PITTSBURGH (AP) — Nick Kingham carried a perfect game into the seventh inning in his major league debut to lead the Pittsburgh Pirates to their fifth straight win, 5-0 over the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday.Kingham, a 26-year-old rookie right-hander, retired 20 straight before Paul DeJong singled down the left-field line with two outs in the seventh. He finished with one hit and nine strikeouts on 98 pitches (72 strikes) after being recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis earlier in the day.He joined Johnny Cueto as the only pitchers in the last 100 years with one hit allowed, at least nine strikeouts and zero walks in a debut.Luke Weaver (2-2) took the loss after allowing four runs and six hits with six strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings.RED SOX 4, RAYS 3BOSTON (AP) — Sandy Leon hit a go-ahead RBI single with two outs in the eighth inning against Tampa Bay closer Alex Colome (2-3), helping the Red Sox snap the Rays' eight-game winning streak.J.D. Martinez had four singles and drove in two runs for... [More]

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Nick Kingham carried a perfect game into the seventh inning in his major league debut to lead the Pittsburgh Pirates to their fifth straight win, 5-0 over the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday.Kingham, a 26-year-old rookie right-hander, retired 20 straight before Paul DeJong singled down the left-field line with two outs in the seventh. He finished with one hit and nine strikeouts on 98 pitches (72 strikes) after being recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis earlier in the day.He joined Johnny Cueto as the only pitchers in the last 100 years with one hit allowed, at least nine strikeouts and zero walks in a debut.Luke Weaver (2-2) took the loss after allowing four runs and six hits with six strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings.RED SOX 4, RAYS 3BOSTON (AP) — Sandy Leon hit a go-ahead RBI single with two outs in the eighth inning against Tampa Bay closer Alex Colome (2-3), helping the Red Sox snap the Rays' eight-game winning streak.J.D. Martinez had four singles and drove in two runs for... [More]

It's that time of the fantasy baseball season where owners really need to evaluate their rosters and see which struggling players are worth keeping on their teams, and which ones should be kicked to the curb.Let's take a look at players that can help you in the long term, as well as guys who are worth streaming this upcoming week to take advantage of good matchups.PLAYERS TO PICK UPJaCoby Jones, OF (5 percent owned in Yahoo), and Dixon Machado, 2B/SS (2 percent), Detroit: Much was made in the offseason about the elevated hard-hit rates in Detroit in 2017. This year, those rates have sustained, but two new names have raised eyebrows with how hard they are hitting the ball. JaCoby Jones has a 50 percent hard hit ball percentage, which would be seventh among hitters if he qualified. Meanwhile Machado is 25th in baseball with his 44.1 percent. Machado's numbers haven't translated over to fantasy success yet but Jones' have. Both should at least be on watch lists in 12-team leagues and deeper.Mike... [More]

CINCINNATI (AP) — Ronald Acuna Jr. and Ozzie Albies, the two youngest players in the major leagues, both homered and combined for five RBIs to lead Atlanta over the Cincinnati Reds 7-4 Thursday and give the Braves a split of the four-game series.A day after the 20-year-old Acuna made his big league debut, he homered into the left-field upper deck leading off the second inning, singled in the sixth and hit a tiebreaking double off Wandy Peralta (1-1) in the eighth following Freddie Freeman's third double.Albies, a 21-year-old who made his debut last August, hit a two-run homer in the fifth for a 4-0 lead and added an RBI double in the ninth.Sam Freeman (1-1) retired all four batters he faced, and Arodys Vizcaino pitched a one-hit ninth for his second save. Cincinnati dropped to 5-20 for the first time in franchise history.YANKEES 4, TWINS 3NEW YORK (AP) — Gary Sanchez hit a three-run homer in the ninth off Fernando Rodney (1-2), extending New York's winning streak to six and completing an... [More]

CINCINNATI (AP) — Ronald Acuna Jr. and Ozzie Albies, the two youngest players in the major leagues, both homered and combined for five RBIs to lead Atlanta over the Cincinnati Reds 7-4 Thursday and give the Braves a split of the four-game series.A day after the 20-year-old Acuna made his big league debut, he homered into the left-field upper deck leading off the second inning, singled in the sixth and hit a tiebreaking double off Wandy Peralta (1-1) in the eighth following Freddie Freeman's third double.Albies, a 21-year-old who made his debut last August, hit a two-run homer in the fifth for a 4-0 lead and added an RBI double in the ninth.Sam Freeman (1-1) retired all four batters he faced, and Arodys Vizcaino pitched a one-hit ninth for his second save. Cincinnati dropped to 5-20 for the first time in franchise history.YANKEES 4, TWINS 3NEW YORK (AP) — Gary Sanchez hit a three-run homer in the ninth off Fernando Rodney (1-2), extending New York's winning streak to six and completing an... [More]

CINCINNATI (AP) — Ronald Acuna Jr. and Ozzie Albies, the two youngest players in the major leagues, both homered and combined for five RBIs to lead Atlanta over the Cincinnati Reds 7-4 Thursday and give the Braves a split of the four-game series.A day after the 20-year-old Acuna made his big league debut, he homered into the left-field upper deck leading off the second inning, singled in the sixth and hit a tiebreaking double off Wandy Peralta (1-1) in the eighth following Freddie Freeman's third double.Albies, a 21-year-old who made his debut last August, hit a two-run homer in the fifth for a 4-0 lead and added an RBI double in the ninth.Sam Freeman (1-1) retired all four batters he faced, and Arodys Vizcaino pitched a one-hit ninth for his second save. Cincinnati dropped to 5-20 for the first time in franchise history.YANKEES 4, TWINS 3NEW YORK (AP) — Gary Sanchez hit a three-run homer in the ninth off Fernando Rodney (1-2), extending New York's winning streak to six and completing an... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — Justin Verlander pitched seven sharp innings, AL MVP Jose Altuve hit his first home run of the season and the Houston Astros beat the Angels 5-2 on Wednesday, ending Los Angeles' road winning streak at a team record-tying 11.Albert Pujols connected off Verlander for his 619th career homer. Pujols has 2,994 hits.Alex Bregman hit a three-run double and Jake Marisnick homered as Houston avoided a three-game sweep. The Angels also won 11 straight road games in 1988.Verlander (4-0) held the Angels hitless into the fifth inning. He gave up two runs and four hits, striking out nine without a walk. Verlander won his 11th regular-season decision in a row.Ken Giles pitched a scoreless ninth for his second save. Nick Tropeano (1-2) retired the first 11 batters he faced, striking out six.INDIANS 4, CUBS 1CLEVELAND (AP) — Indians reliever Andrew Miller exited with tightness in his hamstring in the win over Chicago and could miss a few days.Miller grabbed the back of his leg after throwing... [More]

CINCINNATI (AP) — No break-in period needed for 20-year-old Ronald Acuna Jr.Promoted by the Atlanta Braves from Triple-A, the youngest player in the majors was put into the starting lineup Wednesday night, batting sixth and playing left field against Cincinnati."I'm not worried about too much," Acuna said through a translator. "I'm just going to give it my best effort and leave it all out on the field. I'm trying to approach it like a minor league game at the major league level."Acuna wore No. 13, just like fellow Venezuelans Dave Concepcion and Ozzie Guillen.Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said there was no doubt Acuna would start in his debut."I didn't even think about that," Snitker said. "We've never done that with any of our young players. If they come up, they need to play."Acuna rose from Class A to Triple-A in 2017, hitting a combined .325 with 21 home runs, 82 RBIs and 44 stolen bases. Then he was selected MVP of the Arizona Fall League. He began this season as MLB.com's No. 2 overall... [More]

CINCINNATI (AP) — Top outfield prospect Ronald Acuna is set to join the Atlanta Braves.The Braves planned to promote the 20-year-old from Triple-A Gwinnett on Wednesday to join them in Cincinnati.Acuna rose from Class A to Triple-A in 2017, hitting a combined .325 with 21 home runs, 82 RBIs and 44 stolen bases. Then he was selected MVP of the Arizona Fall League. He began this season as MLB.com's No. 2 overall prospect behind Angels two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani.Acuna teased Braves fans with a monster spring training, batting .432 with four homers, four stolen bases and a 1.247 OPS in 16 games.At Triple-A this month, Acuna was off to a slow start, hitting .232 with one homer and two RBIs in 69 at-bats.By delaying his promotion a few weeks past opening day, the Braves pushed back Acuna's free-agent eligibility until after the 2024 season.Acuna and 21-year-old second baseman Ozzie Albies will give Atlanta the two youngest players in the majors.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

A look at what's happening around the majors today:___RISING RONALDTop outfield prospect Ronald Acuna is set to join the Atlanta Braves in Cincinnati. The 20-year-old teased Braves fans with a monster spring training, batting .432 with four homers, four stolen bases and a 1.247 OPS in 16 games. By delaying his promotion a few weeks past opening day, the Braves pushed back Acuna's free-agent eligibility until after the 2024 season. Acuna and 21-year-old second baseman Ozzie Albies will give Atlanta the two youngest players in the majors.HOBBLINGThe Texas Rangers will see how Adrian Beltre is feeling, a day after he exited a game with a strained left hamstring. Beltre limped most of his way to first base after his 3,075th career hit. The team says the 39-year-old third baseman is set for further evaluation.MISS HIMSan Diego first baseman Eric Hosmer is out of the lineup for a couple days. He's been put on family medical leave and the Padres hope to have him back Friday."He had some things... [More]

The latter part of April is a good time to check in on some of baseball's top prospects.The New York Yankees hope they have a good one in Gleyber Torres.Torres made his anticipated debut for the Yankees on Sunday against the Toronto Blue Jays, and although the 21-year-old infielder went hitless , his arrival drew plenty of attention. Torres' promotion occurred late enough that he isn't eligible for free agency until after the 2024 season. It made sense for his major league debut to come now, especially after he hit .347 at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.A few other top prospects remain in the minors, but they're also worth keeping an eye on:—Ronald Acuna, Braves. Acuna hit .432 in 44 spring training at-bats for Atlanta this year, and although he started slowly at Triple-A Gwinnett, a three-hit day Sunday lifted his average to .217.—Nick Senzel, Reds. Cincinnati is a major league-worst 3-18 and already fired manager Bryan Price . In other words, the addition of a top prospect could certainly... [More]

As we enter the last full week of April, perhaps there's a chance that there are only a handful of postponements for the week, instead of a handful each day.Samples at the plate and on the mound are getting larger, but still far too little to put too much emphasis on them. But let's take a look at the week ahead for the best hitter matchups, two-start pitchers and batters you should consider picking up and getting into your lineups.BEST HITTING MATCHUPS: Atlanta, Minnesota, ColoradoWORST HITTING MATCHUPS: Los Angeles Angels, San FranciscoPLAYERS TO PICK UPTeoscar Hernandez, OF, Toronto - In 97 plate appearances last year, Hernandez had eight home runs and a .261 batting average. He's going to strike out a lot (37.9 strikeout percentage last season), but he's a power-speed outfielder with tremendous upside. He needs to be stashed in all category and roto leagues with five outfield spots, as he only has the struggling Randall Grichuk (.088 average, 33.8 strikeout percentage) in his way of... [More]

As we enter the last full week of April, perhaps there's a chance that there are only a handful of postponements for the week, instead of a handful each day.Samples at the plate and on the mound are getting larger, but still far too little to put too much emphasis on them. But let's take a look at the week ahead for the best hitter matchups, two-start pitchers and batters you should consider picking up and getting into your lineups.BEST HITTING MATCHUPS: Atlanta, Minnesota, ColoradoWORST HITTING MATCHUPS: Los Angeles Angels, San FranciscoPLAYERS TO PICK UPTeoscar Hernandez, OF, Toronto - In 97 plate appearances last year, Hernandez had eight home runs and a .261 batting average. He's going to strike out a lot (37.9 strikeout percentage last season), but he's a power-speed outfielder with tremendous upside. Yes, Toronto is noncommittal about him staying up with the team, but he needs to be stashed in all category and roto leagues with five outfield spots, as he only has the struggling Randall... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — The Philadelphia Phillies are eager to get started on a new, winning era.For the Atlanta Braves, opening day still feels like it's a few weeks away.The NL East rivals begin the season Thursday at 2-year-old SunTrust Park, where Julio Teheran will make his fifth straight opening day start for the Braves against Philadelphia's Aaron Nola.The Phillies are coming off their fifth straight losing season, a 96-loss debacle that left them at the bottom of the division, but all signs points to a team on the rise .Stocked with young talent on the big league roster and plenty of top prospects in the minors, Philadelphia began to fill in the gaps from its long rebuilding job. The team doled out a three-year, $75 million contract to 2015 Cy Young winner Jake Arrieta . First baseman Carlos Santana received a three-year, $60 million deal."The chemistry is coming together," said Nola, who will make his first opening day start after going 12-11 with a 3.54 ERA last season. "The guys are coming... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — The Philadelphia Phillies are eager to get started on a new, winning era.For the Atlanta Braves, opening day still feels like it's a few weeks away.The NL East rivals begin the season Thursday at 2-year-old SunTrust Park, where Julio Teheran will make his fifth straight opening day start for the Braves against Philadelphia's Aaron Nola.The Phillies are coming off their fifth straight losing season, a 96-loss debacle that left them at the bottom of the division, but all signs points to a team on the rise .Stocked with young talent on the big league roster and plenty of top prospects in the minors, Philadelphia began to fill in the gaps from its long rebuilding job. The team doled out a three-year, $75 million contract to 2015 Cy Young winner Jake Arrieta . First baseman Carlos Santana received a three-year, $60 million deal."The chemistry is coming together," said Nola, who will make his first opening day start after going 12-11 with a 3.54 ERA last season. "The guys are coming... [More]

Projecting how top prospects will perform in their rookie campaign is difficult. In 2017, Matt Olson and Rhys Hoskins did a lot of producing with little opportunity, while Yuli Gurriel hit only 18 home runs in 139 games as a first baseman.Sometimes limited opportunities don't kill a player's value, while full-time opportunities won't necessarily guarantee that a rookie will be fantasy relevant, either. Trying to balance potential impact and possible opportunities is the key to projecting who will be the best rookies to own in fantasy.Ronald Acuna, OF, Atlanta BravesCurrent Player Comparison: Justin UptonAcuna hits for both power and batting average, he gets on base and he has enough speed to contribute a few stolen bases as well. With an ADP of 126, according to FantasyPros, he is a better selection with more upside than players like Adam Jones, Ian Desmond and Ender Inciarte.Shohei Ohtani, SP/DH, Los Angeles AngelsComp: Yu DarvishOhtani's 95-plus mph fastball, multiple breaking balls and... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Ronald Acuna's debut at SunTrust Park was only a tease.Acuna's return to Atlanta on a full-time basis, and in a game that counts, may be less than a month away.The Braves closed their exhibition schedule with a 7-4 win over a Future Stars team of minor leaguers, including top prospect Acuna, who had a single in three at-bats.Atlanta opens its season on Thursday night when Julio Teheran starts against the Philadelphia Phillies. Acuna will begin at Triple-A Gwinnett, perhaps for only a few weeks.Acuna wanted to open the season in Atlanta but said understands more went into the decision than his .432 spring batting average."It's just not the right moment right now," Acuna said through a translator before the game. "That's just part of the business. Baseball is a business and I understand that. There are a lot of things that go into the decisions."Having Acuna spend a few weeks in the minors will give the Braves an extra full season of contractual control down the road. He could... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Aaron Judge. Cody Bellinger. Andrew Benintendi. Paul DeJong. The list goes on and on.Last year's rookie class was one of the best in baseball history. Topping that group of sluggers will be quite a chore, but here is a closer look at some touted prospects hoping to make a name for themselves this year:—RHP/DH Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels: The 23-year-old Ohtani is trying to become the first player in nearly 100 years to play regularly as a pitcher and hitter, but he had mixed results during spring training. Ohtani spent the previous five seasons with the Nippon Ham Fighters, showing off a big fastball and a powerful bat.—OF Ronald Acuna, Atlanta Braves: The future is now for the crown jewel of Atlanta's loaded farm system after Matt Kemp was traded to the Dodgers in December. The 20-year-old Acuna will begin the season at Triple-A Gwinnett, pushing back his eligibility for arbitration, but it's only a matter of time before he is up with the Braves after he hit .325 with... [More]

Capsules of National League East teams, listed in order of finish last year:___Washington Nationals2017: 97-65, first place, lost to Cubs in NLDS.Manager: Dave Martinez (first season).He's Here: 1B-OF Matt Adams, C Miguel Montero, RHP Jeremy Hellickson, RHP Joaquin Benoit, INF Matt Reynolds.He's Outta Here: Manager Dusty Baker, LF Jayson Werth, 1B-LF Adam Lind, C Jose Lobaton, RHP Matt Albers.Projected Lineup: SS Trea Turner (.284, 11 HRs, 45 RBIs, 46 SBs in 98 games), LF Adam Eaton (.297, 2, 13 in 23 games), RF Bryce Harper (.319, 29, 87), 3B Anthony Rendon (.301, 25, 100, 41 2Bs), 2B Daniel Murphy (.322, 23, 93, 43 2Bs; expected to begin season on DL recovering from knee surgery), 1B Ryan Zimmerman (.303, 36, 108, 33 2Bs), CF Michael A. Taylor (.271, 19, 53), C Matt Wieters (.225, 10, 52).Rotation: RH Max Scherzer (16-6, 2.51 ERA, NL-high 268 Ks, 200 2/3 IP, 3rd Cy Young Award), RH Stephen Strasburg (15-4, 2.52, 204 Ks), LH Gio Gonzalez (15-9, 2.96, 79 walks), RH Tanner Roark (13-11,... [More]

Capsules of National League East teams, listed in order of finish last year:___Washington Nationals2017: 97-65, first place, lost to Cubs in NLDS.Manager: Dave Martinez (first season).He's Here: 1B-OF Matt Adams, C Miguel Montero, RHP Jeremy Hellickson, RHP Joaquin Benoit, INF Matt Reynolds.He's Outta Here: Manager Dusty Baker, LF Jayson Werth, 1B-LF Adam Lind, C Jose Lobaton, RHP Matt Albers.Projected Lineup: SS Trea Turner (.284, 11 HRs, 45 RBIs, 46 SBs in 98 games), LF Adam Eaton (.297, 2, 13 in 23 games), RF Bryce Harper (.319, 29, 87), 3B Anthony Rendon (.301, 25, 100, 41 2Bs), 2B Daniel Murphy (.322, 23, 93, 43 2Bs; expected to begin season on DL recovering from knee surgery), 1B Ryan Zimmerman (.303, 36, 108, 33 2Bs), CF Michael A. Taylor (.271, 19, 53), C Matt Wieters (.225, 10, 52).Rotation: RH Max Scherzer (16-6, 2.51 ERA, NL-high 268 Ks, 200 2/3 IP, 3rd Cy Young Award), RH Stephen Strasburg (15-4, 2.52, 204 Ks), LH Gio Gonzalez (15-9, 2.96, 79 walks), RH Tanner Roark (13-11,... [More]