A look at what's happening around the majors Sunday:ALBERT'S ALLEYAlbert Pujols wraps up his reunion at Busch Stadium, where the adoring St. Louis fans get another chance to cheer him in the Sunday night special.Pujols has been showered with standing ovations this weekend during the Angels' visit — his first time back since signing with Los Angeles after the 2011 season. He took a curtain call after hitting a home run Saturday, a salute for the three NL MVP awards and two World Series championships he won with the Cardinals.Miles Mikolas (5-7, 4.48 ERA) starts for St. Louis against lefty Tyler Skaggs (6-6, 4.61).STREAKINGAstros ace Justin Verlander tries to halt three long streaks when he starts on Old-Timers' Day at Yankee Stadium.Gleyber Torres and New York have won eight in a row and are going for a four-game sweep in the matchup of AL division leaders. Houston has dropped seven straight — the last time it had a longer skid was a 15-game rut in 2013.Gio Urshela and Austin Romine homered... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Twins have signed reliever Cody Allen to a minor-league contract, taking a crack at the former Cleveland Indians closer who was let go last week by the Los Angeles Angels.Allen signed a one-year, $8.5 million deal in January with the Angels, who released the right-hander with a 6.26 ERA and nine homers allowed in 23 innings . He had four saves.The 30-year-old became the all-time leader for the Indians with 149 career saves, but he struggled last season with a 4.70 ERA and five blown saves in his last 19 appearances. Allen had five straight seasons of a sub-3.00 ERA from 2013-17.Twins relievers have a collective 4.47 ERA, ranking 16th in the major leagues.___More AP baseball coverage: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_MLB

WASHINGTON (AP) — Washington Nationals outfielder Victor Robles left the game against the Atlanta Braves on Saturday with symptoms of dehydration in the second inning.The Nationals said Robles was receiving intravenous fluid.Robles went down to a knee in center during Nick Markakis' at-bat Saturday, and manager Dave Martinez and an athletic trainer soon jogged to the outfield. Robles, who walked off the field, was not involved in any fielding plays in the first two innings, and had yet to take a turn at the plate.The rookie is hitting .243 with 11 homers and 33 RBIs. He was replaced in center by Michael A. Taylor.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

BOSTON (AP) — David Ortiz's wife says he has moved out of intensive care.Tiffany Ortiz said in a statement distributed by the Red Sox on Saturday that the ex-Boston slugger remains hospitalized and in good condition, almost two weeks after he was shot in the back while at a club in the Dominican Republic.Ortiz was flown to Boston the next day for treatment.Dominican prosecutors say Ortiz was attacked in a case of mistaken identity by a gunman who was hired to kill an auto shop owner.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

BOSTON (AP) — David Ortiz's wife says he has moved out of intensive care.Tiffany Ortiz said in a statement distributed by the Red Sox on Saturday that the ex-Boston slugger remains hospitalized and in good condition, almost two weeks after he was shot in the back while at a club in the Dominican Republic.Ortiz was flown to Boston the next day for treatment.Dominican prosecutors say Ortiz was attacked in a case of mistaken identity by a gunman who was hired to kill an auto shop owner.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cleveland Indians have designated outfielder Leonys Martin for assignment on Saturday.Martin, who overcame a life-threatening bacterial infection last summer, batted .199 with nine home runs and 19 RBIs in 65 games.Indians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said the decision to part ways with Martin was difficult but he felt it was the right move for the team.Cleveland acquired Martin from the Detroit Tigers at the trade deadline last season, but he played only six games before becoming ill and missed the rest of the season.Antonetti said the move had nothing to do with the dugout argument Martin had with star shortstop Francisco Lindor after the center fielder didn't make a catch at the wall Wednesday against Texas.The Indians purchased the contract of right-hander Aaron Civale from Triple-A Columbus to start Saturday against Detroit.Antonetti said pitcher Carlos Carrasco has been going through treatment and is making progress from the blood disorder that sidelined him earlier this month.

NEW YORK (AP) — Looking for a big start, the New York Yankees found an unorthodox spot for Aaron Judge in his long-awaited return to the lineup.After missing two months with a left oblique injury, Judge was back Friday night against Houston and batted leadoff for the first time in his major league career."I loved it. More at-bats. That's the best part about it," Judge said after going 0 for 4 with two strikeouts in a 4-1 victory. "Every time I came up it felt like there was somebody on base somewhere, so it's a good little spot. Hope it was not my last time doing it."Normally the team's No. 2 hitter, the 6-foot-7, 282-pound slugger was moved to the top spot as manager Aaron Boone toys with how best to arrange his power-packed batting order. Regular leadoff man DJ LeMahieu was rested."I'm just trying to get my best players up there as much as possible," Boone said.Judge received a boisterous ovation from the Yankee Stadium crowd when No. 99 was introduced with a "Welcome back!" from public... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Chase Utley ran out to second base one more time wearing a red pinstriped No. 26 Philadelphia Phillies jersey and dark blue suit pants while his walk-up song "Kashmir" by Led Zeppelin blared and adoring fans stood and cheered.The six-time All-Star was honored Friday night at a retirement ceremony before the Phillies played the Miami Marlins. He called Phillies fans the "best" in baseball and threw a ceremonial first pitch to actor Rob McElhenney, creator of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia." McElhenney had a "man crush" on Utley in one of the show's episodes."Thank you the fans of Philadelphia," Utley said. "Thank you for motivating me, thank you for being straight forward, thank you for picking me up when I was down, thank you for being loyal, a bit crazy at times and thank you for being passionate. Overall, thank you for being the best fans in baseball."Utley played 13 seasons in Philadelphia and helped the Phillies win five straight NL East titles, two NL pennants... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Chase Utley ran out to second base one more time wearing a red pinstriped No. 26 Philadelphia Phillies jersey and dark blue suit pants while his walk-up song "Kashmir" by Led Zeppelin blared and adoring fans stood and cheered.The six-time All-Star was honored Friday night at a retirement ceremony before the Phillies played the Miami Marlins. He called Phillies fans the "best" in baseball and threw a ceremonial first pitch to actor Rob McElhenney, creator of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia." McElhenney had a "man crush" on Utley in one of the show's episodes."Thank you the fans of Philadelphia," Utley said. "Thank you for motivating me, thank you for being straight forward, thank you for picking me up when I was down, thank you for being loyal, a bit crazy at times and thank you for being passionate. Overall, thank you for being the best fans in baseball."Utley played 13 seasons in Philadelphia and helped the Phillies win five straight NL East titles, two NL pennants... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Looking for a big start, the New York Yankees found an unorthodox spot for Aaron Judge in his long-awaited return to the lineup.After missing two months with a left oblique injury, Judge was back Friday night against Houston and batted leadoff for the first time in his major league career.Normally the team's No. 2 hitter, the 6-foot-7, 282-pound slugger was moved to the top spot as manager Aaron Boone toys with how best to arrange his power-packed batting order. Regular leadoff man DJ LeMahieu was rested."I'm just trying to get my best players up there as much as possible," Boone said.Judge received a boisterous ovation from the Yankee Stadium crowd when No. 99 was introduced with a "Welcome back!" from public address announcer Paul Olden. Judge ran the count full his first time up before grounding out to first base against right-hander Brad Peacock.Astros skipper AJ Hinch deadpanned that Judge is the largest leadoff hitter he'll ever manage against."He brings an immediate... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Chase Utley ran out to second base one more time wearing a red pinstriped No. 26 Philadelphia Phillies jersey and dark blue suit pants while his walk-up song by Def Leppard blared and adoring fans stood and cheered.The six-time All-Star was honored Friday night at a retirement ceremony before the Phillies played the Miami Marlins. He called Phillies fans the "best" in baseball and threw a ceremonial first pitch to actor Rob McElhenney, creator of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia." McElhenney had a "man crush" on Utley in one of the show's episodes."Thank you the fans of Philadelphia," Utley said. "Thank you for motivating me, thank you for being straight forward, thank you for picking me up when I was down, thank you for being loyal, a bit crazy at times and thank you for being passionate. Overall, thank you for being the best fans in baseball."Utley played 13 seasons in Philadelphia and helped the Phillies win five straight NL East titles, two NL pennants and the... [More]

ST. Louis (AP) — The cheers for Albert Pujols lasted much longer than his at-bat.It had been almost eight years in the making, but Albert Pujols returned to the Busch Stadium on Friday night and was greeted by a raucous standing ovation that carried on for over a minute.Pujols spent the first 11 years of his All-Star career with the Cardinals before signing with the Los Angeles Angels after the 2011 season. Due to inconsistent interleague scheduling, this was the first time the Angels have visited St. Louis since Pujols left.During the ovation, Pujols and Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina — whom he refers to as his little brother — embraced in the first inning. Before stepping in, Pujols tipped his helmet, sending the crowd noise to another level.The cheers faded as quickly as the at-bat, in which Pujols flied out to deep center field on Michael Wacha's first pitch. Wacha was drafted by the Cardinals as compensation for Pujols signing a $254 million, 10-year contract with the Angels as a... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Looking for a big start, the New York Yankees found an unorthodox spot for Aaron Judge in his long-awaited return to the lineup.After missing two months with a left oblique injury, Judge was back Friday night against Houston and batted leadoff for the first time in his major league career.Normally the team's No. 2 hitter, the 6-foot-7, 282-pound slugger was moved to the top spot as manager Aaron Boone toys with how best to arrange his power-packed batting order."I'm just trying to get my best players up there as much as possible," Boone said.Judge received a boisterous ovation from the Yankee Stadium crowd when No. 99 was introduced with a "Welcome back!" from public address announcer Paul Olden. Judge ran the count full his first time up before grounding out to first base against right-hander Brad Peacock.Astros skipper AJ Hinch deadpanned that Judge is the largest leadoff hitter he'll ever manage against."He brings an immediate threat from the first pitch of the game tonight,"... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Texas Rangers third baseman Asdrúbal Cabrera never left the dugout and says he wasn't trying to hit an umpire with the equipment he threw onto the field after being ejected from a game.Cabrera is appealing a four-game suspension and undisclosed fine from Major League Baseball that was handed down Friday, a day after umpire crew chief Bill Miller was hit on the foot by a small shin guard or batting gloves."I wasn't trying to hit anybody. I think the umpire is the last guy you want to hit," Cabrera said Friday. "I was just trying to throw the gloves out there to let him know I was (unhappy), instead of walking back to home plate."The Rangers' lineup for Friday night's game against the Chicago White Sox included Cabrera.Cabrera tossed the shin guard with the gloves wrapped inside of it after his ejection in the sixth inning of a 4-2 win over Cleveland on Thursday. That was a couple of pitches to the next batter after Cabrera was upset about a called third strike by... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge is back in the New York Yankees' lineup and batting leadoff for the first time in his major league career.After missing two months with a left oblique injury, Judge returned Friday night against Houston. Normally the team's No. 2 hitter, the 6-foot-7, 282-pound slugger was moved to the top spot as manager Aaron Boone toys with how best to arrange his power-packed batting order now that Edwin Encarnación has arrived and several Yankees stars are healed up.Along with his prodigious power, Judge has a sharp eye at the plate. He batted leadoff in spring training 2018 as the Yankees explored the idea — but he'd never started there in a regular-season game until now.Gary Sánchez, with 22 homers and 50 RBIs, hit second for New York ahead of lefty-swinging Didi Gregorius and cleanup man Giancarlo Stanton. Encarnación, leading the American League with 23 home runs, was fifth in front of lefty Brett Gardner, Gleyber Torres, Gio Urshela and Cameron Maybin.Encarnación was acquired last weekend in a trade with Seattle.Astros skipper AJ Hinch deadpanned that Judge is the largest leadoff hitter he'll ever manage against.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CLEVELAND (AP) — Mike Clevinger is confident his latest stint on the injured list will be a short one.The Cleveland Indians placed Clevinger on the 10-day IL prior to Friday night's game against Detroit because of a sprained left ankle. The right-hander was scheduled to start Saturday.Clevinger twisted his ankle while coming off the mound to cover first base in the second inning against Texas on Tuesday. He was making his first start since April 7 when he strained a back muscle.Clevinger expects his next start will come when the Indians visit Baltimore for a three-game series that begins June 28."It's nothing bad," he said. "If this was October, I'd probably be out there but coming back from the long layoff, right now everything lines up perfectly for me to only miss one start. It's more logical to do that."Clevinger remained in Tuesday's game but struggled, allowing five runs in 4 2/3 innings. The move is retroactive to June 18.The Indians have been dealing with a depleted rotation for... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cleveland Indians have placed pitcher Mike Clevinger on the 10-day injured list because of a sprained left ankle.He twisted the ankle while coming off the mound to cover first base in the second inning against Texas on Tuesday. He was making his first start since April 7 when he strained a back muscle.Clevinger remained in the game but struggled, allowing five runs in 4 2/3 innings. The move is retroactive to June 18.The right-hander was scheduled to start Saturday against Detroit. Injuries have limited Clevinger to three starts this season in which he's 1-1 with a 2.70 ERA.Aaron Civale will be called up from Triple-A Columbus to start Saturday. Reliever Josh Smith was recalled from Columbus for Friday night's game.The Indians have been dealing with injuries to their rotation this season. Corey Kluber (broken right arm) and Carlos Carrasco (blood condition) are also out.

A look at what's happening around the majors today:BACK WHERE IT BEGANAlbert Pujols returns for his first game in St. Louis since leaving the Cardinals to sign a $240 million contract with the Angels before the 2012 season. The slugger won three NL MVP awards and made nine All-Star teams with the Cardinals, leading them to World Series championships in 2006 and 2011. Pujols, sixth on the career list with 645 home runs, batted .328 with 455 doubles, 445 homers and 1,329 RBIs in 1,705 games for St. Louis. He is scheduled to meet the media at Busch Stadium before the opener of an interleague series.JUDGE-MENT DAYAaron Judge is all set to swing back into action for the first-place New York Yankees. The slugger is expected to be reinstated from the injured list to play against Houston, his first game since straining his left oblique April 20. "I'm not going to try to baby it or go at 80%. We're in the major leagues," Judge said Thursday at Yankee Stadium. "We're ready to go. That's not something... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors Friday:BACK WHERE IT BEGANAlbert Pujols returns to St. Louis for a game for the first time since leaving the Cardinals to sign a $240 million contract with the Angels before the 2012 season. The slugger won three NL MVP awards and made nine All-Star teams with the Cardinals, leading them to World Series championships in 2006 and 2011. Pujols, sixth on the career list with 645 home runs, batted .328 with 455 doubles, 445 homers and 1,329 RBIs in 1,705 games for St. Louis. He is scheduled to meet the media at Busch Stadium before the opener of an interleague series.JUDGE-MENT DAYAaron Judge is all set to swing back into action for the first-place New York Yankees. The slugger is expected to be reinstated from the injured list to play against Houston, his first game since straining his left oblique April 20. "I'm not going to try to baby it or go at 80%. We're in the major leagues," Judge said Thursday at Yankee Stadium. "We're ready to go. That's... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The New York Mets fired pitching coach Dave Eiland and bullpen coach Chuck Hernández on Thursday, and named Phil Regan interim pitching coach, Ricky Bones interim bullpen coach and Jeremy Accardo interim pitching strategist.The team announced the moves before its game against the Chicago Cubs.The 82-year-old Regan has been the Mets' minor league assistant pitching coordinator since 2016 after spending 2009-15 as the pitching coach for Class A St. Lucie of the Florida State League. The former major league pitcher managed the Baltimore Orioles during the 1995 season.Bones began this year as the pitching coach for St. Lucie. He was the Mets' bullpen coach from 2012-18.Accardo was in his first full season as the Mets' minor league pitching coordinator.The Mets entered Thursday with a 35-39 record and in fourth place in the NL East. They expected to contend in the division behind their pitching, but had a staff ERA of 4.67, which was 20th in the majors. The bullpen ERA was 5.38... [More]