PHILADELPHIA — When public address announcer Dan Baker’s microphone cut out during the pregame ceremonies before the Phillies’ opener against the San Francisco Giants, plunging the ballpark into silence for a few minutes, it seemed like an inauspicious beginning to the Don Mattingly era in Philadelphia.

The players had other ideas.

...Read more

NEW YORK — The entire New York Mets lineup has been marred in an uncharacteristic slump, but in the bottom of the fourth inning on Tuesday night at Citi Field, Juan Soto uncorked a very characteristic home run. A two-run shot, just his second of the year, scored the sixth and seventh runs of the inning for the Mets, practically a week’s ...Read more

ATLANTA — There are losses and then there are games like Tuesday night at Truist Park.

The Tigers not only lost the first of a three-game series to the Atlanta Braves, 5-2, they lost two key players to injury.

Starting pitcher Casey Mize strained his right groin and left the game in the bottom of the third inning. Center fielder Javier Bá...Read more

After a pair of defiant wins in their first two games since the sudden firing of manager Alex Cora and the bulk of the coaching staff, the Boston Red Sox came back to earth Tuesday night.

They looked more like the team they’ve been for much of this first month of the season: a shorter-than-ideal outing from their starting pitcher, too many ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Alex Cora won’t manage another team this season after getting fired by the Red Sox on Saturday night.

Not that the Phillies didn’t try talking him into it.

Dave Dombrowski spoke with Cora by phone on Sunday to gauge his interest in replacing Rob Thomson, even though Thomson still was managing the Phillies in Atlanta at the...Read more

The Rays lost All-Star slugger Junior Caminero early in Tuesday’s game, when he fouled off a ball in his first-inning at-bat that bounced up and hit the right side of his jaw.

As big of a loss as that was, the Rays extended their win streak to a season-high-matching six games with a 1-0 victory over the Guardians in Cleveland.

They improved ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — After Rob Thomson was fired earlier Tuesday as manager of the Phillies, he said he might spend the night watching some playoff hockey.

Or not.

“Actually, I’m going to watch our game,” he said. “I really am.”

That Thomson still calls the Phillies’ series opener against the San Francisco Giants our game isn’t just...Read more

NEW YORK — Another manager was fired Tuesday, with the Philadelphia Phillies cutting ties with Rob Thomson, a few days after the Boston Red Sox fired manager Alex Cora and several members of his staff. Meanwhile, in Queens, everything is “business as usual” for the New York Mets as they begin a series against the Washington Nationals on ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — After 11 losses in 12 games, it ceased to be a matter of if Rob Thomson would be fired. It became a simple matter of when.

The matter that mattered, then: Why would he be fired?

Because the magic was gone.

For 3 1/2 seasons, with his calm Canadian demeanor and his insane work ethic, Thomson made the whole better than its ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Theories abound, but one is fun: Mickey Mouse had hunger pangs and strayed from Disneyland to nearby Angel Stadium where he discreetly raided a forlorn concession stand in a nosebleed section adjacent to the right-field foul pole.

That concession stand — high up in View Level Section 42 — was the only one out of about 160 at...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Rob Thomson is out as Phillies manager.

Four years after getting his long-awaited first chance to lead a team and steering the Phillies to a World Series, Thomson was fired Tuesday amid a 9-19 tailspin that included a 10-game skid and the worst overall run differential (minus-54) in baseball, all from a team with the sport’s ...Read more

The Padres scored early for a change Monday.

That did not keep them from having to play catch-up and hold on for the win.

Manny Machado doubled twice in a three-hit game, Ty France drove in four runs and the Padres survived rare misfires from both Randy Vásquez and Mason Miller in a 9-7 win in front of a crowd of 41,478 at Petco Park.

Miller...Read more

The Dodgers’ 5-4 win over the Miami Marlins on Monday was a reminder that even rotation leader Yoshinobu Yamamoto is going to have laborious starts, and the Dodgers’ bullpen will be tested in the wake of closer Edwin Díaz’ elbow surgery.

It met the challenge Monday, giving the Dodgers a chance for a walk-off win.

Yamamoto had his ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — On a rainy 51-degree evening with a soggy infield, Minnesota Twins rookie left-hander Connor Prielipp looked like there was no place he’d rather be when he made his first career start at Target Field on Monday.

Facing Seattle Mariners lineup that entered on a f 1/2ur-game winning streak, Prielipp, who grew up a 2½-hour drive ...Read more

The New York Yankees have a new dynamic duo brewing early this season.

Aaron Judge and Ben Rice went back-to-back in the third inning setting the tone for Max Fried to dominate the Texas Rangers in their 4-2 win on Monday night. When Rice’s two-run shot went over the left-center field fence, it was his 10th of the season, tying Judge for the ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — For the second time in four days, the Pittsburgh Pirates were nearly perfect. This time, it didn’t even result in a win.

Four Pirates combined to retire the first 20 St. Louis Cardinals, the same number of Milwaukee Brewers that Paul Skenes retired on Friday, but Dennis Santana allowed four runs in the ninth in a 4-2 loss at ...Read more

Toronto Blue Jays starter Dylan Cease entered Monday’s series opener in Toronto as Major League Baseball’s strikeout leader, but it was Ranger Suárez who racked up the punchouts, took a no-hitter into the sixth inning, and had himself a career night.

In the American League East rivals’ first meeting of the year, Suárez held the Blue ...Read more

The Tampa Bay Rays extended their winning streak to five games with a 3-2 come-from-behind victory over the Guardians on Monday night at Cleveland’s Progressive Field.

Ryan Vilade and Jonathan Aranda provided the key hits, Steven Matz worked seven strong innings, and Ian Seymour and Bryan Baker teamed up for the final six outs.

The Rays ...Read more