PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Players from the San Francisco Giants and Philadelphia Phillies rushed to help the grounds crew put tarp on the field when strong winds blew it out of control a few hours before Wednesday's game.Many of the players were stretching or having a catch in the outfield as the skies darkened and rain began. They quickly ran over to help the crew once the tarp started to swirl."It was crazy out there," Giants reliever Will Smith said. "Some guys were getting pulled up. Both bullpens came together and we got the thing nailed down. It was a crazy three minutes there."Phillies reliever Adam Morgan said he hadn't assisted with a tarp since he played college ball at Alabama."That thing is heavy," Morgan said.The crew had no trouble removing the tarp and the game started on time.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two consecutive rainouts — and one batting practice injury for Max Scherzer — have thrown the Washington Nationals' pitching plans into question.The Nationals and Philadelphia Phillies were rained out Tuesday after a nearly two-hour delay, the teams' second consecutive postponement. The game will be made up on Sept. 24 at 1:05 p.m. as part of a day-night doubleheader.The truncated three-game series between NL East rivals will now start with a day-night doubleheader on Wednesday, with the front end the makeup of Monday's washout.Neither team immediately announced its pitching plans, though the one thing that seemed certain early Tuesday afternoon — that Scherzer would start one of the games — was thrown into doubt by a batting practice mishap.Scherzer suffered a broken nose when he took a ball off his face while attempting a bunt. The team said a CT scan was negative and that Scherzer's status was still to be determined.Washington will need to find at least one starter... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Phillies manager Gable Kapler could have draped a stethoscope around his neck in his office that seemed more fit for an urgent care."I have notes on injury stuff," Kapler said Wednesday, not long before Philadelphia's scheduled game against St. Louis went into a rain delay. "There's some stuff to report."Just a few notes.One reliever had surgery. Another went on the injured list. Three more relievers may not return until some time in June.The next call to the bullpen could come on the trade market. Who has a number for Craig Kimbrel?General manager Matt Klentak knows the Phillies will have to strengthen their bullpen for a serious shot at their first playoff berth since 2011."I know that Matt is always looking for help," Kapler said. "Matt is diligent about improving our roster all the time. My job is to always stay focused on the roster. The guys that we have in our organization, my job is to know them well, not just the guys at the major league level but the guys at... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Ryan Braun's career-high sixth hit, a two-run single with one out in the 18th inning, lifted the Milwaukee Brewers to a 4-3 comeback victory over the New York Mets on Saturday night in the longest game in Miller Park history.Braun stood on first base with his hands raised above his head as Yasmani Grandal slid across home plate with the winning run, ending the game that lasted 5 hours and 22 minutes. A jubilant bunch of Brewers ran out to greet Braun, who was the only Milwaukee player to have multiple hits.The Mets took a 3-2 lead in the top of the 18th on Jeff McNeil's run-scoring single off Taylor Williams (1-1), who was Milwaukee's eighth and final pitcher.But the Brewers were far from done. Eric Thames drew a leadoff walk from Chris Flexen (0-2), who then got Mike Moustakas to fly out to center. Flexen, just recalled from Triple-A Syracuse earlier in the day, walked Grandal and Travis Shaw to load the bases for Braun. The Brewers' longest-tenured hit a sharp grounder... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Boston Red Sox strung together 10 straight hits against White Sox left-hander Manny Bañuelos, ending one hit shy of the major league record during a nine-run third inning in a 15-2 rout of Chicago on Saturday night.Bañuelos (2-1) retired his first eight batters before Christian Vázquez opened Boston's two-out rally with a single. Xander Bogaerts, Michael Chavis and Eduardo Núñez each homered, Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez had RBI doubles, and Vázquez capped the streak with another single before White Sox manager Rick Renteria pulled Bañuelos with a 9-1 deficit. Carson Fulmer replaced Bañuelos and interrupted the hit parade by walking Andrew Benintendi. Betts flew out to right to end the inning after 14 batters.The Colorado Rockies had a major league-record 11 straight hits during a 17-2 win over the Chicago Cubs at Coors Field on July 30, 2010.Chavis added another solo shot in the fifth for his first multihomer game and finished with four hits and three RBIs. All of... [More]

DENVER (AP) — Max Muncy, Cody Bellinger and Russell Martin homered as the Los Angeles Dodgers kept up their longball barrage, beating Colorado 10-6 Friday in the Rockies' home opener.After hitting a franchise-record 235 home runs last year, the NL champion Dodgers have connected a whopping 21 times in only eight games this season. They've homered in every game so far.Bellinger hit his sixth of the year, breaking the game open with a three-run drive in the fifth. Muncy finished a double shy of a cycle, walking in the ninth.Trevor Story homered twice for the Rockies.Kenta Maeda (2-0) threw five sharp innings and cruised through a scuffling Colorado lineup. He allowed four hits and his only run on Nolan Arenado's sacrifice fly.Tyler Anderson (0-2) couldn't find his groove in allowing six runs over four innings.RED SOX 15, DIAMONDBACKS 8PHOENIX (AP) — Ketel Marte homered from both sides of the plate, including a grand slam, and Arizona won its home opener by keeping Boston in a funk.Adam Jones... [More]

DENVER (AP) — Max Muncy, Cody Bellinger and Russell Martin homered as the Los Angeles Dodgers kept up their longball barrage, beating Colorado 10-6 Friday in the Rockies' home opener.After hitting a franchise-record 235 home runs last year, the NL champion Dodgers have connected a whopping 21 times in only eight games this season. They've homered in every game so far.Bellinger hit his sixth of the year, breaking the game open with a three-run drive in the fifth. Muncy finished a double shy of a cycle, walking in the ninth.Trevor Story homered twice for the Rockies.Kenta Maeda (2-0) threw five sharp innings and cruised through a scuffling Colorado lineup. He allowed four hits and his only run on Nolan Arenado's sacrifice fly.Tyler Anderson (0-2) couldn't find his groove in allowing six runs over four innings.RED SOX 15, DIAMONDBACKS 8PHOENIX (AP) — Ketel Marte homered from both sides of the plate, including a grand slam, and Arizona won its home opener by keeping Boston in a funk.Adam Jones... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Bryce Harper homered deep into the second deck in right-center field for his first hit with Philadelphia and celebrated with an emphatic curtain call, highlighting the Phillies' 8-6 win over the Atlanta Braves on Saturday.Hitless over five at-bats this season after signing a $330 million, 13-year deal, Harper crushed Jesse Biddle's fastball 465 feet with two outs in the seventh. Fans gave Harper a standing ovation and chanted "MVP! MVP!"After getting high fives in the dugout, Harper climbed out for a curtain call, throwing both fists in the air and shouting "Let's go!"Maikel Franco and J.T. Realmuto also went deep for Philadelphia. The game was tied at 4 in the fifth when Realmuto lined a two-run drive off Wes Parsons (0-1).Adam Morgan (1-0) faced one batter in the fifth inning.Dansby Swanson and Charlie Culberson homered, and Freddie Freeman had four hits and drove in two for the Braves.BREWERS 4, CARDINALS 2MILWAUKEE (AP) — Christian Yelich became the first MVP to... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Bryce Harper homered deep into the second deck in right-center field for his first hit with Philadelphia and celebrated with an emphatic curtain call, highlighting the Phillies' 8-6 win over the Atlanta Braves on Saturday.Hitless over five at-bats this season after signing a $330 million, 13-year deal, Harper crushed Jesse Biddle's fastball 465 feet with two outs in the seventh. Fans gave Harper a standing ovation and chanted "MVP! MVP!"After getting high fives in the dugout, Harper climbed out for a curtain call, throwing both fists in the air and shouting "Let's go!"Maikel Franco and J.T. Realmuto also went deep for Philadelphia. The game was tied at 4 in the fifth when Realmuto lined a two-run drive off Wes Parsons (0-1).Adam Morgan (1-0) faced one batter in the fifth inning.Dansby Swanson and Charlie Culberson homered, and Freddie Freeman had four hits and drove in two for the Braves.ORIOLES 5, YANKEES 3NEW YORK (AP) — Brandon Hyde earned his first win as Baltimore's... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Phillies have avoided arbitration with six players, including second baseman Cesar Hernandez and third baseman Maikel Franco.All-Star right-hander Aaron Nola didn't reach an agreement with the team. The Phillies offered $4.5 million and Nola is seeking $6.75 million. He finished third in NL Cy Young award voting last year after going 17-6 with a 2.37 ERA. The 25-year-old earned $573,000 in 2018.Hernandez gets $7.75 million under Friday's deal, up from $5.1 million. Franco gets $5.2 million, an increase from $2.95 million.Hernandez had career-highs in homers (15) and RBIs (60) last year but his average dropped from .294 in 2016 and 2017 to a career-low .253.Franco had a team-high .270 average with 22 homers and 68 RBIs last year.Right-hander Vince Velasquez, outfielder Aaron Altherr, and left-handers Adam Morgan and Jose Alvarez also agreed to deals on Friday. Former closer Hector Neris and righty Jerad Eickhoff agreed to deals Thursday.Velasquez gets... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Phillies have avoided arbitration with five players, including second baseman Cesar Hernandez and third baseman Maikel Franco.All-Star right-hander Aaron Nola didn't reach an agreement with the team. The Phillies offered $4.5 million and Nola is seeking $6.75 million. He finished third in NL Cy Young award voting last year after going 17-6 with a 2.37 ERA. The 25-year-old earned $573,000 in 2018.Hernandez gets $7.75 million under Friday's deal, up from $5.1 million. Franco gets $5.2 million, an increase from $2.95 million.Hernandez had career-highs in homers (15) and RBIs (60) last year but his average dropped from .294 in 2016 and 2017 to a career-low .253.Franco had a team-high .270 average with 22 homers and 68 RBIs last year.Right-hander Vince Velasquez, outfielder Aaron Altherr, and left-handers Adam Morgan and Jose Alvarez also agreed to deals on Friday. Former closer Hector Neris and righty Jerad Eickhoff agreed to deals Thursday.Velasquez gets... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Phillies avoided arbitration with a pair of right-handed pitchers, agreeing to one-year deals with former closer Hector Neris and starter Jerad Eickhoff.Neris will earn $1.8 million while Eickhoff gets $975,000.Neris was 1-3 with 11 saves and a 5.10 ERA last year. He began the season as the closer after converting 26 of 29 save opportunities in 2017 but lost his job and was demoted to the minors. Neris returned to the majors in August and pitched well, posting a 2.04 ERA in his final 20 appearances. He had 35 strikeouts in 17 2/3 innings in that span. The 29-year-old made $582,500 in 2018.Eickhoff, who was acquired in a deal that sent Cole Hamels to Texas in July 2015, appeared in only three games last year because of injuries. He was Philadelphia's most consistent starter in 2016 when he was 11-14 with a 3.65 ERA in 33 starts. In 2017, Eickhoff was 4-8 with a 4.71 ERA in 24 starts. The 28-year-old earned $568,000 in 2018.The Phillies have seven remaining players eligible to swap proposed salaries Friday: ace right-hander Aaron Nola, third baseman Maikel Franco, second baseman Cesar Hernandez, outfielder Aaron Altherr, left-hander Adam Morgan, right-hander Vince Velasquez and left-hander Jose Alvarez.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Phillies did not tender contracts to first baseman Justin Bour and left-hander Luis Avilan, allowing the players to become free agents.Both players were acquired in trades during the season and saw limited action in Philadelphia.Bour hit .224 with one homer and five RBIs in 49 at-bats after batting .227 with 19 homers and 54 RBIs in 112 games for the Marlins.Avilan had a 3.18 ERA in 12 games for the Phillies, spanning 5 2/3 innings. He was 2-1 with two saves and a 3.86 ERA in 58 appearances for the White Sox.The Phillies tendered contracts to other arbitration-eligible players on Friday, including right-handers Aaron Nola, Vince Velasquez, Hector Neris, Jerad Eickhoff and Luis Garcia; left-hander Adam Morgan; infielders Cesar Hernandez and Maikel Franco; and outfielder Aaron Altherr.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Rhys Hoskins became the seventh-fastest player to hit 50 career home runs and the Philadelphia Phillies kept pace in the NL East with a 4-0 victory over the New York Mets on Wednesday night.Zach Eflin and five relievers combined on a six-hitter and Odubel Herrera added two-run homer for the Phillies. They won consecutive series for the first time since July 25 and stayed 5 1/2 games behind division-leading Atlanta.Seven of Philadelphia's final 11 games are against the Braves, including a four-game series beginning Thursday night in Atlanta.Hoskins' opposite-field solo shot against Noah Syndergaard (12-4) in the first inning was his 32nd homer of the season and 50th in 192 career games. Only Rudy York (153), Mark McGwire (161), Gary Sanchez (161), Ryan Braun (171), Aaron Judge (174) and former Phillies slugger Ryan Howard (182) reached 50 quicker, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.The 25-year-old Hoskins later added his 35th double, and Jose Bautista had a pinch-hit... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Rhys Hoskins became the seventh-fastest player to hit 50 career home runs and the Philadelphia Phillies kept pace in the NL East with a 4-0 victory over the New York Mets on Wednesday night.Zach Eflin and five relievers combined on a six-hitter and Odubel Herrera added two-run homer for the Phillies. They won consecutive series for the first time since July 25 and stayed 5 1/2 games behind division-leading Atlanta.Seven of Philadelphia's final 11 games are against the Braves, including a four-game series beginning Thursday night in Atlanta.Hoskins' opposite-field solo shot against Noah Syndergaard (12-4) in the first inning was his 32nd homer of the season and 50th in 192 career games. Only Rudy York (153), Mark McGwire (161), Gary Sanchez (161), Ryan Braun (171), Aaron Judge (174) and former Phillies slugger Ryan Howard (182) reached 50 quicker, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.The 25-year-old Hoskins later added his 35th double, and Jose Bautista had a pinch-hit... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Jon Lester won his fifth straight start, Javier Baez backed him with three hits and two runs, and the Chicago Cubs beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-0 on Wednesday.Lester (9-2) gave up five hits over seven innings. Baez had two doubles, a triple and a steal. He also made some solid plays at shortstop and second base.Kyle Schwarber hit his 14th homer, and Kris Bryant added two hits and an RBI. And the Cubs handed Ross Stripling his first loss since April 30, taking two of three in a rematch of the past two NL Championship Series.Lester walked three and struck out one batter. Anthony Bass worked the final two innings to finish the six-hitter.Stripling (6-2) had won six straight starts. The right-hander went six innings, allowing three runs and eight hits while striking out seven without a walk.YANKEES 7, MARINERS 5NEW YORK (AP) — Giancarlo Stanton lined a two-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, and New York erased a five-run deficit to beat Seattle.Gary... [More]