PHOENIX — The narrative should have been obvious.

A season ago, the Dodgers were swept by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League Division Series, marking a stunningly short postseason run for their 100-win team.

This week, the sides met Chase Field for the first time since.

For most clubs in the Dodgers’ position, bad blood ...Read more

OAKLAND, Calif. — There’s something downright cruel about it.

Sadly, such a punishment is not unusual from the Oakland Athletics.

Of course, the A’s developed into a team worth watching just before they head out of The Town.

Yes, there’s something to these 2024 A’s. They’ve won back-to-back straight series, sit in the middle of ...Read more

BOSTON — Dominic Smith has been a big leaguer for seven years, but he probably hasn’t had many days as memorable as Wednesday.

After opting out of his minor league deal with the Tampa Bay Rays, the 28-year-old first baseman signed with the Red Sox and immediately hustled up to Boston. Smith arrived shortly before first pitch, and in the ...Read more

NEW YORK — A controversial call on the field and some late-game theatrics made for an exciting, yet ultimately disappointing ending for the Mets on Wednesday night at Citi Field.

With one on and one out and the Mets trailing the Chicago Cubs 1-0, rookie center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong missed a fly ball hit by J.D. Martinez at the wall. It ...Read more

BALTIMORE — With the Yankees facing a 2-0 series hole and Corbin Burnes readying for his seventh start as an Oriole, Yankees manager Aaron Boone had nothing but praise for the Cy Young winner.

The manager labeled the right-hander, a rumored Yankees’ target over the winter, as “one of the game’s best” and a “bulldog.”

“You know ...Read more

SEATTLE — The run of dominance was going to end at some point. One of the Mariners’ starting pitchers was going to wobble or struggle in an outing because that’s how baseball works.

That it came against the Atlanta Braves — the team with the best record in baseball — who were also trying to avoid being swept in the three-game series ...Read more

OAKLAND, Calif. — A regretful road trip began the same way it started: with a shutout.

The Pirates’ bats were silenced again by Athletics starter Ross Stripling and Co. on Wednesday afternoon at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, falling 4-0 to close out a 1-5 stretch on the West Coast. In their last 16 games, the Pirates have gone 3-13, ...Read more

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Zack Wheeler lacked his typical control of secondary pitches, so he had to lean on his fastball. He gave up an unusually high number of foul balls and fell into deep counts.

Oh, and in the second inning, the earth shook beneath his feet.

But it’s days like Wednesday, when the stuff isn’t as sharp, that test an ace’s ...Read more

SAN DIEGO — Joe Musgrove was back to being excellent.

Jurickson Profar remained excellent.

And Jake Cronenworth made it matter with a grand slam in the seventh inning that lifted the Padres to a 6-2 victory over the Reds on Wednesday.

The victory was the Padres' second in a row following a losing streak of five games.

It was Cronenworth ...Read more

TORONTO — It looked like the Kansas City Royals were destined to be on the wrong side of history Wednesday afternoon in their eventual 6-1 victory against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Toronto starter Chris Bassitt was dealing. He hadn’t allowed a hit through five innings and was working on a career outing. The Royals couldn’t decipher his pitch...Read more

DETROIT — The Tigers came into the rubber match against the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday afternoon with 17 wins. It’s the most wins the Tigers have had going into May since the 1984 championship team won 18 on its way to a 35-5 start.

Manager AJ Hinch, while certainly appreciative of the solid start, wasn’t going to throw a party.

�...Read more

MILWAUKEE — Debuting the City Connect uniforms on Friday should work out well for the Rays.

Because as bad as they’ve been playing, they need a new identity.

Wednesday’s 7-1 loss to the Brewers capped a miserable 1-5 road trip in which they were swept by a White Sox team that started the series with a majors-low three wins and then lost ...Read more

MILWAUKEE — Rays center fielder Jose Siri was suspended three games for his actions during Tuesday’s benches-clearing incident in the game against the Brewers.

Siri has appealed the ruling, according to the Rays, which could lead to the number of games being reduced to two. That hearing may already have happened, as it would behoove the ...Read more

Who’s next?

Well, the Mariners still have one more game left in this homestand and the chance to sweep the Atlanta Braves.

But with their 3-2 victory Tuesday night T-Mobile Park, they secured a series win over the Braves.

It was their fifth straight series victory. And their last three series wins came against the World Series champion ...Read more

As Yu Darvish rocked and fired through his warm-up pitches, a beat plenty familiar to Nick Martinez poured into Petco Park. Bakermat’s “Baiana” had been Martinez’s warm-up song of choice both years in San Diego. Naturally, the 33-year-old right-hander laughed from the visiting dugout in appreciation of the nod from a former teammate ...Read more

OAKLAND — JJ Bleday hit a pair of home runs and the Athletics bullpen did what it’s done all season Tuesday night in a 5-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Bleday hit a solo home run in the fifth and two-run shot against reliever Josh Fleming in the seventh, his second and third home runs of the season.

Mitch Spence, who pitched three ...Read more

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Nick Castellanos had barely finished his swing when he took his right hand off the bat and pointed to right field.

Castellanos got it.

And he knew it.

Two outs from a second consecutive loss at Angel Stadium — a place that they seldom visit and hadn’t won a game at in 21 years — the Phillies got a game-tying solo ...Read more

Giants ace Logan Webb entered Fenway Park with an MLB-best streak of 19 scoreless innings. That stretch quickly ended Tuesday night, and another began: the Red Sox scored a single run in each of the first four innings to chase Webb.

That 4-0 deficit held up as the final score in the Giants’ second shutout loss this season.

So began the ...Read more