CLEVELAND (AP) — The Indians have some tough decisions to make this offseason. The one on Carlos Carrasco was simple.Cleveland picked up its $9.75 million contract option for next season on the right-hander, who has developed into one of the AL's most consistent and dominating pitchers over the past few years.The team declined its $3 million option for 2019 on outfielder Brandon Guyer, who battled through injuries last season. He'll get a $250,000 buyout and become a free agent. It's very possible he'll re-sign with the Indians, who value what he brings on and off the field.The 31-year-old Carrasco went 17-10 with a 3.38 ERA in 30 starts last season for the AL Central champions. He also recorded a team-high 231 strikeouts in 192 innings as the Indians became the first team in baseball history to have four pitchers top the 200-strikeout plateau.The team has another option for 2020 on the right-hander, who has gone 35-16 with a 3.33 ERA over the past two seasons."We believe Carlos has established... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — For the third year in a row, the unmistakable aroma of champagne wafted into the hallway outside the visitor's clubhouse following the final game at Progressive Field.On the Cleveland side, the smell was sour.The Indians were built for one goal: to win their first World Series since 1948. Yet after cruising to a third straight AL Central title, they couldn't get past the first round.October rejects again."We had a good year," said pitcher Trevor Bauer, whose shift from the starting rotation to the bullpen for the postseason maybe best summed up Cleveland's unsatisfying, disjointed season. "We definitely could have gone further. We had a lot of talent here and it didn't go our way."Nothing went Cleveland's way. But beyond being swept by the impressive Houston Astros, who were superior at every level, the Indians barely put up a fight.Postseason push-overs.The Indians were so close in 2016, when they took the Chicago Cubs into extra innings in Game 7 of the World Series.... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — This postseason may be best remembered for its bullpen openers. Just not in the AL Division Series between the Houston Astros and Cleveland Indians.Relief pitchers are covering entire games for other championship contenders this October, but the Astros and Indians are ready to roll old school, starting with Cy Young Award winners Justin Verlander and Corey Kluber facing off in Game 1 on Friday."I love starters," Astros manager AJ Hinch said Thursday. "Why? Because I've got good ones. I think that's the easiest way to fall in love with a rotation and have that mindset, do I want my starters to go deep in the game? Yeah, they're good."Cleveland knows the feeling. This series will feature some of the best pitchers in the American League, with Cleveland's Carlos Carrasco opposing two-time All-Star right-hander Gerrit Cole in the second game Saturday, and Mike Clevinger of the Indians and 2015 Cy Young winner Dallas Keuchel pitching in Monday's Game 3.Verlander, a 14-year veteran,... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — Rajai Davis is getting the chance to further his October legacy.Indians manager Terry Francona said Thursday the speedy outfielder will get his team's final spot on the 25-man roster for the AL Division Series against the Houston Astros.Davis was given the nod over backup infielder Erik Gonzalez. Davis cemented his place in October baseball lore with a tying home run in Game 7 of the 2016 World Series before Cleveland lost to the Chicago Cubs in 10 innings.Houston manager A.J. Hinch chose to carry just two catchers, leaving off Max Stassi for rookie Myles Straw, another speedy outfielder who has been mostly used as a pinch-runner. The Astros bullpen will consist of closer Roberto Osuna, Lance McCullers Jr., Ryan Pressly, left-hander Tony Sipp, Collin McHugh, Will Harris and hard-throwing rookie Josh James.Hinch chose to go with James over Hector Rondon, who has struggled over the last month, for his ability to pitch multiple innings. Also left off the roster were right-hander Brad Peacock, who appeared in seven games with one start last postseason, and 2017 All-Star Chris Devenski.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/tag/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

HOUSTON (AP) — Rajai Davis is getting the chance to further his October legacy.Indians manager Terry Francona said Thursday the speedy outfielder will get his team's final spot on the 25-man roster for the AL Division Series against the Houston Astros.Davis was given the nod over backup infielder Erik Gonzalez. Davis cemented his place in October baseball lore with a tying home run in Game 7 of the 2016 World Series before Cleveland lost to the Chicago Cubs in 10 innings.Houston manager A.J. Hinch chose to carry just two catchers, leaving off Max Stassi for rookie Myles Straw, another speedy outfielder who has been mostly used as a pinch-runner. The Astros bullpen will consist of closer Roberto Osuna, Lance McCullers Jr., Ryan Pressly, left-hander Tony Sipp, Collin McHugh, Will Harris and hard-throwing rookie Josh James.Hinch chose to go with James over Hector Rondon, who has struggled over the last month, for his ability to pitch multiple innings. Also left off the roster was right-hander Brad Peacock, who appeared in seven games with one start last postseason.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/tag/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

A look at what's happening around the majors today:OPENER FOR THE OPENERThe Brewers will begin their NL Division Series against the Rockies with a bullpen game at Miller Park. Manager Craig Counsell said Wednesday he had not decided on the order of his relievers. The group will almost certainly include All-Star left-hander Josh Hader, though Colorado will have a tough test start to finish — Milwaukee led the majors with a 1.98 bullpen ERA in September.Colorado counters with Antonio Senzatela, a right-hander who is 6-6 with a 4.38 ERA in 23 games, including 13 starts. It will be the postseason debut for the 23-year-old.THE ACE AWAITSThe Braves and Dodgers open their NLDS in Los Angeles, and Atlanta has a chance to jump ahead before facing Clayton Kershaw in Game 2. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts decided to hold back his ace left-hander and will instead start Hyun-Jin Ryu in Game 1. The left-handed Ryu was 7-3 with a 1.97 ERA in 15 starts this season.Mike Foltynewicz is up for the Braves. The... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors Thursday:OPENER FOR THE OPENERThe Brewers will begin their NL Division Series against the Rockies with a bullpen game at Miller Park. Manager Craig Counsell said Wednesday he had not decided on the order of his relievers. The group will almost certainly include All-Star left-hander Josh Hader, though Colorado will have a tough test start to finish — Milwaukee led the majors with a 1.98 bullpen ERA in September.Colorado counters with Antonio Senzatela, a right-hander who is 6-6 with a 4.38 ERA in 23 games, including 13 starts. It will be the postseason debut for the 23-year-old.THE ACE AWAITSThe Braves and Dodgers open their NLDS in Los Angeles, and Atlanta has a chance to jump ahead before facing Clayton Kershaw in Game 2. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts decided to hold back his ace left-hander and will instead start Hyun-Jin Ryu in Game 1. The left-handed Ryu was 7-3 with a 1.97 ERA in 15 starts this season.Mike Foltynewicz is up for the Braves.... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Rajai Davis has his name cemented in October baseball lore.But it might not be on Cleveland's playoff roster this year.Indians manager Terry Francona has one spot left on his 25-man roster for the AL Division Series against the Houston Astros and it will go to either Davis or utility infielder Erik Gonzalez."We're debating the last spot," Francona said Wednesday. "We're going back and forth."The Indians will open the ALDS in Houston on Friday and Francona must submit his roster to Major League Baseball by 10 a.m. that morning for the best-of-five series.Many of the other tough decisions were made days ago, and now Francona and his coaching staff have to decide whether to keep Davis as the club's sixth outfielder or go with Gonzalez, who can play anywhere in the infield."Gonzie gives you a little bit of a safety net if something happens to somebody," Francona said. "Raj gives you the ability to maybe influence the game with his legs, as we've seen. So, we're all just trying... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Yankees shortstop Didi Gregorius has torn cartilage in his right wrist and is unsure whether he will be able to play in the AL wild-card game on Oct. 3.Gregorius, who has 27 homers and 86 RBIs, got injured Saturday when he slid headfirst on Aaron Hicks' 11th-inning double to score the run that clinched a postseason berth for New York, which disclosed the injury after a 6-3 loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday.New York remained 1½ games ahead of Oakland for the top AL wild card. Baltimore (45-110) is one loss shy of matching the franchise record for defeats set by the 1939 St. Louis Browns, who went 43-111.Tim Beckham homered twice for the lowly Orioles, who trailed 3-0 early. Ryan Meisinger (2-0) pitched two perfect innings and Mychal Givens worked a 1-2-3 ninth for his ninth save. A.J. Cole (3-1) was the loser.INDIANS 4, RED SOX 3, 11 INNINGSCLEVELAND (AP) — Greg Allen singled with one out and the bases loaded in the 11th inning and Cleveland denied Boston's bid for... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Luke Voit hit two homers off David Price, Miguel Andujar popped another one barely into the right-field seats and the New York Yankees stalled Boston's division-clinching celebration by beating the Red Sox 10-1 on Wednesday night.Luis Severino (18-8) pitched seven innings of one-run ball, and the Yankees had no need for All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman on the day they activated him from the disabled list. Chapman had been out since Aug. 21 with left knee tendinitis.Mookie Betts had two strikeouts and no hits in his return to Boston's lineup. He pulled a possible grand slam just foul in the ninth before grounding into a game-ending double play. The AL MVP contender sat out Tuesday after injuring his left side two days earlier, but came back to bat leadoff as the designated hitter.The Yankees will try to send Boston packing Thursday with the AL East still undecided. The Red Sox lead the division by 9 1/2 games and entered this three-game series needing one victory to lock up... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Luke Voit hit two homers off David Price, Miguel Andujar popped another one barely into the right-field seats and the New York Yankees stalled Boston's division-clinching celebration by beating the Red Sox 10-1 on Wednesday night.Luis Severino (18-8) pitched seven innings of one-run ball, and the Yankees had no need for All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman on the day they activated him from the disabled list. Chapman had been out since Aug. 21 with left knee tendinitis.Mookie Betts had two strikeouts and no hits in his return to Boston's lineup. He pulled a possible grand slam just foul in the ninth before grounding into a game-ending double play. The AL MVP contender sat out Tuesday after injuring his left side two days earlier, but came back to bat leadoff as the designated hitter.The Yankees will try to send Boston packing Thursday with the AL East still undecided. The Red Sox lead the division by 9 1/2 games and entered this three-game series needing one victory to lock up... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Luke Voit hit two homers off David Price, Miguel Andujar popped another one barely into the right-field seats and the New York Yankees stalled Boston's division-clinching celebration by beating the Red Sox 10-1 on Wednesday night.Luis Severino (18-8) pitched seven innings of one-run ball, and the Yankees had no need for All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman on the day they activated him from the disabled list. Chapman had been out since Aug. 21 with left knee tendinitis.Mookie Betts had two strikeouts and no hits in his return to Boston's lineup. He pulled a possible grand slam just foul in the ninth before grounding into a game-ending double play. The AL MVP contender sat out Tuesday after injuring his left side two days earlier, but came back to bat leadoff as the designated hitter.The Yankees will try to send Boston packing Thursday with the AL East still undecided. The Red Sox lead the division by 9 1/2 games and entered this three-game series needing one victory to lock up... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Luke Voit hit two homers off David Price, Miguel Andujar popped another one barely into the right-field seats and the New York Yankees stalled Boston's division-clinching celebration by beating the Red Sox 10-1 on Wednesday night.Luis Severino (18-8) pitched seven innings of one-run ball, and the Yankees had no need for All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman on the day they activated him from the disabled list. Chapman had been out since Aug. 21 with left knee tendinitis.Mookie Betts had two strikeouts and no hits in his return to Boston's lineup. He pulled a possible grand slam just foul in the ninth before grounding into a game-ending double play. The AL MVP contender sat out Tuesday after injuring his left side two days earlier, but came back to bat leadoff as the designated hitter.The Yankees will try to send Boston packing Thursday with the AL East still undecided. The Red Sox lead the division by 9 1/2 games and entered this three-game series needing one victory to lock up... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Cleveland Indians outfielder Leonys Martin will sit out the rest of the season because of a bacterial infection.Manager Terry Francona revealed the news Wednesday before Cleveland's game against the Boston Red Sox.The 30-year-old Cuban player became ill following a game Aug. 8. Doctors determined he had the life-threatening bacterial infection that entered his bloodstream and created toxins that damaged his internal organs, compromising their function."The news is really good, he is doing fantastic, but he not going to play baseball this year," Francona said, adding that the players were updated about his health during a brief meeting. "Overall, he has done so well. We're so thrilled that he's OK."Martin was released from the hospital Sunday.The club said he was rechecked by doctors Wednesday in Cleveland."All testing and imaging shows that Leonys' body continues to recover and while his prognosis remains positive for a full recovery, doctors feel that Leonys' heart and other... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Cleveland Indians outfielder Leonys Martin will sit out the rest of the season because of a bacterial infection.Manager Terry Francona revealed the news Wednesday before Cleveland's game against the Boston Red Sox.The 30-year-old Cuban player became ill following a game Aug. 8. Doctors determined he had the life-threatening bacterial infection that entered his bloodstream and created toxins that damaged his internal organs, compromising their function."The news is really good, he is doing fantastic, but he not going to play baseball this year," Francona said, adding that the players were updated about his health during a brief meeting. "Overall, he has done so well. We're so thrilled that he's OK."Martin was released from the hospital Sunday.The club said he was rechecked by doctors Wednesday in Cleveland."All testing and imaging shows that Leonys' body continues to recover and while his prognosis remains positive for a full recovery, doctors feel that Leonys' heart and other... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Cleveland Indians outfielder Leonys Martin will sit out the rest of the season because of a bacterial infection.Manager Terry Francona revealed the news Wednesday before Cleveland's game against the Boston Red Sox.The 30-year-old Cuban player became ill following a game Aug. 8. Doctors determined he had the life-threatening bacterial infection that entered his bloodstream and created toxins that damaged his internal organs, compromising their function."The news is really good, he is doing fantastic, but he not going to play baseball this year," Francona said, adding that the players updated about his health during a brief meeting. "Overall, he has done so well. We're so thrilled that he's OK."Martin was released from the hospital Sunday.Also Wednesday, the club activated slugger Edwin Encarnacion from the 10-day disabled list. He had been sidelined since Aug. 12 with a right wrist contusion.He was expected to return Thursday, but they placed outfielder Rajai Davis on the 10-day... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Nothing splashy, just sensible.The Cleveland Indians stabilized their shaky outfield without making a blockbuster trade.Riddled by injuries to outfielders all season, Cleveland acquired center fielder Leonys Martin from the Detroit Tigers before Tuesday's deadline for 21-year-old infield prospect Willi Castro.The AL Central-leading Indians also received right-hander Kyle Dowdy.Although they had been linked to talks involving more high-profile outfielders like superstar Bryce Harper, Adam Jones and others, the Indians opted to make a deal that wouldn't be too damaging to their future. Manager Terry Francona had high praise for his front office."They did a really good job. It's not easy," Francona said. "We have some parameters which we know are in place. We're not going to be the Dodgers or the Red Sox. But we don't want that to get in the way of us winning, and I think they've done an unbelievable job of making us better."The 30-year-old Martin is a steady hitter and strong... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Nothing splashy, just sensible.The Cleveland Indians stabilized their shaky outfield without making a blockbuster trade.Riddled by injuries to outfielders all season, Cleveland acquired center fielder Leonys Martin from the Detroit Tigers before Tuesday's deadline for 21-year-old infield prospect Willi Castro.The AL Central-leading Indians also will receive right-hander Kyle Dowdy.Although they had been linked to talks involving more high-profile outfielders like superstar Bryce Harper, Adam Jones and others, the Indians opted to make a deal that wouldn't be too damaging to their future.The 30-year-old Martin is a steady hitter and strong fielder who will take away runs for Cleveland's pitching staff. He leads the league with nine assists.He also gives manager Terry Francona another option in center field with Bradley Zimmer done for the season following shoulder surgery and Tyler Naquin on the disabled list with a hip injury."It's been a position that's been a little bit... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Indians stabilized their shaky outfield.Overrun by injuries to outfielders this season, Cleveland acquired center fielder Leonys Martin from the Detroit Tigers before Tuesday's deadline in exchange for 21-year-old infield prospect Willi Castro.The AL Central-leading Indians will also receive right-hander Kyle Dowdy.While Martin may not be the high-profile name some Indians fans coveted, the 30-year-old Martin is a steady hitter and an above-average fielder who will take away runs for Cleveland's pitching staff. He leads the league with nine assists.Martin also gives manager Terry Francona another option in center field with Bradley Zimmer done for the season following shoulder surgery and Tyler Naquin on the disabled list with a hip injury.The Indians were down to Greg Allen and Rajai Davis as their center fielders. Also, right fielder Lonnie Chisenhall is out with a nagging calf injury.Martin has twice been on the disabled list this season with a left hamstring injury,... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Sean Newcomb came within one strike of pitching the first no-hitter by the Atlanta Braves since 1994, denied when Chris Taylor sharply singled in a 4-1 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday.Newcomb had a 2-2 count with two outs in the ninth inning when Taylor hit a hard grounder beyond the reach of diving third baseman Johan Camargo. That came on the career-high 134th and final pitch by the 25-year-old lefty.Newcomb (10-5) left to a thunderous standing ovation from the sellout crowd at SunTrust Park as manager Brian Snitker removed him. Snitker took the ball and gave it back to Newcomb as a keepsake — instead, Newcomb simply tossed it toward the Atlanta dugout as he walked off, wanting no souvenir of the near-miss.Newcomb apologized about an hour after the game for racist, homophobic and sexist tweets he sent as a teenager, calling them "some stupid stuff."Ross Stripling (8-3) was subpar in his second straight start, allowing four runs, seven hits and one walk with five... [More]