PHOENIX — Luis Arraez arrived at Chase Field about 90 minutes before he took his first swing in a game and got his first hit for the Padres.

He led off and was their designated hitter and went about being the personification of A.J. Preller’s dream in a 13-1 victory over the Diamondbacks on Saturday.

Arraez went 4 for 6 and scored the ...Read more

HOUSTON — As he walked off the mound after the eighth inning and approached the visitors’ dugout, Mariners starter Logan Gilbert knew the answer before he even made the request.

“One more,” Gilbert asked Scott Servais, hoping for a chance to pitch the ninth.

The Mariners manager, waiting at the top step of the dugout entrance, shook ...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It was “Star Wars” night at Kauffman Stadium, as fans arrived dressed as their favorite characters of the movie franchise.

The Royals, who have operated at lightspeed with this season’s rebuild efforts, looked to keep their winning ways going against the Texas Rangers. But the 2023 World Series champs struck back with...Read more

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Rookie Austin Shenton worked a 10-pitch, two-out, bases-loaded walk — the first of two in the bottom of the eighth inning — to break a logjam, and the Rays scraped together enough offense to pull off a 3-1 win over the Mets at Tropicana Field on Saturday night.

The win was the 755th of Kevin Cash’s managerial ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — It was a strange night. Saturday’s Phillies-Giants game started over an hour late due to rain. Players had trouble fielding the ball and pitchers had trouble gripping it. The grounds crew came out to work on the infield dirt in between innings.

But that didn’t stop the Phillies from getting their 23rd win of the season. In ...Read more

ST. LOUIS — The Cardinals stranded the bases loaded in the 10th inning after rain paused the game for 3 hours and 3 minutes in the middle of what ended up being the final at-bat of the game.

Heavy rain accompanied by lightning forced the game to stop with two outs, men on every base and Nolan Gorman at the plate against former Cardinals ...Read more

CINCINNATI — A little more than two weeks ago, John Means couldn’t even make it out of the first inning in Triple-A.

The veteran left-hander allowed five runs on five hits — two of which were homers — in a minor league rehabilitation game against a team nicknamed the Jumbo Shrimp. The outing raised alarms about whether Means would be ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — Jared Jones was nearly perfect Saturday afternoon. Colin Holderman and David Bednar followed the rookie’s lead, limiting the opposition to just one base runner through nine innings. And while the offense continued to struggle, when it counted most, Jack Suwinski came through.

With two outs and the bases loaded, Derek Shelton ...Read more

SAN DIEGO — It seems a good bet Padres newcomer Luis Arraez will perform close to his track record as a terrific singles hitter against right-handed pitching.

He's been spraying hits for five-plus seasons. A scout called him a "pain-in-the-butt hitter" Friday after the Padres got the career .324 batter in a trade with the Marlins.

Yes, ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — The fate of the Twins' longest-in-the-majors streak turned on the fate of a couple of longest-in-the-league streaks on Saturday.

Willi Castro extended his career-best hitting streak to 10 straight games with a couple of key singles. Rafael Devers went 0 for 4 for the Red Sox, ending his hitting streak at nine.

Ergo: The Twins ...Read more

NEW YORK — Yankees ace Gerrit Cole took a significant step in his rehab Saturday, throwing off of a mound for the first time since being shut down during spring training with elbow inflammation.

Cole threw 15 pitches, all fastballs, in the Yankee Stadium bullpen and sat at around 89 mph, he said. He threw 13 of the pitches for strikes.

“It...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Shortstop Trea Turner was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain, the Phillies announced on Saturday. Infielder Kody Clemens was recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley as a corresponding move.

It is Turner’s first injured list stint since July-August 2021. When asked how long Turner expects to be out, he...Read more

NEW YORK — On “Star Wars” day at Yankee Stadium, Clarke Schmidt was a force.

The Yankees’ offense awakened.

And even as Aaron Judge was ejected for the first time in his career, the Yankees more closely resembled a fully operational Death Star in a 5-3 win over the Detroit Tigers.

Giancarlo Stanton, Judge and Anthony Rizzo — all ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Two of the best teams in baseball convened at Chavez Ravine on Friday night, the National League West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers and NL East-leading Atlanta Braves opening a three-game series that Dodgers manager Dave Roberts promised would be “a good matchup, exciting for our fans and players.”

The clubs did not disappoint...Read more

PHOENIX — The San Diego Padres did not wait around to see if their current collection of players could be good enough.

As those players began a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night, the team was completing a trade with the Marlins for Luis Arráez, the reigning National League batting champion.

Arráez led all major league ...Read more

ST. LOUIS — Cardinals ace Sonny Gray held the Chicago White Sox scoreless for seven innings, while Nolan Arenado and Willson Contreras provided the bulk of the offense to get the homestand started on a winning note.

Arenado went 2 for 4, swatted a pair of doubles and drove in three runs in a 3-0 Cardinals win over the White Sox in front of an...Read more

HOUSTON — Who are these guys?

Before the Mariners’ first trip to Minute Maid Park this year, it was a fair question to ask about a Houston Astros team sitting, curiously, in last place in the American League West.

By the end of Friday night’s game, the same question could reasonably be asked about another typically dominant squad: the ...Read more

CINCINNATI — Reds fans were hoping to witness a fireworks show both in the sky and on the diamond Friday night.

After a lengthy rain delay, it appeared the literal show would be called off because the game would end too late. Instead, the fans who endured the 2-hour, 41-minute delay were treated to a fireworks display shortly after the sun ...Read more