SAN DIEGO (AP) — Yu Darvish struck out a season-high 14 and allowed only two hits in six innings and the Chicago Cubs beat the San Diego Padres 4-1 on Thursday to remain tied with Milwaukee for the NL's second wild card.The Padres scored in the ninth when Manny Machado was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and two outs, but Rowan Wick struck out Luis Urias to end it.Chicago split the four-game series and won for just the second time in seven games.Darvish (6-6) retired his first eight batters before allowing his first hit, an infield single by starter Dinelson Lamet (2-5). Darvish kicked the ball with his right foot and it caromed to third baseman Kris Bryant. Darvish struck out Greg Garcia to end the inning.The big right-hander had at least one strikeout in every inning. After Greg Garcia tripled leading off the sixth, Darvish finished strong by striking out the side, including Eric Hosmer for the third straight time.Darvish was one shy of his career high, set Aug. 12, 2013, at Houston... [More]

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Yu Darvish struck out a season-high 14 and allowed only two hits in six innings and the Chicago Cubs beat the San Diego Padres 4-1 on Thursday to remain tied with Milwaukee for the NL's second wild card.The Padres scored in the ninth when Manny Machado was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and two outs, but Rowan Wick struck out Luis Urias to end it.Chicago split the four-game series and won for just the second time in seven games.Darvish (6-6) retired his first eight batters before allowing his first hit, an infield single by starter Dinelson Lamet (2-5). Darvish kicked the ball with his right foot and it caromed to third baseman Kris Bryant. Darvish struck out Greg Garcia to end the inning.The big right-hander had at least one strikeout in every inning. After Greg Garcia tripled leading off the sixth, Darvish finished strong by striking out the side, including Eric Hosmer for the third straight time.Darvish was one shy of his career high, set Aug. 12, 2013, at Houston... [More]

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Yu Darvish struck out a season-high 14 and allowed only two hits in six innings and the Chicago Cubs beat the San Diego Padres 4-1 on Thursday to remain tied with Milwaukee for the NL's second wild card.The Padres scored in the ninth when Manny Machado was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and two outs, but Rowan Wick struck out Luis Urias to end it.Chicago split the four-game series and won for just the second time in seven games.Darvish (6-6) retired his first eight batters before allowing his first hit, an infield single by starter Dinelson Lamet (2-5). Darvish kicked the ball with his right foot and it caromed to third baseman Kris Bryant. Darvish struck out Greg Garcia to end the inning.The big right-hander had at least one strikeout in every inning. After Greg Garcia tripled leading off the sixth, Darvish finished strong by striking out the side, including Eric Hosmer for the third straight time.Darvish was one shy of his career high, set Aug. 12, 2013, at Houston... [More]

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Yu Darvish struck out a season-high 14 and allowed only two hits in six innings and the Chicago Cubs beat the San Diego Padres 4-1 on Thursday to remain tied with Milwaukee for the NL's second wild card.The Padres scored in the ninth when Manny Machado was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and two outs, but Rowan Wick struck out Luis Urias to end it.Chicago split the four-game series and won for just the second time in seven games.Darvish (6-6) retired his first eight batters before allowing his first hit, an infield single by starter Dinelson Lamet (2-5). Darvish kicked the ball with his right foot and it caromed to third baseman Kris Bryant. Darvish struck out Greg Garcia to end the inning.The big right-hander had at least one strikeout in every inning. After Greg Garcia tripled leading off the sixth, Darvish finished strong by striking out the side, including Eric Hosmer for the third straight time.Darvish was one shy of his career high, set Aug. 12, 2013, at Houston... [More]

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Yu Darvish struck out a season-high 14 and allowed only two hits in six innings and the Chicago Cubs beat the San Diego Padres 4-1 on Thursday to remain tied with Milwaukee for the NL's second wild card.The Padres scored in the ninth when Manny Machado was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and two outs, but Rowan Wick struck out Luis Urias to end it.Chicago split the four-game series and won for just the second time in seven games.Darvish (6-6) retired his first eight batters before allowing his first hit, an infield single by starter Dinelson Lamet (2-5). Darvish kicked the ball with his right foot and it caromed to third baseman Kris Bryant. Darvish struck out Greg Garcia to end the inning.The big right-hander had at least one strikeout in every inning. After Greg Garcia tripled leading off the sixth, Darvish finished strong by striking out the side, including Eric Hosmer for the third straight time.Darvish was one shy of his career high, set Aug. 12, 2013, at Houston... [More]

Cubs first. Anthony Rizzo walks. Nicholas Castellanos strikes out swinging. Kyle Schwarber singles to right field. Anthony Rizzo to third. Kris Bryant out on a sacrifice fly to left center field to Nick Martini. Anthony Rizzo scores. Victor Caratini strikes out swinging.1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 left on. Cubs 1, Padres 0.Cubs fourth. Kyle Schwarber walks. Kris Bryant singles to left field. Kyle Schwarber to second. Victor Caratini flies out to left field to Nick Martini. Jason Heyward strikes out swinging. Kris Bryant steals second. Kyle Schwarber steals third. Ian Happ singles to right center field. Kris Bryant scores. Kyle Schwarber scores. Nico Hoerner flies out to right field to Josh Naylor.2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on. Cubs 3, Padres 0.Cubs seventh. Jason Heyward doubles to deep right center field. Ian Happ singles to shallow infield. Jason Heyward to third. Nico Hoerner strikes out swinging. Ben Zobrist pinch-hitting for Yu Darvish. Ben Zobrist reaches on a fielder's choice... [More]

Cubs fifth. Kyle Schwarber grounds out to shallow center field, Orlando Arcia to Eric Thames. Addison Russell homers to center field. Victor Caratini flies out to center field to Trent Grisham. Yu Darvish called out on strikes.1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 left on. Cubs 1, Brewers 0.Brewers sixth. Trent Grisham flies out to left field to Kyle Schwarber. Yasmani Grandal grounds out to shortstop, Addison Russell to Anthony Rizzo. Christian Yelich walks. Eric Thames walks. Ben Gamel singles to right field. Eric Thames to second. Christian Yelich scores. Lorenzo Cain pinch-hitting for Travis Shaw. Lorenzo Cain flies out to deep right field to Nicholas Castellanos.1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 2 left on. Cubs 1, Brewers 1.Cubs eighth. Victor Caratini walks. Ben Zobrist pinch-hitting for Steve Cishek. Ben Zobrist singles to right field. Robel Garcia to third. Ian Happ pinch-hitting for Albert Almora Jr.. Ian Happ walks. Ben Zobrist to second. Nicholas Castellanos called out on strikes. Anthony Rizzo walks.... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors today:TOUGH ACT TO FOLLOWOne day after Houston teammate Justin Verlander pitched a no-hitter, Gerrit Cole looks to stay on a roll of his own when the Astros visit Milwaukee on Labor Day. Cole (15-5, 2.85 ERA) is 11-0 with a 2.06 ERA in his last 16 starts and needs six strikeouts to regain the major league lead from Verlander, who whiffed 14 batters Sunday during his third career no-hitter — second in Toronto.With four weeks to go, Verlander and Cole appear to be running 1-2 in the AL Cy Young Award race.SCARYDodgers rookie pitcher Dustin May is listed as day to day after being hit in the head by a line drive.May was injured Sunday when a liner by Jake Lamb struck him on the right side of the head in Arizona. The 21-year-old passed a concussion test and was diagnosed with a bruise. The 6-foot-6 May is one of the top pitching prospects for the NL West leaders.CHECK HIMThe Cubs will see how Yu Darvish is feeling, a day after he was scratched from... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors Monday:TOUGH ACT TO FOLLOWOne day after Houston teammate Justin Verlander pitched a no-hitter, Gerrit Cole looks to stay on a roll of his own when the Astros visit Milwaukee on Labor Day. Cole (15-5, 2.85 ERA) is 11-0 with a 2.06 ERA in his last 16 starts and needs six strikeouts to regain the major league lead from Verlander, who whiffed 14 batters Sunday during his third career no-hitter — second in Toronto.With four weeks to go, Verlander and Cole appear to be running 1-2 in the AL Cy Young Award race.SCARYDodgers rookie pitcher Dustin May is listed as day to day after being hit in the head by a line drive.May was injured Sunday when a liner by Jake Lamb struck him on the right side of the head in Arizona. The 21-year-old passed a concussion test and was diagnosed with a bruise. The 6-foot-6 May is one of the top pitching prospects for the NL West leaders.CHECK HIMThe Cubs will see how Yu Darvish is feeling, a day after he was scratched from... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Cubs scratched scheduled starter Yu Darvish on Sunday because of right forearm tightness, sidelining the Japanese right-hander after one of his best performances with the team.Darvish pitched eight sparkling innings in a 5-2 victory over the New York Mets on Tuesday night. He is 3-2 with a 2.93 ERA over his last nine starts in his best stretch since signing a $126 million, six-year contract with Chicago before last season.While forearm tightness can be a harrowing sign for pitchers, Darvish has been dealing with the issue for about five outings. The Cubs haven't sent him for any tests, and manager Joe Maddon thinks Darvish will be able to take his next turn in the rotation Saturday at Milwaukee."Just like a precautionary thing," Maddon said. "I mean, the guy's pitching a lot this year compared to what he did last year. We're really jumping his innings, so we want to be a little bit proactive with this thing. We anticipate playing a lot longer than just the rest... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Cubs scratched Yu Darvish on Sunday because of right forearm tightness, sidelining the Japanese right-hander after one of his best starts with the team.Darvish pitched eight sparkling innings in a 5-2 victory over the New York Mets on Tuesday night. He is 3-2 with a 2.93 ERA in his last nine starts in his best stretch since he signed a $126 million, six-year contract with Chicago before last season.While forearm tightness can be a harrowing sign for pitchers, Darvish has been dealing with the issue for about five starts. The Cubs haven't sent him for any tests, and manager Joe Maddon thinks he will be able to take his next turn in the rotation Saturday at Milwaukee."Just like a precautionary thing," Maddon said. "I mean the guy's pitching a lot this year compared to what he did last year. We're really jumping his innings so we want to be a little bit proactive with this thing. We anticipate playing a lot longer than just the rest of this month."Darvish is 5-6... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Cubs have scratched Yu Darvish because of right forearm tightness.Darvish has been dealing with the issue for about five starts, and manager Joe Maddon says the Japanese right-hander thinks he will be able to take his next turn in the rotation Saturday at Milwaukee.Tyler Chatwood will start Sunday against the Brewers in place of Darvish, who hasn't been sent for any tests.The Cubs also activated infielder Daniel Descalso off the 10-day injured list. He had been sidelined by a sprained left ankle.With active rosters expanding in September, Chicago recalled six players from Triple-A Iowa; outfielder Albert Almora Jr., utilityman Robel Garcia, right-handers Alec Mills and Duane Underwood Jr., left-hander Brad Wieck and catcher Taylor Davis.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

A look at what's happening around the majors today:SPECIAL RETURNIndians right-hander Carlos Carrasco, who hasn't pitched in the majors since late May when he was diagnosed with leukemia, will be reinstated from the 60-day injured list for a game at Tampa Bay. Carrasco made four rehab appearances with Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus, permitting one run while striking out eight in five innings. He'll start up in Cleveland's bullpen as he continues to build endurance in his arm."Great feeling, back to the baseball field," Carrasco said on Instagram.SEPTEMBER CALL-UPSThe Yankees figure to take full advantage when rosters expand for September. Outfielder Clint Frazier is expected to rejoin the big club after being demoted to Triple-A in mid-June. The 24-year-old hit .283 with 11 homers and an .843 OPS in 53 major league games, but he made several embarrassing miscues in right field and was tasked with sharpening his defense. New York could also get reinforcements in the bullpen after using... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors Sunday:SPECIAL RETURNIndians right-hander Carlos Carrasco, who hasn't pitched in the majors since late May when he was diagnosed with leukemia, will be reinstated from the 60-day injured list for a game at Tampa Bay. Carrasco made four rehab appearances with Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus, permitting one run while striking out eight in five innings. He'll start up in Cleveland's bullpen as he continues to build endurance in his arm."Great feeling, back to the baseball field," Carrasco said on Instagram.SEPTEMBER CALL-UPSThe Yankees figure to take full advantage when rosters expand for September. Outfielder Clint Frazier is expected to rejoin the big club after being demoted to Triple-A in mid-June. The 24-year-old hit .283 with 11 homers and an .843 OPS in 53 major league games, but he made several embarrassing miscues in right field and was tasked with sharpening his defense. New York could also get reinforcements in the bullpen after... [More]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Marcus Semien provided just enough early offense and Mike Fiers and three Oakland relievers combined to shut down the Kansas City Royals in a 2-1 victory Tuesday night.Semien scored in the first inning and drove in a run in the second. That was all the offense the A's pitchers needed one day after Oakland had a season-high 19 runs.Fiers (13-3) scattered eight hits in his 5 1/3 innings, but allowed just Alex Gordon's RBI double in the sixth. He's now won 11 straight decisions, dating to May 7, tying Mark Mulder for the second-longest winning streak in Oakland history.Mike Montgomery (3-7) surrendered an unearned run in the first and another run in the second, but gave up nothing else through 6 1/3 innings.ORIOLES 2, NATIONALS 0WASHINGTON (AP) — Aaron Brooks came up with an unexpected pitching gem against the torrid-hitting Nationals, throwing six innings of two-hit ball to help Baltimore end Washington's five-game winning streak.The Nationals were coming off a weekend... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The rookie has the record.New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso became the first rookie in 81 years to break his team's season home run mark when he connected Tuesday night in a 5-2 loss to the Chicago Cubs.Alonso launched his 42nd of the year on the first pitch from Yu Darvish in the fourth inning, a no-doubt drive to the opposite field that soared far beyond the fence in right and gave the Mets a 1-0 lead."As soon as that ball came off my bat, I knew right away," Alonso said. "It's such an amazing feeling. It's been a dream come true for me so far this year, and I just feel really blessed and honored."The big first baseman raised his right arm and index finger as he began rounding the bases, then flashed a bright smile in the dugout before coming out for a curtain call."It's just been surreal. The way that they've kind of embraced me since Day One has been extremely special. I just want to reciprocate that," Alonso said. "They've been unbelievable and they've treated me so... [More]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Marcus Semien provided just enough early offense and Mike Fiers and three Oakland relievers combined to shut down the Kansas City Royals in a 2-1 victory Tuesday night.Semien scored in the first inning and drove in a run in the second. That was all the offense the A's pitchers needed one day after Oakland had a season-high 19 runs.Fiers (13-3) scattered eight hits in his 5 1/3 innings, but allowed just Alex Gordon's RBI double in the sixth. He's now won 11 straight decisions, dating to May 7, tying Mark Mulder for the second-longest winning streak in Oakland history.Mike Montgomery (3-7) surrendered an unearned run in the first and another run in the second, but gave up nothing else through 6 1/3 innings.ORIOLES 2, NATIONALS 0WASHINGTON (AP) — Aaron Brooks came up with an unexpected pitching gem against the torrid-hitting Nationals, throwing six innings of two-hit ball to help Baltimore end Washington's five-game winning streak.The Nationals were coming off a weekend... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The rookie has the record.New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso became the first rookie in 81 years to break his team's season home run mark when he connected Tuesday night in a 5-2 loss to the Chicago Cubs.Alonso launched his 42nd of the year on the first pitch from Yu Darvish in the fourth inning, a no-doubt drive to the opposite field that soared far beyond the fence in right and gave the Mets a 1-0 lead."As soon as that ball came off my bat, I knew right away," Alonso said. "It's such an amazing feeling. It's been a dream come true for me so far this year, and I just feel really blessed and honored."The big first baseman raised his right arm and index finger as he began rounding the bases, then flashed a bright smile in the dugout before coming out for a curtain call."It's just been surreal. The way that they've kind of embraced me since Day One has been extremely special. I just want to reciprocate that," Alonso said. "They've been unbelievable and they've treated me so... [More]

Mets fourth. Pete Alonso homers to center field. Michael Conforto called out on strikes. Wilson Ramos singles to left field. J.D. Davis strikes out swinging. Joe Panik grounds out to second base, Addison Russell to Ian Happ.1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on. Mets 1, Cubs 0.Cubs fifth. Victor Caratini doubles to deep center field. Addison Russell homers to center field. Victor Caratini scores. Yu Darvish called out on strikes. Jason Heyward grounds out to shallow infield, Marcus Stroman to Pete Alonso. Nicholas Castellanos grounds out to shortstop, Amed Rosario to Pete Alonso.2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 0 left on. Cubs 2, Mets 1.Cubs sixth. Kris Bryant doubles to deep left field. Javier Baez homers to right field. Kris Bryant scores. Kyle Schwarber strikes out swinging. Ian Happ flies out to left field to J.D. Davis. Victor Caratini called out on strikes.2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 0 left on. Cubs 4, Mets 1.Cubs eighth. Nicholas Castellanos doubles to deep center field. Kris Bryant lines out... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Mets slugger Pete Alonso has become the first rookie in 81 years to break his team's season home run record.Alonso launched his 42nd of the season on the first pitch from Chicago Cubs right-hander Yu Darvish in the fourth inning Tuesday night, a no-doubt drive to the opposite field that soared far beyond the fence in right.The big first baseman raised his right arm and index finger as he began rounding the bases, then flashed a bright smile in the dugout before coming out for a curtain call. And he set the Mets mark with 31 games to spare.Todd Hundley in 1996 and Carlos Beltran a decade later hit 41 homers for New York.In July, Alonso won the All-Star Home Run Derby in Cleveland.Johnny Rizzo was the previous major league rookie to claim sole possession of his club's home run record when he hit 23 for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1938. Rizzo's franchise mark was matched by Hall of Famer and former Mets broadcaster Ralph Kiner in 1946.The 24-year-old Alonso made his major league... [More]