LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Dodgers are too good, and too rich. If the owners of other major league teams ultimately deem that combination so objectionable that they shut down the sport this winter because of it, they will risk a rupture in one of the greatest fan bases in American sports history.

The four million tickets the Dodgers sold ...Read more

Randy Vásquez stumbled Wednesday night. The Padres picked him up anyway.

Jackson Merrill robbed his second homer of the season in the third inning and capped a five-run rally in the ninth inning with a walk-off double in a 7-6 win over the Mariners, extending the team’s win streak to seven games.

The game-winning rally saw pinch-hitter ...Read more

Dodgers right-hander Shohei Ohtani’s spotless ERA finally got its first mark Wednesday. But in the Dodgers’ 8-2 victory on Wednesday, he held the Mets to just one run in six innings.

Ohtani’s streak of innings without giving up an earned run ended at 32 2/3, the longest of his career. He had 10 strikeouts Wednesday, the most he’s had in...Read more

Running on empty. As in far too many empty at-bats.

It hurt the Colorado Rockies again on Wednesday night in a 3-1 loss to the Houston Astros at Dalkin Park. It was the Rockies’ sixth consecutive loss as they slid 6-12 overall and 2-10 on the road.

Colorado struck out 15 times — Houston starter Spencer Arrighetti fanned 10 in his six ...Read more

DETROIT — Wenceel Perez, inserted into the game in the top of the inning, led off the bottom of the inning with a home run to right field, sending the Tigers to their fifth straight win, 2-1 over the Kansas City Royals at Comerica Park Wednesday night.

He had been 0 for 10 in the young season, but he launched a 1-1 change-up from reliever Eli...Read more

PITTSBURGH — In Tuesday’s loss, a gamble from Don Kelly backfired. In a win Wednesday at PNC Park, a different Kelly strategy worked to perfection.

Kelly used Mason Montgomery as an opener for Carmen Mlodzinsk, then Montgomery, Mlodzinski, Gregory Soto and Dennis Santana combined for nine shutout innings in the Pirates’ 2-0 win against ...Read more

CINCINNATI — Tyler Mahle has had much, much better days at Great American Ball Park.

In his first start against his former team, Mahle turned in arguably the worst start of his major league career as the Giants lost, 8-3, on Jackie Robinson Day, their fourth consecutive loss. The four home runs that Mahle surrendered were the most he’s ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Jackie Robinson may not have played at Dodger Stadium, but make no mistake, his influence is as much a part of one of baseball’s most storied ballparks as the World Series trophies and the sweeping views of the Sierra Madre mountain range.

His influence extends for miles all over the Los Angeles area, stretching from Pasadena,...Read more

In the middle of Tuesday night’s 6-0 Red Sox loss in Minnesota, NESN cameras captured Jarren Duran raising his left hand toward the stands, his middle finger up.

Duran had just grounded out to lead off the fifth inning and was headed back to the dugout. He claimed postgame that he heard a fan tell him to take his own life.

“Somebody just ...Read more

St. LOUIS — The comeback didn’t have to be as mighty but proved to be just as effective Wednesday afternoon to seize the series from the Cleveland Guardians.

The Cardinals turned constant pressure on the bases and a timely series of singles and productive outs into a late-game chain of runs and, technically, another come-from-behind victory...Read more

BALTIMORE — The Baltimore Orioles kept finding ways to rally. Arizona just wouldn’t let up.

Baltimore dropped its series finale with the Diamondbacks, 8-5, on Sunday as Tyler Wells allowed three runs in the 10th inning. The loss clinched the series for the Diamondbacks and dropped the Orioles (9-9) back to .500.

Arizona catcher Adrian Del ...Read more

DETROIT — Turns out, his comments after the game Sunday were foreshadowing.

“I love this place already,” Kevin McGonigle said. “I’m looking forward to a long-term future here.”

Long term, indeed.

The Tigers signed McGonigle, the 21-year-old rookie infielder, to an eight-year contract extension worth a guaranteed $150 million with ...Read more

The past few days in Minneapolis did not go according to plan, but the Boston Red Sox managed to get out of town on a high note.

The Red Sox beat the Minnesota Twins 9-5 in Wednesday’s series finale, avoiding a three-game sweep and salvaging a .500 road trip. Trevor Story led the way by going 2 for 4 with five RBI, including a three-run home ...Read more

Michael King isn’t quite back to his old self.

But he’s getting there.

Hours after rotation-mate Nick Pivetta landed on the injured list, King fashioned his second straight quality start, Xander Bogaerts drove in three runs and Mason Miller was dominant again in a 4-1 win over the Mariners on Tuesday night in front of a crowd of 38,152 at ...Read more

Dodgers left-handed reliever Alex Vesia emerged from the bullpen, not closer and former Met Edwin Díaz, in the ninth inning with a one-run lead.

En route to the Dodgers’ 2-1 win over the Mets, Vesia struck out the side. He hopped and fist pumped as the Dodgers formed their handshake line. With the win, the Dodgers ensured at least a series ...Read more

ST. LOUIS — After the Cardinals capitalized on a pair of Guardians fielding mistakes to send them into extra innings, they made the most of a third one to secure a walk-off win Tuesday night at Busch Stadium.

Down 5-4 in the ninth inning after rookie JJ Wetherholt hit a two-run homer to bring them within one run, Yohel Pozo’s double to ...Read more

Rockies’ law — anything that can go wrong, will go wrong — reared its ugly head Tuesday night in Houston.

The Rockies wasted an early 3-0 lead and a two-homer performance by Hunter Goodman in a 7-6 loss to the Astros. Colorado, swept in four games in San Diego, has lost five consecutive games.

Credit Colorado for battling back. Down 7-3 ...Read more