with the Indians in 2001.One of just 14 pitchers to record 250 career wins and 3,000 strikeouts, Sabathia said he cried when he was traded by the Indians to Milwaukee in 2008 — for Brantley."I wanted to stay here," Sabathia said. "It's just one of those cities."Brantley received a loud ovation when the Houston outfielder was introduced with the other AL players. Brantley spent 10 seasons with the Indians, who elected not to re-sign him as a free agent last winter.He later gave the AL a 1-0 lead with an RBI double in the second."I know the relationships that... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Latest on baseball's All-Star Game (all times local):8:15Late Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs is being honored at the All-Star Game by two grieving teammates — and all of baseball.Superstar outfielder Mike Trout and infielder Tommy La Stella are both wearing No. 45 — Skaggs' jersey number — in Tuesday's game. The 27-year-old Skaggs died unexpectedly on July 1. He was found unresponsive in the team's hotel in Texas, hours before the Angels were scheduled to play the Rangers."It's been a difficult last couple of days for all of us," Trout said. "Being at the field — at my home — really helps."A moment of silence was held before the game and players on both squads wore black patches with Skaggs' number in white.His death sent a shockwave through baseball and deeply affected the Angels. He was one of the team's most popular players, liked by everyone for his engaging personality."There is a saying, 'You don't realize what you have until you lose it.' It's spot-on,"... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Latest on baseball's All-Star Game (all times local):5:25 p.m.Commissioner Rob Manfred insists Major League Baseball did not make a deal with the Cleveland Indians about banning their contentious logo, Chief Wahoo.The club agreed to remove the hotly debated, smiling caricature from its caps and jerseys starting this season, a decision that came after Cleveland was awarded the 2019 All-Star Game.The timing was curious, but Manfred said there was no link between the two."The All-Star Game was awarded to Cleveland by Commissioner (Bud) Selig before I even had one conversation about Chief Wahoo," Manfred said. "You can write that as fact."Although Wahoo, which has been around since the 1940s, is no longer on the field, the mascot is as popular as ever as fans continue to wear all kinds of merchandise bearing his image.___1:55 p.m.The weather forecast is calling for clear skies and temperatures in the upper 70s at Progressive Field. A perfect night for the All-Star Game... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Latest on baseball's All-Star Game (all times local):1:55 p.m.The weather forecast is calling for clear skies and temperatures in the upper 70s at Progressive Field. A perfect night for the All-Star Game — players and fans hope it's not perfect for midges, too.Midges are tiny, flying insects that live around Lake Erie and swarm when it's warm. They don't bite, but they're pesky. They made their mark on baseball during the 2007 AL Division Series when bunches of the bugs descended on the neck of Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain during Game 2 against Cleveland on a humid October night.The midges miffed Chamberlain, and the rattled reliever threw two wild pitches in the eighth inning that let the Indians score the tying run. Cleveland won in 11 innings, and won the series in four games.Just in case anyone forgot, there's a small sticker that serves as a reminder in the windows of the hotel where many Major League Baseball officials and media members are staying this week,... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — For a day, Will Smith was in for quite a treat — teammates with Clayton Kershaw, Freddie Freeman and Christian Yelich.Soon, the San Francisco reliever could be playing with one of them for real.Smith went into the All-Star Game on Tuesday night well aware his days with the last-place Giants might be dwindling."If I get traded, it'll be the fourth time," the left-hander said. "After the first one, you're kind of numb to it."Fellow All-Star pitchers Marcus Stroman, Shane Greene and Brad Hand also are possible trade targets as the July 31 deadline approaches.Hand is an old hand at this. The San Diego Padres sent the left-hander to Cleveland just two days after the 2018 All-Star Game, during the break."I didn't really think I was going to get traded last year," Hand said Monday. "It's part of what we signed up for. ... There's really nothing you can do about it unless you have a no-trade clause.""I mean obviously there's a select handful of guys whose names are always thrown... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — There is hardly a team that deserves or desires this All-Star week more than the Minnesota Twins, whose powerful performance over the first half of the season was one of the biggest surprises in baseball.The Twins could take the break as a symbolic reward for consecutive residence in first place in the American League Central since April 20. They can sure use the extra rest, too, an antidote to all of the physical ailments that piled up over the last several weeks."There's really only one time over the course of nine months that you get to wake up two days in a row and do whatever you want," rookie manager Rocco Baldelli said Sunday. "And there's something to that. So I'm sure it'll be a good feeling for everyone to take a little break, choose what you're going to do and who you're going to hang out with and what coffee you're going to drink, and that's it."Fueled by the highest-scoring offense in the major leagues , the Twins (56-33) are on pace for more than 100 wins.... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Nationals ace Max Scherzer has determined that resting his ailing back is more important than pitching in the All-Star Game.A three-time Cy Young Award winner and seven-time All-Star, Scherzer struck out 11 over seven shutout innings on Saturday against Kansas City. Hours later, Major League Baseball announced he would be replaced on the National League roster by Sonny Gray.Scherzer experienced back tightness after beating Detroit on June 30. He worked through it against the Royals, but his back stiffened after the appearance.Scherzer, manager Dave Martinez and general manager Mike Rizzo emerged from a postgame discussion with this conclusion: It would be in the best interest of Scherzer and the Nationals that he excused himself from pitching Tuesday night in Cleveland."Our season matters so much more than the All-Star Game," Scherzer said Sunday. "I know my body pretty well. I just know I'm not going to be at my best if I try and pitch on two days' rest and I'd really... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Max Scherzer won't pitch in the All-Star Game because of a back injury, although the ace right-hander intends to represent the Washington Nationals on the sideline Monday and Tuesday in Cleveland.A three-time Cy Young Award winner and seven-time All-Star, Scherzer struck out 11 over seven shutout innings on Saturday against Kansas City. Hours later, Major League Baseball announced he would be replaced on the National League roster by Sonny Gray.Scherzer said Sunday he first began experiencing back tightness after beating Detroit on June 30. He worked through it against the Royals, but his back stiffened after his appearance.That's when it became apparent Scherzer would be better off by not pitching Tuesday night.He said Sunday: "I need some rest right now to let this thing fully heal up so that I'm completely good to go in the second half."___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CHICAGO (AP) — President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein insisted Saturday he's not pinning the Chicago Cubs' struggles on manager Joe Maddon.The way Epstein sees it, there's blame to go around."I see us as in it together," Epstein said. "My job is to put him in a position to succeed. I like nothing more as an executive than sitting back — the team's playing well, the manager's on a roll, you guys are all talking about this is the best job he's ever done. That makes me feel good. Now, the team's struggling so there's going to be speculation in the other direction."The Cubs entered Saturday's game against the crosstown White Sox trailing NL Central leader Milwaukee by a half-game at 46-42. They were coming off an 11-3 romp at Pittsburgh on Thursday, but the Cubs have been in a funk for weeks, struggling at the plate and making mistakes in the field and on the bases.They were 22-28 in the 50 games prior to Saturday. That included a 14-15 mark in June — their first losing month since May... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Indians pitcher Carlos Carrasco is being treated for leukemia, and he says it's going to make him stronger than he was before.Carrasco hasn't played for Cleveland since May 30. The 32-year-old right-hander says he got a blood test after a spring-training physical prompted some concern, and he was diagnosed with leukemia in May."I never thought that I would have something like this, because I play baseball, I'm like super healthy or something like that," Carrasco says in a video posted on the Indians' Twitter account. "But you never know what's going on inside your body."When I found out, it made me even stronger, then I push myself to work through this. Then I have a lot of people behind me, helping me, especially my teammates and family."Manager Terry Francona said the club knew the details of Carrasco's condition before the video was released. Carrasco plans to talk to the media in Cleveland next Thursday. Francona declined to talk about the pitcher's condition beyond... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Indians pitcher Carlos Carrasco is being treated for leukemia, and he says it's going to make him stronger than he was before.Carrasco hasn't played for Cleveland since May 30. The 32-year-old right-hander says he got a blood test after a spring-training physical prompted some concern, and he was diagnosed with leukemia in May."I never thought that I would have something like this, because I play baseball, I'm like super healthy or something like that," Carrasco says in a video posted on the Indians' Twitter account. "But you never know what's going on inside your body."When I found out, it made me even stronger, then I push myself to work through this. Then I have a lot of people behind me, helping me, especially my teammates and family."The 32-year-old Carrasco also told a TV station in the Dominican Republic about his condition while visiting a hospital, where he was seeing patients. He said he feels positive about his prognosis and he'll be back with the team "at the... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Indians starter Carlos Carrasco is being treated for leukemia, but remains hopeful he'll pitch again this season.Carrasco, who was diagnosed in June, told a TV station in the Dominican Republic about his condition while visiting a hospital, where he was seeing patients. The 32-year-old Carrasco feels positive about his prognosis and said he'll be back with the team "at the end of July."Leukemia is a type of cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow. There are numerous forms of the disease, many of which are highly treatable.Carrasco was not pitching up to his standards and feeling lethargic for weeks in May before getting checked. He told CDN that doctors "saw something different in my blood."The right-hander said he received more tests, and he and his wife were given his diagnosis.The Indians have not commented on Carrasco's diagnosis.Following his diagnosis, Carrasco spoke with long-time teammate Jason Kipnis, who helped him research and understand what he was dealing... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Indians starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco has revealed he is being treated for leukemia.Carrasco, who was diagnosed in June, told a TV station in the Dominican Republic about his condition while on a visit to a hospital, where he was seeing patients. Carrasco remains positive about his prognosis and believes he will pitch again this season.The 32-year-old right-hander was feeling lethargic for weeks in May before getting checked. He told CDN that doctors "saw something different in my blood."The Indians have not commented on Carrasco's diagnosis.Carrasco has developed into one of the AL's steadiest pitchers in recent years. He won 17 games last season and went 18-6 in 2017, when he finished fourth in the AL Cy Young Award voting.He has been with Cleveland since 2009. The Indians signed him to a $47 million, four-year contract in December.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CLEVELAND (AP) — Indians starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco is being treated for leukemia.Carrasco made the revelation to a TV station while on a visit to the Dominican Republic, where he was visiting a hospital. Carrasco, who was diagnosed with the blood disorder in June, remains positive about his prognosis and believes he will pitch again this season.The 32-year-old right-hander was feeling lethargic in May and told CDN doctors "saw something different in my blood."The Indians have not commented on Carrasco's diagnosis.Carrasco has developed into one of the AL's steadiest pitchers in recent years. He won 17 games last season and went 18-6 in 2017, when he finished fourth in the AL Cy Young Award voting.He has been with Cleveland since 2009. The Indians signed him to a $47 million, four-year contract in December.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports