CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Cubs say they plan to interview former Philadelphia manager Gabe Kapler and Houston bench coach Joe Espada this week about their managerial opening.The Astros have an off day Monday ahead of Game 3 in the ALCS in New York on Tuesday. Kapler was fired last week after going 161-163 in two years with the Phillies.The Cubs are searching for a successor to Joe Maddon, whose contract expired after Chicago missed the playoffs this year for the first time since 2014. At least four other candidates have spoken with the Cubs about the job: Joe Girardi, Mark Loretta, David Ross and Will Venable.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

HOUSTON (AP) — A man in the Astros dugout who was not in uniform was hit by a foul ball off the bat of Houston's Michael Brantley during Game 2 of the AL Championship Series and exited with a towel over his head.The Astros released a statement late in Sunday night's game on behalf of Harris County Emergency Corps, which said one of its employees was hit and taken to a hospital, where he was evaluated and in stable condition. The company, which provides paramedic services, provided no other details."My thoughts and prayers are with his family and him, and I hope I can talk to him soon," Brantley said after the Astros beat the New York Yankees 3-2 in 11 innings.Play was briefly halted after the accident in the fifth inning, and Houston manager AJ Hinch came on the field to console a shaken-up Brantley.Several Astros players were shown in the dugout looking distraught, as were Yankees players who had a view into Houston's dugout. Houston stars Carlos Correa and George Springer both could be... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — The Yankees went to the bullpen early and kept a parade of relievers going to the mound — even CC Sabathia.But New York's bullpen buckled in the 11th inning when Carlos Correa led off with a home run off J.A. Happ, the Yankees' ninth pitcher, to give the Houston Astros a 3-2 win Sunday that tied the AL Championship Series at one game apiece.On a night when starter James Paxton lasted just 2 1/3 innings and 51 pitches, Yankees manager Aaron Boone treated the third inning like he would the sixth during the regular season."Just felt like we were covered as far as today with getting some length and having guys rested. Obviously going into an off day tomorrow we're just going to be aggressive," Boone said.Paxton allowed Correa's RBI double in the second, escaped further trouble, then was replaced by Chad Green with one on and one out in the third."Thought he was struggling with his command," Boone said.Green retired six straight batters, and Yankees went ahead 2-1 on Aaron Judge's... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — The Yankees went to the bullpen early and kept a parade of relievers going to the mound — even CC Sabathia.But New York's bullpen buckled in the 11th inning when Carlos Correa led off with a home run off J.A. Happ, the Yankees' ninth pitcher, to give the Houston Astros a 3-2 win Sunday night that tied the AL Championship Series at one game apiece.On a night when starter James Paxton lasted just 2 1/3 innings and 51 pitches, Yankees manager Aaron Boone treated the third inning like he would the sixth during the regular season."Just felt like we were covered as far as today with getting some length and having guys rested. Obviously going into an off day tomorrow we're just going to be aggressive," Boone said. "Thought he was struggling with his command. And it ends up ... doesn't end well."Chad Green relieved Paxton with one on and one out, then retired all six batters he faced. The Yankees went ahead 2-1 on Aaron Judge's two-run homer in the fourth off Justin Verlander, but... [More]

Astros second. Alex Bregman singles to deep left field. Yordan Alvarez walks. Alex Bregman to second. Yuli Gurriel lines out to right field to Aaron Judge. Alex Bregman to third. Carlos Correa doubles to deep left field. Yordan Alvarez to third. Alex Bregman scores. Robinson Chirinos strikes out on a foul tip. Jake Marisnick strikes out swinging.1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 left on. Astros 1, Yankees 0.Yankees fourth. DJ LeMahieu walks. Aaron Judge homers to center field. DJ LeMahieu scores. Gleyber Torres flies out to right field to George Springer. Edwin Encarnacion strikes out swinging. Brett Gardner strikes out swinging.2 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 left on. Yankees 2, Astros 1.Astros fifth. Kyle Tucker pinch-hitting for Jake Marisnick. Kyle Tucker strikes out swinging. George Springer homers to center field. Michael Brantley reaches on third strike. Jose Altuve singles to shortstop. Michael Brantley to second. Alex Bregman called out on strikes. Yordan Alvarez strikes out swinging.1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 left on. Yankees 2, Astros 2.Astros eleventh. Carlos Correa homers to right field.1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 left on. Astros 3, Yankees 2.

HOUSTON (AP) — A man in the Astros dugout who was not in uniform was hit by a foul ball off the bat of Houston's Michael Brantley during Game 2 of the AL Championship Series and exited with a towel over his head.The Astros released statement late in Sunday night's game on behalf of Harris County Emergency Corps, which said one of its employees was hit and taken to a hospital, where he was evaluated and in stable condition. The company, which provides paramedic services, provided no other details.Play between the Astros and New York Yankees was briefly halted after the accident in the fifth inning, and Houston manager AJ Hinch came on the field to console a shaken-up Brantley.Several Astros players were shown in the dugout looking distraught, as were Yankees players who had a view into Houston's dugout. Houston stars Carlos Correa and George Springer both could be seen putting their hands on their heads and then looking away seconds after the ball entered the dugout.Play resumed after a couple of minutes and Brantley struck out but reached first on a wild pitch by Adam Ottavino.The Astros extended the protective netting at Minute Maid Park to cover more of the seating area earlier this year, but there is no such protection for the dugouts. The move came after a 2-year-old girl sustained a skull fracture when she struck by a foul ball during a May game in Houston.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

HOUSTON (AP) — A man in the Astros dugout who was not in uniform was hit by a foul ball off the bat of Houston's Michael Brantley during Game 2 of the AL Championship Series and exited with a towel over his head.It was unclear who the person was, but he was not an Astros player or coach. A report by Fox, which was televising the game Sunday night, said he was a security officer. A team spokesman said the club did not have any details or an update on the man's condition.Play between the Astros and New York Yankees was briefly halted after the accident in the fifth inning, and manager AJ Hinch came on the field to console a shaken-up Brantley.Several Astros players were shown in the dugout looking distraught, as were Yankees players who had a view into Houston's dugout. Houston stars Carlos Correa and George Springer both could be seen putting their hands on their heads and then looking away seconds after the ball entered the dugout.Play resumed after a couple of minutes and Brantley struck out but reached first on a wild pitch by Adam Ottavino.The Astros extended the protective netting at Minute Maid Park to cover more of the seating area earlier this year, but there is no such protection for the dugouts. The move came after a 2-year-old girl suffered a skull fracture when she struck by a foul ball during a May game in Houston.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

HOUSTON (AP) — Giancarlo Stanton was out of the New York Yankees' starting lineup for Game 2 of the AL Championship Series because of a right quad strain that happened before he homered in the opener against the Houston Astros.Manager Aaron Boone said before Sunday night's game he didn't know Stanton was hurt until after the end of Game 1. Boone said the slugger was injured running out a single in the second inning. That was four innings before he hit a solo home run off Zach Greinke in New York's 7-0 victory, and the left fielder also made a nice defensive play when moving to catch a liner."So hoping that it's something that with today and the off day, that he would be back in play for Game 3," Boone said. "We'll just kind of see how these next 48 hours unfold."Boone said Stanton could be a pinch-hitting option in Game 2 and could play the field in an emergency. There is a day off in the series Monday before Game 3 in New York on Tuesday night.Stanton was limited to 18 games during the... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — Giancarlo Stanton is not in the New York Yankees' starting lineup against Houston Astros ace Justin Verlander for Game 2 of the AL Championship Series with a strained right quad.Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Sunday that Stanton was hurt running out an infield single in the second inning of Game 1 a night earlier. Stanton remained in the game and homered off Zack Greinke in a 7-0 New York victory.Stanton had an MRI that revealed the strain. Boone says Stanton is available to pinch hit and could start again later in the series.Cameron Maybin was set to play left field and bat seventh in place of the 2017 NL MVP.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

HOUSTON (AP) — Giancarlo Stanton is not in the New York Yankees' starting lineup against Houston Astros ace Justin Verlander for Game 2 of the AL Championship Series.Cameron Maybin was starting in left field instead and hitting seventh on the lineup posted by the Yankees before Sunday night's game. Stanton, the 2017 NL MVP, homered against Zack Greinke during a Game 1 victory Saturday.New York didn't immediately specify whether Stanton was held out due to health or for matchup concerns. The big right-handed hitter missed most of the regular season with injuries, including a strained ligament in his right knee that was still limiting his workload near the end of the regular season.Stanton has one hit — a homer — and five strikeouts in nine plate appearances against Verlander.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Oct. 141905 — Christy Mathewson blanked the Philadelphia Athletics 2-0 to give the New York Giants the World Series in five games. All were shutouts, with Mathewson getting three, Joe McGinnity one, and Chief Bender of Philadelphia one.1929 — The Philadelphia A's rallied for three runs in the ninth inning to beat the Chicago Cubs 3-2 and take the World Series in five games. Mule Haas' two-run homer tied the game and Bing Miller's RBI double won it.1965 — Sandy Koufax tossed his second shutout to give the Los Angeles Dodgers a 2-0 victory over the Minnesota Twins and the world championship in seven games.1969 — New York's Tommie Agee made two spectacular catches to save five runs and secure a 5-0 victory over Baltimore as the Mets took a 2-1 lead in the World Series.1971 — Pittsburgh's Nelson Briles threw a two-hitter against the Orioles for a 4-0 victory to give the Pirates a 3-2 edge in the World Series.1972 — Oakland catcher Gene Tenace became the first player to hit home runs in each... [More]

The St. Louis Cardinals' front office says baseballs have suddenly lost their juice this postseason, supporting a claim from a prominent data scientist that the balls have changed following a historic, homer-friendly regular season.Cardinals manager Mike Shildt said Saturday that St. Louis' analytics department has found the ball is flying 4 ½ fewer feet on average in the postseason. Players in both leagues have been stunned when hard-hit balls have fallen on the warning track this month, raising more questions about the makeup of the baseballs after hitters clubbed a record 6,776 home runs in the regular season — a rise attributed to unusually far-flying balls."I mean there's probably all kind of different theories behind that that I won't really get into," Shildt said before a 3-1 loss to Washington in Game 2 of the NL Championship Series. "Just the fact of the matter, it could be any number of things."The numbers don't leave much doubt, says data journalist Rob Arthur. He was among the... [More]

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Daniel Hudson and his wife, Sara, tried to plan the birth of their third child around Washington's postseason schedule.When it didn't work out, he knew exactly what he needed to do.Hudson stayed with his wife for Millie's arrival Friday, and then rejoined the Nationals in time to close out their 3-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 2 of the NL Championship Series on Saturday.The 32-year-old right-hander, a key member of Washington's bullpen, said he knew all along he had to be there — a decision the organization supported."To be able to have that experience with my family and be there for the whole thing was everything I could have imagined," he said. "Obviously, it is my third kid. And top three things in my life, 1A, 1B and 1C, are, was being there for the birth of all three of my daughters."Hudson was reinstated from the postseason paternity list Saturday, and Wander Suero was removed from the Nationals' NLCS roster.While Hudson was away, Aníbal Sánchez and... [More]

Nationals third. Michael A. Taylor homers to left field. Max Scherzer strikes out swinging. Trea Turner lines out to first base to Paul Goldschmidt. Adam Eaton grounds out to shortstop, Paul DeJong to Paul Goldschmidt.1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 left on. Nationals 1, Cardinals 0.Nationals eighth. Michael A. Taylor called out on strikes. Matt Adams pinch-hitting for Max Scherzer. Matt Adams singles to deep right center field. Trea Turner singles to center field. Matt Adams to second. Adam Eaton doubles to right field. Trea Turner scores. Matt Adams scores. Anthony Rendon is intentionally walked. Juan Soto pops out to shallow center field to Paul DeJong. Howie Kendrick strikes out swinging.2 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 2 left on. Nationals 3, Cardinals 0.Cardinals eighth. Matt Carpenter strikes out swinging. Tommy Edman lines out to deep right field to Adam Eaton. Paul DeJong singles to center field. Jose Martinez pinch-hitting for Andrew Miller. Jose Martinez doubles to deep center field. Paul DeJong scores. Dexter Fowler flies out to right field to Adam Eaton.1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on. Nationals 3, Cardinals 1.

HOUSTON (AP) — New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone moved his two left-handed hitters down in the lineup for AL Championship Series opener against Zack Greinke and the Houston Astros after using the same order for all three games in the AL Division Series.Gleyber Torres moved into the third spot in the Yankees lineup, and lefty Brett Gardner was sixth as the two switched spots from New York's three-game ALDS sweep of the Minnesota Twins. The other change for Saturday night's game was Gio Urshela moving up to bat eighth and left Didi Gregorius dropping into the ninth spot.Manager Aaron Boone said he liked that lineup against the right-handed Greinke. To keep some separation between his lefties, he dropped Gregorius in the No. 9 spot after moving Gardner from third to sixth.The Yankees had used the same batting order in three consecutive games only once during the regular season.Astros manager AJ Hinch had Kyle Tucker starting in right field and starting eighth, after the 22-year-old made only one start in their ALDS series against Tampa Bay. Josh Reddick was 1 of 10 in the ALDS.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — The Los Angeles Angels say they don't know whether a longtime public relations official had been providing drugs to late pitcher Tyler Skaggs, as detailed in a report Saturday on ESPN's "Outside the Lines."Eric Kay, a 24-year employee of the Angels' PR department, told the Drug Enforcement Agency he had provided opioids to Skaggs and used them with the pitcher for years, according to ESPN. Kay reportedly watched as Skaggs snorted three lines of crushed pills in his hotel room in Southlake, Texas, on the night before he was found dead.Kay also told the DEA he believes several other Angels players used opioids, ESPN reported."We have never heard that any employee was providing illegal narcotics to any player, or that any player was seeking illegal narcotics," Angels President John Carpino said in a statement. "The Angels maintain a strict, zero tolerance policy regarding the illicit use of drugs for both players and staff. Every one of our players must also abide by... [More]

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — The Los Angeles Angels say they don't know whether a longtime public relations official had been providing drugs to late pitcher Tyler Skaggs, as detailed in a report on ESPN's "Outside the Lines."Eric Kay, a 24-year employee of the Angels' PR department, told the Drug Enforcement Agency he had provided opioids to Skaggs and used them with the pitcher for years, according to the ESPN report Saturday. Kay reportedly watched as Skaggs snorted three lines of crushed pills in his hotel room in Texas, on the night before he was found dead.Kay also told the DEA he believes several other Angels players used opioids, ESPN reported.Skaggs was found dead in his hotel room July 1 before the start of a series against the Rangers. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office said the 27-year-old died after choking on his vomit with a toxic mix of alcohol and the painkillers fentanyl and oxycodone in his body.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Washington Nationals ace Max Scherzer lost his no-hit bid on Paul Goldschmidt's clean single leading off the seventh inning in Game 2 of the NL Championship Series against the St. Louis Cardinals.Goldschmidt's line drive dropped in front of left fielder Juan Soto, who played the ball conservatively with Washington clinging to a 1-0 lead. Scherzer got a strikeout and a double play to end the inning.Washington won 2-0 in Game 1 behind Aníbal Sánchez, who allowed the Cardinals' only hit of the night with two out in the eighth inning.Scherzer walked Kolten Wong in the first and Dexter Fowler in the sixth for St. Louis' only baserunners before Goldschmidt. The three-time Cy Young Award winner has struck out 11 through seven innings.Scherzer, a St. Louis native, has a record five career postseason no-hit bids of at least five innings, according to Elias Sports. He came closest to finishing in Game 3 of the 2017 NL Division Series, getting one out in the seventh inning before... [More]

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Washington Nationals ace Max Scherzer has not allowed a hit through six innings in Game 2 of the NL Championship Series against the St. Louis Cardinals.Scherzer walked Kolten Wong in the first and Dexter Fowler in the sixth for St. Louis' only baserunners so far. The three-time Cy Young Award winner has struck out 10 and thrown 92 pitches.Washington won 2-0 in Game 1 behind Aníbal Sánchez, who allowed the Cardinals' only hit of the night with two out in the eighth inning.Scherzer, a St. Louis native, has a record five career postseason no-hit bids of at least five innings, according to Elias Sports. He came closest to finishing in Game 3 of the 2017 NL Division Series, getting one out in the seventh inning before allowing a hit.Sánchez and Scherzer also began the 2013 ALCS with consecutive no-hit bids of at least five innings for Detroit against Boston.There have only been two postseason no-hitters. Don Larsen threw a perfect game for the New York Yankees against Brooklyn in the 1956 World Series, and Roy Halladay pitched a no-hitter for the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2010 NL Division Series.Washington leads 1-0 on Saturday on Michael A. Taylor's homer on Adam Wainwright's first pitch of the third inning.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Daniel Hudson and his wife, Sara, tried to plan the birth of their third child around Washington's postseason schedule.When it didn't work out, he knew exactly what he needed to do.Hudson stayed with his wife for Millie's arrival, and then rejoined the Nationals before Game 2 of the NL Championship Series against the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday.The 32-year-old right-hander, a key member of Washington's bullpen, said he knew all along he had to be there — a decision the organization supported."To be able to have that experience with my family and be there for the whole thing was everything I could have imagined," he said. "Obviously, it is my third kid. And top three things in my life, 1A, 1B and 1C, are, was being there for the birth of all three of my daughters."Hudson was reinstated from the postseason paternity list, and Wander Suero was removed from the Nationals' NLCS roster.While Hudson was away, Aníbal Sánchez and Sean Doolittle combined for a one-hitter in Washington's... [More]