SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) — The Kansas City Royals optioned pitchers Scott Blewett and Ronald Bolanos, outfielder Edwards Olivares and catcher Meibrys Viloria to Triple-A Omaha on Thursday night as they began to pare down their roster for opening day. Blewett and Bolanos were both competing for a spot in the crowded Kansas City bullpen after pitching in two games apiece last season. Olivares appeared in 18 games and Viloria in 15 games as backups last season. The Royals also assigned several players to their minor league camp. Among them were right-hander Jonathan Bowlan, their second-round pick in the 2018 draft; Alec Marsh, their second-round pick in the 2019 draft; and right-hander Asa Lacy, the fourth overall pick in last year's draft and considered one of the top prospects in the Kansas City system. The moves leave the Royals with 46 players in big league camp, including 14 non-roster invitees. ___ More AP MLB coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Matt Thaiss scored on Michael Hermosillo’s bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the 10th inning, and the Los Angeles Angels snapped their three-game skid with a 5-4 victory over the Houston Astros on Saturday night.Jason Castro delivered a tying RBI double in the ninth for the Angels, who improved the majors’ worst record to 3-6 despite blowing a two-run lead in the ninth.David Fletcher hit a leadoff single in the 10th off Nivaldo Rodriguez (0-1), sending Thaiss to third. After the Astros walked Anthony Rendon to load the bases, Thaiss scored on Josh Reddick’s inaccurate throw from medium right field.Angels reliever Noé Ramirez got two outs in the 10th, and Ryan Buchter (2-0) struck out Abraham Toro with the bases loaded in a rare bright moment for the Halos’ struggling relievers.ORIOLES 5, RAYS 4, 11 inningsBALTIMORE (AP) — Pinch-hitter Pat Valaika singled in the winning run in the 11th inning, and Baltimore handed Tampa Bay its fourth straight loss.Newcomer Brian Holaday... [More]

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Matt Thaiss scored on Michael Hermosillo’s bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the 10th inning, and the Los Angeles Angels snapped their three-game skid with a 5-4 victory over the Houston Astros on Saturday night.Jason Castro delivered a tying RBI double in the ninth for the Angels, who improved the majors’ worst record to 3-6 despite blowing a two-run lead in the ninth.David Fletcher hit a leadoff single in the 10th off Nivaldo Rodriguez (0-1), sending Thaiss to third. After the Astros walked Anthony Rendon to load the bases, Thaiss scored on Josh Reddick’s inaccurate throw from medium right field.Angels reliever Noé Ramirez got two outs in the 10th, and Ryan Buchter (2-0) struck out Abraham Toro with the bases loaded in a rare bright moment for the Halos’ struggling relievers.ORIOLES 5, RAYS 4, 11 inningsBALTIMORE (AP) — Pinch-hitter Pat Valaika singled in the winning run in the 11th inning, and Baltimore handed Tampa Bay its fourth straight loss.Newcomer Brian Holaday... [More]

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Matt Thaiss scored on Michael Hermosillo’s bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the 10th inning, and the Los Angeles Angels snapped their three-game skid with a 5-4 victory over the Houston Astros on Saturday night.Jason Castro delivered a tying RBI double in the ninth for the Angels, who improved the majors’ worst record to 3-6 despite blowing a two-run lead in the ninth.David Fletcher hit a leadoff single in the 10th off Nivaldo Rodriguez (0-1), sending Thaiss to third. After the Astros walked Anthony Rendon to load the bases, Thaiss scored on Josh Reddick’s inaccurate throw from medium right field.Angels reliever Noé Ramirez got two outs in the 10th, and Ryan Buchter (2-0) struck out Abraham Toro with the bases loaded in a rare bright moment for the Halos’ struggling relievers.YANKEES 5, RED SOX 2NEW YORK (AP) — Gio Urshela hit his first big league grand slam, Aaron Judge homered for a career-high fourth straight game and New York won its fifth straight.Nick Nelson (1-0)... [More]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Royals placed right-hander Chance Adams and left-hander Randy Rosario on the injured list and right-hander Jesse Hahn on the bereavement list as they pared their roster down to 30 players Thursday ahead of opening day in Cleveland.Backup catcher Meibrys Viloria was reinstated from the injured list and recalled, along with right-hander Ronald Bolanos and outfielder Franchy Cordero, both of whom were acquired in a recent trade with San Diego. Left-handers Foster Griffin and Gabe Speier and right-hander Kyle Zimmer also were recalled.Veteran reliever Greg Holland, who helped pitch the Royals to a pair of World Series appearances, made the club along with outfielder Erick Mejia, right-hander Tyler Zuber and catcher Oscar Hernandez.Adams and Rosario join an injured list that includes right-handers Jakob Junis and Brad Keller, infielder Ryan O'Hearn, outfielder Hunter Dozier, catcher Cam Gallagher and infielder Kelvin Gutierrez. Junis, Keller and O'Hearn tested positive for COVID-19 but have been cleared to return, while Dozier and Gallagher are still out after positive tests.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Royals had the entire offseason, all of spring training and, thanks to the coronavirus pandemic putting sports on hold, much of the summer to consider ways to tweak and improve their roster going forward.They were still making moves a week before their abbreviated 60-game schedule was set to begin.The team traded left-handed reliever Tim Hill to the San Diego Padres late Thursday for talented but injury prone outfield prospect Franchy Cordero and young right-hander Ronald Bolanos. The move came after the Royals decided their lousy bullpen from a year ago had been sufficiently upgraded and with an eye toward next season and beyond, when several of their outfielders are due to become free agents or potentially retire.The 25-year-old Cordero was the big prize for Kansas City. He only has played 79 big league games over parts of three seasons thanks to a slew of injuries, which last year limited him to just nine games. But along with a .240 average, Cordero... [More]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Not long ago, Tim Hill was wrapping up eight brutal months of chemotherapy to treat colon cancer.If anybody had a reason to opt out of baseball's restart, it would be him.Yet there he was, on a blazing evening at Kauffman Stadium, throwing pitches to Kansas City Royals hitters as they prepared for the start of their 60-game season next weekend in Cleveland. One after another, the tall, lanky left-hander with the easy grin, infectious personality and brutal-to-hit sinker-style delivery left the woefully out-of-sync batters baffled.Cancer couldn't keep Hill in the dugout. The threat of contracting COVID-19 wasn't going to do it, either.“It's hard to imagine a guy his age going through what he's gone through already,” Royals manager Mike Matheny said, “and I think it's another testament of faith in himself and faith in the process to keep him in a good place, and it also shows how much he loves this group and loves this team and wants to get out and compete.”Turns out... [More]