SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Across the globe, everybody is watching Shohei Ohtani in awe and intrigue. Major League Baseball can only love the attention from around the world surrounding the Angels' two-way star and the spotlight he's brought to the sport. Can Ohtani keep this up? An encore to a sensational first half? He leads the majors with 33 home runs and has shown no signs of slowing down or slumping — and should soon have a healthy Mike Trout back in the lineup with him. Pitchers across the big leagues are doing their part so far, too. There have already been seven no-hitters in the majors this season, matching the mark for most in one year during the modern era. The record of eight was set in 1884, the first season overhand pitching was allowed. Will Jacob deGrom, Walker Buehler and Gerrit Cole join the list soon? And will the uproar over sticky substances tamp down? Manager Torey Lovullo and the Arizona Diamondbacks are eager for a fresh start, determined to forget that record 24-game... [More]

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Across the globe, everybody is watching Shohei Ohtani in awe and intrigue. Major League Baseball can only love the attention from around the world surrounding the Angels' two-way star and the spotlight he's brought to the sport. Can Ohtani keep this up? An encore to a sensational first half? He leads the majors with 33 home runs and has shown no signs of slowing down or slumping — and should soon have a healthy Mike Trout back in the lineup with him. Pitchers across the big leagues are doing their part so far, too. There have already been seven no-hitters in the majors this season, matching the mark for most in one year during the modern era. The record of eight was set in 1884, the first season overhand pitching was allowed. Will Jacob deGrom, Walker Buehler and Gerrit Cole join the list soon? And will the uproar over sticky substances tamp down? Manager Torey Lovullo and the Arizona Diamondbacks are eager for a fresh start, determined to forget that record 24-game... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Kyle Schwarber limped into the Washington Nationals' dugout on Saturday with a heavy wrap poking out of the right side of his shorts. Schwarber was in shower shoes and trying to be upbeat when meeting with reporters after being placed on the 10-day injured list because of a right hamstring strain. There is no timetable for his return. “It’s not the best, but not the worst,” Schwarber said. “Just got to take it for what it is.” He was among the hottest hitters in the majors, bashing 16 home runs in June, seven of them leading off games. All were critical for the Nationals, who went 19-9 in the month to turn their season around. Schwarber said he does not need a procedure to repair damage to his hamstring. Instead, he will use compression treatment to reduce swelling. Rest and strengthening exercises will follow. He has not had a hamstring injury previously. Schwarber tore two ligaments in his left knee in 2016. But a furious recovery pace allowed him to rejoin the Chicago... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Washington Nationals star Kyle Schwarber exited early with a hamstring injury Friday night, and it was uncertain when the streaking slugger would return to the lineup. Schwarber, who hit a franchise-record 16 home runs in June, was removed in the second inning of a 10-5 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Schwarber singled to the right-center field gap and grimaced while rounding first. He made a hard stop as Cody Bellinger cut off the line drive and reached for his right hamstring after he returned to first base. An MRI was set for Saturday. “When you see a guy grab his leg like that, you’ve got to get him out of the game,” manager Dave Martinez said. “You hope he can come out of it and be OK," he said. Martinez and a team trainer came to check on Schwarber, who immediately walked off the field. Schwarber yanked off his batting gloves and threw them as he limped through the dugout. The left fielder hit seven leadoff home runs in June as he helped the Nationals turn their... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Nationals lost baseball's hottest slugger to an apparent right leg injury when Kyle Schwarber was removed in the second inning of Washington's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night. Schwarber singled to the right-center field gap and grimaced while rounding first. He made a hard stop as Cody Bellinger cut off the line drive and reached for his right hamstring after he returned to first base. Manager Dave Martinez and a team trainer came to check on Schwarber, who immediately walked off the field. Schwarber yanked off his batting gloves and threw them as he limped through the dugout. The left fielder set a franchise record with 16 homers in June — seven of them leading off a game — as he helped the Nationals turn their season around and climb back into the NL East race. He became the third player in major league history to hit 16 homers in 18 games, and only Sammy Sosa (20 in 1998) has hit more homers in June. Earlier Friday, Schwarber was named NL Player of the Month. Gerardo Parra replaced Schwarber for a Nationals team that's been beset by injuries. Trea Turner has missed the past two games with a finger injury, and the team is also without starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg, among several others. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

July 3 1912 — Rube Marquard of the New York Giants raised his season record to 19-0 with a 2-1 victory over the Brooklyn Dodgers. His winning streak ended five days later against the Chicago Cubs. 1939 Cleveland’s Ben Chapman ties the modern major-league record with three triples in a 4-2 win over the Detroit Tigers. 1939 — Johnny Mize of St. Louis hit two home runs, a triple and a double, leading the Cardinals to a 5-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs. Mize drove in three runs and scored three times. 1947 — The Cleveland Indians purchased Larry Doby from the Newark Eagles of the Negro National League, making him the first black player in the American League. 1966 — Atlanta pitcher Tony Cloninger became the first National League player to hit two grand slams in one game. He added a single for nine RBIs in a 17-3 triumph over San Francisco. 1968 — Cleveland’s Luis Tiant struck out 19, walked none in a six-hit 1-0, 10-inning triumph over Minnesota. 1970 — California’s Clyde Wright used only... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — This time, Max Scherzer didn’t come unbuckled. The Nationals' ace allowed one run in six innings and passed two umpire inspections without a fuss, helping Washington beat the Miami Marlins 5-1 on Sunday to earn a split of their four-game series. Scherzer (7-4) struck out seven and lowered his ERA to 2.14. The three-time Cy Young Award winner, who threatened to disrobe when baseball began its crackdown on sticky substances, underwent two brief examinations at the end of innings and didn't complain — at least not to the ump. “He checked my hat, checked my glove, checked my belt,” Scherzer said with a frown. “Whatever. Whatever.” Scherzer has said the MLB crackdown has made it more difficult to grip and control pitches. “Everybody is getting used to it,” he said. “Everybody is having to deal with it. I'm not going to sit here and make excuses about it. Everybody has to play under these rules now.” Helping Scherzer's mood were opposite-field two-run homers by Trea Turner and Josh... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — Max Scherzer allowed one run in six innings and passed two umpire inspections without a fuss, helping the Washington Nationals beat the Miami Marlins 5-1 on Sunday to earn a split of their four-game series. Trea Turner and Josh Bell each hit a two-run homer in the sixth against Sandy Alcantara to break the game open. Scherzer (7-4) struck out seven and lowered his ERA to 2.14. The three-time Cy Young Award winner, who has been animated in his unhappiness about baseball’s recent crackdown on sticky substances, underwent two brief checks at the end of innings with no complaint. Scherzer has more wins versus the Marlins than against any other team, with a 15-5 record in 26 starts, including 2-0 in two starts this year. The score was 1-all in the sixth when Alcantara (4-7) unraveled. He walked Kyle Schwarber on four pitches to lead off, and Turner hit his 12th homer. Juan Soto reached on an infield hit, and Bell hit his 11th homer. Alcantara allowed five runs in 5 1/3 innings.... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — Max Scherzer allowed one run in six innings and passed two umpire inspections without a fuss, helping the Washington Nationals beat the Miami Marlins 5-1 on Sunday to earn a split of their four-game series. Trea Turner and Josh Bell each hit a two-run homer in the sixth against Sandy Alcantara to break the game open. Scherzer (7-4) struck out seven and lowered his ERA to 2.14. The three-time Cy Young Award winner, who has been animated in his unhappiness about baseball's recent crackdown on sticky substances, underwent two brief checks at the end of innings with no complaint. Scherzer has more wins versus the Marlins than against any other team, with a 15-5 record in 26 starts, including 2-0 in two starts this year. The score was 1-all in the sixth when Alcantara (4-7) unraveled. He walked Kyle Schwarber on four pitches to lead off, and Turner hit his 12th homer. Juan Soto reached on an infield hit, and Bell hit his 11th homer. Alcantara allowed five runs in 5 1/3 innings.... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Washington Nationals placed staff ace Max Scherzer on the 10-day injured list with a groin problem. The team announced the move Tuesday, saying it was retroactive to Sunday. Scherzer “tweaked” his groin in the first inning during his start on Saturday. He warmed up in the outfield Monday before beginning a bullpen session, which was expected to be 31 pitches. Scherzer threw 10 pitches, then stopped, saying the groin issue prevented him from driving through his pitches. Scherzer was scheduled to pitch Wednesday in the finale of a three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Nationals considered pushing his start back as opposed to placing the three-time Cy Young winner on the injured list, but opted for the 10-day stint away from the field. “For me, it was after going through the process, I just want to be more cautious than not,” Nationals manager Davey Martinez said. “This is an injury right now that’s getting better. We want it to completely get better.”... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Washington Nationals placed staff ace Max Scherzer on the 10-day injured list with a groin problem. The team announced the move Tuesday, saying it was retroactive to Sunday. Scherzer “tweaked” his groin in the first inning during his start on Saturday. He warmed up in the outfield Monday before beginning a bullpen session, which was expected to be 31 pitches. Scherzer threw 10 pitches, then stopped, saying the groin issue prevented him from driving through his pitches. Scherzer was scheduled to pitch Wednesday in the finale of a three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Nationals considered pushing his start back as opposed to placing the three-time Cy Young winner on the injured list, but opted for the 10-day stint away from the field. “For me, it was after going through the process, I just want to be more cautious than not,” Nationals manager Davey Martinez said. “This is an injury right now that’s getting better. We want it to completely get better.”... [More]

June 8 1914 — New York’s Iron Joe McGinnity posted his 14th straight win beating Pittsburgh 2-0. With the win moved the Giants into first place over Chicago. 1933 — Philadelphia’s Jimmie Foxx homered in his first three at bats all off Lefty Gomez as the A’s beat the New York Yankees 14-10. Foxx had homered his last time up the previous day to tie a major league record of hitting four consecutive home runs. Bobby Lowe did it in 1894. 1940 — Harry Craft of Cincinnati connected for a home run, a triple, a double and two singles in seven at-bats to lead a 27-hit attack as the Reds pounded the Dodgers 23-2 at Brooklyn. 1950 — The Boston Red Sox beat the St. Louis Browns 29-4 at Fenway Park and set major league records for runs scored; most long hits, 17 (nine doubles, one triple and seven homers); most total bases, 60; most extra bases on long hits, 32; most runs over two games, 49; most hits in two games, 51, including 28 this game. Bobby Doerr had three homers and 8 RBIs, Walt Dropo hit two... [More]

For a third straight year, the Washington Nationals have dug themselves an early hole. Two seasons ago, they recovered and won the World Series. In 2020, they couldn't overcome their poor start, finishing under .500 in that 60-game season. They have more time to rebound this year, but there aren't many positive signs at the moment. The Nationals are in last place in the NL East, and although their mediocrity has company — only one team in that division has a winning record — Washington's run differential of minus-31 suggests this team has earned its current predicament. The Nationals are 24-32 — the same record they had after 56 games during their championship season. Last year, they were 23-33 at this stage, and the season was almost over. Only two teams have scored fewer runs than Washington this season. Last year, the Nationals struggled as a team but still got stellar production from Trea Turner and Juan Soto. This year Turner is hitting .311 with 10 homers, but Soto is batting a more... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors today: ___ CUBBIES IN CONTROL The surging Chicago Cubs are headed west for a series in San Francisco having won three straight and nine of 10. The NL Central leaders have limited opponents to three or fewer runs in 12 of 13 games, a trend they'll try to continue with right-hander Zach Davies (2-2) on the mound. The Giants have won six of eight and continue to be a surprise contender alongside the Dodgers and Padres in the NL West. Anthony DeSclafani (4-2) is set to pitch the series opener against Chicago. COLE THING Yankees ace Gerrit Cole (6-2) faces the Rays for the first time since dominating the AL East leaders last month, when he struck out 12 over eight innings in a 1-0 victory. Cole's 1.78 ERA is tops in the American League, and his 97-to-9 strikeout-to-walk ratio was best in the majors entering Wednesday. Tampa Bay plans to start left-hander Ryan Yarbrough (2-3) in the finale of the four-game series. NOT ENOUGH NATS The Nationals are... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — The Washington Nationals placed right-hander Stephen Strasburg on the 10-day injured list with a neck strain before Wednesday night's game at Atlanta. Strasburg flew to Washington to be examined on Wednesday after he complained of tightness in his shoulder and neck in Tuesday night's 11-6 win over the Braves. The 32-year-old was pulled after only 1 1/3 innings. Strasburg's injury adds more stress to an already thin Nationals rotation. Left-hander Jon Lester was to start Wednesday night's game on only three days' rest. Manager Dave Martinez said he and his staff were “banging our heads now trying to figure out something for Sunday” when Strasburg was scheduled to make his next start at Philadelphia. Right-hander Erick Fedde, on the 10-day IL due to an illness, could soon rejoin the rotation. He is scheduled make a rehab start for Class A Wilmington on Thursday. If that schedule is not changed he would not be a candidate to start in Sunday's game. This is Strasburg's second... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors today: ___ FOR THE BIRDS The Cardinals will need to re-do their rotation now that ace Jack Flaherty will be sidelined for a while with what manager Mike Shildt termed a “significant” oblique injury. Flaherty, who leads the majors with eight wins, left Monday night’s start against the Los Angeles Dodgers with tightness in his left side. Shildt said St. Louis was still trying to determine the grade of Flaherty’s injury, but added that it was going to take a while to heal. “It is not a minimal situation. It is a real strain or tear,” Shildt said Tuesday. Flaherty is 8-1 with a 2.90 ERA this season, and the Cardinals are 9-2 in games he started. It is the first time in Flaherty’s five big league seasons that he is on the injured list. Shildt said he is still evaluating how to adjust his rotation. Flaherty’s next start was slated for Saturday against Cincinnati. St. Louis placed Flaherty on the 10-day IL and called up Johan Oviedo from Triple-A Memphis.... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Clint Frazier hit a game-ending, two-run homer with two outs in the 11th inning after making a game-saving catch in the eighth, and the slumping New York Yankees beat the rival Tampa Bay Rays 5-3 Tuesday night. The righty-hitting Frazier turned on a slider from right-hander Andrew Kittredge (5-1) and stood at the plate to admire the drive, capping a tight finish in which both teams came up short on potential rallies. One of those stalled efforts came in the eighth, when Frazier dove and needed every inch of his mitt to catch Joey Wendle’s soft-hit liner to strand two. New York ended a four-game slide and beat Tampa Bay in the Bronx for the second time in 11 tries since the start of last season. The AL East-leading Rays remained 4 1/2 games ahead of the Yankees with two games left in this four-game series. Tampa Bay had held New York to three or fewer runs in seven straight matchups and won nine straight against division foes. ORIOLES 7, TWINS 4 BALTIMORE (AP) — Cedric Mullins... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Clint Frazier hit a game-ending, two-run homer with two outs in the 11th inning after making a game-saving catch in the eighth, and the slumping New York Yankees beat the rival Tampa Bay Rays 5-3 Tuesday night. The righty-hitting Frazier turned on a slider from right-hander Andrew Kittredge (5-1) and stood at the plate to admire the drive, capping a tight finish in which both teams came up short on potential rallies. One of those stalled efforts came in the eighth, when Frazier dove and needed every inch of his mitt to catch Joey Wendle’s soft-hit liner to strand two. New York ended a four-game slide and beat Tampa Bay in the Bronx for the second time in 11 tries since the start of last season. The AL East-leading Rays remained 4 1/2 games ahead of the Yankees with two games left in this four-game series. Tampa Bay had held New York to three or fewer runs in seven straight matchups and won nine straight against division foes. ORIOLES 7, TWINS 4 BALTIMORE (AP) — Cedric Mullins... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Clint Frazier hit a game-ending, two-run homer with two outs in the 11th inning after making a game-saving catch in the eighth, and the slumping New York Yankees beat the rival Tampa Bay Rays 5-3 Tuesday night. The righty-hitting Frazier turned on a slider from right-hander Andrew Kittredge (5-1) and stood at the plate to admire the drive, capping a tight finish in which both teams came up short on potential rallies. One of those stalled efforts came in the eighth, when Frazier dove and needed every inch of his mitt to catch Joey Wendle’s soft-hit liner to strand two. New York ended a four-game slide and beat Tampa Bay in the Bronx for the second time in 11 tries since the start of last season. The AL East-leading Rays remained 4 1/2 games ahead of the Yankees with two games left in this four-game series. Tampa Bay had held New York to three or fewer runs in seven straight matchups and won nine straight against division foes. ORIOLES 7, TWINS 4 BALTIMORE (AP) — Cedric Mullins... [More]

A look at what’s happening around the majors today: ___ FOUR GAMES IN GOTHAM Both the Yankees and Mets are set to host doubleheaders in New York after their games were postponed by lousy weather Wednesday night. The Yankees will play Toronto twice in the Bronx, and they’ll do it without 2020 big league home run leader Luke Voit, who is headed for the injured list with a right oblique strain. Voit is hitting .182 with one homer in 12 games after missing the start of the season following surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee during spring training. In addition, Yankees right-hander Corey Kluber is expected to miss at least two months after hurting his pitching shoulder Tuesday. The Mets will play two games against the Rockies with a major league-high 17 players on the injured list. Fourth-string center fielder Johneshwy Fargas became the most recent player added to the IL on Wednesday after he sprained his left AC joint trying to make a catch Monday. OLD RIVALS Alex Wood (5-1,... [More]