CINCINNATI (AP) — St. Louis starter Daniel Poncedeleon made a sensational debut 14 months after suffering a severe head injury, throwing no-hit ball for seven innings Monday night before Eugenio Suarez led the Cincinnati Reds' two-out rally in the ninth for a 2-1 victory over the Cardinals.Suarez's two-out, solo homer off Bud Norris (3-3) tied it 1-1. The closer then loaded the bases on a pair of singles and a walk, and pinch-hitter Dilson Herrera singled to end the Reds' losing streak at four games. Jared Hughes (3-3) pitched the ninth.The late rally overshadowed Poncedeleon's incredible comeback.The 26-year-old right-hander was hit on the right temple by a line drive while pitching for Triple-A Memphis on May 9 last year, fracturing his skull and causing bleeding in the brain. He had emergency surgery followed by months of slow recovery.Poncedeleon was one of the top pitchers in the Pacific Coast League when St. Louis called him up Monday to help their injury-depleted rotation. He walked... [More]

CINCINNATI (AP) — St. Louis starter Daniel Poncedeleon made a sensational debut 14 months after suffering a severe head injury, throwing no-hit ball for seven innings Monday night before Eugenio Suarez led the Cincinnati Reds' two-out rally in the ninth for a 2-1 victory over the Cardinals.Suarez's two-out, solo homer off Bud Norris (3-3) tied it 1-1. The closer then loaded the bases on a pair of singles and a walk, and pinch-hitter Dilson Herrera singled to end the Reds' losing streak at four games. Jared Hughes (3-3) pitched the ninth.The late rally overshadowed Poncedeleon's incredible comeback.The 26-year-old right-hander was hit on the right temple by a line drive while pitching for Triple-A Memphis on May 9 last year, fracturing his skull and causing bleeding in the brain. He had emergency surgery followed by months of slow recovery.Poncedeleon was one of the top pitchers in the Pacific Coast League when St. Louis called him up Monday to help their injury-depleted rotation. He walked... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Stephen Strasburg was batted around by the Atlanta Braves, then engaged in a heated spat with Nationals ace Max Scherzer in the dugout during Washington's 8-5 loss Friday night.It was unclear what prompted the exchange between the star pitchers in their first game after the All-Star break.The dispute occurred after Strasburg (6-7), activated from the 10-day disabled list earlier in the day and throwing on his 30th birthday, gave up six runs and eight hits in 4 2/3 innings. He walked into the dugout, got a pat on the back from Scherzer and sat down on the bench. They began barking at each other, then both quickly went off-camera by leaving the dugout.The Braves lost All-Star second baseman Ozzie Albies in the third inning, and the team said he was lifted as a precaution because of right hamstring tightness. He had an RBI double and stole a base in a two-run first inning.Anibal Sanchez (5-2) allowed three runs over six innings for the Braves, who started the second half... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Red Sox had the second-best start in franchise history, and still they are struggling to shake the New York Yankees in the AL East.So manager Alex Cora doesn't have to fear that they will lose their focus when they return from the All-Star break."There's a few good teams out there, that they're going to make it interesting in the second half," he said last week. "I still feel we can be better. We've still got some challenges in front of us. Just because we had a good first half of the season doesn't mean we're going to go all the way."After winning 12 of their last 13 games to reach the break with the best record in baseball (68-30), the Red Sox have a season-high 4 1/2-game lead in the division. Their .694 winning percentage is second-best to the 1946 team that Ted Williams led to the All-Star break at .701 (54-23). That team started 68-28-2, the only one in franchise history to fare better in its first 98 games."Hopefully when we come back we'll pick it up right... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — David Ortiz can now laugh, sort of, at the shifting culture of baseball. For Mike Trout, Nolan Arenado, Bryce Harper and most every other All-Star hitter, dealing with different defensive alignments is just part of the game.Tune in Tuesday night and there's no telling where fans will see fielders at Nationals Park. Especially in what's become merely an exhibition — why not try a five-man outfield?Count Joey Votto among the boppers who'd love to do away with infielders clustered on the grass."From someone who's really been dinged by the shift, I would welcome it," the Cincinnati first baseman said Monday. "Once they started shifting more without question, I adjusted my approach and you have to or else you get burned by it because .290 turns into .250 turns into .220 like nothing."But the career .312 hitter can see why Major League Baseball might want to avoid delving into rules to define defensive positions."I like the idea of a dynamic ballplayer. It's really hard to shift... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — David Ortiz can now laugh, sort of, at the shifting culture of baseball. For Mike Trout, Nolan Arenado, Bryce Harper and most every other All-Star hitter, dealing with different defensive alignments is just part of the game.Tune in Tuesday night and there's no telling where fans will see fielders at Nationals Park. Especially in what's become merely an exhibition — why not try a five-man outfield?Count Joey Votto among the boppers who'd love to do away with infielders clustered on the grass."From someone who's really been dinged by the shift, I would welcome it," the Cincinnati first baseman said Monday. "Once they started shifting more without question, I adjusted my approach and you have to or else you get burned by it because .290 turns into .250 turns into .220 like nothing."But the career .312 hitter can see why Major League Baseball might want to avoid delving into rules to define defensive positions."I like the idea of a dynamic ballplayer. It's really hard to shift... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — David Ortiz can now laugh, sort of, at the shifting culture of baseball. For J.D. Martinez, Nolan Arenado, Aaron Judge and every other All-Star hitter, dealing with different defensive alignments is just part of the game.Tune in Tuesday night and no telling where fans will see fielders. Especially in what's become merely an exhibition — why not try a five-man outfield?To Big Papi, these overloaded infields are reshaping the sport. Not in a good way, either."It seems crazy, it seems like it's taking some fun part of the game away," the retired Red Sox slugger said Sunday at Nationals Park, site of this week's All-Star action."It seems like there are 20 guys playing defense against you," Ortiz said, playfully estimating shifts took away "like 500 hits away from me."His idea: "So I would take my chances, if MLB wanted to. Just saying to play normal, like the game is supposed to be played since Day One, just to see how that plays out."Of course, Max Scherzer, Jacob deGrom,... [More]

BALTIMORE (AP) — Manny Machado homered before making an early exit, Adam Jones hit a three-run double and the Baltimore Orioles rallied past the Texas Rangers 6-5 Sunday.Machado was removed in the fifth inning by manager Buck Showalter after a 26-minute rain delay, taking the All-Star shortstop off a sloppy field. The last-place Orioles are entertaining offers for Machado, who is expected to be dealt before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.After being replaced by Jace Peterson, Machado sat in the dugout, wearing a sweatshirt and joking with his teammates.In a matchup between two teams staggering into the All-Star break, Texas got a first-inning grand slam from rookie Ronald Guzman but quickly gave the lead away in losing for the seventh time in nine games.Machado ignited the comeback with his 24th homer, and Jones' bases-clearing double in the third off Mike Minor (6-6) put Baltimore ahead to stay.Tanner Scott (1-1) earned his first big league win. Zach Britton worked the ninth for... [More]

BALTIMORE (AP) — Manny Machado homered before making an early exit, Adam Jones hit a three-run double and the Baltimore Orioles rallied past the Texas Rangers 6-5 Sunday.Machado was removed in the fifth inning by manager Buck Showalter after a 26-minute rain delay, taking the All-Star shortstop off a sloppy field. The last-place Orioles are entertaining offers for Machado, who is expected to be dealt before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.After being replaced by Jace Peterson, Machado sat in the dugout, wearing a sweatshirt and joking with his teammates.In a matchup between two teams staggering into the All-Star break, Texas got a first-inning grand slam from rookie Ronald Guzman but quickly gave the lead away in losing for the seventh time in nine games.Machado ignited the comeback with his 24th homer, and Jones' bases-clearing double in the third off Mike Minor (6-6) put Baltimore ahead to stay.Tanner Scott (1-1) earned his first big league win. Zach Britton worked the ninth for... [More]

BALTIMORE (AP) — Manny Machado homered before making an early exit, Adam Jones hit a three-run double and the Baltimore Orioles rallied past the Texas Rangers 6-5 Sunday.Machado was removed in the fifth inning by manager Buck Showalter after a 26-minute rain delay, taking the All-Star shortstop off a sloppy field. The last-place Orioles are entertaining offers for Machado, who is expected to be dealt before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.After being replaced by Jace Peterson, Machado sat in the dugout, wearing a sweatshirt and joking with his teammates.In a matchup between two teams staggering into the All-Star break, Texas got a first-inning grand slam from rookie Ronald Guzman but quickly gave the lead away in losing for the seventh time in nine games.Machado ignited the comeback with his 24th homer, and Jones' bases-clearing double in the third off Mike Minor (6-6) put Baltimore ahead to stay.Tanner Scot (1-1) earned his first big league win. Zach Britton worked the ninth for... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Xander Bogaerts hit a game-ending grand slam with one out in the 10th inning, and J.D. Martinez hit his major league-leading 29th homer to carry the Boston Red Sox to a 6-2 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday.Martinez increased his major league-leading RBI total to 80 with a solo shot and red-hot Mookie Betts extended his hitting streak to 12 games with three singles to raise his majors' best average to .362 for Boston.The AL East-leading Red Sox had their 10-game winning streak halted Friday. They haven't lost two straight since June 19 and 20.Betts reached on error against Chris Rowley (0-1) when shortstop Gurriel, who moved there in the top of the inning, had his grounder go right through his legs. Brock Holt had a hit-and-run single and Martinez was intentionally walked before Bogaerts hit his shot to left-center.Craig Kimbrel (2-1) pitched a hitless 10th for the victory.ANGELS 5, DODGERS 4, 10 INNINGSLOS ANGELES (AP) — Kole Calhoun homered on his first pitch... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Xander Bogaerts hit a game-ending grand slam with one out in the 10th inning, and J.D. Martinez hit his major league-leading 29th homer to carry the Boston Red Sox to a 6-2 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday.Martinez increased his major league-leading RBI total to 80 with a solo shot and red-hot Mookie Betts extended his hitting streak to 12 games with three singles to raise his majors' best average to .362 for Boston.The AL East-leading Red Sox had their 10-game winning streak halted Friday. They haven't lost two straight since June 19 and 20.Betts reached on error against Chris Rowley (0-1) when shortstop Gurriel, who moved there in the top of the inning, had his grounder go right through his legs. Brock Holt had a hit-and-run single and Martinez was intentionally walked before Bogaerts hit his shot to left-center.Craig Kimbrel (2-1) pitched a hitless 10th for the victory.ANGELS 5, DODGERS 4, 10 INNINGSLOS ANGELES (AP) — Kole Calhoun homered on his first pitch... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Xander Bogaerts hit a game-ending grand slam with one out in the 10th inning, and J.D. Martinez hit his major league-leading 29th homer to carry the Boston Red Sox to a 6-2 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday.Martinez increased his major league-leading RBI total to 80 with a solo shot and red-hot Mookie Betts extended his hitting streak to 12 games with three singles to raise his majors' best average to .362 for Boston.The AL East-leading Red Sox had their 10-game winning streak halted Friday. They haven't lost two straight since June 19 and 20.Betts reached on error against Chris Rowley (0-1) when shortstop Gurriel, who moved there in the top of the inning, had his grounder go right through his legs. Brock Holt had a hit-and-run single and Martinez was intentionally walked before Bogaerts hit his shot to left-center.Craig Kimbrel (2-1) pitched a hitless 10th for the victory.ROYALS 5, WHITE SOX 0CHICAGO (AP) — Jorge Bonifacio homered for the first time since he... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Mookie Betts fouled off seven pitches before hitting a grand slam that helped the Boston Red Sox beat the Toronto Blue Jays 6-4 on Thursday night, extending their winning streak to 10 games.Boston has the longest current winning streak in the big leagues and hasn't lost since getting routed 11-1 at Yankee Stadium on July 1. At 66-29, the Red Sox are 37 games over .500 for the first time since 1949.David Price (10-6) struck out eight over 6 2/3 innings, and Craig Kimbrel earned his 29th save.All-Star lefty J.A. Happ (10-6) started strong for Toronto, striking out six and holding Boston to two hits before running into trouble and some misfortune in the fourth.ANGELS 11, MARINERS 2ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Albert Pujols hit two home runs to tie Ken Griffey Jr. for sixth place on the career list with 630, and Los Angeles romped over Seattle.Tyler Skaggs pitched six strong innings in his return from the disabled list. Pujols hit a two-run shot in the first and a solo drive in the... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Mookie Betts fouled off seven pitches before hitting a grand slam that helped the Boston Red Sox beat the Toronto Blue Jays 6-4 on Thursday night, extending their winning streak to 10 games.Boston has the longest current winning streak in the big leagues and hasn't lost since getting routed 11-1 at Yankee Stadium on July 1. At 66-29, the Red Sox are 37 games over .500 for the first time since 1949.David Price (10-6) struck out eight over 6 2/3 innings, and Craig Kimbrel earned his 29th save.All-Star lefty J.A. Happ (10-6) started strong for Toronto, striking out six and holding Boston to two hits before running into trouble and some misfortune in the fourth.YANKEES 7, INDIANS 4CLEVELAND (AP) — Aaron Hicks drove home Didi Gregorius from first base with a one-out double in the eighth inning off Cleveland ace Corey Kluber, sending New York to a win over the Indians.Hicks drove a 3-2 pitch from Kluber (12-5) to deep center field, and Gregorius scored easily when the ball one-hopped... [More]

DENVER (AP) — Colorado right-hander German Marquez homered against Arizona infielder Daniel Descalso, helping the Rockies pound the Diamondbacks 19-2 on Wednesday night.Marquez (8-8) pitched six innings of two-run ball. He connected for his first career homer in the fifth.Marquez's drive to center was the first homer by a pitcher off a position player since Mike LaCoss went deep for the Giants against San Diego's Dane Iorg on June 23, 1986, according to STATS.Carlos Gonzalez homered twice for the Rockies and drove in six runs. Charlie Blackmon and Ian Desmond also went deep.Arizona right-hander Shelby Miller (0-4) allowed five runs in one inning before departing with right elbow tightness.MARLINS 5, BREWERS 4, 12 INNINGSMIAMI (AP) — Milwaukee slugger Jesus Aguilar was added to the NL All-Star team and then validated the selection with three hits and three RBIs, but the Brewers went 3 for 16 with runners in scoring position.Starlin Castro singled home the winning run for Miami with one out... [More]

DENVER (AP) — Colorado right-hander German Marquez homered against Arizona infielder Daniel Descalso, helping the Rockies pound the Diamondbacks 19-2 on Wednesday night.Marquez (8-8) pitched six innings of two-run ball. He connected for his first career homer in the fifth.Marquez's drive to center was the first homer by a pitcher off a position player since Mike LaCoss went deep for the Giants against San Diego's Dane Iorg on June 23, 1986, according to STATS.Carlos Gonzalez homered twice for the Rockies and drove in six runs. Charlie Blackmon and Ian Desmond also went deep.Arizona right-hander Shelby Miller (0-4) allowed five runs in one inning before departing with right elbow tightness.MARLINS 5, BREWERS 4, 12 INNINGSMIAMI (AP) — Milwaukee slugger Jesus Aguilar was added to the NL All-Star team and then validated the selection with three hits and three RBIs, but the Brewers went 3 for 16 with runners in scoring position.Starlin Castro singled home the winning run for Miami with one out... [More]

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Starling Marte hit a two-run home run and Trevor Williams combined with four relievers on a five-hitter as the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Washington Nationals 2-0 on Wednesday.Williams (7-7) won for just the second time in his past 10 starts, giving up four hits with three strikeouts and three walks.Gio Gonzalez (6-6) remained winless since May 28 despite allowing just two runs, six hits and one walk while striking out four.Washington lost for the 11th time in 16 games and fell back to .500.Richard Rodriguez, Edgar Santana, Kyle Crick and Felipe Vazquez followed Williams with one scoreless inning each. Vazquez earned his 20th save in 24 opportunities.TWINS 8, ROYALS 5MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Brian Dozier hit a two-run home run, going deep for the second straight game to give Minnesota a boost on its way to a win over Kansas City.Lance Lynn (7-7) recovered from a three-run homer by Salvador Perez in the first inning to win his second straight start for the Twins, who used the... [More]

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Shohei Ohtani's pinch-hit home run in the seventh inning sent Andrew Heaney and the Los Angeles Angels to a 4-3 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday.Albert Pujols also went deep for the Angels, tying the score at 3 in the sixth. Justin Upton had a two-run single.Heaney (5-6) allowed only three hits and equaled a career high with 10 strikeouts in seven innings to help the Angels take two of three at home in the Freeway Series. He gave up an early three-run homer to Yasiel Puig, who later left with an oblique injury.Ohtani drove his first career pinch-hit homer a projected 443 feet to center field off reliever JT Chargois (2-2). It also was the Angels' first pinch-hit home run of the season and Ohtani's seventh in the majors.The two-way rookie star from Japan, unavailable to pitch lately because of an elbow injury, fouled a ball off his knee one day earlier and experienced soreness. Before the game, it was unclear if he would be able to come off the bench.Justin... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Brett Anderson came off the disabled list and pitched effectively into the sixth inning before turning things over to Oakland's outstanding bullpen as the Athletics downed the Cleveland Indians 6-0 on Sunday.Anderson (1-2) had been sidelined with a shoulder strain, one of several injuries to the A's starting staff. But the left-hander looked sharp in his first start since May 18, limiting the Indians to three hits and leaving with a 4-0 lead.Stephen Piscotty hit a two-run homer off rookie Shane Bieber (4-1), and Jed Lowrie had a solo shot as Oakland won for the 10th time in 12 games to take two of three from the Indians.The A's are 18-6 against AL Central teams.Yusmeiro Petit, Ryan Buchter and Emilio Pagan finished the combined five-hitter as the A's moved 10 games over .500.ASTROS 2, WHITE SOX 1HOUSTON (AP) — Dallas Keuchel pitched seven strong innings, Jose Altuve homered and Houston manufactured the go-ahead run in the seventh to complete a four-game sweep of Chicago.Altuve's... [More]