MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Kansas City rookie Jorge Lopez came within three outs of a perfect game before Max Kepler walked leading off the ninth inning and Robbie Grossman followed with a single in the Royals' 4-1 win over the Minnesota Twins on Saturday night.The 25-year-old right-hander made just his seventh big league start, his fifth for Kansas City since he was acquired from Milwaukee in the late-July trade that sent Mike Moustakas to the Brewers.Lopez (2-4) retired his first 24 batters before walking Kepler on a 3-1 fastball. Grossman followed with a clean single to center field on a changeup with a 1-2 count.Lopez was removed from the game after 110 pitches, 11 more than his previous high.Ehire Adrianza hit a sacrifice fly off Wily Peralta, who retired Joe Mauer and Jorge Polanco on flyouts for his ninth save, completing the one-hitter.Jose Berrios (11-11) gave up one run and three hits in six innings.ASTROS 5, RED SOX 3BOSTON (AP) — Alex Bregman hit his 30th home run, Charlie Morton returned... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Kansas City rookie Jorge Lopez came within three outs of a perfect game before Max Kepler walked leading off the ninth inning and Robbie Grossman followed with a single in the Royals' 4-1 win over the Minnesota Twins on Saturday night.The 25-year-old right-hander made just his seventh big league start, his fifth for Kansas City since he was acquired from Milwaukee in the late-July trade that sent Mike Moustakas to the Brewers.Lopez (2-4) retired his first 24 batters before walking Kepler on a 3-1 fastball. Grossman followed with a clean single to center field on a changeup with a 1-2 count.Lopez was removed from the game after 110 pitches, 11 more than his previous high.Ehire Adrianza hit a sacrifice fly off Wily Peralta, who retired Joe Mauer and Jorge Polanco on flyouts for his ninth save, completing the one-hitter.Jose Berrios (11-11) gave up one run and three hits in six innings.ASTROS 5, RED SOX 3BOSTON (AP) — Alex Bregman hit his 30th home run, Charlie Morton returned... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors today:THE SHO GOES ONShohei Ohtani doesn't need two good elbows to help the Angels. Doctors this week recommended the two-way rookie sensation have Tommy John surgery on his right pitching elbow, but Ohtani has been crushing it at the plate, hitting four homers in his past three games. Ohtani has 19 home runs and leads all rookies with a .579 slugging percentage, and he says he'll keep hitting through the end of the season before deciding whether to have surgery that would keep him off the mound until 2020. The Angels will face White Sox veteran James Shields.NEW BREWGio Gonzalez is set to make his first start with the Brewers against the Giants. The left-hander was acquired from the Nationals a week ago. He had lost three of his final four starts with Washington while posting an 8.71 ERA, but Milwaukee is hoping he can help the team's postseason push.BUCK UPClay Buchholz's resurgent season keeps getting better, a trend Arizona hopes he extends... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Carlos Correa hit a tiebreaking sacrifice fly in the eighth inning and the Houston Astros won their sixth straight game, beating the Boston Red Sox 6-3 on Friday night in a matchup of AL division leaders.The Red Sox, with the best record in the majors, had won three in row.Boston starter David Price had allowed just one hit and retired 14 in a row when he went into the seventh with a 2-0 lead. He left after Alex Bregman's double and a walk and, after Ryan Brasier took over, the Astros scored three times. J.D. Martinez tied it with a single for his second RBI of the game.Houston scored three times in the eighth. Correa put the AL Central leaders ahead, a wild pitch by Joe Kelly (4-2) scored another run and Tyler White added an RBI single.Ryan Pressly (2-1) got two outs and Roberto Osuna posted his 14th save.Xander Bogaerts hit his 20th home run for Boston.ANGELS 5, WHITE SOX 2CHICAGO (AP) — Two-way star Shohei Ohtani homered for the third straight game after learning he will... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Carlos Correa hit a tiebreaking sacrifice fly in the eighth inning and the Houston Astros won their sixth straight game, beating the Boston Red Sox 6-3 on Friday night in a matchup of AL division leaders.The Red Sox, with the best record in the majors, had won three in row.Boston starter David Price had allowed just one hit and retired 14 in a row when he went into the seventh with a 2-0 lead. He left after Alex Bregman's double and a walk and, after Ryan Brasier took over, the Astros scored three times. J.D. Martinez tied it with a single for his second RBI of the game.Houston scored three times in the eighth. Correa put the AL Central leaders ahead, a wild pitch by Joe Kelly (4-2) scored another run and Tyler White added an RBI single.Ryan Pressly (2-1) got two outs and Roberto Osuna posted his 14th save.Xander Bogaerts hit his 20th home run for Boston.ANGELS 5, WHITE SOX 2CHICAGO (AP) — Two-way star Shohei Ohtani homered for the third straight game after learning he will... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Carlos Correa hit a tiebreaking sacrifice fly in the eighth inning and the Houston Astros won their sixth straight game, beating the Boston Red Sox 6-3 on Friday night in a matchup of AL division leaders.The Red Sox, with the best record in the majors, had won three in row.Boston starter David Price had allowed just one hit and retired 14 in a row when he went into the seventh with a 2-0 lead. He left after Alex Bregman's double and a walk and, after Ryan Brasier took over, the Astros scored three times. J.D. Martinez tied it with a single for his second RBI of the game.Houston scored three times in the eighth. Correa put the AL Central leaders ahead, a wild pitch by Joe Kelly (4-2) scored another run and Tyler White added an RBI single.Ryan Pressly (2-1) got two outs and Roberto Osuna posted his 14th save.Xander Bogaerts hit his 20th home run for Boston.ANGELS 5, WHITE SOX 2CHICAGO (AP) — Two-way star Shohei Ohtani homered for the third straight game after learning he will... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Carlos Correa hit a tiebreaking sacrifice fly in the eighth inning and the Houston Astros won their sixth straight game, beating the Boston Red Sox 6-3 on Friday night in a matchup of AL division leaders.The Red Sox, with the best record in the majors, had won three in row.Boston starter David Price had allowed just one hit and retired 14 in a row when he went into the seventh with a 2-0 lead. He left after Alex Bregman's double and a walk and, after Ryan Brasier took over, the Astros scored three times. J.D. Martinez tied it with a single for his second RBI of the game.Houston scored three times in the eighth. Correa put the AL Central leaders ahead, a wild pitch by Joe Kelly (4-2) scored another run and Tyler White added an RBI single.Ryan Pressly (2-1) got two outs and Roberto Osuna posted his 14th save.Xander Bogaerts hit his 20th home run for Boston.ANGELS 5, WHITE SOX 2CHICAGO (AP) — Two-way star Shohei Ohtani homered for the third straight game after learning he will... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Carlos Correa hit a tiebreaking sacrifice fly in the eighth inning and the Houston Astros won their sixth straight game, beating the Boston Red Sox 6-3 on Friday night in a matchup of AL division leaders.The Red Sox, with the best record in the majors, had won three in row.Boston starter David Price had allowed just one hit and retired 14 in a row when he went into the seventh with a 2-0 lead. He left after Alex Bregman's double and a walk and, after Ryan Brasier took over, the Astros scored three times. J.D. Martinez tied it with a single for his second RBI of the game.Houston scored three times in the eighth. Correa put the AL Central leaders ahead, a wild pitch by Joe Kelly (4-2) scored another run and Tyler White added an RBI single.Ryan Pressly (2-1) got two outs and Roberto Osuna posted his 14th save.Xander Bogaerts hit his 20th home run for Boston.ANGELS 5, WHITE SOX 2CHICAGO (AP) — Two-way star Shohei Ohtani homered for the third straight game after learning he will... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors Saturday:THE SHO GOES ONShohei Ohtani doesn't need two good elbows to help the Angels. Doctors this week recommended the two-way rookie sensation have Tommy John surgery on his right pitching elbow, but Ohtani has been crushing it at the plate, hitting four homers in his past three games. Ohtani has 19 home runs and leads all rookies with a .579 slugging percentage, and he says he'll keep hitting through the end of the season before deciding whether to have surgery that would keep him off the mound until 2020. The Angels will face White Sox veteran James Shields.NEW BREWGio Gonzalez is set to make his first start with the Brewers against the Giants. The left-hander was acquired from the Nationals a week ago. He had lost three of his final four starts with Washington while posting an 8.71 ERA, but Milwaukee is hoping he can help the team's postseason push.BUCK UPClay Buchholz's resurgent season keeps getting better, a trend Arizona hopes he extends... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani says he plans to finish this season as the team's designated hitter and hasn't decided yet if he'll have Tommy John surgery.The 24-year-old rookie maintains he'll be able to return next season as a DH, even though he might not be able to throw again until 2020. He homered in his first at-bat Friday night against the Chicago White Sox, giving him four homers over three games and 19 for the season."Nothing's set right now," Ohtani said through a translator. "I have a few options out there. I'm still trying to look into every option. And I will end up making a decision hopefully sometime toward the end of the season."The Angels announced Wednesday that an MRI showed Ohtani had new damage in his pitching elbow, and that Tommy John surgery was the recommended course of action. Ohtani, who throws right-handed and bats left-handed, later hit two home runs that night in Texas."Swinging doesn't affect my elbow in any way," Ohtani said.... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani says he plans to finish this season as the team's designated hitter and hasn't decided yet if he'll have Tommy John surgery.The 24-year-old rookie maintains he'll be able to return next season as a DH, even though he might not be able to throw again until 2020. He was in the lineup Friday night against the Chicago White Sox, batting fifth."Nothing's set right now," Ohtani said through a translator. "I have a few options out there. I'm still trying to look into every option. And I will end up making a decision hopefully sometime toward the end of the season."The Angels announced Wednesday that an MRI showed Ohtani had new damage in his pitching elbow, and that Tommy John surgery was the recommended course of action. Ohtani, who throws right-handed and bats left-handed, later hit two home runs that night in Texas."Swinging doesn't affect my elbow in any way," Ohtani said. "I feel like I'm progressing as a hitter right now. I'm getting... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani says he plans to finish this season as the team's designated hitter and hasn't decided yet if he'll have Tommy John surgery.The 24-year-old rookie from Japan says he hopes to return as a DH next season. Ohtani was in the lineup as the DH on Friday night in Chicago against the White Sox.The Angels announced Wednesday that an MRI showed Ohtani had new damage in his pitching elbow, and that Tommy John surgery was the recommended course of action. Ohtani, who throws right-handed and bats left-handed, later hit two home runs that night in Texas.If Ohtani has the reconstructive surgery, he would almost certainly not pitch again in the majors until 2020.Ohtani says swinging the bat doesn't affect his elbow. He said he's looking into every option and hopes to make a decision about surgery toward the end of the season.Ohtani is hitting .287 with 18 home runs and 47 RBIs. As a pitcher, he's 4-2 with a 3.31 ERA in 10 starts.

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Shohei Ohtani homered twice during a huge night at the plate after getting bad news about his pitching arm, and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Texas Rangers 9-3 on Wednesday.Perhaps headed for Tommy John surgery, the two-way rookie sensation went 4 for 4 with three RBIs, four runs and a stolen base to power the Angels. About two hours before the game, the team announced Ohtani has new damage in his right elbow and ligament-replacement surgery has been recommended.The club said the Japanese star had an MRI earlier in the day that revealed the problem in his ulnar collateral ligament.Ohtani's homers were towering drives into the right-field seats. With his second two-homer game, the designated hitter tied Kenji Johjima's 2006 major league record of 18 homers by a Japanese rookie.Andrelton Simmons also homered for the Angels and drove in three runs.Adrian Beltre hit a two-run shot for Texas, the 472nd homer of his career, in the sixth inning against Jim Johnson. Three... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Shohei Ohtani homered twice during a huge night at the plate after getting bad news about his pitching arm, and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Texas Rangers 9-3 on Wednesday.Perhaps headed for Tommy John surgery, the two-way rookie sensation went 4 for 4 with three RBIs, four runs and a stolen base to power the Angels. About two hours before the game, the team announced Ohtani has new damage in his right elbow and ligament-replacement surgery has been recommended.The club said the Japanese star had an MRI earlier in the day that revealed the problem in his ulnar collateral ligament.Ohtani's homers were towering drives into the right-field seats. With his second two-homer game, the designated hitter tied Kenji Johjima's 2006 major league record of 18 homers by a Japanese rookie.Andrelton Simmons also homered for the Angels and drove in three runs.Adrian Beltre hit a two-run shot for Texas, the 472nd homer of his career, in the sixth inning against Jim Johnson. Three... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Shohei Ohtani homered twice on a huge night at the plate after getting bad news about his pitching arm, and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Texas Rangers 9-3 on Wednesday.Perhaps headed for Tommy John surgery, the two-way rookie sensation went 4 for 4 with three RBIs, four runs and a stolen base to power the Angels. About two hours before the game, the team announced Ohtani has new damage in his right elbow and ligament-replacement surgery has been recommended.The club said the Japanese star had an MRI earlier in the day that revealed the problem in his ulnar collateral ligament.Ohtani's homers were towering drives into the right-field seats. With his second two-homer game, the designated hitter tied Kenji Johjima's 2006 major league record of 18 homers by a Japanese rookie.Andrelton Simmons also homered for the Angels and drove in three runs.Adrian Beltre hit a two-run shot for Texas, the 472nd homer of his career, in the sixth inning against Jim Johnson. Three... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani has new damage in his pitching elbow and the team says Tommy John surgery has been recommended.A couple of hours before Ohtani hit two home runs against Texas on Wednesday, the Angels said he had an MRI earlier in the day that revealed the problem in his right ulnar collateral ligament."There's more questions out there right now than answers. We'll take it one step at a time," manager Mike Scioscia said. "There's a lot of consulting that Shohei will do with doctors and just see what the best course of action is, and we'll see where we are."The 24-year-old rookie was the Angels' designated hitter for their series finale against the Rangers. He went 4 for 4 with three RBIs, four runs and a stolen base in a 9-3 victory over Texas.Ohtani didn't speak with reporters after the announcement about his injury — or following the game."He's mentally tough in any situation he's ever in," Scioscia said. "Tonight, he was a hitter.... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Shohei Ohtani homered twice on a huge night at the plate after getting bad news about his pitching arm, and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Texas Rangers 9-3 on Wednesday.Perhaps headed for Tommy John surgery, the two-way rookie sensation went 4 for 4 with three RBIs, four runs and a stolen base to power the Angels. About two hours before the game, the team announced Ohtani has new damage in his right elbow and ligament-replacement surgery has been recommended.The club said the Japanese star had an MRI earlier in the day that revealed the problem in his ulnar collateral ligament.Ohtani's homers were towering drives into the right-field seats. With his second two-homer game, the designated hitter tied Kenji Johjima's 2006 major league record of 18 homers by a Japanese rookie.Andrelton Simmons also homered for the Angels and drove in three runs.Adrian Beltre hit a two-run shot for Texas, the 472nd homer of his career, in the sixth inning against Jim Johnson. Three... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani has new damage in his pitching elbow and the team says Tommy John surgery has been recommended.A couple hours before Ohtani hit two home runs against Texas on Wednesday, the Angels said he had an MRI earlier in the day that revealed the problem in his right ulnar collateral ligament."There's more questions out there right now than answers. We'll take it one step at a time," manager Mike Scioscia said. "There's a lot of consulting that Shohei will do with doctors and just see what the best course of action is, and we'll see where we are."The 24-year-old rookie was the Angels' designated hitter for their series finale against the Rangers. He was 4 for 4 with two homers, scoring four runs and driving in three, through the first eight innings.Asked whether Ohtani would stay in the lineup as a DH beyond Wednesday, Scioscia said: "We'll see. That's going to be determined from our medical department."Angels general manager Billy... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani has new damage in his pitching elbow and the team says Tommy John surgery has been recommended.A couple hours before Ohtani hit a home run against Texas, the Angels said he had an MRI on Wednesday that revealed the problem in his right ulnar collateral ligament."There's more questions out there right now than answers. We'll take it one step at a time," manager Mike Scioscia said. "There's a lot of consulting that Shohei will do with doctors and just see what the best course of action is, and we'll see where we are."The 24-year-old rookie was the Angels' designated hitter for their series finale against the Rangers. He walked his first time up, singled and scored in his next at-bat and hit a solo homer in the fifth inning.Asked whether Ohtani would stay in the lineup as a DH beyond Wednesday, Scioscia said: "We'll see. That's going to be determined from our medical department."Angels general manager Billy Eppler said Ohtani... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani has new damage in his pitching elbow and the team says Tommy John surgery has been recommended.The Angels said Ohtani had an MRI on Wednesday in Texas that revealed the problem in his right ulnar collateral ligament."There's more questions out there right now than answers. We'll take it one step at a time," manager Mike Scioscia said. "There's a lot of consulting that Shohei will do with doctors and just see what the best course of action is, and we'll see where we are."The 24-year-old rookie was the Angels' designated hitter for their series finale against the Rangers, and walked his first time up. Asked whether Ohtani would stay in the lineup as a DH after this game, Scioscia said: "We'll see. That's going to be determined from our medical department."Angels general manager Billy Eppler said Ohtani hasn't formally decided to have Tommy John surgery. Eppler and Ohtani plan to have an in-depth conversation about his future... [More]